2 Officials Ask for More Help

Two more Ventura County department heads have joined a growing list of officials asking for exemptions to a recently imposed hiring freeze.

Auditor-Controller Thomas O. Mahon and Resource Management Agency Director Thomas Berg will ask the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday for authorization to fill what they say are critical positions in their departments.

“In order to carry out the responsibilities we have and to protect the taxpayers, we need these positions,” Mahon said. “If we cut these positions, we’re going to be in serious trouble.”

Faced with a $46-million budget deficit, the board last month approved a hiring freeze in most county departments.

Since then, though, the supervisors have agreed to allow the county assessor and tax collector to hire temporary help.

Public safety, health and social service agencies were automatically exempted from the freeze.

Mahon said his office should also be excused. He said he has seven vacant positions, including two auditor posts. If he is not able to fill these positions, Mahon said, his office will be forced to cut back the number of department audits it performs. He said the audits help save the county money by promoting efficiency.

Meanwhile, Berg is asking for permission to hire a director for the county’s Building and Safety Division, which is responsible for enforcing building codes. In a letter to the board, Berg said that the position is critical because of its public safety responsibilities.

Supervisor Frank Schillo, who proposed the hiring freeze to help erase the county’s budget deficit, said he will not support the exemption requests. Schillo noted that the hiring freeze will be lifted as soon as the county approves its 1994-95 budget, probably in July.

Until then, he said, “I’m not going to feel pressured” by departments asking for exemptions.