To: Board of Supervisors of the County of Sonoma, Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Water Agency, Board of Commissioners of the Community Development Commission, and the Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District
Department or Agency Name(s): Human Resources Department
Staff Name and Phone Number: Janell Crane, 707-565-2885; Lisa Conner, 707‐565‐3207
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Miscellaneous Classification, Compensation, and Allocation Changes
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Adopt a Concurrent Resolution amending the Memorandum of Understanding between the County and Sonoma County Law Enforcement Association (SCLEA), Salary Table Scales, to revise the classification titles for the Juvenile Correctional Counselor series, effective January 13, 2026.
B) Adopt a Concurrent Resolution amending Salary Resolution 95‐0926 to establish the Deputy Health Services Division Director - Behavioral Health and Deputy Health Services Division Director - Homelessness classifications and set the salaries, effective January 13, 2026.
C) Adopt a Resolution amending the Department Allocation List for the Human Services Department, effective January 13, 2026.
end
Executive Summary:
The County’s Human Resources Department is responsible for managing the County‐wide classification and compensation structure. Components of this responsibility include ensuring employees are appropriately classified, administering the County’s Compensation Plan, and assisting departments with organizational changes when they involve classification reviews. Regularly, the department conducts classification and compensation analyses, develops reports, and presents recommendations to incumbents, unions, departments, and in many situations the Civil Service Commission. However, four agencies (Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, Community Development Commission, Sonoma County Fair, and Sonoma County Water Agency) are not governed by the County’s Civil Service System and the Board has sole authority to approve revisions to their classifications.
In this item before your Board today, Human Resources requests approval to implement recommendations resulting from classification and compensation studies for the Department of Health Services and Probation Department. In addition, this Board item contains a request for an allocation list amendment for the Human Services Department.
Discussion:
Department of Health Services (DHS)
Human Resources received a request from the Department of Health Services (DHS) to create two new, single position management-level classifications that will enable the department to facilitate implementation of a DHS reorganization, in response to legislative changes and operational necessity.
Human Resources evaluated the department’s organizational structure and the County’s classification plan and determined that classifications do not currently exist that can appropriately perform the identified body of work and meet the requirements necessary to carry out the essential functions of the positions. As a result, Human Resources created two new classifications.
The Deputy Health Services Division Director - Homelessness will centralize homelessness support services, prevent duplicative efforts, strengthen client service delivery, and enhance the department’s ability to receive reimbursement for services. On October 16, 2025, the Civil Service Commission approved the creation of the new classification.
The Deputy Health Services Division Director - Behavioral Health will assist the Health Services Division Director allocated to Behavior Health Division with programmatic, policy, and procedural improvements; and may serve as Acting Health Services Division Director for the Behavioral Health Division in the absence of the incumbent. On December 4, 2025, the Civil Service Commission approved the creation of the new classification.
Bargaining Unit, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and Salary Determinations:
Pursuant to the County’s Employee Relations Policy, Human Resources conducted a Community of Interest review to determine the appropriate representation and bargaining unit for the new classifications of Deputy Health Services Division Director - Homelessness and Deputy Health Services Division Director - Behavioral Health. The review determined that representation by Sonoma County Administrative Management Council (SCAMC - 50) would be most appropriate both classifications, and that the classifications should be exempt, pursuant to the guidelines of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Based on an evaluation of both market data and internal equity factors, Human Resources has determined the salary for Deputy Health Services Division Director - Homelessness should be $15,772 / top monthly step and for ongoing salary administration for the classification should be set at 17.5% below the benchmark job classification of Health Services Division Director.
Based on an evaluation of both market data and internal equity factors, Human Resources has determined the salary for Deputy Health Services Division Director - Behavioral Health should be $17,080 / top monthly step and ongoing salary administration for the classification should be set at 8.5% below the benchmark job classification of Health Services Division Director.
Human Resources seeks approval to establish the classifications and salaries of Deputy Health Services Division Director - Homelessness and Deputy Health Services Division Director - Behavioral Health. The Department of Health Services will administratively add the Deputy Health Services Division Director - Homelessness allocation through the deletion of an allocation of a higher-level job classification and will not increase total cost to the department. The Department will submit a request to the Board in the future to add a 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) Deputy Health Services Division Director - Behavioral Health to its allocation list pending final review of operational needs and funding availability.
Human Services Department (HSD)
The executive leadership team in the Human Services Department (HSD) consists of the director and two assistant directors. To support and strengthen department operations, more quickly and effectively respond to changing program and community needs, and to ensure the ongoing fiscal integrity and sustainability of the department, HSD is requesting to restructure its executive leadership team by adding a third Assistant Director of Human Services.
The assistant directors are primarily responsible for internal operations and administration as well as special and unplanned projects and initiatives. Fiscal operations are currently managed by a Department Administrative Services Director. Given the scope and complexities of Human Services fiscal operations, a higher-level position is necessary to manage the budget of the County’s largest department with very complex, variable, and highly regulated funding sources. This new position will serve as the Department’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), with responsibility for managing a budget of over $334 million with multiple local, state, and federal funding sources, and will better situate the Department to manage the coming years of extreme fiscal uncertainty and operational impacts. Further, the CFO will also have responsibility for managing the contracts and grants team, the facilities team, and emergency Care and Shelter functions. The position is responsible for oversight of nine distinct facilities that HSD occupies, as well as various smaller satellite offices across the county. The position will manage a total staff of approximately 47 FTE.
This restructuring of the executive leadership team will more equitably distribute duties among the three assistant directors and ensure strong and sustainable fiscal oversight and strategic planning related to fiscal operations.
At this time, HSD seeks approval to amend the Department Allocation list to delete a vacant 1.0 FTE Supervising Accountant and add a 1.0 FTE Assistant Director of Human Services.
Probation Department (PRB)
The Probation Department, with concurrence from SCLEA, submitted a classification study to the Human Resources Department requesting the review of and updates to the Juvenile Correctional Counselor (JCC) classification series. The classification specifications were last revised in 2009. The justification for the request included information to reflect that in September 2020, the California State Legislature passed Senate Bill 823 which closed state run juvenile facilities. Prior to this legislation, young people charged with lower-level crimes were sent to a county juvenile facility, but those found guilty of serious or violent offenses were typically transferred to a state facility. Beginning in 2021, all youth between the ages of 13 and 25 years old who were adjudicated in the state’s juvenile court system remain in custody in county facilities under supervision of the County Probation Department.
Human Resources agreed with the request and engaged with a classification services consultant, CPS HR Consulting Services (CPS HR), to conduct the study. The class study resulted in revising the Juvenile Correctional Counselor (JCC) I-IV classification specification series inclusive of the definitions, typical duties, knowledge and abilities, and minimum qualification sections. Further, CPS HR found the classification specifications’ language, formatting, and title naming convention were not aligned with Human Resources’ current practices and standards.
To reflect current standards, Human Resources recommended changing the classifications titles from:
• Juvenile Correctional Counselor I to Probation Corrections Officer I
• Juvenile Correctional Counselor II to Probation Corrections Officer II
• Juvenile Correctional Counselor III to Senior Probation Corrections Officer
• Juvenile Correctional Counselor IV to Supervising Probation Corrections Officer
The Civil Service Commission approved Human Resources recommendations at their December 18, 2025, meeting.
Human Resources, Probation management, and SCLEA met and conferred over the classification specifications’ revisions and reached agreement with SCLEA, which resulted in the Letter of Agreement between the parties (Resolution 1, Attachment B).
Human Resources seeks approval to amend the SCLEA Memorandum of Understanding to retitle the JCC series as outlined above.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
Throughout the year, Human Resources submits several Miscellaneous Classification, Compensation, and Allocation Change Board Items that require Board approval to be fully adopted and implemented.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY25-26 Adopted |
FY26-27 Projected |
FY27-28 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
HSD: $84,000 |
HSD: $187,800 |
HSD: $193,400 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$84,000 |
$187,800 |
$193,400 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
HSD: $84,000 |
HSD: $187,800 |
HSD: $193,400 |
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
General Fund Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$84,000 |
$187,800 |
$193,400 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Department of Health Services (DHS)
There are no fiscal impacts associated with the establishment of these job classifications.
Human Services Department (HSD)
In Fiscal Year 2025-2026, the increased cost to add a 1.0 FTE Assistant Director of Human Services and delete a 1.0 FTE Supervising Accountant is estimated to be $84,200. The additional cost will be funded by a reduction of ongoing services and supplies in the Fiscal and Operations budget. HSD is not requesting to increase budget appropriations in Fiscal Year 2025-26. The position is funded by various funding sources including state and realignment revenues.
Probation Department (PRB)
There are no fiscal impacts.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
Supervising Accountant |
$8,960.70 - $10,893.03 |
|
(1.0) |
|
Assistant Director of Human Services |
$17,510.94 - $21,285.15 |
1.0 |
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
Department of Health Services (DHS)
There are no staffing impacts associated with the creation of these job classifications.
Human Services Department (HSD)
This action would delete 1.0 FTE vacant Supervising Accountant and add 1.0 FTE Assistant Director, to better align the operational needs and reallocation of certain duties within HSD. There are no staffing impacts associated with the addition of the new 1.0 FTE allocation. The HSD will work with Human Resources to conduct a recruitment to fill the newly created position.
Probation Department (PRB)
There are no staffing impacts to retitling the Juvenile Correctional Counselor specifications.
Attachments:
1. Resolution 1: Concurrent Resolution amending the Memorandum of Understanding between the County and Sonoma County Law Enforcement Association (SCLEA), Salary Table Scales, to revise the classification titles for the Juvenile Correctional Counselor series.
2. Resolution 1: Attachment A - Appendix A - Salary Tables
3. Resolution 1: Attachment B - Side Letter Agreement, Juvenile Correctional Counselor Series Retitling
4. Resolution 2: Concurrent Resolution amending Salary Resolution 95‐0926 to establish the Deputy Health Services Division Director - Behavioral Health and Deputy Health Services Division Director - Homelessness classifications and set the salaries
5. Resolution 2: Attachment A - Appendix A - Salary Tables
6. Resolution 3: Resolution amending Department Allocation List for the Human Services Department
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
1. Classification Study Report on Juvenile Correctional Counselor Series
2. Classification Study Report on Deputy Health Services Division Director - Behavioral Health
3. Classification Study Report on Deputy Health Services Division Director - Homelessness