City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: JUNE 18, 2024
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER /s/
FROM: KATE GARVEY, DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AND HUMAN SERVICES
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of the Release of the $900,000 from FY 2025 Contingent Reserves for Mental Health Staffing Stabilization.
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of the Release of the $900,000 from FY 2025 Contingent Reserves for Mental Health Staffing Stabilization.
RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council approve the proposed use of $900,000 held in FY 2025 General Fund contingent reserves to enable the implementation of strategies to achieve Mental Health Staffing Stabilization. These strategies include the increase in compensation for Mental Health staff, the offering of recruitment incentives for incoming staff, the engagement of an outside firm to assist in targeted recruitment and the appointment of a temporary administrative staff member to assist in key elements of the internal hiring and onboarding processes.
BACKGROUND:
As directed by Council, the department has developed strategies to respond to issues related to competitive compensation, delayed hiring processes, and effective recruitment that were identified during the budget process. As identified in the Budget Memo response published on April 2, 2024, there were 64 vacancies out of the 301 direct service positions and 128 mental health professionals left the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) since calendar year 2022. Also identified in the memo were the disparities of salaries regionally, with the average gap reaching $20,000. In response to these identified challenges, City Council assigned $900,000 in Contingent Reserve for the purpose of mitigating these issues and reducing the ongoing vacancy rates of the DCHS Mental Health positions.
DISCUSSION:
T...
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