Department of Human Resources – BGA Policy 2025 Budget Snapshot

Departmental Highlights

Snapshot: Appropriation & Staffing Changes from 2024 Budget

• The Department of Human Resources remained at relatively steady budget and staffing levels from 2011 through 2022, when a Lightfoot-era push to ramp up staffing nearly doubled the department's budgeted headcount. Unlike most of the spikes in departmental budgets beginning with the 2021 budget, DHR was not primarily relying on pandemic relief funds for its increase.
• The largest portion of the department's net -11 headcount reduction comes from the removal of six Associate Classification and Compensation Analyst positions, partially balanced by one new Classification and Compensation Analyst position. Other cuts include three Onboarding Specialist positions, two Testing/Assessment Specialist, Testing Administrator, and Recruiting Coordinator positions, and a Director of Planning Research and Development.
• As with several other departments, DHR's budget includes a "reserve balance" appropriation from a number of grant funds. This appropriation, which appears in several department's budgets and has been retroactively added to 2024 appropriations data as well, was not used in the previous year's budget at the time of its passage. BGA Policy has reached out to the Office of Budget and Management for clarification of this appropriation's purpose and has not yet received a reply.

Historical Context

The Department of Human Resources remained at relatively steady budget and staffing levels from 2011 through 2022, when a Lightfoot-era push to ramp up staffing nearly doubled the department's budgeted headcount. Unlike most of the spikes in departmental budgets beginning with the 2021 budget, DHR was not primarily relying on pandemic relief funds for its increase.

From 2011-2024, the department budget grew at an average rate of 10.2%% per year, largely driven by the 2023 budget increase and smaller increase in 2024. Departmental budgets overall increased an average of 6.1% per year over the same time period, while the total city budget including Finance General appropriations grew at an average rate of 8.5% annually.

The department's budgeted workforce grew at a rate of roughly 5.4% annually from 2011-2024, again primarily driven by growth in the 2023 budget cycle. Overall budgeted positions for the city remained relatively flat across the same time period, with minor year-to-year fluctuations averaging out to an overall growth rate of 0.04%.

Staffing

The largest portion of the department's headcount reduction comes from the removal of six Associate Classification and Compensation Analyst positions, partially balanced by one new Classification and Compensation Analyst position. Other cuts include three Onboarding Specialist positions, two Testing/Assessment Specialist, Testing Administrator, and Recruiting Coordinator positions, and a Director of Planning Research and Development.

Appropriations

DHR is predominantly funded from the corporate fund. A slight increase in corporate fund appropriations this year was exceeded by reductions from the vehicle, water, grants management, and coronavirus recovery funds.

Largest Appropriations

The bulk of DHR's budget is personnel-related, with wages and salaries the largest appropriation account by far, and several other personnel expenses also included in the department's ten largest accounts.

Change from Previous Year

As with several other departments, DHR's budget includes a "reserve balance" appropriation from a number of grant funds. This appropriation, which appears in several department's budgets and has been retroactively added to 2024 appropriations data as well, was not used in the previous year's budget at the time of its passage. BGA Policy has reached out to the Office of Budget and Management for clarification of this appropriation's purpose and has not yet received a reply.

Apart from the new reserve balance appropriation, DHR's adjustments from the previous year were relatively minor, with a $201,767 increase in salaries and wages the largest increase and a -$415,068 reduction in salary provision the largest decrease.

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