Vacancy Report Reveals Staffing Challenges in Prince William County Government

Prince William County is grappling with dozens of long-term staff vacancies, prompting concern among officials about recruitment, retention, and the impact on services.

During the county’s first Finance and Budget Committee meeting on Tuesday, David Sinclair, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, delivered a detailed vacancy analysis at the request of the Board of County Supervisors. The analysis focused on county government positions that have remained unfilled for 270 days or more.

According to Clare, 56 roles, totaling 45.82 full-time equivalent (FTE), remained vacant as of February 1, 2025. The combined value of the salaries, benefits, and taxes associated with those vacancies was $4.6 million.

“Some of these positions have been vacant for over a year. And while there are cost savings, they often come with service disruptions,” Sinclair told the committee.

The Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center (ADC) had the highest long-term vacancies. The facility has 15.6 FTE jail officer positions that have been unfilled for more than nine months. Last year, the county eliminated 23 jail officer positions from the budget, citing staffing shortages and a lower average daily jail population.

Supervisor Andrea Bailey (Potomac District) and others expressed concern that jail staffing issues may affect safety and morale.

“Our law enforcement community deserves support, especially in retention and competitive pay,” said Bailey.

In response to continued hiring challenges, Sinclair noted the ADC’s salary and benefit savings have been falling into the jail’s fund balance—now totaling around $22 million. These funds, he said, could be used to support retention bonuses or strategic hiring initiatives.

Other hard-to-fill roles include nurses, clinical case workers, IT professionals, and planners.

After multiple failed recruitment attempts, the Department of Information Technology has turned to contractors to fill critical tech roles. Contract workers often cost more than full-time employees, but officials said it’s the only option in some cases.

“We’ve seen three, four, even five rounds of recruitment for a single IT position,” Sinclair said. “It’s not just a vacancy—it’s an operational gap.”

Recruitment and retention are also challenging in public health and mental health services. The Department of Social Services and Community Services reported long-term vacancies for case workers and psychiatrists, including one child psychiatrist position that has remained open for nearly a year.

“These aren’t just administrative roles,” said Supervisor Victor Angry (Neabsco District). “We’re talking about nurses in our jail, mental health professionals, and people who directly serve our most vulnerable residents.”

Sinclair reminded supervisors that not all vacant positions are funded by the county’s general fund. Some are covered by state reimbursements, development fees, or enterprise funds like solid waste or stormwater management. The county also loses the associated revenue when a state-reimbursed position goes unfilled.

The report also examined salary lapse savings, a budgeting technique in which agencies assume several vacant positions annually. For the fiscal year 2026, the county budget includes $22.3 million in salary lapse savings, the equivalent of about 250 vacant positions.

However, Sinclair warned that the county overspent its salaries and benefits budget by $3.7 million in FY24, meaning that actual vacancies didn’t generate as much savings as expected.

Supervisors expressed mixed reactions to the data. Bob Weir (Gainesville District) questioned whether departments intentionally keep positions open to hit their budget targets.

“We should be clawing back more of this funding,” said Weir. “If we don’t do something about long-term vacancies, we’re not being honest about our staffing reality.”

Supervisor Margaret Angela Franklin (Woodbridge District) wants to see more effort in understanding what’s working in hiring and retention.

“We always hear what’s not working. But what’s helping us reduce turnover? What are we doing right?” she asked.

According to Sinclair, the county’s turnover rate improved in FY24, dropping to 7% without retirements, down from double-digit levels during the pandemic. However, she cautioned that one year of improvement isn’t enough to declare a trend.

The committee agreed to revisit the issue after updated data is available and potentially recommend policy changes, including reevaluating the county’s salary lapse methodology.

“These are the discussions this committee was created for,” said Chair Kenny Boddye (Occoquan District), elected chair of the Finance and Budget Committee, during the meeting. “Let’s dig in now so we’re not scrambling during budget markup.”

To help address ongoing staffing shortages across departments, Prince William County Government will host a countywide Career Expo on Saturday, April 12, 2025, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas. More than 20 agencies will participate, offering full-time, part-time, seasonal, internship, and volunteer opportunities across various fields—from public safety, engineering, and criminal justice to parks and recreation, elections, and human services.

Entry-level to professional positions will be available, with on-site interviews and contingent job offers for some roles. Registration is not required, but attendees can skip the line by using Express Check-In. More information is online.