Fairfax staff reports low vacancy rate under AB 2561; public presses council on hiring, pay and legal costs
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Summary
Staff reported an annual average vacancy rate of 4% for fiscal 2025 (down from 7% in 2024), below the 20% AB 2561 threshold that would trigger further reporting. Public commenters used the hearing to press for a hiring freeze, better pay for public works, and clearer reporting of the town's legal spending, including requests for a detailed legal-fee schedule.
The Fairfax Town Council held a state-required public hearing on AB 2561 reporting obligations for workforce vacancies and compliance. Town staff told the council that the town's annual average vacancy rate for the most recent reporting year (2025) was 4%, an improvement from 7% the prior year, and well under the 20% threshold that triggers additional reporting steps.
The presentation noted several positions remain listed in the staffing report but are not funded in the current fiscal year; staff explained the town keeps job descriptions and salary ranges on file so roles can be added when funded through the normal budget process.
Public commenters used the hearing to press broader fiscal and staffing concerns. Todd Greenberg urged greater transparency on legal spending and a hiring freeze given midyear deficits; union shop steward Guy Norinius (public works) said public-works employees are underfunded and among the lowest-paid workers in the county, urging the council to prioritize frontline maintenance staff. "Public works is just way underfunded," Norinius said, and urged the council to address staffing and pay before expanding town-hall headcount.
Councilmembers and staff also fielded detailed questions about legal bills. One council member said he had added up payments to the town's outside counsel (Best Best & Krieger) from disbursement records and arrived at roughly $306,608 year-to-date; finance staff explained legal costs are recorded across multiple budget lines: a town-attorney line (about $39,000 to date for Best Best & Krieger in the general category), non-departmental litigation, and project-specific legal charges such as Meadow/Bridge work (about $123,000, which staff said may be reimbursable by Caltrans). The finance director said staff maintains a schedule of legal charges and agreed to provide additional breakdowns for council review and public information.
No council action was required on the vacancy report itself; several councilmembers said the budget workshop is the appropriate forum for deeper discussions about staffing priorities, hiring practices, and legal-budget transparency.
