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Council grants selective hiring‑freeze exemptions to coroner, highway, health and clerk offices
Summary
The council approved several department requests to exempt specific positions from the county hiring freeze — a part‑time coroner deputy (permanent), a highway truck driver, a public‑health nurse, and a replacement phones clerk — while asking staff to come back for further approvals if vacancies recur within probationary periods.
Monroe County Council considered multiple department requests to exempt individual positions from the county’s hiring freeze and approved all four requests, but with council oversight emphasized for repeat vacancies.
Coroner Jeff Hall asked to convert an on‑call reserve deputy (with service since 2017) to a paid part‑time deputy so the office can cover a deputy out on medical leave; council granted the request after questions about pay structure and whether additional hires were needed. "This individual has been with our office since 2017…he's already had five calls this year," Hall said in support.
Highway Director Lisa Ridge requested approval to fill a truck‑driver vacancy created after a recent resignation; councilors noted the position is funded from the highway fund, not the county general fund, and described the role as a public‑safety necessity after the recent major snowstorm. Ridge told council the highway fund will cover the hire and explained why the work is demanding and hard to staff.
Public Health Director Lori Kelly requested a public‑health nurse to manage communicable‑disease investigations and resume vaccination outreach (vaccine services are delayed pending installation of a refrigerator generator). Kelly reported 85 open communicable‑disease investigations and said the position will help with case follow‑up and vaccinations; council approved the exemption 5–1.
County Clerk Nicole Brown asked to replace a part‑time phones clerk who left for another job; she explained the multi‑line, high‑volume Justice Building phone workload and that the role can cover other clerk office duties as needed. Council approved the hire 5–1, and members discussed part‑time hours (up to 28) and duties.
Council discussion repeatedly returned to the hiring‑freeze ordinance, probation and comp‑time vs. overtime budgeting. Council signaled it expects departments to return for approvals if a newly hired employee leaves during the probationary window rather than treating hires as automatically re‑authorized.
What happens next: Departments may fill the approved positions as authorized; council directed staff to draft clearer guidance on the hiring‑freeze probation exception and set a procedural deadline (Feb. 17) for any suggested resolution language.
