Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Hiring Freeze topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Monroe County Council clears two law-clerk hires, tables broader hiring-freeze change
Summary
After heated debate about whether paid law-clerk interns should be exempt from a countywide hiring freeze, the council approved two immediate law-clerk hires (vote 5–2) and voted to table a wider amendment to the hiring-freeze resolution until Jan. 27 for the judges to explain the practice.
Monroe County Council on Jan. 13 approved two law-clerk hires the courts had put in motion but stopped short of broadly exempting judges from a countywide hiring freeze.
In a contentious discussion that stretched for more than an hour, staff member Turner King proposed adding language to Resolution 2025-42 to allow Monroe County judges to "select law clerk interns who are paid as part time employees and whose hours are capped at 10 hours per week" as an exemption to the hiring freeze. Councilors raised questions about parity, oversight and process.
"If they're being paid by the county, they're getting paid by the county," Councilor Henry said during the debate, arguing that paid clerks should be treated like other part-time employees and subject to the council's hiring rules. Councilor Wilts expressed similar concerns about creating an open-ended exception for part-time positions.
Councilor Deckard moved to allow the two law clerks already in the pipeline to proceed; Councilor Iverson seconded. The motion passed by roll call vote, 5–2. The council also approved a separate procedural action to table consideration of a broader amendment to the hiring-freeze resolution until the next meeting on Jan. 27, and asked that the judges or their liaisons come to explain the courts' staffing practice.
Turner King told the council the courts historically select law clerks directly and, for paid clerks, the county has paid them at the part‑time rate with a 10‑hour weekly cap. Councilors urged staff to run a payroll check for similar paid intern arrangements across departments and asked employee services and court liaisons to follow up.
The council's action clears two positions already advanced through paperwork, while reserving authority to review and limit additional hires pending an explicit request from the judges. The item will return to the council agenda for further consideration on Jan. 27.
The vote to approve the two existing law‑clerk hires was 5 in favor, 2 opposed.
