diff --git a/backend/controller/controller.go b/backend/controller/controller.go
index 9e12e0f110..1a1386568e 100644
--- a/backend/controller/controller.go
+++ b/backend/controller/controller.go
@@ -205,6 +205,10 @@ func New(ctx context.Context, db *dal.DAL, config Config, runnerScaling scaling.
 	svc.tasks.Parallel(maybeDevelBackoff(time.Second, time.Second*5), svc.syncRoutes)
 	svc.tasks.Parallel(maybeDevelBackoff(time.Second*3, time.Second*5, makeBackoff(time.Second*2, time.Second*2)), svc.heartbeatController)
 	svc.tasks.Parallel(maybeDevelBackoff(time.Second*5, time.Second*5), svc.updateControllersList)
+	// This should be a singleton task, but because this is the task that
+	// actually expires the leases used to run singleton tasks, it must be
+	// parallel.
+	svc.tasks.Parallel(maybeDevelBackoff(time.Second, time.Second*5), svc.expireStaleLeases)
 
 	// Singleton tasks use leases to only run on a single controller.
 	svc.tasks.Singleton(maybeDevelBackoff(time.Second*20, time.Second*20), svc.reapStaleControllers)
@@ -212,7 +216,6 @@ func New(ctx context.Context, db *dal.DAL, config Config, runnerScaling scaling.
 	svc.tasks.Singleton(maybeDevelBackoff(time.Second, time.Second*20), svc.releaseExpiredReservations)
 	svc.tasks.Singleton(maybeDevelBackoff(time.Second, time.Second*5), svc.reconcileDeployments)
 	svc.tasks.Singleton(maybeDevelBackoff(time.Second, time.Second*5), svc.reconcileRunners)
-	svc.tasks.Singleton(maybeDevelBackoff(time.Second, time.Second*5), svc.expireStaleLeases)
 	return svc, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/backend/controller/dal/lease_test.go b/backend/controller/dal/lease_test.go
index ca4e76a87a..a72c9f805a 100644
--- a/backend/controller/dal/lease_test.go
+++ b/backend/controller/dal/lease_test.go
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@ func leaseExists(t *testing.T, conn sql.DBI, idempotencyKey uuid.UUID, key lease
 }
 
 func TestLease(t *testing.T) {
+	if testing.Short() {
+		t.Skip("skipping test in short mode")
+	}
 	ctx := log.ContextWithNewDefaultLogger(context.Background())
 	conn := sqltest.OpenForTesting(ctx, t)
 	dal, err := New(ctx, conn)
@@ -57,6 +60,9 @@ func TestLease(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestExpireLeases(t *testing.T) {
+	if testing.Short() {
+		t.Skip("skipping test in short mode")
+	}
 	ctx := log.ContextWithNewDefaultLogger(context.Background())
 	conn := sqltest.OpenForTesting(ctx, t)
 	dal, err := New(ctx, conn)