Budget for Website - Flipbook - Page 32
Full-Time Equivalent Staffing
Like most municipal governments and service agencies, employee-related expenses are one
of the City of Plymouth’s largest operating expenditures. The following pages summarize fulltime equivalent staffing levels by department over the past ten years, including proposed
levels for the upcoming budget year. The overview below highlights key events that have
influenced staffing levels.
Full-Time Equivalent or FTE is not a direct 1 to 1 in terms of number of employees. For
example, a full-time employee is considered 1 FTE. However, a part-time employee is
considered either .5 or .75 FTE depending on the number of hours worked on average per
week. Seasonal employees working during the summer for roughly 4 months are considered
.3 FTE.
During the 2025/2026 fiscal year, there were several retirements that took place across
multiple departments including police, economic development, and municipal services. Due
to the continued focus on succession planning, the impact on the organization’s delivery of
services was minimized. In the current fiscal year, all departments will be looking at their
operations and continuing to focus on succession planning to maintain or exceed our current
service delivery.
One of the biggest challenges in terms of staffing is recruitment and retention, particularly in
public safety. The City Commission authorized a temporary increase in the police
department staffing levels to ‘get ahead’ of potential retirements on the horizon. From the
date of hire (assuming the candidate does not need to attend the police academy), it is over 1
year before the officer is through the City’s field training program and can be operating on
their own. Within the next 3-5 years, there will be 4 members of the department eligible to
retire.
Overall, the City has reduced its FTE count from the previous year as the administration is
constantly reviewing operations and staffing levels. When staffing levels change, the
opportunity is taken to evaluate service delivery while still focusing on succession planning
for the long-term stability of the organization.
City of Plymouth 2026/27 Budget
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