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Douglas County HR director seeks $241,000 over target, flags legacy HR systems and ADA work
Summary
Human Resources Director Karen Butch asked the Board for roughly $241,000 over target for FY27, citing technology licensing increases, occupational health costs, and the need to modernize a legacy Oracle HR system; she also highlighted county ADA website-accessibility obligations and cautioned on AI hiring tools.
Karen Butch, human resources director and civil service lead for Douglas County, presented the department’s FY27 budget request and a case for technology and staffing investments on June 9.
Butch described the department’s responsibilities — classification and compensation, administering 30 collective bargaining agreements, employee benefits and compliance — and said the office now totals roughly 16 FTEs after three positions were added in 2024. She said the office processed more than 10,000 job applications last year and that HR technology and occupational-health costs have risen materially.
Butch flagged Oracle EBS as a dated core system with a 2014 benefits module and said several external modules are being paid for through separate licensing (NEOGOV, onboarding, e-forms, recruiting, learning-management content). She put current licensing at roughly $164,000 per year and said the FY27 over-target request is about $241,000, of which about $68,000 addresses a previously vacant position and the remainder covers operations and technology needs.
Commissioners asked technical and policy questions. Commissioner Kavanagh and Butch discussed Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and digital-accessibility obligations; Butch said the county is preparing for compliance and noted the Department of Justice’s recent activity on web accessibility. Commissioners also discussed whether to issue an RFP for a modern HR/ERP system; Butch said a needs analysis had been done previously and that, combined with purchasing staff, the county could run an RFP but cautioned about legacy Oracle history and migration work. Butch cautioned about prematurely adopting AI tools for hiring because of legal and fairness risks, while noting limited uses for internal employee support.
Butch said if the board does not approve requested monies, she may need to return with a surplus request later in the fiscal year because some costs (occupational health, licensing) are outside of department control.
The board moved on to other business after the presentation; a motion to enter executive session for contract negotiations and legal advice was later taken and approved.
