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 Buckland said the class and comp study produced recommendations that in some cases created new titles or grade changes; those items must be integrated into the position summary or the exempt‑service ordinance before hiring can proceed. Hopkins said some conversions are already underway — for example, the camera monitor role is being converted from an employment agreement to a civil‑service title, and two harbor master operations supervisor positions will share a common title once processed.

Committee members expressed frustration about long timelines for filling roles that were included in the July 1 budget. Hopkins said part of the delay stems from whether an approved title already exists and from the need for position audits or legislative steps when it does not. She also noted the department is implementing a new applicant tracking system intended to shorten recruitment timelines.

The committee discussed a specific FY25 amendment related to the Office of Community Services. Buckland explained that while council’s amendment initially contemplated additional wages, the administration repurposed a portion to training under existing internal transfer authority and moved rental assistance funding through a separate fund transfer. “It is not. That was an amendment that was approved by council during the last budget development,” Buckland said when explaining the difference between the originally proposed amendment language and how the funds are being used.

On lobbying, members asked about hiring for state and federal lobbying contracts. Budget Manager Jake Trudeau said the Ferguson Group — the city’s federal contractor — provides not only lobbying but also grant‑opportunity intelligence and contact networks. Committee members debated whether federal and state/local lobbyist contracts should be managed out of the mayor’s office or the city manager’s office; staff said some of the funds were placed in different offices, which added confusion, and promised to follow up with a fuller description.

The committee also approved changes to the budget hearing schedule. Members added a one‑hour block for the four bargaining units to present to the committee (15 minutes each), with city attorney Lyles present, and directed department directors to limit presentations to about 20 minutes so the remainder of scheduled time could be used for questions. The committee instructed staff to align scheduled breaks with presentation end times.

Finance Director Jody Dickinson gave a departmental update: the city’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) is being finalized and an audit opinion is expected in two to three weeks; the finance office is short‑staffed in accounts payable and seeks temporary contractual help; and the city is not expected to issue new debt immediately because proceeds remain from a prior issuance.

Directives from the meeting include HR proceeding with vacancy requests where titles and job descriptions are approved, administration producing a coordinated tracking document for budget amendments and CIP timelines for council review, and the budget office finalizing the amended hearing schedule with the agreed constraints. Several committee members urged the creation of a live, accessible tracking document so councilors can see the status of amendments and capital projects without individual inquiries.