Committee backs adding HR Specialist II to speed class/spec reviews and recruitment

The Finance Committee voted to forward Resolution 375-25 to full council with a favorable recommendation to create one Human Resources Specialist II position in the Department of Human Resources. The position is intended to provide additional capacity for the classification and pay division, which staff described as a three‑person section responsible for 765 classes of work across county departments.

"We are kind of phasing that out. It can happen within that day," Jamie Lynn Martinez, human resources manager, said describing how revised minimum qualifications or class language can be processed once departments return edits. Director Summer Tokihiro and Martinez told the committee the division historically took a reactive approach (waiting for departments to request changes) and is shifting to a more proactive process of initiating reviews, updating minimum qualifications, and proposing career ladders to improve recruitment.

Martinez said the division also serves as a point of contact for other jurisdictions, including the City and County of Honolulu and the counties of Maui and Kauai, and that creating the additional position would free staff to initiate reviews rather than wait for department requests. Committee members pressed on timelines and existing vacancy counts; staff estimated continuous recruitments number about 50 positions at any given time and said some vacancies have persisted for years.

The committee forwarded Resolution 375-25 to council with a favorable recommendation (vote recorded as 6 ayes; three excused). The motion record shows Councilmember Eustace moved the measure forward.