News, Sports, Jobs - Altoona Mirror
HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County leaders on Thursday eliminated 31 vacant jobs from its employment roster, with the intent of no longer budgeting money to cover salaries and benefits for those jobs.
While some of the county jobs have remained vacant for the lack of qualified applicants, others remained vacant because tasks were reassigned or operational changes were made.
Commissioner Amy Webster, a member of the county's salary board that reviewed and cast a series of votes, said the result will present a "more realistic" picture of the county's workforce.
"This is a result of less people looking for work, combining job duties and eliminating things that we're no longer required to do," Webster said after the salary board meeting.
Commissioner Dave Kessling, who chairs the salary board, calculated a net change of 31 fewer positions, thereby saving $835,895. But he also acknowledged that the savings will be offset by $353,811 that the county's general fund has to absorb in 2025 for salaries and benefits of five employees in the adult parole and probation office — a deputy chief, two supervisors, one parole and probation officer and one probation officer aide.
For several years prior to 2025, some salaries and benefits for employees in the county's parole and probation were covered with revenue from fees paid into a fund by offenders under supervision of the county's parole and probation office.
Relying on the Offender Supervision Fund to cover those salaries may have been a prudent budget-balancing tactic in prior years, Webster acknowledged. But she said it's not an option in 2025 because President Judge Wade Kagarise has other plans for that money.
"And it's entirely up to the president judge for determination of what to do with that fund," Webster said.
As part of the job-tightening effort, the salary board voted to abolish 10 jobs in the adult parole and probation office, including seven vacant parole and probation officer positions at its Hollidaysburg and Altoona offices. Of the five jobs being absorbed by the county's general fund, only one is a parole and probation officer position.
Of the 31 net jobs being eliminated, 22 are in departments that report to the commissioners. They include the elimination of 15 fill-in corrections officers at the prison, two vacant telecommunicator positions at the 911 center, a mental health program specialist, an assessment support aide, a Children, Youth & Families clerk typist and two temporary assistants at Fort Roberdeau.
The salary board also voted in favor to abolish five vacant part-time coroner positions created last summer and to cap the remaining eight part-time deputies at 499 hours a year, as reflected in their current work schedules.
Coroner Ray Benton told the salary board that he has some concerns about being able to cover all shifts and keep every deputy from going over 499 hours. Information provided at the meeting indicated that the deputy coroners are currently working schedules that would put them at 400 to 500 hours a year.
Salary board members told Benton that if he has difficulty covering shifts, he should then return and ask for changes.
Benton also secured approval Wednesday for hiring a second deputy coroner for his office, within a projected pay range of $35,568 to $38,413 annually. That cost of that job is to be offset by abolishing an administrative assistant position that has been vacant since 2023. Benton said the second deputy's work will include more responsibility.
Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.
