Cypress presents annual employee vacancy report under AB 2561; citywide vacancy rate 6.7%

Cypress city staff presented the annual employee vacancy report required by Assembly Bill 2561, reporting an average vacancy rate of 6.7% across the city’s four bargaining units and outlining recruitment and retention efforts.

Regina Wynne, the city’s human resources manager, told the council that AB 2561 (effective Jan. 1) requires public agencies to report vacancies annually before adopting a budget and that if a bargaining unit’s vacancy rate exceeds 20% additional reporting is required. Wynne said each of the city’s four bargaining units has a vacancy rate under 10% and that the Police Officers Association (POA), the largest employee group, experiences vacancies throughout the year but has maintained service levels.

Wynne described recruitment challenges including a decline in interest in public-sector jobs, increased competition from neighboring agencies, applicant preference for flexible schedules, and shortages in certain skilled roles. To respond, the city said it is using social media outreach, working with nearby colleges and professional associations, posting positions on government-jobs platforms, opening recruitments promptly, and relying on succession planning to promote from within where feasible. Wynne also said the city is recruiting for a public works engineering intern position.

Councilmember Chang asked about outreach to community colleges, internship availability and adapting to younger applicants’ expectations for flexible schedules; Wynne said the city uses internships, professional association postings and the government-jobs applicant tracking system, and that it is exploring creative scheduling where feasible though constrained by public‑sector parameters.

The council received the report; no action or vote was required. The city attorney advised that the presentation satisfied the reporting requirement for the council at this meeting.