Human Resources outlines recruitment pipeline, pay proposals and benefits pressures

Human Resources presented staffing, recruitment and benefits issues the county will face in FY27 and beyond.

HR staff described efforts to expand internal pipelines (apprenticeships, a two-year management-intern cohort) and to support career development and mentoring. They said Prism Plus (the new county ERP) has unified recruiting and payroll systems and will enable greater automation and reporting once stabilized, but the transition requires significant testing and business-user time.

On pay and benefits, HR proposed moving pay-range minimums and maximums by 3% for non-bargaining employees, a 3% pay increase for open-range employees who meet expectations, and various bargaining-unit increases per contracts. HR staff warned that health-insurance premiums are rising and that Cigna rates may increase by about 10%, while Kaiser is contractually capped at 5%.

Board members asked for operational metrics and follow-up: average time-to-fill by job family, screening tools to help hiring managers address large applicant pools, analysis of severance costs tied to proposed FTE reductions, and common themes from exit interviews. HR committed to providing time-to-fill analytics and to continuing manager training and targeted outreach for difficult-to-fill job families.

Board members also discussed whether HR should be resourced to operate a dedicated workforce-development team; HR said the topic is on the horizon and that the county now leverages partnerships with George Mason, Virginia Tech and other universities for internship pipelines and training.