Mayor Kara Spencer keeps her office budget largely unchanged while pledging personnel and technology reviews

Mayor Kara Spencer told the Board of Aldermen Budget Committee on May 6 that she is keeping the mayor’s office budget largely unchanged from the prior year while she conducts a short-term staffing reorganization and plans a citywide pay study.

The mayor’s office is presenting a budget similar to the one prepared by Budget Director Paul Payne and does not plan to ask the board for additional funds for the office this fiscal year, Spencer said. Most spending in the office is for personnel; the mayor noted modest allocations for office equipment and supplies.

The mayor said she had only been in office a short time when the budget was finalized, leaving little opportunity to redesign it. “We did keep the budget exactly the same as presented to us,” she said, adding that changes she envisions are staff reassignments rather than new line‑item increases. She said the mayor’s office has roughly 20 budgeted positions and estimated about 14 are currently filled.

Spencer told the committee she sees three near-term priorities: completing a pay study to help recruit and retain city employees, upgrading technology platforms used by permitting and other services, and continuing transition work after a large number of long‑tenured administrative staff retired when the administration changed.

Aldermen who questioned or commented welcomed the mayor’s in‑person presentation and urged attention to staffing shortages in departments that deliver basic services. Alderman Sonia praised the mayor for attending and for starting conversations about changing the city’s budget timeline so newly elected executives would have more time to craft budgets. Alderman Devote asked the mayor to prioritize areas with high vacancy rates when the pay study recommendations are applied.

Spencer said she does not plan to request new positions for the mayor’s office in this cycle but would welcome additional staff if the board provides funding in future budgets. She named potential priorities for additional staffing — including an office liaison for violence prevention and an education liaison — but said the administration would be cautious in a year of fiscal tightening.

The mayor referenced the broader fiscal environment in which the city is operating: lower revenue growth than recent cost increases, population loss and lower assessed values downtown, and waning federal relief dollars such as American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that previously supported many social services. She said the administration will work with the legislative branch and the public through hearings as the budget process continues.

The committee did not take any votes on the mayor’s office budget at the May 6 meeting. Aldermen and the mayor agreed to keep lines of communication open as department hearings and budget adjustments continue.

The mayor’s staff present at the hearing included liaison Dan Gunther, Deputy Chief of Staff Emily Tenhouse and Chief of Staff Nancy Hawes; Budget Director Paul Payne was acknowledged as author of the proposal the mayor retained.

Looking ahead, Spencer said she intended to pursue the pay study’s recommendations after the budget cycle, and to continue technical and staffing reviews beyond fiscal adoption so changes can be phased in during the year.