HR proposes risk‑management hires, recommends shifting civil‑service legal costs to affected departments

Human Resources Director Richards presented a recommended budget that reduces discretionary items and proposes targeted additions to strengthen enterprise risk management. Director Richards said HR will eliminate part‑time positions, reduce overtime by offering compensatory time and cut employee‑appreciation spending to reduce costs; combined, the department estimated those reductions would save roughly $98,892 for 2026 when netting requested additions.

HR requested two targeted investments: (1) creation of a risk management assistant position and reclassification of an existing safety/loss coordinator (total personnel cost about $80,407) to support enterprise risk, incident tracking, insurance compliance and safety program implementation; and (2) reclassification of a classification and compensation analyst from analyst I to analyst II (net cost about $5,200) to create a career ladder.

Director Richards also proposed reallocating a $75,000 line item historically used for representation at civil‑service hearings (police and fire disciplinary appeals) to the police and fire departments, arguing it is more appropriate for departments that generate the hearings to budget for those legal expenses. Richards noted HR is the secretary to the civil‑service commission and that hearing volume spiked after COVID and when the commission lacked a quorum; HR already has eight hearings scheduled for 2026.

Board members asked for clarification about how the reallocation would be split between police and fire; Richards said the change would encourage departments to consider the full cost implications of disciplinary actions and that HR would charge back recruitment overages to departments when applicable. The board did not take formal action at the presentation; staff will provide line‑item detail and proposed ordinance/language if the reallocation is advanced.