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8 DATE: November 4, 2024
TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
President and Members of the EMID Board of Directors
VIA: Stefan Chatwin, City/District Manager
Marlene Subhashini, Assistant City/District Manager
FROM: Andrew Brozyna, Public Works Director
Diane Pitman, Administrative Services Director
DEPARTMENT: Public Works
SUBJECT: OVERHIRE OF A PRINCIPAL MANAGEMENT ANALYST
POSITION
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council/EMID Board adopt the attached resolutions authorizing an overhire for the Principal Management Analyst in the Public Works Department from January 1, 2025 through April 30, 2025 with the cost of the salary and benefits being offset by budgetary savings in Funds 001, 401 and 451.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Principal Management Analyst position in Public Works Department (PW) is anticipated to become vacant in May 2025.
This key position is responsible for the development of the highly complex PW annual and long-term budgets, ensuring that PW staff are able to properly access funding for important purchases, managing the Solid Waste Program and assisting with special PW and Citywide projects.
The incumbent in the position has considerable tenure which brings with it substantial knowledge and experience that will be difficult to transfer without cross training. PW is requesting Council/Board authorization to overhire the position starting January 1, 2025.
It is anticipated that the cost of the overhire will total approximately $91,000 in FY 2024-
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8 2025 from the General Fund 001 (70%), the Water Enterprise Fund 401 (15%) and the Wastewater Enterprise Fund (15%), and that budgetary savings in these funds is anticipated to be sufficient for this expense.
BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS
The Public Works Department (PW) manages infrastructure engineering, construction, operations and maintenance programs for streets, lagoon, levee, drainage, buildings, water distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, and the City/District’s vehicle fleet. The Department also manages the City/District’s Capital Improvement Program, manages the Solid Waste program, and reviews infrastructure improvements for private developments.
PW is comprised of seven (7) divisions – the Engineering/Administration, Levee/Lagoon, Streets, Water, Wastewater, Vehicle and Building Divisions. The Department has two (2) analyst positions to support the organization’s needs. The Principal Management Analyst provides direct management of the Solid Waste program and supports all seven (7) divisions with contract and process management, budget development, policy writing and administrative analysis.
The incumbent in the Principal Management Analyst position has been with the City/District for twenty-eight (28) years, of which eight (8) years have been with PW. She came to the Department with considerable knowledge and experience of Foster City’s processes and has acquired a further breadth of knowledge and experience specific to PW that will be difficult to transfer without adequate opportunity for crossover training.
Specifically, the Principal Management Analyst is the point person for development of highly complex PW annual and long-term budget, including the Capital Improvement Program, Enterprise (Water and Wastewater) expenditures and revenues, legal noticing requirements of Proposition 218, Internal Service Fund revenue transfer calculations and the narratives and expenditure budgets of all divisions and PW-related Special Revenue Funds. Year round, the Principal Management Analyst consults with staff to determine the availability of, and how to properly access, funding for important purchases of services, supplies and projects crucial to fulfilling the Department’s mission.
The Principal Management Analyst is also the Solid Waste Program manager, managing the franchise agreement, coordinating events, representing Foster City’s interests on the RethinkWaste Technical Advisory Committee and ensuring that Foster City’s internal operations and the community are compliant with all relevant laws including SB 1383.
Finally, the Principal Management Analyst assists with special projects on behalf of the Department such as the Civics Academy, insurance reviews, RFP/agreement development, grant review and writing, and Citywide events.
The Principal Management Analyst position is anticipated to become vacant in May 2025.
In anticipation of this vacancy, the PW and Administrative Services Departments are in the process of conducting a recruitment to establish a list of eligible candidates for this key classification.
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8 To proactively prepare for the transition of duties associated with this position, staff recommends that the City Council/District Board authorize an overhire of the position starting on January 1, 2025. Overhiring is a key tool used in succession planning and can be an effective strategy for managing staffing transitions and institutional knowledge transfer, thus minimizing the workload impacts to remaining staff and impacts on service levels to the community during staff turnover. Filling this overhire position would allow the incumbent to conduct one-on-one orientation and training with the successor on all aspects of this complex and pivotal job.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT
The request for overhire of the position is exempt per CEQA Guideline Section 15061(b)(3), Common Sense Exemption.
FISCAL IMPACT
The cost to overhire the Principal Management Analyst position for a four (4) month period is estimated at a one-time additional cost in salary and benefits of $91,000 in FY 2024- 2025. It is anticipated that the cost of the overhire will total approximately $91,000 in FY 2024-2025 from the General Fund 001 (70%), the Water Enterprise Fund 401 (15%) and the Wastewater Enterprise Fund (15%), and that budgetary savings in these funds is anticipated to be sufficient for this expense.
CITY COUNCIL VISION, MISSION, AND VALUE/PRIORITY AREA
Staff Empowerment and Operational Excellence
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 – City Resolution
Attachment 2 – EMID Resolution