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Franklin council authorizes temporary HR staffing contract amid concerns over coverage and costs
Summary
The City of Franklin authorized a contract with QPS Employment Group Inc. to provide temporary HR staffing after the HR manager's planned departure. Council debated costs, hiring process, and whether to post the role; authorization passed after council added flexibility for administrator and finance review.
The City of Franklin Common Council voted Tuesday to authorize a contract with QPS Employment Group Inc. to provide temporary human-resources staffing following the planned departure of the city's HR manager.
City Administrator (Ms. Hirsch) and the city attorney told the council that QPS submitted price information late in the day: QPS quoted an example base hourly wage of $43.27 that, with a 60% agency markup, would be billed to the city at $69.23 per hour. The contract would include a 600-hour cap for temporary placement and a conversion fee if a temporary worker were later hired permanently equal to roughly 25% of the employee's annual salary (counsel gave the example of a $90,000 salary → $22,500 fee). The attorney said the form agreement had been submitted and that staff was still finalizing some details.
Council members debated the tradeoffs. Mayor John R. Nelson said he was "very, very, very concerned" about leaving daily HR operations without an experienced staff member and pressed for a prompt solution; he confirmed the current HR manager's last working day was imminent. Alderman Piccarelli and other members argued a temporary placement would provide essential day-to-day coverage and allow the city to evaluate candidates on the job. Alderman Eichmann asked whether the city could also post the job to broaden the candidate pool; staff said posting while using a temporary placement was possible and that a temporary worker could later apply for the posted position.
Several councilors asked for finance oversight and periodic status reporting. Alderman Piccarelli said he would favor a short monthly review while the temporary arrangement was in place so the council could assess whether the arrangement was meeting city needs.
After discussion, council members made a motion that preserved administrator, city attorney and finance director discretion to finalize contract language and oversight processes; the motion passed on a council vote.
The authorization allows the administration to engage QPS under the described parameters and return to the council with updates and any recommended adjustments to posting or hiring strategy.
