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OATH's headcount exceeds budget and significant budget increases
2:00:48
ยท
88 sec
Council Member Restler questions Commissioner Rahman about OATH's headcount exceeding the budgeted amount and the agency's significant budget increases over the past year. Rahman explains that the overage is due to growing needs and approvals from OMB for additional staff.
- OATH's actual headcount is over the budgeted headcount by 16 positions
- OATH's budget has increased by 30% since the FY '25 preliminary budget
- Last year's budget increased by 23% ($14 million) from preliminary to adopted budget
Lincoln Restler
2:00:48
Let's start with the head count.
2:00:50
Why is OAT's actual headcount as of January 25 over the budgeted headcount by I believe 16 positions?
Asim Rahman
2:00:57
So our headcount with the under the fiscal twenty twenty six upcoming budget will about break even.
2:01:07
Currently we're just one over that amount.
2:01:09
And the reason that we're over the amount is because our needs have grown.
2:01:14
And when our needs have grown and when we've needed additional resources to adjudicate cases, we've gone to OMB, we presented them with the evidence, and they've approved our request to have additional staff.
2:01:25
And they have allowed us to hire additional staff but have not yet put those funds into the budget.
2:01:32
They've said they will put those into future plans.
2:01:34
So that's why we have more staff than are actually budgeted for.
Lincoln Restler
2:01:38
So OAT's budget has increased 30% since the FY '25 preliminary budget.
2:01:43
Last year OAT's budget increased 23%, fourteen million dollars from when we had our hearing to the adopted budget.
2:01:50
So a 23% increase from prelim to adoption, dollars 14,000,000.
2:01:54
That's a big increase for a small agency, including $4,200,000 in new baseline needs for 23 new positions.
2:02:01
You had testified during our preliminary budget hearing that Oath has the resources it needs.
2:02:06
So a little confused at how we got there, but that being said, are you intending to ask for additional needs again this year and will you share with this committee what those intentions are?