Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Human Resources topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Delaware City HR seeks additional specialist, plans citywide compensation study
Summary
Delaware City HR requested one additional human resources specialist for 2026 and outlined a citywide compensation study to take effect in 2027, citing a staff ratio far below industry norms and upgrades to benefits administration and safety programs.
Jessica, the city’s HR director, told the Finance Committee on Nov. 13 that the Human Resources Department is requesting an additional human resource specialist for 2026, anticipating a Q2 start to help cover end‑of‑year and peak recruiting workloads.
The request is anchored to staffing ratios and retention goals. “Our current ratio is 1 HR practitioner to every 159 employees,” Jessica said, and she contrasted that with an industry benchmark of roughly 1.5 practitioners per 100 employees. She told the committee the extra position would support succession planning and reduce workload pressure that has built since the department’s last full‑time hire in 2006.
Jessica also described a planned compensation study for 2026 covering the management pay plan, permanent part‑time staff and council positions, with any wage changes set to take effect in 2027. “We are planning to do a compensation study in 2026 … with wages taking effect for 2027,” she said, adding the goal is to keep pay competitive and retain staff.
On benefits and risk management, HR said it will perform a dependent‑eligibility audit and a non‑quantitative treatment limitation (NQTL) analysis tied to the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act if federal pause on that requirement ends. Jessica said the city is moving stop‑loss coverage to Jefferson Health Plan (JHP), a council‑of‑governments plan, and that the cost to move to JHP “was 5% less than renewing with our current provider.” Council has already approved a resolution to enter that agreement, she said.
The HR presentation listed safety investments (lockout/tagout procedures, DOT medical exams for covered employees, gas‑monitoring upgrades, high‑visibility vests and garage ventilation) and administrative improvements (background checks and e‑offer letters integrated with NEOGOV). Jessica described ongoing collective‑bargaining work and indicated the department will issue an RFP for the compensation study by the end of the year.
The Finance Committee did not take a separate vote on the HR personnel request during the meeting; the presentation concluded with questions and no formal decision recorded at this session.
