Plumas Grand Jury Report Focuses on County Jobs

QUINCY — In a report entitled “Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!” issued June 30, Plumas County’s 2024-2025 Civil Grand Jury presented findings and recommendations related to personnel rules and procedures that the jurors concluded have led to chronic job vacancies, lack of qualified staff, and overwork in county departments. The report cites recognition that Plumas County government salaries are lower by 20% or more relative to equivalent positions in other counties, and that 20-25% of county positions are vacant, as motivating factors for the jury’s investigation.

According to information provided by Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Mimi Hall, 83 county positions were vacant as of August 12. Postings on the county’s employment opportunities web page show openings ranging from entry-level jobs in diverse fields to senior management positions. Vacancies for a number of jobs that require specialized degrees and/or professional licensure, such as nurses, engineers, and therapists, have been vacant for months or years.

In their findings, the grand jury attributed difficulties in hiring to several aspects of county personnel policy, including: low salaries; inflexible job descriptions; a long, complex process for modifying or creating job descriptions; disqualification of job candidates by county Human Resources before their applications can be seen by hiring departments, and the need for all hiring decisions to be approved by the Board of Supervisors.

The jury recommended modifying county personnel rules to allow for more timely changes to job descriptions and to make it easier to take experience into account in determining whether an applicant is qualified for a job. They also recommended putting more effort into recruiting for open positions. They did not make specific recommendations about how to address low pay for county jobs, however.

Pay and benefits for Plumas County government jobs are set by resolution of the Board of Supervisors and are generally required to align with levels in 10 counties assumed to be comparable to Plumas, according to current procedures. Supervisor Hall, who previously served as a county department head, described the requirement to consider salaries in comparable counties as a “historical HR practice” in California, but said “it doesn’t hold anymore” in her view. That is because county government agencies tend to compete for workers with local entities such as school districts, hospitals, and the private sector, rather than with governments in other counties, she said.

More recently, the Board of Supervisors authorized an independent agency to conduct a comparative study of salaries in Plumas and other California counties. Supervisor Hall said the study is needed because “we have to do something” and that it will provide a “yardstick” as a first step. The Board has signaled the intention to include funds for a 10% raise in the county budget for the coming fiscal year. However, Supervisor Hall said that increasing pay in the long term will require a “multipronged approach” involving planning, reorganization, and increasing revenue.

The grand jury’s report is available online at https://plumascounty.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/18865. The county has not yet responded to the report.