Great news for those looking for work!
Onondaga County Legislators have approved a resolution that could directly benefit you, if you’re looking for a job.
At their March Session, the lawmakers unanimously voted to expand the current list of county positions that would fall under the state’s Hiring Emergency Limited Placement Program, or HELP Program. It allows the county to hire employees on a probationary basis without the requirement of a civil service test. After one year, those employees are considered permanent and do not have to take the civil service test to remain in the position.
"The HELP Program is pivotal to strengthening Onondaga County's workforce” says Legislator Kevin Meaker, whose 2nd District covers the western portion of the Town of Clay. “By streamlining the hiring process, it ensures we can fill critical County government roles with qualified, permanent employees—keeping essential services running efficiently for our community.”
One week before Session, Onondaga County’s Commissioner of Personnel, Carlton Hummel, spoke about HELP during the Ways & Means Committee. He shared that since the program started a few years ago, the county has used it to appoint over 350 people to jobs in 150 different job titles. The current expansion would bring the total number of eligible job titles to 250, or about 1/3 of all county job titles.
“It’s helping to bring people into county employment” he said.
The Commissioner of the county’s Department of Social Services-Economic Security, Sarah Merrick, shared with Legislators at that same meeting the benefit she has seen firsthand. “Last year we hired 80 people and I would say 95% of them were HELP titles. People are scared of civil service tests, and we were able to do active recruiting when we told them ‘hey, you don’t have to take a test.’ At least for my department, it’s a huge success and I appreciate any support you have for this.”
10th District Legislator Mark Olson represents much of the Town of Manlius and the Villages of Minoa and Fayetteville. “I was happy to support this because we need to attract the most qualified individuals to our county workforce. They are the foundation of local government and the ones who are on the frontlines everyday assisting our residents. The HELP Program has proven successful already so it only makes sense to expand it further.”
New York State has to approve the expansion of HELP Program titles in Onondaga County. If they do, some of the jobs that will fall under the program include:
Recording Clerk in the County Clerk’s office
Nutrition Services Coordinator in the Department of Adult and Long Term Care
Caseworker Assistant in the Department of Children and Family Services
Division Administrator (Family Court) in the Department of Law
Personnel Aide in the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office
Motor Equipment Dispatchers and Civil Engineers in Department of Transportation
Wastewater Treatment Plant employees in the Department of Water Environment Protection
To learn more about working for Onondaga County and to see all available jobs, visit Onondaga.gov/Employment.