There were 169 unfilled positions authorized in the city of Little Rock's general fund at the end of the first quarter of 2021, a figure approaching the highest month-to-month vacancy count since at least April 2020, according to a presentation to the city board Tuesday.
The quarterly report of unfilled positions came on the heels of a decision to temporarily halt municipal yard-waste collection in Little Rock because of a shortage of personnel tied to covid-19.
Collection resumed effective Wednesday, according to a city news release issued in the afternoon.
The total number of vacancies was 248 when accounting for the 79 unfilled positions authorized in the street and enterprise funds, the city's finance director, Sara Lenehan, told board members Tuesday during her first-quarter financial report.
"We've been having difficulty filling positions in all departments. I know in finance I'm feeling the pain," she said. "We've been down nine positions almost all year, which is 20% of our workforce."
Lenehan added that she along with other finance directors throughout the city are having a hard time recruiting.
According to one slide illustrating unfilled positions in the general fund over time, there were 108 vacant positions in April 2020. That number climbed to reach a high of 173 in February 2021 before dipping slightly to 169 the following month.
In the Police Department, 35 uniformed police positions were vacant as of the last payroll in March, according to Lenehan's presentation. She suggested the number has increased since then.
Thirty of the vacant police positions were for officers, along with unfilled spots for three sergeants and two majors, according to one slide shown to city directors.
Eleven individuals graduated as part of the most recent class of police recruits who began in February, Lenehan said. The next recruiting school for the Police Department will begin Aug. 16, she said, and noted that 18 individuals will be part of the upcoming school.
The latest Fire Department recruiting school began March 29 with 29 members, according to the presentation.
Lenehan did not respond to an email Wednesday with regard to whether the city's general-fund vacancy figure was higher at any recent point prior to April 2020.
At a board meeting last week, Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said the Public Works Department was experiencing up to 35 vacancies but noted the department had been approved for "all the overtime that they need," including over the weekend.
He compared the city's situation to the employment difficulties being experienced in the private sector.
Last Thursday, a Little Rock news release said yard-waste collection was being temporarily halted because of the rise in covid-19 cases.
At a news conference the same day to unveil a new municipal mask mandate for city buildings, Scott argued in favor of the mask order by citing the pandemic's effect on essential city services.
The news release issued Wednesday announcing the resumption of yard-waste service said missed collections during the suspension would be made up immediately in the course of routine collections.