SIDNEY — This past year, the city of Sidney has been challenged with filling vacancies for different departments due to retirements and resignations.

Human Resouce Director Kelly Holthous has submitted the following report:

Recruitment started at the beginning of the year for entry-level police officers, firefighters and the newly created deputy police chief position. In addition, the Sidney Police Department had a re-organization, which included the new positions of deputy police chief, four police lieutenants and a Public Safety superintendent. Two of the captain positions were abolished after their retirements. Promotional exams were given to create eligibility lists for fire lieutenant and assistant fire chief. We also hired and promoted over 29 employees including other positions such as equipment operators, transit drivers, and public safety telecommunicators.

The city provided another Summer Employee Appreciation Day. All the employees and their families were invited to enjoy the day at Vandemark Farms for all their hard work and dedication to the city. We also held a special Service Award recognition at the Sidney Historic Theatre for our employees who reached a milestone in their years of service. We ended the year of 2023 with the Christmas luncheon for the employees, retirees and their families which was held at the fire station.

The city manager along with the team successfully negotiated with the AFSCME Council 8, Local 2429. The three-year contract was completed on schedule and will be on the same negotiating schedule for the future with the other four union contracts.

The city kicked off the United Way campaign in September. Not only did the city meet the goal with employee’s contributions, the city set a new total contribution record. The generosity from the employees will greatly benefit the human services needed in our community.

Human Resources initiatives for 2024 will be implementing the lateral transfer for entry level patrol officers and firefighters from other communities. A second major initiative will be implementing our Employee Self-Serve portal (ESS). ESS will give our employees the ability to oversee their information at any time. It will also help with efficiency and streamline internal processes.