Balch Springs presents preliminary staffing-efficiency study; recommends job-clarity and follow-up review

Miss Pratt, the city’s chief administrative officer and HR director, presented preliminary results of the city’s cohort 1 staffing‑efficiency study to the Balch Springs City Council on May 20, 2025.

The study examined work tasks, job descriptions and time use for roughly 45 employees grouped into the first cohort. Pratt told the council the study combined job‑analysis questionnaires, an engagement survey and staff time logs and found mixed results: generally high job‑satisfaction scores but evidence of unclear duties, inconsistent documentation of daily work and gaps in tools or training. “I was tasked with completing a staffing efficiency study,” Pratt said during the presentation, describing the study’s roadmap from data collection through recommendations.

The study’s key findings included a reported average job‑satisfaction score of about 8 out of 10; most employees said tools helped them be more efficient but about 44% reported delays when requesting new tools; and survey responses flagged pay and limited promotional opportunity as top reasons staff would consider leaving. Pratt said the city received survey and job‑analysis input but noted some missing or incomplete time logs that limited the team’s ability to quantify all work consistently.

Pratt outlined department‑level averages reported in cohort 1 (based on submitted logs) and stressed those figures are preliminary. She said the study showed variability across departments in how much of a paid workday was spent on recorded tasks, and she recommended clarifying job descriptions, aligning departments and duties, standardizing forms and training, and creating lateral promotion pathways to better match job titles to daily work.

Next steps Pratt described include: presenting cohort 2 to council in June (target June 9, possibly the second June meeting), combining police and fire reviews in cohorts 3 and 4 (targeted for a July 14 presentation), scheduling a compensation/market analysis next fiscal year, and hiring third‑party data‑collection analysts in October–December to validate day‑in‑the‑life observations. “This is preliminary,” Pratt said; she recommended additional observation and documentation before making permanent classification or compensation decisions.

Council members asked that staff continue the work, communicate timing to the public where appropriate, and bring clearer, prioritized timelines for subsequent cohorts. Pratt said standardized onboarding, interview questions, and centralized reporting would follow as operational steps.

The presentation was informational; no formal action was taken at the meeting. Pratt and city administration said they will return with cohort 2 results and with a plan for compensation and verification steps later this year.