City Employees Share $5.5 Million Saved From COVID Hiring Freeze

CHANDLER, AZ — Cities across the United States have largely been negatively impacted financially by the coronavirus pandemic, but one Phoenix suburb has seen the opposite effect.

City council members in Chandler voted this week to split the approximately $5.5 million saved as part of a COVID-19 hiring freeze among city employees as part of an "exceptional performance" award.

"Team Chandler rose to the occasion and maintained a high level of service to Chandler residents while keeping city operations and services functioning," Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke said during an April 8 Chandler City Council meeting before the measure was passed.

Chandler sees "vacancy savings" of about 1.5 percent of the city's yearly personnel fund in a typical year, city officials said in the meeting's agenda. But during the coronavirus pandemic, Chandler has money saved that about doubles that due to the vacant positions that arose from the hiring freeze.

Now, that money is going to those who had to go above and beyond their normal duties to keep the city functioning.

The city's 1,522 full-time employees will get an extra $3,000 each in their April 15 paychecks, while the 29 regular part-time employees will all get $1,500. The money comes from savings shown across all department funds, officials said.

Police officers and firefighters are among those sharing the money, but union leaders filled council chambers to plea for more to be spent on new hires, KTAR reported. The city has 15 police vacancies and 105 openings across other city departments, according to the report.

Hartke said "letters of gratitude" from Chandler residents played a role in passing along the savings to employees, who had to take on additional responsibilities while vacancies remain unfilled.

“Someone that helps them with a leaky water issue, as well as someone in duress and a police officer helps them on the street,” he said.