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<br />CASE #j <br /> <br />DISCUSSION REGARDING HIRING FREEZE AND NEEDS ANALYSIS <br />FOR VACANT AND NEW POSITIONS <br />By: Givonna Reed Kone, Human Resources Manager <br /> <br />Background <br /> <br />At the March 25,2008 City Council meeting, staffwas directed to bring forward the <br />topic of a hiring freeze for discussion by the Personnel Committee. Specifically, staff <br />was directed to bring forward criteria for evaluating whether or not vacant positions <br />should be filled. <br /> <br />In preparing for this discussion, staff contacted metro area cities regarding whether they <br />have hiring freezes in place or whether they are considering a hiring freeze. Five of 34 <br />cities surveyed currently have a hiring freeze in place and several more conduct analyses <br />to determine whether there is a need to fill the vacancy. <br /> <br />Staff also researched the State of Minnesota's soft hiring freezes of2002 and 2008, <br />which were both enacted in response to budget shortages. The State's current hiring <br />freeze excludes several positions such as positions in the legislative and judicial branches <br />and essential positions. The State's hiring freeze also exempts positions deemed by <br />senior agency executives as "critical". The criteria currently being used by the State to <br />evaluate the need to fill vacancies during the hiring freeze are similar to the criteria <br />outlined herein. <br /> <br />Members of the City Council will recall that staff recently recommended that the <br />Accountant I position be filled. This recommendation was made based on an evaluation <br />using the criteria outlined in this staff report. If the criteria are adopted by the City <br />Council, the vacant associate planner position and the new patrol officer position will be <br />evaluated by the criteria described below and a recommendation to begin the recruitment <br />processes will be made to the City Council, as determined by the analysis. <br /> <br />Criteria used to Evaluate Vacant and New Positions <br /> <br />When a position becomes vacant, staff recommends that the following analysis be <br />conducted to determine whether or not a recommendation should be made to the City <br />Administrator; and subsequently, to the City Council, to fill a vacant position. In the <br />event that the City Council enacts a soft hiring freeze, all positions, including those <br />determined to be "essential" would be analyzed and only positions that are determined to <br />be "essential and critical" or "critical" would be filled with City Council approval. <br />Further, staff recommends that any evaluation criteria adopted by the City Council in the <br />context of a hiring freeze remain in place beyond the window of the official hiring freeze <br />for evaluation of new and vacant positions. <br /> <br />-25- <br />