Greenfield staff report finds 10 full‑time vacancies; city outlines hires and retention steps
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Summary
City staff told the council that Greenfield currently has 10 full‑time vacancies and a roughly 11.4% vacancy rate. The presentation, required under recent state law and Government Code §3502.4, said the city averages about 80 days to hire and is prioritizing retention and local bilingual recruitment.
The City of Greenfield reported 10 full‑time job vacancies and an 11.4% vacancy rate during a presentation to the City Council on June 24.
Aaron Chavez, administrative assistant to the city manager, told the council the numbers reflect positions open at any point during the fiscal year, and that the city received 108 applications in the past year and filled six positions. Chavez said the city’s average time to hire is about 80 days, compared with a 119‑day public‑sector average, and average employee tenure in Greenfield is about five years and four months.
The presentation was prepared under the requirements of Assembly Bill (transcript: “25 61”) and Government Code section 3502.4, which Chavez said now require public agencies to publicly report vacancy status before adopting a fiscal‑year budget. “The purpose of this presentation is to provide a clear understanding of how the city is responding to these challenges,” Chavez said.
Chavez outlined recruitment and retention efforts, including a seven‑step hiring process, an emphasis on recruiting local bilingual candidates aligned with the city’s strategic plan, professional development opportunities, and efforts to maintain work‑life balance. He told councilmembers that specialty positions such as senior planners and engineers are particularly difficult to fill because they require certifications and experience and compete with private employers.
Councilmembers asked clarifying questions and praised staff for shortening hiring timelines. Councilmember Ortiz said the city’s 80‑day average “is pretty good,” and no councilmember objected when the council received the report and filed it.
Clarifying details provided in the presentation included the total of 10 open full‑time positions, an overall vacancy rate reported as 11.4%, an average time‑to‑hire of about 80 days, and an average tenure of roughly five years and four months. The presentation noted that local vacancy rates vary and that Greenfield’s rate is above some nearby cities’ rates (reported in the presentation as 7–9%).
City staff did not propose personnel reductions as part of the discussion; instead they described recruitment and retention work and planned follow‑up actions to address hard‑to‑fill classifications.
The council took no formal policy action beyond receiving the staff report.
