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Klamath County board considers hiring assistant vegetation weed control supervisor amid succession concerns
Summary
County leaders discussed a request to hire an assistant vegetation weed control supervisor (UF 27) to address a single-worker institutional-knowledge gap in Public Works; the motion to approve was seconded and discussion on funding and duties followed, with no final vote recorded in the provided transcript.
Speaker 1, a Klamath County board member, asked the Board of Commissioners on Dec. 10 to approve hiring an assistant vegetation weed control supervisor for the Public Works department as part of a succession plan. "We are requesting approval to hire an assistant vegetation weed control supervisor," Speaker 1 said, adding the position would be classified as UF 27 and that the full annual salary would be $97,555.35, with an estimated $48,000 covering the remainder of the current year.
The request was made "on behalf of Jeremy Morris, the public works director," Speaker 1 said. Speaker 2 moved to approve the hiring request and Speaker 1 seconded the motion, producing a motion on the table. The transcript provided does not record a formal roll-call vote or final outcome for the motion.
Board members described the operational need behind the hire. Speaker 1 said one individual has performed the job for about 20 years and "there is literally no backup," creating vulnerability during peak weed season. "It is difficult hiring applicators and this would provide an additional applicator during weed season," Speaker 1 said, noting that hiring in winter allows time for training.
Discussion among board members focused on the proposed position's duties and funding. Speaker 1 described the role as hybrid, with the employee spending part of the year in the road department and part working with the drainage service district to build inspection capacity and institutional knowledge. Speaker 3 said the cost would be split among the weed department, the drainage service district and the road department. Speaker 1 acknowledged the weed department could not absorb the full cost alone and characterized the hybrid structure as a way to retain trained staff and meet seasonal contract obligations.
The board also discussed timing: when Speaker 3 asked whether there is a retirement date for the incumbent the new hire would succeed, Speaker 1 replied there was no definite date yet. The record provided ends with continued discussion of staffing and cost-sharing; no final vote or implementation timeline is included in the supplied transcript.
Next steps were not specified in the transcript. The request was seconded and remained under discussion at the close of the provided excerpt.
