HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — In a continued effort to make the town extra environment friendly, Mayor Whitmire has issued a citywide hiring freeze that took impact right this moment.
Solely 10 positions are listed on the careers part of the town’s web site. These positions are for roles with the Houston Fireplace Division and Houston Police Division, that are excluded from the freeze.
“Now we have too many metropolis workers for a metropolis our measurement,” Whitmire informed ABC13 in an interview final week.
In a letter to metropolis workers, the mayor wrote, “Restricted exceptions can be thought-about for roles that present direct service to residents.”
He additionally famous that if promotional candidates and candidates haven’t acquired an official provide from the town’s human assets division earlier than March 10, the hiring won’t occur.
A metropolis spokesperson stated Whitmire won’t permit metropolis providers to undergo on account of the freeze.
The choice to place a maintain on new hires comes after a finalized report by Ernst & Younger evaluating authorities effectivity. Whitmire stated the spend evaluation was commissioned to “eradicate waste.” He stated it serves as a blueprint for cuts such because the hiring freeze.
As the town tries to shut a $350 million finances shortfall, Whitmire stated effectivity efforts might save the town $100 million.
“(A hiring freeze) does are inclined to institute fairly a little bit of financial savings for the town,” Nancy Sims, a political science lecturer with the College of Houston, stated.
Of the departments taking part within the hiring freeze, Houston Public Works had the very best variety of vacant positions, with 849, which accounted for 17 % of the town’s whole vacancies, in line with the Ernst & Younger report.
Leaders have equated longer wait occasions for water leaks to be fastened all through the town to a staffing scarcity with HPW.
Karisma Danas, who works within the Rice Village space, stated her workplace has been calling about water effervescent up from beneath the highway for the reason that finish of January.
“Now we have known as once more and spoken to a supervisor who assured us that they had been escalating it,” Danas stated. “This was possibly every week or two now, and we’re nonetheless coping with a water leak.”
She wonders what the impact the freeze can have on getting it repaired.
“That makes issues like this water leak fall by means of the cracks for residents like us,” Danas stated.
In accordance with a metropolis spokesperson, essential positions, comparable to people who repair lively water leaks, can be thought-about for substitute.
“They aren’t going to eradicate important workers, so it isn’t going to have an effect on your have to have your pothole stuffed,” Sims stated. “It’d imply a little bit longer maintain time while you name the water division about your invoice.”
There is not any set date for lifting the hiring freeze. In his letter to metropolis workers right this moment, Mayor Whitmire stated that they’ll rethink hiring after “departmental reorganization plans have been submitted, reviewed and authorized.”
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