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Moraga holds first AB 2561 public hearing; town reports modest vacancies and standard recruitment steps
Summary
Administrative services director Katie Bruner presented a statutorily required report under Assembly Bill 2561 showing a 2024 average town vacancy rate of 7.7%, two current vacancies as of April 23 and average time to fill of about 119 days; council held the public hearing and discussed comparisons and unfunded mandate concerns.
The Town of Moraga on Wednesday held a public hearing and received a report on vacancies, recruitment and retention as required by Assembly Bill 2561. Katie Bruner, administrative services director, presented the town’s data and recruitment practices.
Bruner told the council the town had 42.5 full‑time equivalent (FTE) positions as of December 2024, excluding temporary hourly recreation staff. Across 2024 the town’s vacancy rate ranged from 4.8% in January to 9.4% in December, averaging 7.7% for the year — the equivalent of roughly three full‑time positions. As of the April 23 meeting staff reported two vacant positions.
Bruner described the town’s recruiting steps: develop a recruitment plan with the department head; review and update job descriptions; post jobs on the town website and CalOpps; share on LinkedIn and other job boards; use employee networks; conduct two rounds of interviews (a subject‑matter expert panel and a hiring manager panel); and make conditional offers contingent on background checks. She said the town’s average time from position vacancy to start date is about 119 days.
Bruner said bargaining‑unit vacancy rates ranged widely but were below the 20% reporting threshold that would trigger additional reporting obligations under AB 2561; the highest reported bargaining‑unit vacancy rate was 16.7%. She estimated the town’s turnover rate at about 18% and said, in her experience, the most common reason employees leave is to accept promotion or a larger‑agency opportunity.
Town Manager Mike commented that staff found the new statutory reporting work burdensome and described the requirement as an unfunded mandate that draws staff time away from other priorities. Council members asked whether the town has compared vacancy rates to similarly sized agencies; Bruner said such comparative data was available and staff could gather it for future briefings.
There were no public speakers. The mayor opened and then closed the public hearing to meet the formal requirement. Council asked staff to continue monitoring vacancy rates and best practices and made no changes to policy at the meeting.
Bruner thanked administrative services technician Beth Walker for data support and said the town will continue recruitment and retention efforts including training, membership support and a 9/80 schedule as an employee benefit.
