HR director outlines staff restructuring, flags longevity and medical-exam costs

Human-resources director Morris briefed the Finance Committee on May 29 about departmental restructuring, medical-exam costs and staff concerns about longevity and compensation.

Human Resources Director Morris (role: HR Director) said she reorganized HR to convert a prior finance-administrator role into an HR manager position and that the new HR manager is already in place. Morris noted she is tracking injured-on-duty and other medical-exam costs by department to better allocate those expenses (police and fire hires require physical-ability and psychological tests that make their per-hire costs higher).

Why it matters: medical-exam and injured-on-duty costs are material for public-safety hires and can be allocated to departments; longevity and compensation equity affect retention for long-serving employees.

Key points - Restructuring: Morris said the HR manager role is now filled and the change has improved capacity in HR operations. - Medical exams: Morris asked the auditor to break out medical-exam costs by department; police and fire medical costs are significantly higher due to physical and psychological testing. - Longevity concerns: Several committee members and staff speakers noted that current longevity stipend structures are perceived as small and inequitable; the committee discussed the need to consider alternatives to recognize long service.

Operational notes and follow-up - Morris removed a separate volunteer-incentive-program line that previously funded an extra temporary HR position because of confidentiality concerns in personnel files. - Morris said she will continue to track medical-exam expenditures by department and consider whether costs should be more explicitly borne by the hiring department.

Ending - Committee members thanked Morris for the reorganization and her narrative and urged continued tracking of exam costs and discussion of longevity arrangements.