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Probation department wins council approval to refill dozens of vacancies amid staffing crunch
Summary
Probation leaders told council the department faces a 28% vacancy rate and asked to refill multiple full‑time slots; council approved hiring exemptions and a new line item to allow probation officer assistants to be paid from grant funds.
Linda Brady, probation director, told council the department had 87 positions prior to the county hiring freeze and is now operating with 24 vacancies — a roughly 28% vacancy rate — and that the department has exhausted reorganization options. "We have 24 staff vacancies," Brady said, describing the operational strain on community corrections, intake, and field supervision.
Brady asked permission to refill several probation officer positions funded from county general and user‑fee funds; council approved combined motions to create account lines and allow hiring where grant rules permit (motion passed 6–1 on hiring exemptions). Department staff said hiring would be phased and that even after hires the department expects recruitment and retention to remain challenging in a post‑COVID labor market. Officials estimated a minimum near‑term return to county general of about $222,173 if the requested positions begin in the fall, though paperwork and actual start dates will affect that calculation.
