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Soledad staff report shows eight full-time vacancies; police vacancy rate triggers enhanced reporting under AB 2561
Summary
Human Resources presented the city's first AB 2561 staffing-vacancies report: eight full-time vacancies overall and a sworn-officer vacancy rate above the 20% threshold for the police bargaining unit, which triggers additional reporting requirements.
Human Resources Manager Francine Oye presented the City of Soledad's required AB 2561 vacancy report on June 18, noting the city currently has 85.8 authorized full-time-equivalent positions and approximately 50–40 part-time/seasonal/temporary staff.
Oye said 8 full-time positions were vacant at the time of the report: 4 sworn police officers, 1 water-reclamation shift supervisor, 1 management analyst, 1 community engagement manager and 1 IT director. The Soledad Police Officers Association (SPOA) represents 17 sworn positions; with four vacancies the SPOA vacancy rate is 23.5%, exceeding the 20% threshold that triggers additional reporting and data requests under AB 2561.
Oye described the city's recruitment steps, from job posting through conditional offers and background checks. For police recruits the city has a cadet/recruit program that can sponsor academy enrollment; the timeline ranges from roughly 45 days for a lateral hire to five to six months if a candidate must attend the police academy. She said the city received about 20 police-officer applications over the prior year; three hires resulted, seven applicants did not move forward and ten failed to meet minimum qualifications.
Oye also cited housing availability as a recruitment barrier for police and other staff. The council previously approved a tiered workforce housing policy to prioritize newly hired first responders for a city-owned one-bedroom apartment; Oye said availability of that housing is an active recruitment tool.
Council members asked questions about which vacancies were posted, the recruitment status of the management and IT positions and overtime impacts in the police department; the report was accepted by the council as presented.
