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Council presses staff on vacancies, potential revenue options and communication strategy
Summary
Council members pressed staff about about 60 vacant positions (staff said 71% of vacancies are in police), the need to prioritize projects, possible revenue increases tied to contracts and impact fees, and urged a communications package to explain budget choices; council also questioned using a small survey sample of 65 responses as decisive input.
Council members spent substantial time probing staffing levels, vacancy impacts and potential revenue options at the June 29 workshop.
Council Member Emery questioned the robustness of a citizen survey that produced 65 responses; "Let's don't be guided by 65 people if we've got demands that are coming in from the other 69,500 residents," Emery said, urging staff to provide broader context. City management replied that 65 responses are not a statistical sample and committed to a stronger communications package.
City Manager Angel Jones and Assistant City Manager Bertha Alexander reviewed staffing and vacancy details: staff said there are about 60 vacant positions, and that roughly 71% of those vacant roles are in police. Jones said departments have been restructured over prior years and that fire is the only department currently fully staffed. Alexander and Jones warned that one-time fund balance can be used to balance a single year but should not be used to fund recurring operations.
Council members discussed revenue opportunities staff had identified, including adjusting contract service charges (example: fire contract changes yielded an estimated $500,000) and reviewing impact fees that are lower than peer jurisdictions. Staff said these potential revenue measures could yield in the $200,000–$500,000 range if pursued, but cautioned large new revenue sources are limited in the short term.
Council requested staff publish clear communications about vacancies, the growth in service demands and the budget rationale if tax-rate choices are under consideration.
