February 24, 2026
Human Resources
DATE: February 24, 2026
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Nickie Mastay, Deputy City Manager – Internal Services
Sharrone Taylor, Director of Human Resources
Emily Combs, Director of Finance
Subject:
Amendments to the Position Control List
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The proposed amendment will result in a fiscal impact of $246,037, of which $107,546 is from non-General Fund
sources. This impact will be addressed as part of the
fiscal year 2025-2026 Mid-Year Budget Review.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
None
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The City Council’s authorization is required to amend
staffing (position control list) and allocate funding as required.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
ADOPT a resolution amending staffing and position
control list and allocating the necessary salary, wages, and benefits as required – Human Resources
Department (Nickie Mastay/Sharrone Taylor/Emily
Combs 510-620-6602).
DISCUSSION:
This proposed amendment aligns with the recommendations outlined in the California State Auditor’s High-Risk Local Government Program report. By strategically reallocating positions, the City is implementing a data-driven approach to workforce AGENDA
REPORT
February 24, 2026
planning. These actions reflect our commitment to maintaining fiscal responsibility, controlling rising personnel costs, and ensuring that staffing levels are responsive to operational priorities and community needs. In addition, we have built on the progress recognized by the California State Auditor in October 2025, when the City was removed from the high-risk list for demonstrating improved workforce planning and financial sustainability.
Since 2021, the City has strategically filled positions to address critical service gaps, increasing the number of filled roles from approximately 590 FTEs in 2021 to 665 FTEs today, which represent an overall increase of 12.7 percent. While these additions have improved service delivery, personnel costs have risen significantly. For example, the CalPERS Kaiser family health plan premium increased 44 percent from approximately $2,115 per month in 2021, to $3,039 in 2026, a difference of $924 per month. Recently approved labor successor Memorandums of Understanding, along with pending agreements, will further increase personnel costs.
The City is continuing to proceed with incremental hiring to meet essential service needs while maintaining fiscal responsibility. This approach aligns with the City Council’s Goals and Objectives for efficient and sustainable governance, supports organizational efficiency, and adheres to the State Auditor’s recommendations for long- term financial stability.
FIRE DEPARTMENT – TEMPORARY POSITIONS
The Fire Department is working diligently to ensure there is adequate coverage across all stations at all times. Recently, several employees who occupy critical roles within the department are unavailable to serve in their roles. These absences create significant gaps in leadership and operational oversight. To address this issue, the Fire Chief is proposing the creation of temporary positions that will serve as backfill for the affected roles. These temporary appointments are necessary to uphold department standards, ensure consistent supervision, maintain operations, and assist with the Advanced Life Support (ALS) Program.
The first temporary position proposed is Battalion Chief, which serves as the Emergency Medical Services director and oversees Fire personnel training. This role is critical for implementing the Advanced Life Support (ALS) program and for ensuring fire personnel receive essential emergency response and safety training. Comprehensive preparation is required to ensure fire personnel can effectively respond to emergencies and critical incidents.
The second temporary position proposed is Deputy Fire Marshal, which is vital for fire prevention, code enforcement, fire investigations, and supervising inspectors in the Fire Prevention Unit. Now that inspectors are fully staffed, proper support is crucial to ensure the unit operates at its highest level.
February 24, 2026
The appointment of temporary personnel to these positions is essential to maintaining seamless departmental operations and ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of both emergency response and fire prevention services. These temporary roles are intended to transition into permanent positions through natural attrition within the Fire Department, thereby supporting the successful implementation of the Advanced Life Support (ALS) Program.
The Fire Department is in the initial stages of implementing a two phased Advanced Life Support (ALS) program over the next 5 years with the goal of staffing all eight fire stations with firefighter paramedics by 2030. This goal is in alignment with Intervention Area 6 of the Health in All Policies initiative adopted by the City Council in 2014, which aims to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes for the Richmond community. By implementing the ALS program, the Fire Department will be able to provide critical advanced medical care to patients in the field within four to six minutes from calling 911. This will be accomplished through the establishment of a system that dispatches medical response teams in tandem with fire apparatus. The service will be exclusively dedicated to the City of Richmond, centrally based to enable efficient coverage of major sections of the City.
PUBLIC WORKS - TRANSPORTATION
On November 22, 2022, the City Council allocated funds for traffic calming projects. A traffic calming program was launched to address the community's street safety concerns with a focus on reducing vehicle speeds, improving pedestrian and cyclist safety, and developing complete streets in an integrated and environmentally sustainable manner. Additionally, the City Council authorized two positions to staff the program at the June 4, 2024, City Council meeting.
The City hired a Senior Planner and Capital Projects Manager. The Public Works Director is currently requesting the addition of a Project Coordinator to round out the Transportation Division. The Project Coordinator will oversee Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction programs and support the implementation of transportation grants associated with GHG reductions, including electric vehicle (EV) accessibility initiatives such as public charging, electric carshare, electric micro transit (e.g. Richmond Moves), and electric bike share. The Project Coordinator will also develop recommendations for traffic, transportation, and direct the implementation of plans to ensure safe and efficient traffic movement for all. In addition, the position will implement policy goals, secure funding, prioritize projects for the Transportation division, and advocate for regional transportation impacting Richmond.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
The Administrative Assistant (granted funded) position will provide essential administrative and compliance support for the Community Development Department’s expanding portfolio of State, regional, and Federal grant-funded transportation and community programs. Key responsibilities include coordinating grant invoicing and
February 24, 2026
reporting, tracking budgets and financial documentation, and supporting stakeholder and community meeting logistics and documentation. By assuming these duties, the position will allow existing project staff to focus on higher-level project coordination, strategic planning, and grant development, while ensuring timely reimbursement, audit readiness, and ongoing compliance with complex grant requirements. This position is critical to maintaining effective implementation of high-profile, multi-year grant programs that include multiple partners and projects and maximizing the City’s ability to manage and leverage external funding resources.
This is a two-year position that will be funded completely by grant resources and will not impact the City’s General Fund.
CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE
A Project Manager was transferred to Public Works to lead the transportation efforts last year, taking on various responsibilities such as overseeing ongoing projects, coordinating with different departments, and ensuring that transportation initiatives aligned with the city’s broader goals. With the addition of a Project Coordinator (mentioned above) and a Paratransit Coordinator to the transportation division, who will now handle day-to-day operations and provide additional support citywide, the Project Manager position is being transferred back to the City Manager’s Office. This move will allow the Project Manager to focus on high-level, strategic, cross-departmental collaboration, while the transportation division continues to grow and benefit from strengthened leadership and operational capacity in the Engineering division of Public Works.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal impact is approximately $246,037 through June 30, 2026, since the cost of the new positions is offset by the deactivated positions. It is anticipated that the positions will be filled by the end of the fiscal year. Certain positions are difficult to fill, and as such, the recruitment period may be extended resulting in savings that could potentially cover the estimated fiscal impact.
*Estimate based on step 1
Estimated Fiscal Impact
Classification Salary & Benefits at Six (6)
Months*
Add Temporary Battalion Chief ~$150,848
Add Temporary Deputy Fire Marshal ~$163,057
Add Project Coordinator ~$117,698
Add Administrative Assistant (Grant Funded) ~$107,546
Delete Human Resources Analyst ~$106,999
February 24, 2026
SUMMARY:
City staff recommends approval of the resolution amending the position control list and allocating funds, which will modify the position control list in the following manner:
Add the following position:
Classification Department Unit
Temporary Battalion Chief (1) Fire RFMA
Temporary Deputy Fire Marshal (1) Fire IAFF Local 188
Project Coordinator (1) Public Works –
Transportation
IFPTE Local 21 – Mid
Management
Administrative Assistant (1)
Grant funded
Community
Development
SEIU Local 1021 – General
Employees
Project Manager (transfer) (1) City Manager’s Office IFPTE Local 21 – Executive Management
Delete the following positions:
Classification Department Unit
Human Resources Analyst (1) Human Resources IFPTE Local 21 Mid- Management
Administrative Services Coordinator
(1)
Finance IFPTE Local 21 Mid-
Management
CCTV Wireless and Systems
Specialist (1)
Police SEIU Local 1021 General
Employees
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Resolution Amending Position Control
Delete CCTV Wireless and Systems
Specialist
~$97,382
Delete Administrative Services Coordinator ~$88,731