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Mayor proposes using vacancy savings plus interest to close $1.6M gap; several councilors agree
Summary
Mayor presented an HR-based analysis suggesting $871,338 could be freed by defunding positions vacant more than 180 days; several council members supported using that amount plus interest earnings to avoid raising fees or adopting the rollback rate.
Mayor presented a spreadsheet (HR data dated 07/30/2026) showing roughly $9.2 million in funded but unfilled positions citywide, and argued that applying a 180‑day cutoff would free about $3.5 million across funds and about $871,338 in the general fund. "If you apply the 180‑day rule, then we would have $871,338 dollars left over in the general fund," the mayor said.
Several council members (Lastra, Kilgore, Long and others) reacted positively, recommending a mix of the mayor's vacancy-savings analysis plus recognizing additional interest earnings to make up the $1.6M shortfall without raising resident fees. Multiple members cautioned staff not to cut positions that maintain infrastructure or public safety and asked for clarity on HR data (how ‘‘days vacant’’ is counted in the HR system). The city manager and HR staff explained the new HR system can overcount vacancies in pooled positions and that some vacancies persist for operational reasons (space, recruitment difficulty), meaning further vetting is required before permanent defunding.
Council directed staff to use approximately $871,338 from vacancy savings and to budget remaining amounts with interest earnings as a path to hold the millage at 5.1471 without imposing the proposed fee hikes. The direction was taken as council consensus rather than a recorded roll-call vote.
