One priority in Stanislaus County’s new budget plan is filling gaps in the workforce
Stanislaus County is going into the next fiscal year with a $1.57 billion preliminary budget that includes spending for safer communities, employee recruitment and overdue building maintenance.
The Board of Supervisors approved the annual spending plan Tuesday for the year starting July 1.
The county expects to have $278.4 million in discretionary revenue, or money that can be spent on public services at the Board of Supervisors’ discretion. That is an 8.4 percent increase over the current year.
The county plans to increase spending by $26.3 million in departments that strive to create safer communities, including the district attorney, Sheriff’s Department, probation and public defender. Much of the funding will be spent replacing older vehicles and equipment, for new services, the third phase of adult detention expansion and 30 new positions.
The budget also includes $20 million to enhance county parks, recreation and libraries, and $28 million for building maintenance and demolition of vacant county properties.
The county will designate $12 million for recruitment and retention of county employees. Officials explained at Tuesday’s budget hearing there are gaps in the county workforce, as 17% of authorized county positions are vacant.
An example is the Stanislaus Regional 911 dispatch center, which has 43 authorized positions for dispatchers and call takers and no less than a 23% vacancy rate. The dispatch center is a joint powers agreement between the county and Modesto, but the people who work there are county employees.
A county report says the dispatch center has 10 vacant positions. Of the 33 positions that are filled, three employees are on long-term leave and one is assigned to administrative work. Nine of the active employees are trainees with less than a year’s experience, giving the dispatch center a “deployable staff” of 20, the report says.
In a separate item, the board gave approval Tuesday to rehire a retired 18-year dispatch veteran to work part-time.
The county will develop broader strategies for recruiting and retaining employees across various departments. County supervisors, department directors and labor unions are expected to provide input for the recruitment effort.
The preliminary budget for 2022-23 will add 47 positions to the county workforce, increasing the total to 4,716 authorized positions. County leaders are expected to approve a final 2022-23 budget in September.
