Finance committee presses city on slow hiring, classification issues and adds union presentations to budget schedule

The Annapolis Finance Committee on Feb. 26 spent an extended portion of its meeting questioning city human resources and budget staff about delays filling positions included in the FY25 budget, details from the city’s classification and compensation study, and how the council will track implementation of budget amendments.

Tricia Hopkins, human resources manager, presented a listing of approved positions and a summary showing which roles are filled, which are in process and which are awaiting ordinances or position‑summary updates. Hopkins told the committee that positions with existing, approved titles and grades were easier to fill; where the classification and compensation work required new titles or grade changes, the city must follow a legislative or position‑audit process before posting. “So where that stands is there’s just recent approval between Chris Giacubiak and myself around the job description. So they’ll be submitting their vacancy request form, and then we’ll go forth and post that,” Hopkins said regarding the short‑term rental manager position.

Hopkins and Assistant City Manager Vicky…