By Denise A. Raymo
Press-Republican
MALONE — High turnover with little return for cost of training may lead Franklin County to seek reimbursement language in its next labor contract.
Although not an issue in Clinton County, officials there are keeping an eye on staff trends.
QUICK DEPARTURE
Franklin County Probation Department Director Denise McLane recently told legislators that her office spends more than $3,100 to train a new hire, but recently had one leave for another job 4½ months later.
She said the employee was gone even before the voucher was processed to pay for the hotel room she stayed in while training.
“With all of the turnover we have, I feel strongly that it makes sense to see about reimbursement for training,” she said.
“Maybe it will be incentive for them to stay or we could recoup the money.”
BACKLOG
And when employees move on, the process to replace them with Civil Service starts over, with the new hire sent for training, McLane said.
And that means work piles up while the office is shorthanded.
To compensate, the director said, she has had to send supervisors into the field to cover cases in the Tupper Lake area.
HIGHER PAY
McLane said many of the staff losses are to the state-prison system through the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision because the pay as a parole officer in that system is better.
The starting salary for a county probation officer is $40,053, according to the Personnel Office.
But the starting salary for a parole officer is $45,530, according to the State Department of Labor.
COMPARISON
A poll the Press-Republican conducted of neighboring counties as well as similarly sized counties across the state found that Franklin County probation-officer salaries are below average, with four counties having lower pay and five higher.
REIMBURSEMENT
While McLane said she understands employees’ desire for a better salary, she still has an important county department to run and needs to retain staff.
“You lose a lot of experience, and you can’t replace that.”
She suggests the county create a policy to seek a reimbursement percentage if an employee leaves within three years of being hired.
McLane said that, much like the contract already in place for the Sheriff’s Department union, employees should be required to pay 100 percent of the cost back if they leave within one year, 50 percent if they move on within the second year and 25 percent if they leave the position within the third year.
The county is negotiating new contracts with both of its labor unions this year, and McLane suggested a similar provision be discussed during talks with the United Public Service Employees Union leadership.
Board Chairman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay) said that retaining workers has always been an issue.
“You can’t begrudge them if they’re going to other jobs for higher pay,” he said.
“But we can’t keep being a training ground at the taxpayers’ expense.”
STABLE WORKFORCE
In Clinton County, County Administrator Michael Zurlo said high turnover and diminished training investments is not seen as an issue as of now.
“It doesn’t happen too much here, but if it became a problem, I am sure it is something we would talk to the unions about,” Zurlo said.
“It is in their best interests as well to keep a stable workforce.”
In recent years, the county has been faced with losing bus drivers from the Clinton County Pubic Transportation System. Drivers would get training from the county and then leave often taking jobs as school bus drivers, which pays more.
Clinton County pays a private firm to run the bus system and covers all operational costs, but the drivers are not considered county employees.
The county is looking into ways of avoiding drivers leaving after receiving training.
SALARY SURVEY
The Press-Republican contacted the personnel offices in neighboring counties and others comparable in size to Franklin County for the starting, base salary for positions that tends to have a high turnover rate in Franklin County: a Department of Social Services caseworker, probation officer and correction officer.
Many of the staff members who leave the county payroll here take jobs with the state, so the equivalent salaries for a social worker, parole officer and correction officer provided by the State Department of Labor are also included.
Here’s a look at the numbers:
CHENANGO COUNTY
(Population: 51,401)
DSS caseworker (37.5 hours): $37,596.
Probation officer (37.5 hours): $37,596.
Correction officer (41.25 hours): $38,524.
CLINTON COUNTY
(Population: 79,894)
DSS caseworker (35 hours): $40,687.
Probation officer (35 hours): $40,687.
Correction officer (40 hours): $33,533.
CORTLAND COUNTY
(Population: 48,599)
DSS caseworker (35 hours): $36,264.
Probation officer (40 hours): $41,445.
Correction officer (40 hours): $34,106.
DELAWARE COUNTY
(Population: 48,055)
DSS caseworker (35 hours): $35,493.
Probation officer (35 hours): $35,493.
Correction officer (40 hours): $36,733.
ESSEX COUNTY
(Population: 38,851)
DSS caseworker (35 hours): $35,090.
Probation officer (37.5 hours): $36,758.
Correction officer (84 hours/ two weeks): $32,170.
FRANKLIN COUNTY
(Population: 51,134)
DSS caseworker (35 hours): $37,963.
Probation officer (35 hours): $40,053.
Correction officer (40 hours): $31,874.
FULTON COUNTY
(Population: 55,073)
DSS caseworker (35 hours): $31,923.
Probation officer (35 hours): $41,369.
Correction officer (40 hours): $35,942.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
(Population: 49,708)
DSS caseworker (35 hours): $34,379.
Probation officer (35 hours): $42,881.
Correction officer (35 hours): $33,278.
ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY
(Population: 111,931)
DSS caseworker (35 hours): $41,121.
Probation officer (35 hours): $42,683.
Correction officer (40 hours): $41,175.
TIOGA COUNTY
(Population: 51,784)
DSS caseworker (35 hours): $39,015.
Probation officer (35 hours): $39,015.
Correction officer (40 hours): $44,422
NEW YORK STATE
(Population: 19.75 million)
Social worker: $41,440.
Parole officer: $45,530.
Correction officer: $51,280.