CITY OF POMONA
COUNCIL REPORT
April 18, 2022
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: James Makshanoff, City Manager
Submitted By: Linda Matthews, Human Resources Director
SUBJECT: ADOPTION OF RESOLUTIONS TO ADD AND RESTRUCTURE POSITIONS IN THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL AND STREET LIGHT MAINTENANCE DIVISION OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council adopt the following resolutions:
RESOLUTION NO. 2022-68 – A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POMONA, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING APPENDIX B OF THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE POMONA CITY EMPLOYEES’ CHAPTER OF THE TEAMSTERS LOCAL 1932 BY ADDING THE CLASSIFICATIONS OF SIGNAL/LIGHTING TECHNICIAN I AND II AND ADDING ONE (1) POSITION TO AUTHORIZED STAFFING LEVELS RESOLUTION NO. 2022-69 - A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF POMONA, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING APPENDIX B OF THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE POMONA MID-MANAGEMENT / CONFIDENTIAL EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION AND AMENDING THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AUTHORIZED STAFFING LEVELS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2021-22 OPERATING BUDGET TO RECLASSIFY TRAFFIC OPERATIONS CREW CHIEF TO SIGNAL AND LIGHTING SUPERVISOR AND DELETE OBSOLETE CLASSIFICATIONS RESOLUTION NO. 2022-70 – A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POMONA, CALIFORNIA AMENDING THE CITY OF POMONA’S SALARY SCHEDULE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021-22 TO MEET THE CALIFORNIA CODE OF REGULATIONS TITLE 2, SECTIONS 570.5 AND 571 TO REFLECT CHANGES TO CERTAIN SIGNAL/LIGHTING CLASSIFICATIONS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Approval of the proposed Resolutions (Attachments Nos. 1, 2 and 3) will reclassify one filled position of Traffic Operations Crew Chief to Signal and Lighting Supervisor; creating a flexible staffing series of Signal/Lighting Technician I/II, and add one (1) Signal/Lighting Technician I/II position. This proposed reorganization will better meet the operational needs of the Public Works Department and add staffing resources to support the operations and maintenance of traffic signals and street lights throughout the City.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total estimated cost of the proposed reorganization including the additional position is $104,208 annually and $9,777 for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2021-22. For the purposes of budgeting, the cost of reclassifying the Traffic Operations Crew Chief will be divided between the following funds: 60% Gas Tax (Fund 208); 25% Proposition A (Fund 216); and 15% Proposition C (Fund 217). The cost of the new Signal/Lighting Technician I/II position will be divided between the following funds: 40% General Fund (Fund 101); 20% Gas Tax (Fund 208); 20% Measure R (Fund 128); and 20% Measure M (Fund 138). Funds are available for Fiscal Year 2021-22 for all actions herein and no additional budget appropriations are required at this time.
DISCUSSION:
The Traffic Signal and Street Light Maintenance Division of the Public Works Department is responsible for the installation and maintenance of all City-owned traffic signals and street lights. There are approximately 170 signalized intersections and 7,500 street lights maintained by the City. The Division currently has two (2) Signal/Lighting Technician positions, one (1) Lead Signal/Lighting Technician and one (1) Traffic Operations Crew Chief. This staffing level is not sufficient to keep up with the growing demands placed on the Division. In addition, one of the Signal/Lighting Technician positions is currently vacant and the City has not been able to attract and retain qualified candidates for this highly specialized position. In addition, the Traffic Operations Crew Chief has served the City for over 40 years and may choose to retire at any time.
The following position changes are recommended in order address some of the staffing challenges facing the Division:
change the classification of Signal/Lighting Technician to a flexible classification series of Signal/Lighting Technician I and II for the purpose of creating an entry level classification in the series; add one (1) new position of Signal/Lighting Technician I/II to help address workload issues; and reclassify the Traffic Operations Crew Chief position to Signal and Lighting Supervisor to better meet the supervisorial needs of the division.
Additional information for each of these recommendations follows.
Flexible Classification Series of Signal/Lighting Technician I and II. A flexible classification series allows employees to be hired at an entry level with minimal experience. Once the employee receives the necessary training and experience, the employee is eligible to promote to the higher level in the series upon the recommendation of the Department Director. Currently, the Signal/Lighting Technician position requires three years of traffic signal installation, maintenance and repair. This is a highly specialized field and it is difficult to find candidates with this type of experience. If approved, the Signal/Lighting Technician classification will become Signal/Lighting Technician II at the same salary range (GS-059, $5,164 to $6,275 per month). An entry level Signal/Lighting Technician I level will be created at approximately 10% below the II level (salary scale GS-055, $4,678 to $5,687 per month). The two Signal/Lighting Technician positions will be reclassified to Signal/Lighting Technician I/II in the budget, and the incumbent(s) will be reclassified to the Signal/Lighting Technician II level. The goal is to expand the eligible candidate pool by enabling candidates who have some related experience or training in electrical or electronic maintenance but do not have the specialized traffic signal experience.
Add One (1) Signal/Lighting Technician I/II Position. The Division does not currently have the staff resources it needs to address all of the traffic and lighting needs of the City in a timely manner. The addition of one (1) position will help address some of the workload needs of the division.
Reclassify Traffic Operations Crew Chief to Signal/Lighting Supervisor. The Division is currently supervised by a Traffic Operations Crew Chief who performs much of the day to day work and the Principal Traffic Engineer who provides higher level supervision and engineering oversight. The Crew Chief is currently classified in the Pomona Mid-Management/Confidential Employees’ Group D, which is eligible to earn premium overtime. With the addition of a new lower level position, it is recommended that the Crew Chief position be reclassified to a Supervisor level, which reflects a greater level of independence in decision-making, full responsibility for supervision, oversight of outside contracts for certain limited projects, and related higher level duties. As part of the reclassification from Crew Chief to Supervisor, the position will be moved from Group D to Group C, and will no longer be eligible for premium overtime but will earn approximately 80 hours of executive leave annually. The position will continues to be eligible for standby pay, but is expected to be assigned to standby duty less often and focus on more supervisory oversight.
Along with this reclassification, it is recommended that the classifications of Traffic Operations Supervisor and Signal/Lighting Crew Chief be deleted as they are obsolete and no longer needed. The classification of Traffic Operations Crew Chief will be temporarily retained subject to a final study and analysis of duties, responsibility and overtime requirements of the current incumbent. Based upon this analysis, the incumbent may remain in his current classification as an underfill or be reclassified to the new Supervisor classification. Upon the separation of the incumbent, the position will be filled at the budgeted level of Signal/Lighting Supervisor.
Resolution No. 2022-68 (Attachment No. 1) modifies the PCEA/Teamsters MOU to reflect the restructure of the Signal/Lighting Technician series and add one position to the authorized staffing levels within the 2021-22 Operating Budget for the Public Works Department. Resolution No. 2022-69 (Attachment No. 2) modifies the Memorandum of Understanding with the Pomona Mid-Management/Confidential Employees Association (PMMCEA) to reflect the classification changes for the Crew Chief and Supervisor position described above and also adjusts the authorized staffing levels within the 2021-22 Operating Budget for Public Works.
Resolution No. 2022-70 (Attachment No. 3) modifies the citywide salary schedule to reflect the same changes recommended herein. All of the actions will be effective April 24, 2022, the beginning of the pay period after approval of this action.
COUNCIL PRIORITIES & GOALS: This item supports the 2021-2022 City Council Priority 5: Infrastructure.
Prepared by:
_____________________________
Linda Matthews
Human Resources/Risk Management Director
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachment No. 1 – Resolution No. 2022-68
Attachment No. 2 – Resolution No. 2022-69
Attachment No. 3 – Resolution No. 2022-70
Exhibit A – Citywide Salary Schedule
Classification Actions