Council members asked city finance staff for a detailed account of year-to-date transfers after budget reviewers described how money moves between salary, vacancy and overtime lines.

Council member Farley and others said they want a clearer record of what vacant positions have contributed, in prior years, to other line-item spending. A staff presenter said departments commonly transfer funds from vacant-salary lines into overtime and premium-pay lines to cover operational needs; council members requested a multi-year transfer report to show those patterns.

During the discussion staff said that if the council does not receive the requested transfer detail in the meeting packet they will provide it by email and in a follow-up meeting. Council members said they expect a breakdown identifying which vacant positions were used to offset other expenses and how frequently transfers occur.

Why this matters: the council said the transfer history will help it judge whether budgeted vacancy savings are realistic or repeatedly spent in-year on overtime and other items. Staff agreed to produce the requested transfer-level detail and to work with department heads to explain recurring transfer patterns.