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Human resources warns modest cuts risk jobs as commission presses savings
Summary
HR Director Vicki Lewis told commissioners her FY27 proposal is slightly under FY26 but that a proposed $75,000 reduction would likely require cutting a staff member; she highlighted in‑house training and benefit management as primary cost-savers.
Vicki Lewis, Panama City’s director of human resources, told the commission on June 29 that the department’s FY26 budget was “a shade over $1,000,000” and that the FY27 proposal sits slightly under that amount. Lewis emphasized HR’s full‑service role — recruiting, benefits administration, wellness programs, mandatory compliance (EEOC, public records) and retiree support — and stressed the difficulty of cutting further without hurting service.
Lewis highlighted several cost‑saving initiatives already underway: bringing Maintenance‑of‑Traffic (MOT) training in‑house (training one instructor for about $2,400/year and $20/person certification versus prior per‑class costs of $2,200–$2,500), OSHA training tiers to reduce accidents, and collaborative wage‑study and recruiting efforts with neighboring HR directors. She said the city processes roughly 3,000 applications per year and manages a self‑insured health plan (roughly 570 team members) that the HR team closely monitors with outside actuaries.
When commissioners raised the possibility of cutting $75,000 from HR, Lewis was blunt: “If I had to cut 75,000… I would have to go down a team member,” adding that many HR costs are mandatory (hepatitis B vaccines, physicals, drug testing, and software for timekeeping) and have little flexibility. Commissioners asked follow‑up questions about the city’s arrangement with HUB International (an agent that negotiates insurance), PowerDMS and PowerDMS‑style training platforms, Quickbase and NeoGov applicant tracking, and whether further consolidation across departments might yield savings.
Lewis and commissioners agreed to return with more detailed, prioritized options that preserve mandatory and safety‑critical services while pursuing non‑personnel reductions where feasible.
