Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Columbia County commissioners approve hires and step increases for jail, maintenance and court staff
Summary
The Columbia County Commissioners unanimously approved multiple hires, rehires and step increases on March 5, 2026, including corrections officers, a maintenance tech, medical staff for the jail and the hiring of an assistant district attorney at an annual salary of $39,000.
The Columbia County Commissioners on March 5 approved a slate of personnel actions, including hires, rehires and step increases for jail, maintenance and court staff.
The actions approved included: Samantha Bagan, Medical Staff (Jail), six-month step effective Feb. 18, 2026, at $24.39 per hour; Jacob Schreck, Maintenance Technician (Maintenance), six-month step effective March 8, 2026, at $21.45 per hour; Juwan Petties-Jackson, Corrections Officer (rehire), effective March 16, 2026, at $20.45 per hour; and hires for full-time Corrections Officer positions for Kevin Pederson and Jarod Cole, effective March 16, 2026, at $20.45 per hour.
The board also approved personnel changes for elected-office and court employees, including Morgan Rupp, Clerk in the Prothonotary’s office, receiving a two-year step effective April 1, 2026, at $19.48 per hour; a step progression for Leonard Branz, D&A Counselor/Re-Entry (AP), with the transcript recording $23.33 for 2/25/25–12/31/25 and $24.03 effective Jan. 1, 2026 through the current pay period; and the hire of Drew McLaughlin as Assistant District Attorney, effective March 16, 2026, at an annual salary of $39,000.
Motions were recorded in the meeting minutes as follows: a motion to approve the personnel group A items was made by Commissioner Brewer and seconded by Commissioner Kovach and was recorded as approved; a separate motion to approve group B items was made by Treasurer Creveling and seconded by Commissioner Kovach and also was approved. The minutes of the prior meeting were approved earlier in the session on a motion by Treasurer Creveling and seconded by Commissioner Kovach.
The meeting record does not list individual roll-call tallies; each motion is recorded in the minutes as "all approved." With no further business, Commissioner Brewer moved to adjourn; Commissioner Karschner seconded and the meeting adjourned. Chief Clerk David J. Witchey attested to the meeting record.
The approvals take effect on the dates recorded in the minutes; funding sources and broader budget impacts were not specified in the meeting transcript.
