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County clerk warns AFSCME bonuses and new Clean Slate Act will strain staffing and budgets
Summary
County Clerk Susan McGrath told the board AFSCME bonuses totaled about $75,000 across her office's 29 positions (25 then filled) and said roughly $3,700 was taken from her salary; she also said the Clean Slate Act will require filing expungement petitions and could create overtime and staffing needs.
Susan McGrath, identified in the meeting as the county clerk, used her public-comment time to raise two financial concerns for the board.
McGrath said her office has 29 AFSCME positions, with 25 filled when the AFSCME bonuses were granted. She calculated that the total bonus amount attributable to her office was about $75,000 and said that represents roughly 5% of her personnel budget. "It's about $3,700," McGrath said when describing the amount removed from her personal salary, and she asked the board to consider reinstating enough funds to cover personnel payouts and one imminent employee separation payout.
Separately, McGrath warned the board that the recently passed Clean Slate Act will require her office to file expungement petitions in criminal cases wherever expungement is possible, with an uncertain retroactive reach. "Now it's law," McGrath said, and she said the legislation arrived earlier than expected; she flagged the likely need for overtime or other assistance and said she may return to the board next year seeking resources to meet the new legal workload.
McGrath provided the board chair with a worksheet of calculations; the chair said staff would distribute her materials to board members after the meeting.
Next steps: Clerk McGrath said she would be in touch about requests later in the budget cycle and the board said it would review the submitted calculations.
