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West Covina adopts FY 2025‑26 budget and hears annual staffing report under AB 2561; council funds prioritized public‑safety and maintenance actions
Summary
Council unanimously approved a balanced operating and capital budget for fiscal 2025‑26 and received the annual recruitment and retention hearing required by AB 2561, which detailed a 10.79% citywide vacancy rate and specific shortages in police, fire and other departments.
The West Covina City Council on June 17 adopted the fiscal year 2025‑26 operating and capital improvement program budget and also held the annual public hearing required by AB 2561 to report vacancy and recruitment efforts.
Acting staff presented a budget they described to the council as balanced and aligned with council priorities. Acting City Manager said the adopted plan reflects council direction from recent workshops and community meetings and prioritizes public safety, hillside mitigation, graffiti abatement and filling vacant executive management positions. The council voted 5‑0 to adopt the budget.
Earlier in the meeting Human Resources Director Carmelita Underwood delivered the city’s AB 2561 annual report on vacancies, recruitment and retention. The presentation recorded the city’s authorized staffing level at 316 full‑time equivalent positions and noted a citywide vacancy rate of 10.79% as of June 2, 2025. The General bargaining group exceeded the 20% threshold discussed in the statute, with a reported vacancy rate of 27.27% (6 vacancies out of 22 budgeted positions). The report listed vacancies and recruitment status across departments, including active recruitments for police, public safety dispatch, finance and human resources leadership roles.
Underwood described common recruitment and retention challenges — regional competition for sworn officers, the need to maintain competitive compensation, and changes to recruiting channels — and said the city is working on measures including internship programs, revised advertising and onboarding improvements.
Council members asked for additional detail on the timing and structure of recruitments, particularly for public‑safety roles. Acting City Manager and HR staff said some vacancies were already filled since the report’s June 2 snapshot and that recruitment for several positions is active. The city also noted that applicant pools and salary benchmarking information would be provided as part of ongoing staffing work.
Separately, during oral communications residents raised concerns about transparency in city contracting and consultant use; the acting city manager said staff will deliver a list of council‑approved consultants and contracts and a separate list of agreements signed under city‑manager signature authority.
The budget adoption and staffing report conclude a multi‑week budget review process in which officials held three public workshops and invited resident input. Staff said they will post materials from the AB 2561 hearing and budget workshops and continue to report on hiring progress.
