To: Board of Supervisors
From: David O. Livingston, Sheriff-Coroner
Report Title: Temporary Hire of County Retiree Carla Williams - Waiver of 180-day "sit out" period
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. CONSIDER waiving the 180-day sit-out period for Clerk-Specialist Level Carla Williams, in the Office of the Sheriff;
2. FIND that the appointment of Ms. Williams is necessary to fill a critically needed position; and
3. APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the hiring of County retiree Ms. Williams as a temporary County employee effective November 1, 2023, and serving through October 31, 2024.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Upon approval, this action has a cost of approximately $70,848. The cost is fully funded within the Office of the Sheriff’s budget, drawing on the current General Fund allocations.
BACKGROUND:
The West County Detention Facility (WCDF) is a 24-hour facility that is set up to operate with a staff of 8 clerks. For several years, WCDF has operated without a Clerical Supervisor, due to staffing challenges. For several months, WCDF has been operating with 5 clerical staff members.
The clerical staff shortage has presented several challenges to the existing workforce unit. The clerks in the unit average over 60 hours each of overtime per month to maintain the required duties of the unit, such as: signing in attorneys, various law enforcement agency visitors, law clerks, psychologists, and other notable program personnel; handling a high call volume; preparing daily courts; updating and reviewing booking files; preparing inmate releases; processing bail bonds and cash bails; and communicating with courtroom clerks to update inmate files in our ATIMS system. In addition, the clerical unit handles the scheduling, vacation sign-ups, and the training of new employees and temp clerks, and other duties as needed to support a 24-hour facility.
The absence of the Clerical Supervisor has resulted in the Clerk Specialist role absorbing additional leadership duties. With the retirement of Ms. Williams, the unit is in dire need of additional and immediate support. The current process for hiring new employees can take up to six months or longer because of the extensive background process. Hiring Carla Williams immediately as a temporary employee will alleviate some of the overtime and exhaustion of our current clerical staff and will help our daily operations until we can hire and train full-time permanent employees. The temporary hire of Ms. Williams as someone who is familiar with all the functions of the position and unit, will bridge gaps in the learning curve for the new Clerks hired at the West County Detention Facility.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Failure to receive Board approval will result in a significant negative impact at the Office of the Sheriff's West County Detention Facility. The clerical unit at WCDF is short-staffed which has led to the public hours of operation at the detention facility being decreased and employees having to change schedules to accommodate the 24-hour facility as best they can. Employees will continue to be forced to work overtime which will lead to burnout and low employee morale. There is a greater margin for error if employees are burnt out, and errors at WCDF can result in errant inmate retention or release, and incorrect cash handling for inbound or outbound inmates.