Cities Index.
Attachment B - Historical Staffing by Department - General Fund (adopted vs vacant)

Palo Alto City Council
January 20, 2026

Document
Attachment B - Historical Staffing by Department - General Fund (adopted vs vacant)
Meeting
January 20, 2026
Body
Palo Alto City Council
Original file
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Text extracted from the city's file for reading and search. Open the original on cityofpaloalto.primegov.com. That file is the official record.

Summary of Positions & Vacancy by Department Attachment  B Department Fiscal Year Adopted  FTE Filled  FTE Total Footnote City Attorney
2019 11.00                    9.00            2.00
2020 11.00                    11.00          ‐
2021 11.00                    10.00          1.00
2022 11.00                    11.00          ‐
2023 11.00                    11.00          ‐
2024 13.00                    11.00          2.00
2025 13.00                    13.00          ‐
City Auditor
2019 6.00                      6.00            ‐
2020 5.00                      4.00            1.00
2021 4.00                      4.00            ‐
2022 1
2023
2024
2025
City Clerk
2019 5.00                      5.00            ‐
2020 5.00                      4.00            1.00
2021 5.00                      4.00            1.00
2022 5.00                      5.00            ‐
2023 5.00                      4.00            1.00
2024 5.00                      3.00            2.00
2025 5.00

5.00            ‐
City Manager
2019 12.00                    10.00          2.00
2020 10.75                    7.75            3.00
2021 10.00                    7.00            3.00
2022 9.00                      4.00            5.00
2023 12.00                    11.00          1.00
2024 13.00                    12.25          0.75
2025 14.00                    14.00          ‐
Administrative Services
2019 58.50                    54.30          4.20
2020 58.50                    50.00          8.50
2021 59.50                    52.00          7.50
2022 53.50                    46.50          7.00
2023 55.50                    46.50          9.00
2024 57.00                    51.50          5.50
2025 60.00                    51.50          8.50
Community Services
2019 78.60                    73.53          5.07
2020 78.60                    74.60          4.00
Source: FY 2019 ‐2025  Adopted Operating Budget Books  ‐ De pt Org Charts, At Place Memos ‐ Vacancy Reports as of April of that Calendar Year Vacant FTE
Department Fiscal Year Adopted  FTE Filled  FTE Total Footnote Vacant FTE
2021 78.60                    74.95          3.65
2022 71.25                    63.25          8.00
2023 74.35                    70.60          3.75
2024 82.25                    79.50          2.75                      2 2025 82.25                    77.25          5.00
Development Services
2019 20.00                    20.00          ‐
2020 3
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Fire
2019 103.70                96.70          7.00
2020 103.50                99.50          4.00
2021 105.50                103.50       2.00
2022 94.50                    89.50          5.00
2023 107.50                99.50          8.00
2024 110.50                92.50          18.00                    4 2025 113.50                103.50       10.00
Human Resources
2019 17.00                    16.00          1.00
2020 17.00                    16.00          1.00
2021 17.00                    16.25          0.75
2022 16.00                    12.00          4.00
2023 17.00                    14.00          3.00
2024 19.75                    17.75          2.00
2025 19.75                    18.75          1.00
Infor mation Technology
2019 33.00                    31.00          2.00
2020 33.00                    31.00          2.00
2021 33.00                    33.00          ‐
2022 29.00                    24.00          5.00
2023 31.00                    29.00          2.00
2024 34.00                    32.00          2.00
2025 35.00                    31.00          4.00
Library
2019 47.50                    44.50          3.00
2020 46.50                    43.50          3.00
2021 47.50                    43.50          4.00
2022 40.50                    32.00          8.50
2023 46.50                    35.50          11.00
2024 49.00                    39.00          10.00
2025 49.00                    43.00          6.00
Office of Emergency Services
Department Fiscal Year Adopted  FTE Filled  FTE Total Footnote Vacant FTE
2019 3.00                      3.00            ‐
2020 3.00                      3.00            ‐
2021 3.00                      3.00            ‐
2022 2.00                      2.00            ‐
2023 2.00                      2.00            ‐
2024 3.00                      3.00            ‐
2025 3.00                      3.00            ‐
Office of Transportation
2019 6
2020 15.00                    15.00          ‐
2021 15.00                    15.00          ‐
2022 15.00                    13.00          2.00
2023 15.00                    15.00          ‐
2024 17.00                    15.00          2.00
2025 18.00                    16.00          2.00
Planning & Development Services
2019 42.46 28.96           13.50                    7
2020 51.00                    33.50          17.50
2021 51.00                    46.00          5.00
2022 45.00                    41.00          4.00
2023 52.00                    39.00          13.00
2024 56.00                    47.00          9.00
2025 61.00                    50.00          11.00                    8 Police
2019 156.50                133.50       23.00
2020 150.50                128.50       22.00
2021 148.50                144.50       4.00
2022 125.50                116.50       9.00
2023 134.50                120.50       14.00
2024 140.50                124.50       16.00                    9 2025 140.50                131.50       9.00
Public Works
2019 202.00                186.12       15.88
2020 199.50                181.50       18.00
2021 198.25                176.00       22.25
2022 193.25                158.00       35.25
2023 200.50                177.00       23.50
2024 207.00                179.00       28.00
2025 208.00                185.00       23.00
Utilities
2019 244.50                206.40       38.10
2020 245.00                215.00       30.00
2021 245.00                212.00       33.00
2022 245.00                198.00       47.00
2023 253.50                199.50       54.00
2024 257.00                219.00       38.00
Department Fiscal Year Adopted  FTE Filled  FTE Total Footnote Vacant FTE
2025 267.00                225.00       42.00
Reconciling Difference (org chart vs total FTE)
2019 (0.59)
2020 (2.00)
2021 (3.00)
2022 (0.50)
2023 (0.50)
2024 0.90
2025 (3.10)
Total for 2019 1,041.35            924.01       116.75
Total for 2020 1,034.85            917.85       115.00
Total for 2021 1,034.85            944.70       87.15
Total for 2022 956.00                815.75       139.75 Total for 2023 1,017.85            874.10       143.25                 10 Total for 2024 1,063.10            926.00       138.00                 11 Total for 2025 1,092.10            967.50       121.50
Grand Total  7,240.10            6,369.91   861.40
Department Footnote Description
City Auditor 1 After conducting a competitive process Council selected Baker Tilly as the City's Auditing firm. This function remains with Baker Tilly through the writing of this report.

Community Services
2 FY23 and FY24 CSD had significant position restorations including Assistant Director and Division Manager level classifications frozen during the pandemic.  FY24 also saw small increases in services/positions within Art Center, JMZ, and Theaters.

Development
Services 3 The Development Services Department was combined with the Planning and Community Environment Department in FY 2020 to form the Planning and Development Services Department.

Fire 4 The vacancy number reflects 18 vacancies but 8 of those were newly hired firefighters in the onboarding process and not yet reflected in the report. We typically hire more than 8 firefighters at a time.

Fire
5 Addition of 7.0 FTE positions to create the initial/pilot Single Role EMS Division of the Fire Department and 3.0 FTE Fire Captain positions to permanently cross staff Engine 64 and Medic 64 (per council directive in FY25).

Office of
Transportation 6 In FY 2020 Office of Transportation was created within the City Manager's office, these positions were transferred from Planning and Community Environment.

Planning and
Development
Services
7 See footnote 3.

Planning and
Development
Services
8 In FY23 Planning underwent an organizational structure review and analysis resulting in changes to the structure and needed classification to meet increasing planning demands in long term planning and development services.  These changes were implemented in FY24 consistent with this review and the recommendations.

Police
9 Restored various positions including 2.00 Public Safety Dispatchers to the Dispatching Servicing Team due to the high volume of calls for service and restored 2.00 Police Officers to the Traffic Enforcement Division due to increasing community concern regarding traffic safety around the City.

Total for 2023
10 FY 2022, the City Council approved amendments to realign the budget with a more optimistic economic outlook and proactively reinvest in activities that addressed the most immediate needs of the City and its residents into FY2023.

Total for 2024 11 FY 2024 Budget continues to invest in staffing resources that support City services and Council priorities.

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