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Burbank reports 10.8% average vacancy in 2025; firefighters say department fully staffed
Summary
Under AB 2561 reporting, Burbank staff told the council the city's average 2025 vacancy rate was 10.8% and that most labor groups remain under the 20% threshold; Burbank Firefighters Local 778 reported zero vacancies since February 2025 after recruitment and pay changes.
City staff delivered the annual AB 2561 workforce-vacancy report March 24, saying Burbank’s average vacancy rate for 2025 was 10.8%, below the 20% threshold that would trigger additional reporting requirements. Management Services Director Betsy McLinton told council the city budget included 1,575.19 full‑time equivalent positions for FY 2025–26 and that the average time from a vacancy requisition to a candidate list was about 2.4 months.
Betsy McLinton said recruitment improvements — including expanded digital outreach, the use of platforms such as LinkedIn and Handshake, and new screening tools (IO Predict, SureHire) — helped reduce vacancy rates year over year. She also flagged the city’s ERP replacement as a multi-year project to streamline HR and recruitment systems.
The Burbank Firefighters Association’s president, Eric Rowley, addressed council and credited pay and staffing changes for a turnaround in the fire department. "Since February 2025, we are fully staffed and do not have any current vacancies," Rowley said, noting the department responded to about 14,100 emergency calls in 2025 and has been investing in paramedic training and a fourth rescue ambulance pilot.
Council members asked for further detail on police staffing numbers and application volumes; staff said the police department is budgeted for 160 sworn officers and is generally in the high 150s. McLinton reported the city received about 32,000 applications in 2025 for all recruitments and that background processing averaged about 35 days.
