Coeur d'Alene saving about $400K from unfilled positions

Nearly halfway through the fiscal year, the city of Coeur d’Alene has saved about $400,000 due to unfilled positions. 

Finance Director Katie Ebner told the City Council on Tuesday the reduced payroll spending has reduced the city’s need to dip into the general fund to support operations. 

But open positions place a strain on staff and affect services.  

“It’s not ideal to have those unfilled positions,” Ebner said during a mid-year review of the city’s financial plan. “We hope to get them filled.” 

The city has had about 40 positions that turned over this fiscal year due to resignations, retirements or internal candidates hired from within.

Councilor Christie Wood asked why the city was having trouble filling jobs. 

“Lack of applicants?” she asked. 

Ebner said there are many reasons for employee turnover. 

“Recruiting is always a challenge of this economy,” Ebner said. 

She said openings in some departments can be attributed to salaries and benefits that are higher and better in a nearby state. 

“That always proves to be a challenge, competing with Washington,” she said. 

Wood asked if the city was holding off filling any approved positions in the current budget.

“We're not holding anything,” City Administrator Tymesen said.  

The city has five unfilled police officer positions, some open to lateral candidates with experience, offering a starting pay range of about $30 to $43 an hour, and others available to entry-level applicants, with a range of about $30 an hour.

Municipal Services has faced challenges filling IT positions, with two vacancies remaining open for much of the fiscal year. An IT Utility Operations Specialist position remains unfilled, with a salary range of about $68,000.

The Legal Department is also experiencing higher than usual turnover, Ebner wrote. An Assistant City Attorney position is posted with a salary range of $72,529 to $102,086 annually, and a Legal Assistant position is listed at $23.71 to $24.90 per hour.

Ebner cautioned that unbudgeted leave payouts from resignations or retirements may decrease the savings, and noted the savings from unfilled positions are temporary unless the role is permanently removed from the budget. 

She said personnel costs will continue to be reviewed to adjust savings calculations. 

"Directors would say compensation is the cause for nearly all positions that are difficult to fill as well as an overall competitive job market," Ebner wrote. "While the city offers competitive wages and a robust benefits package, certain positions will always lag compared to the market and private sector."