City staff presented the quarterly employment review showing hiring trends from January 2022 through December 2024 and a 12‑month rolling average that staff described as steady. The report indicated vacancies and showed how seasonal hiring affects counts.

Why it matters: Staffing levels and turnover affect municipal service delivery and budgeting. The council discussed whether recent raises for unionized and administrative employees influenced retention.

Details
The presentation included monthly hires (full time, part time and seasonal) since January 2022 and a 12‑month rolling average. Staff noted that the vacancy and hire counts in the packet were current as of Dec. 31, 2024, and that recent hires added in early January (for example, newly added police officers) were not reflected in that snapshot.

Council members asked about turnover and whether raises or contract changes had effects. Staff said raises implemented across three unions and for administrators appear to have had a positive impact on recruitment and retention, and that the timing of those raises can be seen from year-to-year comparisons in the packet. The report also explained the color-coding used in the charts: blue for full time, orange for part time, green for seasonal and gold for stipend positions; vacancies themselves are listed explicitly in the position list.

Direction and next steps
The employment review was provided for council information; staff will continue to report hires and vacancies and supply supplemental details as needed (such as upcoming recruitment tests for police hiring).

Ending
No formal action was recorded; the council received the update for its records.