Page 47 - CityofSouthlakeFY26AdoptedBudget

Personnel: While no new positions are adopted for funding in FY 2026, the General Fund includes
total new personnel-related expenditures of $1,582,792 to support the City’s compensation and
benefits obligations. This amount reflects the City’s continued adherence to its adopted compensation
philosophy, which targets the 70th percentile of the labor market for general government positions and
the 85th percentile for sworn public safety roles. To maintain competitive market alignment, the budget
provides for a 2–4% merit-based pay adjustment for all eligible employees, along with targeted market
adjustments for public safety personnel based on the City’s most recent compensation analysis. These Budget Overview
investments ensure Southlake remains an employer of choice while responsibly managing personnel
costs in accordance with the City’s financial principles.

Staffing levels supported by the General Fund remain generally consistent with FY 2025 with an FTE
reduction of 1.655 when compared with this budget. As part of the City’s ongoing workforce planning
approach, positions vacated through normal attrition are carefully evaluated to ensure alignment with
service priorities. Department leaders conduct thorough business analyses to determine whether roles
should be refilled, repurposed, or restructured to better support the City’s evolving operational needs.

In FY 2025, the City implemented a reorganization of the Parks Maintenance and Operations Division
to improve efficiency, strengthen oversight, and align staffing with key operational functions. The
restructuring introduced specialized crews, adjusted leadership roles, and created a tiered technician
structure to support employee development and career progression. These changes were completed
within the existing budget and resulted in a net reduction of two positions. Similarly, the Economic
Development and Tourism Department completed an internal reorganization to better align staffing
with distinct marketing and economic development functions. The revised structure preserved the
department’s overall FTE count while achieving a General Fund savings of approximately $42,380 that
was reallocated to compensation needs in this budget.

In addition, three positions vacated during FY 2024 (Municipal Court Clerk, Fire Prevention Officer and
Planning Manager) were intentionally frozen to allow time for a service needs assessment. During this
period, workload was redistributed among existing staff to maintain service delivery. Following a review
of court operations, the Municipal Court Clerk position was eliminated, resulting in a reduction to the
FTE count in Municipal Court. The funding previously allocated to that position was used to repurpose
an existing role in the Finance Department into a GIS Analyst position, strengthening long-term
continuity in the City’s geospatial services. A reorganization within the Fire Department repurposed the
Fire Prevention Officer position and resulted in a reduction of a civilian FTE (Emergency Management
Specialist) to better support operational priorities for an overall General Fund savings of $16,861. These
funds were reallocated to compensation needs in this budget. The Planning Manager position remains
in the position table, though its funding was reallocated to meet other compensation demands. Funding
can be restored in future years if service needs require.

As part of our annual review, we also evaluated positions funded through multiple sources to ensure that
assigned duties align with the allowable uses of each specialized fund. When combined with the previously
described staffing adjustments, this review results in a net FTE reduction of 1.655 in the General Fund.
These staffing decisions reflect the City’s disciplined, data-driven approach to workforce planning—
prioritizing flexibility, aligning resources with service demands, and maintaining our commitment to
delivering high-quality services to the Southlake community.

FY 2026 City of Southlake | Budget Book 47