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Adult probation asks for temporary help and immediate hires tied to realignment as committee defers some items
Summary
Chief Wendy Veil asked for temporary salaries, two deputy probation officers and one supervisor to manage an increasing realignment caseload; analysts questioned some temporary-salary uses and noted prior salary savings had been swept, and the committee accepted some attrition savings while deferring other temporary-salary decisions for more information.
Chief Adult Probation Officer Wendy Veil told the committee the department has three outstanding budget issues: increased temporary help, two additional deputy probation officers and one supervising probation officer for the highest-risk caseload, and three vehicles associated with those hires. Veil said the department relied on probation aids and retired staff to cover work while vacancies persisted and emphasized the workload created by realignment, including a growing post-release supervision (PRCS) population.
Supervisor Kim noted a projected $900,000 to $1,000,000 salary savings in the current year; Veil and the Controller's representative explained that those current-year savings had been swept into the fund balance and were not available to pay ongoing positions. Budget analysts questioned some temporary-salary requests as not direct-service and said the department had used salary savings last year to hire temporary staff without prior budget authority.
The committee accepted an attrition-savings line but deferred final action on temporary salaries and some new positions (analyst recommended adding one position in year 1 and additional positions in year 2). Supervisors emphasized the need for reliable hiring timelines (Veil said vacancies should be filled in July after backgrounds) and asked for further documentation to confirm staffing and vehicle needs. Some supervisors expressed support for additional deputy probation officers given public-safety considerations, while asking for clarifying information on the temporary-salary accounting.
