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Syracuse City engineering staff report eight vacancies; budget includes 8% vacancy savings
Summary
At a Syracuse City Council meeting, city engineering staff described how they track project hours, listed eight current vacancies across divisions and said the Joint School Construction Board (JSCB) does not reimburse city staff time; the department has an 8% vacancy savings built into the budget equal to $132,000.
At a recent Syracuse City Council meeting, city engineering staff told councilors the department is operating with eight vacancies out of 21 total positions and has built an 8% vacancy savings—$132,000—into the proposed budget.
The presenter, identified in the record as city engineering staff, opened by introducing departmental personnel including Lisa Amidon, John Kiblahan and Mark Romano and said the department measures work through activity indicators and a work-order system tied to project numbers. “We track our prep, our work by tasks or projects,” the presenter said.
The presenter listed the vacant positions as: deputy city engineer; division engineer of buildings (advertised); two facilities engineers (the civil service test was held April 5 and hires must be made from that list); one construction administrator (request to advertise in process); an engineering technician II; a clerk of the works I; and an engineering technician I. The presenter said some vacancies resulted from retirements and internal promotions.
Councilors pressed on causes and remedies. The presenter and councilors discussed pay competitiveness, with the presenter saying Syracuse’s pay for comparable civil-engineering titles is lower than county and state employers and estimating a typical difference of roughly $5,000–$10,000. The presenter said the department has seen staff leave for county and state jobs and is advertising positions in multiple venues to widen the candidate pool.
Councilors also asked about using outside contractors or county personnel to fill gaps. The presenter said the department uses a professional-services line for consultants in emergencies or when operating funds must be used rather than bonded funds, and that the city had SIRRA positions in prior years but not in the coming year. The presenter said the department plans to advertise the open positions again and has been discussing recruitment with the mayor.
On school-construction work, the presenter said the Joint School Construction Board (JSCB) bonds fund professional contracts for program managers, construction managers, architects and engineers for the current phase—approximately $400,000,000 in bonded funds—but do not reimburse city or school-district staff time. “They just don't reimburse us for our city or school district staff time,” the presenter said. The presenter added that the JSCB pays its contracted firms directly.
The presenter characterized staffing levels as “stretched pretty thin,” saying the vacancies have made the department prioritize hires and that several positions are being moved to bid or filled from civil-service lists when available.
No formal policy decisions or ordinance votes on hiring or pay adjustments were recorded during the discussion; councilors and staff focused on informational updates, recruitment steps and budget assumptions. The meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn was made and seconded.
The record includes references to internal budget pages and activity indicators (cited by staff as page 146–148 of the packet) and the April 5 civil-service test for facilities engineers; staff said they would continue advertising and pursuing hires from civil-service lists and using professional-services funds where necessary.
