Staffing gaps, FTE realignment and service‑risk framed as major drivers in Wilmington’s budget talks

City staff told Wilmington council members that workforce shortages and a planned organizational realignment are core drivers of FY27 budget pressure and service risk.

Becky Hawk, the city manager, said the recommended organizational changes reduce net FTEs by 25.19 through position consolidation and reassignment of long‑vacant roles. ‘‘We looked at administrative assistance and where they were spread throughout the organization... by creating a cluster of customer‑service folks... we were able to capture those unfilled positions,’’ she said.

The presentation highlighted a 12.4% citywide vacancy rate and a 20.8% vacancy rate for police and fire, figures staff described as raising the risk of service degradation. ‘‘The biggest, most obvious one is police,’’ Hawk said. She said vacancies and overtime have increased stress and that the city risks falling below minimum safe staffing if attrition continues.

Council members asked for more granular data on which positions would be removed or reallocated and asked staff to provide job descriptions and the finalized organizational charts. Hawk said new job descriptions and org charts will be posted and provided to council members and offered to email a spreadsheet showing the affected positions and estimated savings and reassignments.

Council also discussed retention measures. Staff estimated that a proposed living‑wage program could materially reduce lateral vacancies in police if implemented, though staff said their prior experience showed pay alone is not always sufficient without other workplace improvements.

No formal staff layoffs or votes were recorded at the retreat; staff said many reductions come from eliminating unfilled roles and redesigning positions to recruit more successfully.