Darren Hass, director of human resources, presented the HR divisionbudget and described recruitment efforts, wellness program participation, and technology needs tied to onboarding and benefits administration.

"We continue to be successful in job sharing and partnerships that have reduced open positions," Hass told the council while outlining HR's request.

Key HR items presented:

- Staffing and budget requests: HR reported five full-time employees and three part-time lobby/coverage positions. Hass said the department is requesting modest net increases for FY2026: he cited a $15,600 net increase in operating lines earlier in the presentation and later summarized an overall request of about $32,000 to cover pay-grade adjustments, software maintenance and supplies.
- Recruitment outcomes: Hass said open CDL positions dropped from 13 to two on a single-day comparison after targeted recruitment, partnerships with local training programs and referral incentives.
- Referral bonuses: The referral-pay structure described on the record is $500 total for a full-time hire (split payments after 30 and 90 days), $100 total for part-time hires (split), $50 for seasonal hires (split), and a $1,000 total bonus for "hard-to-fill" positions (split $500/$500).
- Badge system and supplies: Hass said employee badges with chips cost about $6.50 each and visitor/dummy badges about $1.20; HR is requesting funds for badge-card supplies and a refurbished backup badge printer after a service outage that interrupted badge issuance.
- Vendor and compliance costs: The HR presentation requested a $3,400 increase in computer/software maintenance to purchase a Paycom module to bring COBRA administration in-house and noted Department of Family Services no longer covering DFS background-check fees (DFS checks now estimated at $39 each).
- Wellness program: Hass highlighted continued wellness participation and claimed 110 employees had achieved the wellness benchmark in the current program cycle; other presenters earlier in the session (treasurer/staff) said there are 388 employees eligible for insurance and 292 currently participating in the wellness program (figures cited by treasurer's office during Q&A).

Why it matters: HR said recruitment improvements and in-house administrative tools aim to reduce long hiring cycles and recurring third-party fees; referral incentives and recruitment partnerships were credited with measurable reductions in vacancy counts.

Process and follow-up: HR will implement PaycomCOBRA module pending procurement and continue recruitment partnerships; no council vote was held during the session.

Ending: Councilmembers asked about referral payouts, badge costs and advertising for open positions; HR supplied the payment schedules and per-badge costs on the record.