City Council

6. CITY VACANCIES, RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION EFFORTS REPORT IN\nCOMPLIANCE WITH ASSEMBLY BILL 2561 – F2M25-2, M2M25-69\nEffective January 1, 2025, Assembly Bill 2561 added California Government Code Section\n3502.3 which requires public agencies to hold a public hearing at least once per fiscal year\nto report on vacancy and recruitment status and retention efforts. The public hearing\npresentation must be made prior to the adoption of the final budget for the fiscal year. The\nCity has 411 full-time positions budgeted with 20 of these positions vacant as of April 29,\n2025, for an approximately 4.9% vacancy rate. A summary table showing the number of\nvacancies and percentage of total vacancies by each City bargaining unit and other\nunrepresented units is available as a part of the Director of Human Resources & Risk\nManagement’s May 12, 2025 staff report. AB 2561 further requires that recognized\nbargaining units be allowed to speak and/or make a presentation before the City Council\nduring the same public hearing in which the agency makes its annual presentation on\nvacancies. All of the City’s represented bargaining units have been notified of this public\nhearing tonight and provided with their vacancy rate. AB 2561 also requires that during\nthe hearing, the agency must identify any necessary changes to policies, procedures, and\nrecruitment activities that may lead to hiring obstacles. Staff has not identified any\nnecessary changes to policies and procedures that may present obstacles in the hiring\nprocess; rather, staff has identified an opportunity to allow eligible part-time/hourly\nemployees the ability to apply for promotional opportunities by amending the Alhambra\nMunicipal Code. Additionally, within the past 18 months, City staff has adopted various\nstrategies to address recruitment challenges and improve employee retention. Efforts\ninclude updating class specifications to ensure job requirements are current and\nnecessary; streamlining the hiring process for safety sensitive positions; reaching\nagreement with certain bargaining units to allow for a certain number of “overhires” for\nvital safety sensitive positions to ensure a smooth transition of personnel with impending\nretirements; adjusting work schedules for more efficient operations and employee\nwellness; and the offering of lateral hiring bonuses for Police Officers,\nFirefighter/Paramedics and Police Dispatchers.\nRecommended Action: City Council conduct a public hearing and receive and file\nthe information presented on position vacancies in compliance with Assembly Bill 2561\n(AB 2561) - Local public employees; vacant positions. (M2M25-69)\nPRESENTATIONS