Pueblo reports 12 voluntary separations, projects about $1.6 million in salary savings

Mayor Graham told the Pueblo City Council at a June 1 work session that a voluntary separation agreement program attracted 17 applicants, 12 of whom accepted and signed offers, and that the city expects immediate and multi-year personnel cost savings.

"It is a total monthly savings of about $72,000," Mayor Graham said, later correcting the figure when councilors pointed out a reporting error and confirming monthly savings of about $71,000. The mayor said the net effect from July through 2026 will be about $539,000 and that, with positions kept frozen for the 2027 budget, the city could realize roughly $1,600,000 in salary savings through 2027.

The mayor said exit dates for the 12 employees fall on either June 15 or June 30, depending on individual choices, and that the payment amounts were structured by years of service (employees with fewer than five years received $5,000). She said applicants were vetted with department directors and that positions with critical operational impact were not approved for separation; public safety positions were ineligible to apply. "If that wasn't going to be the case, that position was not granted to be frozen," the mayor said, noting departments had to demonstrate capacity to absorb remaining work.

Councilors pressed for more detail. Councilor Dante flagged an earlier typographical error that listed savings as "71,000,000," saying, "I was just reading that and I was like, yeah," which prompted the mayor's clarification. Councilor Hernandez asked for a breakdown of police staffing; the mayor said the city has authorization for 231 sworn positions with 31 vacancies and that a recent academy graduated seven new officers. The mayor offered to provide a year-to-date hiring report showing who is in the academy, who is in mentoring programs, and expected graduation dates.

City staff said the voluntary separation program initially drew 17 applicants and resulted in 12 executed agreements; positions covered by past budget freezes (24 previously frozen when the 2025 budget passed) bring the mayor's total frozen positions since 2025 to 34 and the combined frozen-position savings to roughly $3.4 million so far. The mayor said the city may offer the program again, possibly with a different time window to allow more employees to evaluate health-insurance and related choices.

Councilors did not take formal action on the program at the work session; the presentation and follow-up questions were informational and intended to inform the upcoming budget process.