Mary, a human resources official for Chesterfield County, told the board on the FY25 annual report that the county's workforce is more engaged and that work to recruit, retain and reward employees is producing measurable results.

The presentation highlighted a October 2025 employee engagement survey and a package of pay and benefit investments. "Seventy-eight percent of our respondents said that they would highly recommend working for Chesterfield County government," Mary said, citing the survey and third-party benchmarking that ranked the county among the top performers nationally for several engagement measures.

Why it matters: County officials said higher engagement and lower turnover help maintain service levels across departments, particularly in public safety and other hard-to-fill roles. Christy Bridal, an assistant director in human resources, told the board that "Chesterfield County has invested more than $28,000,000 in its workforce since January 2025," a set of actions the county attributes to stronger recruitment and retention.

Compensation and benefits: Bridal described the county's compensation philosophy and said average full-time salaries rose by nearly $6,000, while some overtime and vacancy-driven costs have fallen in specific public-safety units. She also said the county expects health-care premiums to rise about 5% on average for 2026 and emphasized maintaining a strong health-care fund balance to manage those increases.

Health and wellness programs: Officials detailed partnerships and programs meant to reduce plan costs and support employees' health, including a funding relationship with Anthem that helps run wellness initiatives, an employee medical center that offers on-site visits, and expanded fitness and mental health offerings. Bridal formally introduced a county behavioral health program designed to address gaps in care; she said it currently serves employees in public safety, mental health, social services and the juvenile detention home and will expand as staffing allows.

Recruitment, diversity and turnover: Mandy Pilk, an assistant director in HR, reviewed workforce demographics and recruiting strategies. She said the county's applicant pool has grown after increased social-media outreach and targeted partnerships, and she noted that minority representation among employees rose to 31 percent. Pilk presented turnover figures the county classifies two ways: traditional turnover and "actual" turnover that excludes probationary releases and retirements. Using that approach, the county reported FY24 traditional turnover at 7.96% and an "actual" rate of 2.67%; FY25 traditional turnover was 7.67% with an "actual" rate of 3.44%.

Programs and next steps: HR leaders described incentive and recognition programs (Everyday Excellence, community service leave, coworker kudos), a work-based learning partnership with schools, and a newly formed public-safety recruitment team that produced a recruitment video intended to showcase local public-safety careers. Pilk said the county hired recruitment strategist Daniel Fannin to focus on hard-to-fill positions and that HR will select a compensation consultant through an RFP to keep pay competitive.

Board reaction and discussion: During questions and comments, board members traced historical changes to county residency rules to General Assembly action in the early 1990s and reiterated that competitive pay is the primary driver of the county's largest expenditures. Several board members praised the HR investments and emphasized ongoing challenges in recruiting for police, fire and emergency services.

What's next: Presenters said HR will continue several initiatives, including selecting a compensation consultant, expanding employee medical center behavioral-health services, implementing an updated workday system on schedule, and continuing public-safety recruitment efforts. No formal board actions or votes were recorded in the transcript of this presentation.