CITY OF PACIFICA
COUNCIL AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT
6/10/2024
1 SUBJECT:
Resolution to Reclassify a Vacant Planning Director position to a Community Development Director and Amend the Planning Director Job Specification, Title, and Salary Accordingly.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Adopt the Resolution amending the Planning Director Job Specification, title, and salary to reflect changes to the Community Development Director specification.
STAFF CONTACT:
Kevin Woodhouse, City Manager
(650) 738-7409
[email protected]
Yulia Carter, Assistant City Manager
(650) 738-7301
[email protected]
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
The City’s Planning Director position is a critical member of the Executive Team performing a wide range of duties, including planning, building, and code enforcement, as well as a variety of special projects and dealing with complex coastal development issues within the City. The position became vacant this week. In preparation for the recruitment, it came to the City Manager’s attention that the existing classification had not been reviewed since 1999 and no longer accurately captures the duties and responsibilities of the job.
Article 4, Section 2-5.403 - Establishment of the Municipal Code establishes the procedures for the City Manager, as Personnel Officer, to create and revise a position classification plan. Any new or revised classification is officially established upon adoption by the City Council.
Therefore, the City Manager recommends adopting the updated job specification included in Attachment A to this report, renaming the Planning Director position to Community Development Director to reflect the actual diverse range of responsibilities.
The revised job classification has been reviewed and revised with the input of the consulting team at Sloan Sakai, the City’s consultant currently performing the comprehensive classification study. Once the new classification is approved by the Council, the City Manager will start the recruitment process.
Reclassifying this position to Community Development Director will enable the City to accurately reflect the duties currently performed by the incumbent, which go beyond planning and encompass managing building and code enforcement programs, various program implementations, complex coastal issues, and large-scale robust community engagement Pacifica City Council 2
June 10, 2024
initiatives. The incumbent also collaborates closely with the Assistant City Manager on economic development issues, provides assistance to the Planning Commission, the City Manager, and the City Council, and collaborates with other City officials, departments, outside agencies, organizations, and the public.
Staff recommends that the Council formally approve the updated specification, title, and salary for the Community Development Director classification (Attachment A), consistent with past practices of the Council’s approval of job specifications and classification plan. The position will remain an at-will, unrepresented executive class.
Based on a review of similar positions in comparable agencies and internal alignment to other executive job classes within the City, the recommended monthly salary range for the position is increased by 7% from the FY 2024-25 top salary of $17,899 to $19,152, which will still place this class within a 5% margin compared to other executive job classes in Pacifica, while it still remains below market compared to Community Development Directors in San Mateo County.
Staff also recommends the Council formally approve the title change for the Planning Department to be referred to as the Community Development Department in City records and documents. The related classification title of the Deputy Planning Director should be changed to the Deputy Community Development Director accordingly. There are no other changes to the Deputy Director classification at this time, as this job specification will be updated and presented to the Council together with the classification study.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no expected additional impact on the FY 2024-25 Budget, as the salary savings from this vacancy during the recruitment period will cover any potential increase from the salary change if the successor is hired at the top step. However, based on the City’s current practices, most appointments are made at the mid-range salary scale, and the actual annual cost might be lower in the first year of the position being filled.
ALTERNATIVES
The Council may choose to keep the existing job classification title and salary, which may significantly impact the recruitment efforts to attract highly qualified candidates. Retaining the current classification could limit the appeal of the position to potential applicants and may not adequately reflect the expanded responsibilities and scope of the role, thereby affecting the City’s ability to recruit the best talent for the Community Development Director position.
ORIGINATED BY:
Human Resources
ATTACHMENT LIST:
Attachment A: Proposed Job Description – Community Development Director (PDF) Pacifica City Council 3
June 10, 2024
RESOLUTION NO._______
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PACIFICA REVISING THE JOB
DESCRIPTION FOR PLANNING DIRECTOR TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
POSITION
WHEREAS, Article 4, Section 2-5.403 of the Pacifica Municipal Code establishes a civil service personnel system and procedures for the administration of personnel matters; and WHEREAS, said Chapter requires that the City Manager, as Personnel Officer, prepare and recommend to the City Council a position classification plan, class specifications, and revisions thereto; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Director position became vacant, and the job specification was reviewed to ensure adequate reflection of the job; and
WHEREAS, based on the job analysis by the independent consultant performing a citywide classification study, reclassifying this position to Community Development Director will more accurately reflect the complex duties performed; and WHEREAS, the salary range for the new classification was compared to the market median of the San Mateo County cities and internally aligned to the other executive classes in Pacifica and is established at the top monthly salary of $19,152 in FY2024-25; NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Pacifica that:
• The job specification for the Planning Director is hereby reclassified into the Community Development Director, and the classification plan is hereby amended to add this new class and salary to the unrepresented management and confidential employees’ plan. • The Planning Department name is hereby changed to be referred to as the Community Development Department in City records and documents. The related classification title of the Deputy Planning Director should be changed to the Deputy Community Development Director accordingly, with no other changes to the job classification or salary ranges.
• • • •
PASSED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Pacifica, California, held the 10th day of June, 2024, by the following vote:
AYES, Councilmembers:
NOES, Councilmembers:
ABSENT, Councilmembers:
ABSTAIN, Councilmembers:
Pacifica City Council 4
June 10, 2024
_________________________________
Sue Vaterlaus, Mayor
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
______________________________ _________________________________ Sarah Coffey, City Clerk Michelle Kenyon, City Attorney