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CAO says prioritized critical hiring will remain through budget review; summer program hires favored
Summary
The City Administrative Officer told the Personnel Committee that prioritized critical hiring (PCH) will not be lifted for the remainder of the fiscal year while staff assess a substantial budget gap; departments seeking hires for public safety, fire recovery and summer programs will be prioritized.
The City Administrative Officer told the Personnel Committee on March 11 that the city will keep prioritized critical hiring (PCH) in place for the rest of the fiscal year while the mayor’s proposed budget and revenue shortfalls are evaluated.
Why it matters: The CAO advised that the city faces a sizable fiscal gap in the current year and a recent revenue report that showed revenue shortfalls. Committee members asked how PCH will be applied to departments seeking to fill positions for summer programs and public safety.
CAO overview
Ben Seha of the CAO said PCH will not be "going away in the current fiscal year" because the city’s most recent financial status and revenue reports show a significant shortfall. "Given those two, kind of massive issues for us remaining in the current fiscal year, what I want to make sure I send out to departments and to the council is that PCH will not be going away in the current fiscal year," Seha said.
Which hires will be prioritized
Seha told members the committee will prioritize public safety positions, roles needed for fire recovery, and hires to support established summer programs. He said some promotions for incumbents will continue to be approved because they do not represent net new headcount in many cases.
Staff and committee perspective
Committee members said they understood the financial constraints but asked the CAO to ensure summer recreation and cultural programs can staff appropriately as the season approaches. The CAO said many summer program requests were just arriving and would be considered "favorably" when they are established programs.
Action taken
The committee voted to note and file the CAO’s report. Committee members emphasized that PCH remains active and that upcoming mayoral budget proposals will inform any further actions.
Ending
Members said they will monitor the mayor’s proposed budget and that the committee will be selective about approvals for the remainder of the fiscal year, with an emphasis on public safety and summer program continuity.
