Wichita County commissioners were told on Sept. 19 that the jail currently had 13 open positions with 13 job offers and that the new hires were expected to start in early October, and county staff described the overtime burden linked to vacancies and leave.

"13 open positions, 13 job offers. ... October 6, I think, is the start date," the Sheriff said. County staff explained that the 13 vacancies, counted at a 48-hour workweek, represented about 1,248 hours of overtime to cover shifts, and that vacation and sick leave added roughly 874 hours, for a combined 2,122 hours attributed to open positions or leave; staff said about 500 hours reflected other overtime.

Officials noted they delayed the start date so training staff could attend next week's TECO conference. The Sheriff also said a training session scheduled for November will require new hires to obtain licensing within a year and that the county expects that to be in place by March or April next year.

Why it matters: sustained vacancies and high overtime levels have budget and operational implications for jail staffing, scheduling and training. Commissioners asked questions about retention and how the overtime numbers will look once new hires start.

Discussion versus action: these were informational remarks; no motions or votes were recorded on staffing, hiring or overtime at the meeting.

Supporting details: county staff said payroll accounting showed some line items not capturing holiday or time-and-a-half costs accurately and agreed to review the spreadsheet entries. Commissioners asked about historical quit rates; one commissioner said they average about three separations per week, though the county staff said recent turnover had been "pretty smooth."

Next steps: staff to review payroll spreadsheet discrepancies and to proceed with onboarding schedules for the incoming hires.