June 17, 2025, Item #10AGENDA REPORT CityofPoway CITY COUNCIL DATE: June 17, 2025 TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council FROM: Jodene Dunphy, Human Resources & Risk Management Director f CONTACT: Jodene Dunphy, Human Resources & Risk Management Director (858) 668-4413 or [email protected] SUBJECT: Report on Vacancies, and Recruitment and Retention Efforts Summary: On September 22, 2024, California State Assembly Bill (AB) 2561 was approved by the Governor of California and became effective January 1, 2025. AB 2561 added §3502.3 to the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, an existing law in the California Government Code, and requires public agencies to present the status of vacancies, and recruitment and retention efforts at least once per year to the governing board prior to the adoption of the agency's final budget for the fiscal year. The new law also entitles employee organizations to make a presentation to the City Council during the public hearing and requires public agencies to present additional information regarding vacancies, upon request by an employee organization, if the vacancy rate within a single bargaining unit is at least 20%. This report is presented to comply with Government Code §3502.3. Recommended Action: It is recommended the City Council receive and file the report. Discussion: The intent of Government Code §3502.3 is to create awareness about vacancies in public agencies because they can impact public services. The City's vacancy rates by employee group as of June 1, 2025, are as follows and remain well below the 20% threshold established by AB 2561: Budgeted Positions #of Vacancy Employee/ Bargaining Group (FTEs) Vacancies Rate Poway Firefighters' Association (PFA) 48.00 5.00 * 10.42%* Non-Safety/Teamsters 105.23 8.00 7.60% Management/Confidential Employees 87.00 4.00 4.60% City Total 240.23 17.00 7.08% * The City is currently in various stages of the selection process to hire 5 Firefighter Paramedics, with estimated start dates in July of this year. 1 of 3
June 17, 2025, Item #10The healthy vacancy rates can be attributed to the fact that the City of Poway demonstrated a strong commitment to prioritizing recruitment and retention efforts long before AB 2561 was approved. In 2021, the City Council approved-and the bargaining units agreed to-six-year labor agreements, providing certainty that supports recruitment and retention efforts for both job applicants and current employees. Moreover, in December 2021, the City Council approved a benefit allowing new employees to receive vacation credit for prior public service. This has proven to be a valuable recruitment tool, enabling the City to attract experienced public sector employees by recognizing their previous service and allowing them to begin with the same or similar vacation accruals they had earned with their former employer. In June 2023, the City Council approved the addition of a full-time Human Resources Technician position to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24 budget. This position supports departments with recruitments and helps reduce the time needed to open and close recruitments. Recent enhancements such as the City's teleworking policy and continued use of the 9/80 work schedule have made Poway more competitive with other public agencies and the private sector by offering more flexible work arrangements. In Spring 2024, all Non-Safety and Management/Confidential job descriptions were analyzed and updated to align qualifying experience and education with best practices for recruiting qualified employees while broadening the pool of qualified applicants. City staff also conducted a comprehensive salary comparison of Poway's positions with similar roles in other San Diego County cities, and based on the analysis, the City Council approved market rate adjustments for positions that fell below the median in the FY 2024-25 budget. These adjustments have significantly strengthened the City's ability to recruit and retain qualified, talented employees. As a result, the overall vacancy rate for the City has dropped from 11.66% at approximately the same time last year to 7.08% as of June 1, 2025. Additional examples of the City's ongoing commitment to recruitment and retention efforts include the City Council's approval in March 2025 of three new job classifications (without adding new Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) positions) to broaden the pool of qualified candidates available to perform critical engineering work for the community. The City has also expanded its outreach strategies by advertising vacancies on various social media platforms and through professional organizations relevant to specific public sector roles. Human Resources staff, along with representatives from individual departments, regularly attend career fairs at high schools, colleges, libraries, and other community events to promote the many benefits of working for the City and serving the Poway community. In support of long-term employee engagement and growth, the City invests in ongoing training and development opportunities within departments and organization wide. The City also maintains a robust employee recognition program that brings staff together, honors years of service, and highlights employees who demonstrate excellence in their daily work. The Fire and Human Resources departments are actively collaborating to strengthen and streamline the recruitment and testing process for new Firefighter Paramedics. Efforts include conducting open and continuous recruitments, expediting the testing of applicants immediately upon receipt of their applications, and hiring qualified lateral candidates-those with Firefighter Paramedic experience from other agencies-at pay steps above the entry level. Additionally, members of the Fire Department have created recruitment videos, visited paramedic schools to connect with students before they graduate, participated in safety-focused career fairs-such as the Firefighter Candidate Testing Center Career Exposition, the Miramar Fire Academy Career Exposition, and the annual Poway Unified School District Career Fairs at Twin Peaks Middle School 2 of3
June 17, 2025, Item #10and Poway High School-and maintained a ride-along program to introduce Emergency Medical Technicians and fire students to the daily life of a firefighter. As part of AB 2561, the City must identify any changes to policies, procedures, or recruitment activities that have an impact on its efforts to reduce vacancies. The addition of a full-time Human Resources Technician in 2023 has significantly enhanced recruitment efforts by improving candidate communication throughout the hiring process and consistently promoting the City of Poway's outstanding work culture-both during recruitment and in new employee orientations. However, recruitment and retention efforts remain challenging due to the high cost of living in San Diego and the long commutes many employees face. These issues are common among public agencies in the region and are not unique to Poway. Additionally, the City continues to face competition from the private sector, which often offers more flexible schedules and higher compensation. Environmental Review: This action is not subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Fiscal Impact: There is no fiscal impact. Public Notification: Representatives of PFA and Teamsters were notified on May 20, 2025 of the public hearing and invited to present. Attachments: None. Reviewed/Approved By: W~ Kaserman Assistant City Manager 3 of3 Reviewed By: Alan Fenstermacher City Attorney Approved By: Ch~ City Manager