People operations requests more HR capacity to handle civil service testing and growing transactional workload

Tammy Fennel, head of People Operations, presented a staffing plan asking the council to add a people‑operations generalist, reclassify an existing role and add a total‑rewards analyst. Fennel said the HR team is lean compared with industry benchmarks and that current staff handle extensive transactional tasks including onboarding, offboarding and large numbers of civil‑service entrance and promotional exams for police and fire.

Fennel detailed that the civil‑service program requires substantial weekend work (eight entrance exams are administered on Saturdays) and centralized compliance knowledge. She said the current workload produces frequent overtime and that adding staff would improve policy guidance, reduce burnout risk and create a replicable pipeline of internal talent.

Council members commended the HR team’s performance under strain; Fennel said the new positions would allow the team to automate more processes, support recruitment pipelines and provide sustainable coverage for complex functions like FMLA, work‑comp follow‑ups and ADA accommodations.