City Services, “Fully Staffed”? What Does That Mean?

Often when observing city council meetings or listening to candidates vying for elected positions, one may hear the term “fully staffed”. The term appears to mean “We have all the employees the city needs.” But this is not what the term actually means. This is actually a budget related term. When the city administration develops a budget they not only allocate funds for every city department and program, they also pre-determine the number of employee positions so that the cost of those employees is allocated in the funding allocations of the budget. If the city administration decides to reduce, increase or eliminate positions then that is reflected in the budget. Once the allocated positions are filled in a department or program, then that department or program is considered “fully staffed”. If a department or program, or a specific portion of either, is eliminated then the related positions are eliminated as well and the staffing requirement is zero but, of course, can’t be described as fully staffed.

If staffing for a department or program is reduced or increased, then when the budget is developed, it may only include the number for the funded or allocated positions. The city administration decides, at the direction of and with the approval by city council, which and how many positions they need or are willing to fund. Once positions are filled to the funded number of allocated positions, then those departments or programs are considered “fully staffed’ which could mean more or less employees or the same amount as in previous years. The level of service is affected by this.

So the way I see it, the reality is that the term “fully staffed” could mean one of three things.

1). The service provided meets the “status quo”.

3). The service provided has been reduced.

Don’t be fooled by the term “fully staffed”. That term does not mean that the service level has not ever been reduced. That would be like saying that the fire department is “fully staffed” while one of two stations remains closed indefinitely. Look at the history of the service you’re concerned with and the historic funding and staffing levels for that service to determine the meaning of “fully staffed”

. The term should only be used if all the funded positions in that department are filled, then although factually true, the term can still be misleading.

Pinole resident, Allen Dorsey