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Manassas reports recent hires and continuing gaps; senior electrical engineer remains hard to fill
Summary
City Manager Steve Darling presented a vacancy update showing several recent hires and offers, temporary retiree rehires in water operations, anticipated housing coordinator hire, and trouble recruiting a senior electrical engineer; staff noted use of consultants and carryforward of unspent budgeted salary funds.
City Manager Steve Darling presented an updated vacancy report to the Committee of the Whole, saying hiring progress has closed some gaps while other specialized positions remain open.
Darling told council the director of public works has been hired and the HR business partner (recruiter) started the week of the report. He said offers for a streets maintenance worker and a housing and neighborhood coordinator were expected to be extended imminently and that managers expect the housing coordinator offer to be accepted at the final interview stage; an anticipated hire date was discussed for mid‑May.
Staff said interviews are scheduled for several water and sewer positions and that the city plans to use retired staff on a part‑time, temporary basis to bridge gaps while recruitment continues. The DEI position was removed from the vacancy report because it is unfunded from 2024, staff said.
Council and staff discussed difficulty filling the senior electrical engineer position, which staff said is highly specialized and has required reevaluation of the job description and recruitment approach; Darling said the position’s salary range has been up to about $140,000 and that prior offers have been declined. Council members pressed for clarity on where unspent salary funds would be reported; staff said savings typically carry forward into fund balance in enterprise funds but that consultants hired to cover vacant roles also reduce net savings.
Darling said the police department has multiple offers accepted that are in vetting and that the department is otherwise fully staffed once vetting and pending grievance processes are resolved. On fire staffing, staff said the proposed budget includes three firefighter positions and one battalion chief; one firefighter position is budgeted now and the other two are proposed to be funded later through overtime savings when staffing stabilizes, with advertising expected in late May or June and positions funded starting July 1 if the budget is approved.
No formal action was taken; staff presented the report for council review and to answer questions.
