The Operations Committee considered a co-sponsored proposal (agenda item 250197) to amend the FY2025 budget to add three positions to support the Board of Commissioners: dedicated legal counsel, a financial consultant and a communications director.

Committee members raised concerns about timing, current hiring freezes and uncertainty in the county’s revenue outlook. Several commissioners said central staff already had funded positions and that individual commissioners could use district or central-staff resources short-term. Commissioner Massiah framed the request as an access-to-information issue, saying, “it's only about the information for all of us,” and argued that commissioners need timely legal, financial and communications support to serve constituents.

After debate about alternatives — including dedicating a senior county attorney to the board, clarifying central-staff positions and waiting for mid-year budget numbers — committee members moved to withdraw the amendment from committee. The committee approved the withdrawal; the item remains on the business agenda for the full Board of Commissioners and may be reintroduced later when the county has better budget clarity.