Redding city staff told the council that the city had 93 remaining vacancies by June 30, out of 948 budgeted full-time positions, and that the average ongoing recruitment time was 223 days, according to a Sept. 15 council meeting summary.
The update was tied to Bill 2561, which the city described as a transparency requirement for annual reporting on vacancies, recruitment and retention. Staff said a soft general-fund hiring freeze began in January 2025 and was expanded citywide in January 2026. Under the broader freeze, departments must show operational need and fiscal impact before filling vacancies, the meeting summary said.
The staffing presentation gives a rare numerical snapshot of the city’s personnel shortage and how long it is taking to recruit replacements. The same meeting also included discussion of broader budget and operations issues, but the vacancy report stood out as one of the clearest concrete management updates on the agenda.
