Shasta County supervisors approved a personnel-rule change on Aug. 11 that opens the door to a hiring sign-on bonus of up to $100,000 for the county’s Chief of Psychiatry.
The board’s resolution amends Chapter 15 of the county Personnel Rules and says the County Executive Officer may approve the bonus amount in writing at his or her sole discretion during extreme staffing shortages. In the staff report, county officials said the Health and Human Services Agency has continued to struggle to recruit for the position and has relied on contracted providers and tele-medicine at higher cost. The report also said the county had already increased the salary for the post during the fiscal year 2026-27 budget review, but recruitment remained difficult because of competition for qualified candidates.
A separate sign-on bonus agreement spells out the $100,000 package, which is paid in installments and comes with a two-year retention requirement. According to the agreement summary, the bonus would be paid in three installments — $25,000 with the first paycheck, $25,000 after three pay periods, and $50,000 after one year — and an employee who leaves early or is separated for misconduct would have to repay a prorated share.
County staff said any budget shift needed to support the change would come from Mental Health Budget BU 410, with no additional General Fund impact expected.
The board’s action and the agreement together formalize the county’s effort to stabilize psychiatric coverage after what staff described as a persistent recruitment shortfall.
