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Committee hears steep application volume but slow hires, plus NPRs for IT security and data‑privacy role
Summary
HR reported about 303 job postings and 5,000 applications year‑to‑date but only ~60 hires, noting recruitment challenges and 12 deputy sheriff vacancies. Departments presented NPRs including IT security staffing options and a proposed interdepartmental data‑privacy coordinator tied to recent legislation.
Davis County HR told the Budget Committee that recruitment has been unusually active in 2024 — roughly 303 job postings and over 5,000 applications through September — yet the county has hired only about 60 people in that same period. HR staff said the number of applicants per posting has declined compared with past years, and commissioners flagged rising vacancies in public safety: the sheriff's office reported about 12 sworn deputy vacancies in August.
"We've only been able to hire 60 people for those 300 postings," Speaker 8 said, noting seasonal hires and part‑time roles explain some of the gap but that full‑time hiring remains concentrated in the sheriff, health and animal care departments.
During NPR (new position request) review, IT (Speaker 9) proposed a three‑tier approach to bolster cyber security: (1) hire two new full‑time security FTEs, (2) hire one FTE and reallocate existing staff, or (3) reclassify internal staff with targeted salary adjustments. He estimated the incremental total cost for one of the options in the ~$70,000 range after internal backfills and salary adjustments, and said staff with cybersecurity degrees already exist that could be redeployed.
Separately, HR flagged a proposed interdepartmental data‑privacy coordinator in response to a recently referenced legislative item (referred to in the briefing as 'bill 40494'). Staff said the position's home department and exact funding source have not been finalized and that some duties could be assigned to an existing unit if the commission prefers.
Other NPR items included slough‑rock contractor conversions (moving positions from Fund 80 to Fund 10 operations), seasonal staffing requests for the Western Sports Park, a part‑time office specialist request for the commission office to support succession planning, and small operational budget changes (e.g., public works uniform allowance).
HR asked commissioners for direction on which NPRs to prioritize and noted payroll‑obligation timing if conversions are to be funded for the upcoming year.
The committee did not adopt NPR funding decisions at the briefing; HR will bring detailed cost allocations and departmental presentations during the personnel budget tour and the remaining budget process.
