Committee reviews transfer portal and Workday reconciliation amid planned position eliminations

The Personnel and Procurement Committee met July 17 in a special session to review progress on the city’s transfer portal, Workday reconciliation and the status of positions flagged for elimination. Chair Timbal Cosker opened the meeting and framed the discussion around what the committee described as the “portal de transferencias” process and current employee referral and vacancy numbers.

Why it matters: Committee members said accurate Workday records and an operational transfer portal are central to allowing departments to match employees with open positions and to reduce the number of forced eliminations. Members requested written department reports and weekly updates on police-related positions to track progress.

Human Resources staff gave the principal update. Vince Berthed of the human resources department described the portal’s purpose and the difference between notifications and formal separations, saying, “El propósito del formulario de desplazamiento es para elegir a los empleados o donde se quieren desplazar.” He told the committee that data reconciliation between the portal and Workday remains a key constraint to showing which positions are truly available to absorb at-risk employees.

HR reported a series of counts at the time of the meeting: a total positions figure of 332, 1,647 items received (described by staff as current system counts), 1,213 unique employees referred through the portal and 2,847 total referrals/applications. Committee members raised concerns that some published notices resulted in multiple notices per person because departments identify several potentially affected positions.

Committee members also discussed a separate list of about 595 employee notices tied to department-level actions; HR clarified those notices precede any formal layoff step and that the number fluctuates as departments fill vacancies or move employees internally. Cosker emphasized the distinction, saying the notices “no es el comienzo del proceso, es lo que viene antes.”

Department leaders attending told the committee how many positions their units could absorb and highlighted operational constraints. Cornejo, representing the transportation department, said the department faced significant cuts but had been shifting some employees into existing vacancies: “Con el presupuesto perdimos 152 posiciones vacantes, en el momento que el presupuesto fue adoptado, que nos dejó con 90 posiciones vacantes. Un tercio de aquellos los están utilizando para cambiar los empleados, para evitar las eliminaciones.”

Several departments noted delays and extra work caused by Workday processing. Staff said there were roughly eight pending internal transactions being processed in Workday and expected additional reconciliation the following week. Committee members asked HR and IT to provide updated, department-by-department reconciliations showing how many positions are still under review and when the city expects accurate counts.

Action and next steps: The committee did not take a formal vote. Members directed personnel, the CEO’s office and specified departments to submit written reports on the number of vacancies, transfer opportunities and classifications that could absorb affected employees. The committee also requested weekly written updates specifically on the police-related positions identified for possible elimination.

The meeting closed with committee leadership asking that the reconciliation and transfer metrics be available in a written report at the next scheduled update so members can track whether Workday entries and portal referrals are reducing the projected number of separations.