Page 45 - Watauga FY22-23 Budget

BUDGET OVERVIEW – BUDGET-IN-BRIEF

Personnel, Compensation and Benefits

Retaining and attracting qualified staff is integral to our organization. Civil service and
non-civil service retention, hiring, and retirements have greatly impacted the City in the
last few years.

In the FY2021-2022 budget, a compensation and classification study was conducted and
th
recommendations were implemented in the 4 quarter of the current fiscal year. This
major accomplishment allowed the City to bring employees within market and provide for
more competitive pay in comparison to our benchmark cities for both civil service and
non-civil service The City must continue to develop strategies to retain current
employees and recruit new employees.

In the FY2022-2023 budget, the following is included:

o Continued funding for civil service step increases.
o 3% cost of living increase for all employees.

Personnel Changes

In FY 2021-2022, The City began to restore positions that were eliminated during the
FY2020-2021 fiscal year due to budget constraints and the reorganization of the
recreation center operations. Personnel positions in the City have declined since 2012
due to a shift in shared services (jail/dispatch) with surrounding cities, the implementation
of contract labor for mowing services, and a reduction in staffing due to recreation center
operations, elimination of positions, and the freezing/unfunding of positions in order to
decrease spending.

In the FY2022-2023 budget, a total of 13.25 full-time equivalents have been added to the
budget. Of those positions, 7.25 full-time equivalent positions were restored and funded,
and 6.0 positions have been added as determined by the Personnel Improvement Plan.
The ARPA grant will fund 7 full-time equivalent positions over the next several years.

Personnel changes (not including reclassifications) are listed below:
Police Department – (1.00) Full time equivalent has been added this year:

o 1 Mental Health Officer

Parks and Recreation Department – (3.75) Full time equivalents have been
restored and funded this year due to the addition of program services and events
that were suspended in Fiscal Year 2020-2021.

o 2 Part-time and 1 Full-time Recreation Attendants (1.50 FTE)
o 1 Maintenance Worker (1.00 FTE)
o 1 Irrigation Technician (1.00 FTE)

36