Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: OCTOBER 3, 2023
TO: CITY COUNCIL / SUCCESSOR AGENCY
SUBMITTED BY: Daisy perez, deputy city manager
PREPARED BY: Daisy perez, deputy city manager
SUBJECT: PaRKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT REORGANIZATION
SUMMARY
The Parks and Recreation Department proposes a department reorganization to align department operating functions within the appropriate divisions, as well as dedicated project management and administrative oversight and support.
RECOMMENDATION
Approve proposed amendment to revise the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24 Parks and Recreation Department Personnel Summary to increase the total budgeted full-time equivalent positions from 15 to 21 and reduce the total nonregular hours by 8,320 hours to 45,636 hours.
Approve necessary budget amendments to the FY 2023-24 Adopted Budget to reduce the Parks and Recreation Fund (Fund 15) expenditure budget by $43,220 and increase the Brea Dam Fund (Fund 42) expenditure budget by $11,012.
CITY MANAGER REMARKS
The City Manager recommends approval. The initial year will have about a $50,000 cost increase in costs if all positions are filled. The long-term impact when individuals are paid at the highest step will be approximately $400,000. But that is not anticipated to occur until 3 to 4 years out.
PRIORITY POLICY STATEMENT
This item matches the following Priority Policy Statement:
Fiscal and Organizational Stability.
FISCAL IMPACT
The proposed Parks and Recreation Department reorganization would result in $43,220 savings to the Parks and Recreation Fund (Fund 15) in FY 2023-24 (including a reduction in 8,320 budgeted non-regular hours) by eliminating vacant management positions and shifting staffing costs for Parks and Recreation projects to the Capital Projects Fund (Fund 74) which typically receive funding from grants and Park Dwelling funds.
Staff would change staff labor costs for capital projects to the applicable capital project budget in the CIP Fund (Fund 74) beginning in FY 2023-24. Adopted CIP project budgets would absorb staff costs by reducing professional services for project management and community outreach. This would require no budget adjustment to the CIP Fund at this time.
Staff requests a $11,012 budget appropriation to the Brea Dam Fund (Fund 42) to cover staff time supporting Brea Dam programming. Staff anticipates that the Brea Dam Fund operating revenue can support the budget expenditure increase.
Staff estimates a $28,565 net fiscal impact to the City for the remainder of FY 2023-24 across all affected funds (see the following Position and Proposed Action table). The General Fund would cover any future staff time not absorbed within capital projects or within Brea Dam operations.
DISCUSSION
The Parks and Recreation Department proposes a department reorganization to align department operating functions within the appropriate divisions, as well as dedicated project management and administrative oversight and support to improve customer service, deliver high-quality park projects and provide staff with the appropriate support to manage facility operations and community services. The following presents a high-level summary of the proposed reorganization and pro-rated total fiscal impact across affected funds for the remainder of FY 2023-24:
Position & Proposed Action
Annualized Fiscal Impact
Eliminate Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation
$ (209,443)
Add Parks and Recreation Manager (Parks, Trails and Facility Operations) $ 139,579
Eliminate Supervisor II
$ (109,577)
Add Supervisor I
$ 104,270
$ (75,171)
Add Senior Customer Services Representative
$ 71,727
Add Senior Customer Services Representative
$ 71,727
Add Parks and Recreation Coordinator
$ 76,504
Add Parks and Recreation Coordinator
$ 76,504
Reclassify Museum Coordinator to Parks and Recreation Coordinator (No Fiscal Impact) $ -
Eliminate 11,700 Non-Regular Hours
$ (201,825)
$ 94,636
Add Project Manager
$ 141,207
Add Parks Project Specialist
$ 101,882
Reduction in Consultant Services - Design
$ (240,000)
$ 3,089
Delete Parks and Rec Coordinator
$ (76,504)
Add Administrative Analyst I
$ 101,991
Reclassify Parks and Recreation Coordinator to Analyst I $ 25,487
Annualized Fiscal Impact
$ 48,041
Attachments 1 and 2 outline a detailed total compensation cost analysis (pro-rated to reflect fiscal impact across Parks and Recreation Fund (Fund 15), CIP Fund (Fund 74) and Brea Dam Fund (Fund 42) to the remainder of FY 2023-24) and proposed organizational chart.
Recreation Division
Staff proposes to add two full-time equivalent Senior Customer Service Representatives to manage the front desk and support non-regular, part-time staff at the Fullerton Community Center. Parks and Recreation has a long history of relying on non-regular, part-time staff to run many of the programs. Staff anticipates adding dedicated full-time customer service representatives and facility coordinators would result in improved operations of city facilities by consolidating some of the difficult to recruit non-regular positions that have constant turnover.
The recreation division would lead programming efforts at the Hunt facility. Existing staff can absorb many of the proposed program responsibilities within the department, including providing arts and culture education and family programming. However, the Department needs a dedicated Parks and Recreation Coordinator to manage private rentals, liaison between staff from multiple departments and oversee daily facility operations.
Parks, Trails and Facility Operations
Staff recommends adding a dedicated Parks and Recreation Manager to oversee operations of over 53 parks and 30 miles of trails in addition to city facilities located on park properties. This includes sports facility operations (Fullerton Golf Course, Tennis Center and Fullerton Sports Complex) and other properties throughout the city including the Downtown Plaza.
Tennis Center Operations
The Fullerton Tennis Center is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for singles and doubles play and private lessons. The public heavily uses the eleven courts at the center. The department needs a dedicated Senior Customer Service Representative to provide consistent front desk coverage.
Special Events
Administration of private and public special events is fragmented throughout the department. Centralizing management of all special events (public and private) would create efficiencies within the department as well as with other city departments and private event organizers.
Parks Planning and Project Management
The Deputy Director and Senior Administrative Analyst manage park planning and project management. The Department needs a dedicated team, including the proposed Parks Manager and Parks Project Specialist positions, to provide project management and park design services with the upcoming Deputy Director retirement and over 20 capital improvement projects in progress, Bringing some design services in-house would lower costs currently paid to park design / project management companies. Staff anticipates grants and existing CIP project budgets would support these positions.
Administration
The Deputy Director and administrative staff provide capital project management as well as manage the budget, grants and other administrative responsibilities including supporting the Parks and Recreation Commission and Cultural Arts Subcommittee. Shifting parks project management to a new dedicated division would allow the administrative team to focus efforts on managing leases, grants and actively pursuing additional revenue opportunities including grant applications and sponsorships. The Deputy City Manager would provide overall administration of the department, alongside the team of dedicated managers for each respective division.
Staff anticipates adding a dedicated parks project management team would enable the Parks and Recreation Department to apply for and secure additional grant funding for park projects throughout the City. In addition, staff anticipates project costs to various grants and dedicated capital projects would absorb the costs associated with project planning and delivery.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Summary of Proposed Actions and Fiscal Analysis Attachment 2 – Proposed Organization Chart
Attachment 3 – Department Personnel Summary – Revised
Attachment 4 – Long Term Cost Impacts
cc: City Manager Eric J. Levitt
Parks and Recreation Department Reorganization
October 3, 2023 – Page 2