DATE: 12/18/2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Human Resources Department
2024-194
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 2024-114, APPROVING THE APPOINTMENT OF A
RETIRED ANNUITANT TO AN EXTRA HELP POSITION OF HUMAN RESOURCES
SPECIALIST AND CERTIFYING THAT THE APPOINTMENT IS NECESSARY TO FILL A CRITICALLY NEEDED POSITION SOONER THAN 180 DAYS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Human Resources is experiencing a critical number of vacancies, negatively impacting the Department’s ability to support the organization in various project areas. This staff report asks the City Council to adopt Resolution No. 2024-114, appointing a former employee to a temporary “extra help” position to provide much-needed assistance. Since the retired annuitant will be returning to the City within 180 days of the annuitant’s retirement, California Government Code Section 7522.56 requires that the City Council certify that the appointment is necessary to fill a critically needed position sooner than 180 days and that such action may not be placed on a consent calendar.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council adopt Resolution No. 2024-114, appointing Karen Pervorse to a part-time, temporary “extra help” position of Human Resources Specialist and certifying that the appointment is necessary to fill a critically needed position sooner than 180 days.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
Separate from the Occupational Health and Safety Division responsibilities (which are fully staffed), the Human Resources Department is budgeted for a total staff size of 13.
Currently, 5 positions are vacant. These include the Human Resources Manager (1), Human Resources Supervisor (1), Human Resources Analyst (2), and Human Resources Assistant (1). Additionally, the Senior Human Resources Analyst is currently on medical leave. This means that nearly half of the positions typically supporting recruitment, classification and compensation, labor negotiations, employee relations, and benefits/leave administration for the whole organization are vacant. Although we are recruiting to fill the Department’s vacancies, our current staffing level is insufficient to provide the level of service needed to serve the Corona organization adequately.
Karen Pervorse retired from the City on July 5, 2024, as a Human Resources Specialist and has expressed a willingness to provide extra help on a temporary basis. Having started with Corona in 2007, she has 17 years of familiarity with the organization and 6 years specifically as a Human Resources Specialist. This background leaves her wellprepared to hit the ground running and provide much-needed support to the Department.
ANALYSIS:
Government Code Sections 7522.56 and 21224 permit the City Council to appoint a CalPERS retiree to an “extra help” position and provides that such appointment will not subject the retired person to reinstatement from retirement or loss of benefits so long as it is a single appointment that does not exceed 960 hours, inclusive of hours worked for other CalPERS employers during the same period, in a fiscal year.
Such an appointment will not subject the retired person to reinstatement from retirement or loss of benefits so long as:
The retired annuitant has the specialized skills needed to perform work of limited duration.
Compensation for the appointment does not include incentives or benefit and is limited to an hourly rate that is not more than the maximum nor less than the minimum hourly equivalent available for the Human Resources Specialist classification, as identified on the City’s publicly available pay schedule; Hours worked in all retired annuitant appointments for the retired annuitant are limited to 960 in a single fiscal year;
The retired annuitant certifies in writing upon acceptance of the employment offer that he/she has not received unemployment insurance compensation payments arising as a result of prior employment subject to the CalPERS working after retirement rules in the 12 months preceding the appointment start date;
The retired annuitant is either at least “normal retirement age,” or there was no verbal or written agreement to return to work before retirement, and there was a separation in service of at least 60 days; and
The appointment either begins no earlier than 180 days after the retired annuitant’s retirement date or the employer’s governing body (the Corona City Council, in this case) certifies the nature of the employment and that the appointment is necessary to fill a critically needed position sooner than 180 days.
Resolution No. 2024-114 (Exhibit 1), which includes Karen Pervorse’s employment agreement letter, addresses all these provisions.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Karen Pervorse will be paid an hourly rate of $33.54, which is no less than the minimum nor more than the maximum hourly rate paid to a person serving in the Human Resources Specialist classification, as required by CalPERS regulations. She will not be entitled to additional compensation, overtime, benefits, paid leave, or paid holidays. The Department has significant salary savings to cover the salary expenditures; therefore, no additional appropriation is necessary.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the common sense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA.
This action to appoint a retired annuitant is not a project within the scope of CEQA, and there is no possibility that adopting this resolution will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required, and staff will file a Notice of Exemption with the County of Riverside.
PREPARED BY: MARCELLA MARLOWE, INTERIM HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER REVIEWED BY: LORI SASSOON, CHIEF TALENT OFFICER
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Resolution No. 2024-114