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Yuba City council directs freeze of non-safety vacant general fund positions amid midyear budget review
Summary
After a goal-setting workshop and midyear review, the council directed staff to freeze most non-safety vacant general fund positions, seek short-term reductions and return with specific budget cuts on Feb. 18; staff estimated about $1.2 million in annual savings if the currently vacant positions remain frozen for a year.
Yuba City councilmembers, following a midyear budget and goal-setting workshop, directed staff to freeze vacant general-fund positions that are not frontline public-safety roles and to return on Feb. 18 with specific, implementable reductions.
Finance staff presented fiscal year 2023–24 actuals and the 2024–25 adopted budget, describing a budget gap after the council’s adopted spending plan. Staff explained the city used budget stabilization reserves to cover a prior-year shortfall and that the adopted 2024–25 budget includes a remaining net deficit to be addressed.
City managers asked department directors to identify 5% and 10% reduction scenarios. As an initial step, staff recommended freezing vacant non-safety general fund positions — examples included park maintenance workers, recreation coordinators, plans examiners and community-service staff — while permitting the filling of frontline public-safety positions funded by the general fund. The staff estimate based on current vacant positions was roughly $1.2 million in salary-and-benefit savings if those vacancies remain frozen for a year.
Councilmembers on the ad hoc (Councilmembers Pasquale and Kirchner) supported the approach and asked staff to consult labor partners before implementation. The council gave direction (majority support) for staff to implement a vacant-position freeze policy and return with a resolution and more detailed service-level tradeoffs at the Feb. 18 meeting. Staff also flagged other revenue and efficiency options for longer-term consideration, including revising user fees, charging for paper utility bills and encouraging electronic billing.
