The Kingsburg City Council held the annual public hearing required by Assembly Bill 2561 and adopted a compliance policy to document the city’s vacancy, recruitment and retention practices for represented bargaining units.

Assistant City Manager Christina Windover presented the report and the proposed AB 2561 compliance policy. Windover said the law requires cities to hold a public hearing at least once each fiscal year to report vacancy statistics for recognized bargaining units, identify barriers and consider recommended changes. The city notified its three employee associations (Kingsburg Police Officers Association, Kingsburg Professional Firefighters Association, and Kingsburg Public Service Employees Association) of the hearing; none requested to present because no bargaining unit exceeded the 20% vacancy threshold.

Windover told council the three represented bargaining units include 56 budgeted positions. In calendar year 2024 the unit vacancies reportable under AB 2561 totaled five openings; the highest monthly vacancy rate recorded was 3 percent. The average time to fill vacancies was 73 days (81 calendar days by another measure). The majority of vacancies (four of five) resulted from internal promotion or transfer, and the organization‑wide turnover rate for those represented positions was reported at about 8 percent.

Windover identified recurring recruitment obstacles such as finding candidates meeting minimum qualifications, pre‑employment screening (written tests, physical and drug testing), and an anti‑nepotism policy that can limit appointments when family members are employed in the same department. Staff said updates to the personnel manual and continued recruitment outreach may mitigate some barriers.

Council adopted the proposed AB 2561 compliance policy by motion. The adoption satisfies the statute’s reporting and public‑hearing requirement for the fiscal year; staff will post the report and follow the policy schedule for future annual hearings.