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Labor relations office seeks software and consultant funds; council asks for procurement and reclassification details
Summary
The Office of Labor Relations requested software and consultant funding in the FY26 budget; council members pressed staff for details on repurposed positions, lapse restoration, and why a consultant contract was signed before appropriation.
County staff told the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee the County Executive's FY26 recommendation includes $309,000 (about 13.97%) more for the Office of Labor Relations (OLR), covering $33,300 to procure labor case-management software and $29,910 to cover escalation in a newly executed collective-bargaining consultant contract.
OLR representative Miss Harling described the need for a comprehensive case-management tool to replace two separate in-house systems that create data inaccuracy and extra workloads. She said the $33,300 request covers first-year costs, including installation and training; out-year operating estimates are lower.
Council members asked for additional transparency about repurposed positions and a $179,850 personnel adjustment that includes a $144,182 lapse restoration. "If you could share that with us, the details of that, I would appreciate it," Council Member Friedson said, asking for a line-by-line comparison of what was budgeted versus actual hiring costs.
Friedson also questioned the timing of the consultant contract, noting the contract went into effect April 4 while the council had not yet appropriated the funding. Deputy Director James Donaldson explained the county used a competitive procurement vehicle, that the contract is billed hourly, and that the county is not obliged to expend funds if not appropriated. He said the consultant provides comparables, costing and modeling to support bargaining.
Committee staff said they would recommend the County Executive's FY26 OLR budget to the full council and asked OLR to provide the requested follow-up materials on classification and consultant costs.
