Page 54 - CityofSouthlakeFY27Budget

TABLE OF CONTENTS

municipality as a service organization. These costs include compensation, benefits, and other expenses.
Changes to the budget for these expenses are shown below:

Personnel. While no new positions are adopted for funding in FY 2027, General Fund personnel
expenditures increase $825,346, or 2.0%, over the prior year adopted budget. That net figure reflects
the funded compensation and benefit adjustments described in the Employer of Choice section, offset
by savings from position eliminations and by turnover, as positions vacated through retirement and
departure are refilled at lower tenure-driven cost. 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 3% cost of living pay adjustment for all eligible employees.
Budget Overview
The City’s annual market review indicated a 2% adjustment to pay ranges for both sworn public safety
and general government positions. Because that movement is consistent with the funded cost-of-living
adjustment, it is absorbed within the 3% adjustment rather than requiring separate funding, allowing the
City to stay aligned with its adopted market goals through the annual adjustment.

Staffing levels supported by the General Fund total 305.635 FTE, approximately 70% of the City’s
authorized workforce. 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.

The FY 2027 budget again reduces General Fund staffing. Positions supported by the General Fund
are reduced by 5.50 FTE through permanent elimination, producing ongoing savings of approximately
$283,000. The eliminated positions are a Management Assistant in Finance, an Administrative Assistant
in the City Secretary’s Office, two part-time intern positions in the City Manager’s Office, a part-time
Marketing and Communications Specialist in Community Services, the consolidation of a Parks Technician
and a vacant engineering support position into a single CIP Project Specialist, and the Planning Manager
position in Planning and Development Services, which was held frozen in FY 2026 and eliminated
following evaluation.

An additional 2.65 FTE supported by the General Fund are frozen and held vacant for the year: the
Reporting and Compliance Manager in Finance, held open following an upcoming retirement; part-
time recreation programming and a part-time Recreation Specialist in Community Services; and a
partial reduction to the Volunteer Coordinator in Human Resources. Frozen positions remain in the
authorized position table and funded, but are held vacant while the City preserves the flexibility to
restore, restructure, or permanently eliminate them once operating experience confirms the appropriate
long-term level.

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. 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, all without reducing service levels.

54 FY 2027 City of Southlake | Budget Book FY 2027 City of Southlake | Budget Book 55