STAFF REPORT
City Council Business Item
DATE: February 3, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Heather Leigh Stevens, Parks & Recreation Director THROUGH: Amy Nilsen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Appoint Retired CalPERS Annuitant to Extra Help, Part-time Bus Driver for the Fortuna Transit System, Resolution 2025-02
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Adopt Resolution 2025-02, appointing Kathleen Radcliffe as a retired annuitant for the extra help part-time Bus Driver position.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Kathleen Radcliffe was selected as the top candidate for a part-time Bus Driver I position, which is considered a regular part-time position. She retired from Humboldt Transit Authority, which offers employees CalPERS retirement system. As such, state and federal laws provide specific employment restrictions for retirees who return to work with an employer in the same public retirement system from which they receive a benefit. These restrictions are intended to prevent the “double dipping” of a retiree receiving a monthly retirement benefit while also receiving a salary from regular employment within that same retirement system. Due to these restrictions she was not able to fill the permanent part-time Bus Driver I position, but can be hired into the position temporarily (less than two years) as a retired annuitant.
Although not ideal to have limitations on the length of an annuitants, due to Kathleen’s experience and a general lack of qualified candidates, staff is proposing to hire Kathleen as an extra help retired annuitant. According to CalPERS retirement regulations, a retired employee returning to work for another CalPERS agency has stipulations where employees continuing beyond retirement cannot exceed 960 hours per fiscal year. The limitation of working 960 hours or less per fiscal year equates to about 18 hours per week of work. This request is for City Council to adopt a resolution in order to hire Kathleen Radcliffe in the position of extra help Bus Driver I as a retired annuitant.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This position will fall under the existing pay scale for the Bus Driver I position in the City’s budget, so there would be no additional financial expense to the City’s current budget since the permanent part time position is currently vacant. Should the permanent part-time job be filled then Kathleen’s employment with the City will terminate.
Business Item 5f
Business Item 5f
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
1. Receive staff report presentation and review Council questions with staff.
2. Open Public Comment
3. Close Public Comment
4. Motion to adopt Resolution 2025-02 and read by title only. Roll call vote.
ATTACHMENT:
• Resolution 2022-02; A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Fortuna Appointing Retired Annuitant Kathleen Radcliffe as an extra help Part-Time Bus Driver 1. • A Guide to CalPERS Employment After Retirement