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Commission hears that police, fire vacancies persist even as applicant pools remain large
Summary
City officials told the commission that fire had seven vacancies in a new recruit class and police had about 24 vacancies, while departments rely on mandatory overtime and active recruitment to sustain coverage.
Commissioners used the capital workshop to press department leaders about staffing trends affecting city services, including police and fire recruitment, vacancy levels and the budget impact of added positions.
Deputy Fire Chief Gil Hernandez told the commission the fire department had seven vacancies but that those seven positions were in the recruit class that started the week before the meeting; he estimated roughly 200 to 300 applicants applied for the most recent recruitment, which he said meant there were “over 40 applications for each position” for seven seats. Deputy Chief Hernandez said the department had two recent graduations and another academy class starting at the end of the month.
The police department reported about 24 vacancies. City officials and the manager said Coral Gables currently has roughly four police officers per thousand residents—higher than the county average—and that mandatory overtime and scheduling changes have covered operational needs in the short term. The Police Chief described use of mandatory overtime and other scheduling flexibility to meet coverage needs and noted the department is working to return to a preferred schedule as vacancies decline.
Commissioner questions and framing: some commissioners emphasized that recruitment numbers show the city remains an attractive employer even at current pay levels; others said retention and pay competitiveness were a problem in some ranks. Commissioner Castro and others noted that recent contract increases and additions of headcount in prior years increase recurring budget pressure. The mayor and other commissioners requested data on historical hires and vacancies and asked staff to present a yearly rundown of approved developments and headcount changes at an upcoming meeting.
Budget linkage: commissioners connected staffing choices to the capital and operating budget debate—adding 25 employees last year was noted by staff as increasing recurring personnel costs, and commissioners urged careful long-term planning so salary and pension decisions do not crowd out other priorities.
Next steps: staff committed to providing the commission with additional details on vacancy counts, recruitment outcomes and a short history of headcount additions tied to development approvals; no formal personnel actions were taken at the workshop.
