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Atlanta HR presents Q4 workforce report as council presses for VRB data
Summary
Commissioner Calvin Blackburn delivered the Department of Human Resources' Q4 FY26 report covering workforce modernization, hiring events and the Oracle classification rollout; council members pressed for clearer vacancy-review board (VRB) data and for retention analysis after a reported short-term headcount drop.
Commissioner Calvin Blackburn presented the Department of Human Resources fourth-quarter FY26 report to the City of Atlanta Finance Executive Committee, outlining the department’s mission, organizational structure and recent initiatives aimed at workforce modernization and recruitment.
Blackburn said the city’s Oracle classification and compensation system “went live December 4, streamlining pay structures and transparency,” and described phase-2 compensation adjustments implemented Jan. 1 to bring pay “in line with our competitors” and improve equity.
Council members questioned a reported drop of roughly 200 employees following recent compensation and pension investments. One council member said the decline “alarms me” and asked for analysis showing whether departures reflected seasonal hires, attrition or other causes. The city’s CFO and other staff said a combination of seasonality and intentional decisions not to backfill every vacancy through the Vacancy Review Board (VRB) contributed to headcount changes; the CFO urged comparing a longer time horizon rather than a six-month window.
Lashandra Burks, chief operating officer, offered to meet with council members to walk through the VRB process and confirmed the administration will defer a midyear personnel paper until the budget process to ensure submitted personnel actions are complete. Burks said VRB controls have been strengthened so requests without documented justification will be denied.
On technical coding and HR classifications, April Weeks (HR) said the HR reporting system labels some roles as “assignment” or “temporary employment” differently in exports and that the terms are used by the system rather than manipulated by staff. Amber A. Robinson from the City of Atlanta Department of Law clarified that the personnel code treats “dismissal” (separation for cause for classified employees with civil-service rights) differently from “termination” (separation other than for cause).
Council members asked the department to provide a VRB dashboard showing approvals by department and distinguishing sworn (police and fire) from non-sworn positions before the budget cycle. Chair Jason Winston and others thanked the HR leadership team for employee-wellness initiatives noted in the report.
The committee did not take formal action on personnel policy changes during the meeting; staff committed to follow-up briefings and to provide requested detail ahead of the budget process.
The Finance Executive Committee moved next to the FY2025 financial presentation.
