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Dubuque HR details FY2027 staffing, classification and HRIS rollout as council hears budget presentation
Summary
City HR leaders presented FY2027 priorities including implementation of a classification study, seven‑module HRIS rollout, market-adjustment supplemental pay for critical public‑works roles, expanded mentoring, and benefit enhancements while answering council questions about exit interviews and administrative-overhead allocations.
Human Resources leadership presented the City of Dubuque’s FY2027 budget Thursday, describing a mix of recurring personnel investments and one‑time modernization projects aimed at stabilizing the workforce and improving internal systems.
Shelly Stickford, chief human resources officer, told the City Council the department’s central mission is recruiting, developing and retaining “our most valuable capital, our human capital,” and outlined a multi‑year set of initiatives tied to an ongoing classification and compensation implementation. Stickford said HR has moved the work in‑house after an external study and is conducting structured job analysis and position reviews to align pay and duties.
Kelly Larson, learning and development manager, said HR completed broad OSHA compliance training and recorded about 2,000 employee completions over the past year. She also described employee development work including a mentoring program that will expand from seven mentor matches in its first year to an anticipated 15 this coming year, and tuition‑reimbursement spending that has totaled roughly $22,000 so far with another ~$20,000 expected—approaching the current $50,000 annual budget for the program.
Kristen Deeds, talent acquisition manager, explained efforts to streamline hiring across departments and highlighted targeted work in Public Works. That work included job analyses for roughly 50 employees across 13 operational classifications and a market‑adjustment supplemental pay program that became effective Jan. 4, 2026, intended to reduce vacancies and overtime in critical services such as snow removal and street maintenance.
Connie Palm, benefits and compensation manager, said implementation of the classification study underpins about $2.64 million in proposed FY27 wage increases across bargaining units, with adjustments ranging from 3% to 5% depending on classification. Palm also described two benefit changes added in FY26: a Roth option for the 457(b) plan (added Jan. 2026) and a higher‑value dental option.
HR also proposed one‑time modernization requests including a personnel‑file digitization project (~$80,000) to support the HRIS rollout and a recruitment services package (~$50,000) for a national search should the council choose to fund an executive search for the city manager position. Deeds said the city plans to begin an executive recruitment process “as soon as we’re done with this budget process.”
During public comment and council Q&A, residents and council members pressed staff on administrative overhead recharges (AOR) that allocate central costs to enterprise funds. Rob McDonald, a resident, told the council the administrative overhead recharges “are increasing 13.8%” and asserted in his review of the budget packet that the AOR represents roughly “78% of all expenses” for HR—questions staff said they would continue to explain by showing how recharges are calculated and why the city uses an even‑split method rather than time‑tracking for each service.
Stickford confirmed exit interviews are currently conducted internally but that budgeted funds exist to contract externally if the council elects to pursue third‑party exit interviews; proponents argued outside vendors can yield higher response rates and greater candor.
The HR team concluded its presentation and said the HRIS modules—seven in total—are planned to automate disparate paper and form‑based processes, improve compliance tracking and provide better workforce data. Councilmembers thanked HR for the department’s recruiting and retention efforts and moved on to the IT presentation.
The council asked for additional details on some line items and asked staff to provide supporting spreadsheets and clarifications in follow‑up materials. The council will consider any recommended changes as part of the remaining budget hearings and a final public hearing later in April.
Ending: Councilmembers left the session with follow‑up requests on administrative recharge calculations and the proposed digitization and recruitment packages; the HR presentation concluded without a formal vote.
