CONSENT CALENDAR
City of San Bernardino
Request for Council Action
Date: March 6, 2024
To: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
From: Charles A. Montoya, City Manager;
Andrea Russell, Interim Director of Human Resources
Department: Human Resources & Risk Management
Subject: Approving Job Classifications and Amending the City-wide Salary Schedule
Recommendation:
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council adopt Resolution No. 2024-037 of the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California:
1. Amending the Director of Animal Services (U) salary;
2. Amending the Shelter Veterinarian salary;
3. Establishing the Homeless Solutions Manager job classification;
4. Establishing the Homeless Services Assistant job classification;
5. Authorizing the City Manager or their designee to add two (2) FTE for Fiscal Year 2023/24;
6. Amending the City-Wide Salary Schedule for full time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal positions
Executive Summary
The salary adjustments for the Director of Animal Services (U) and Shelter Veterinarian along with the creation of the Homeless Solutions Manager (U) and Homeless Services Assistant will allow the City to be competitive in the labor market as well as better address homelessness.
Background
As the City continues its efforts to meet its goal of improving service delivery, staff recommends adding two (2) new classifications to the Community Development & Housing Department. The creation of these positions will better position the department to address the needs of the community and strategically accomplish Mayor and City Council initiatives specific to Homelessness.
Additionally, staff recommends adjusting the salaries of the Director of Animal Services (U), and the Shelter Veterinarian.
Discussion
Director of Animal Services (U)
The Director of Animal Services (U) is responsible for managing, directing and integrating the functions, programs, and activities of the Animal Services Department.
Responsibilities are broad in scope and involve highly sensitive and publicly visible operations, projects and processes that require a high degree of policy, program and administrative discretion and high ethical standards.
An internal compensation study was performed identifying City of San Bernardino Director level classifications including Finance & Management Services, Community Development & Housing, Economic Development, Human Resources & Risk Management, Information Technology, Parks, Recreation, & Community Services, and Public Works. Through this study it was determined that the Director of Animal Services (U) salary is significantly below the average salary of comparable positions within the City. It is recommended to raise the salary of the Director of Animal Services (U) classification from Range 630 ($11,133.20 - $13,532.50/month) to Range 660 ($12,930.24 - $15,716.25/month).
Shelter Veterinarian
Shelter Veterinarians perform a full range of professional veterinary medical services that requires considerable independent judgement and competency in the care and treatment of sheltered animals, such as screening, evaluating and diagnosing animal health conditions, determining medical treatment, administering first aid and performing a variety of surgical procedures.
The recruitment for Shelter Veterinarian in the Animal Services Department has not yielded any qualified applicants. With the current shortage of Veterinarians in the United States, the limited number of qualified applicants are being offered increased compensation packages and perks by both municipalities and private organizations, making the job market extremely competitive. This position is crucial in meeting the Department’s veterinary medical needs in addition to serving the residents and their pets. As such, staff is recommending increasing the salary range from 644 ($11,938.02 - $14,511.72/month) to Range 678 ($14,144.51 - $17,192.66/month).
Homeless Solutions Manager (U)
The Homeless Solutions Manager will be placed in the Management/Confidential Unit and will provide guidance on homeless issues and the City's efforts to address and reduce homelessness. Under general direction, this position directs, manages, supervises, develops and coordinates homeless services and outreach activities in partnership with other City Departments, local government agencies, law enforcement, community stakeholders, and non-profit/community-based organizations.
An external compensation study among local agencies with similar classifications was conducted to determine the recommended salary for the Homeless Solutions Manager. The average maximum salary among these agencies is $11,612.65. Based on this study, the salary recommendation for this position is as follows:
Homeless Solutions Manager (U) – Range 601 ($9,634.04 – $11,710.55/monthly) Homeless Services Assistant
The Homeless Services Assistant is a journey-level administrative support position placed in the General Unit to assist in the performance of various tasks and projects associated with Homeless Services. These tasks may include providing customer services to call-ins and walk-ins of all levels of the community and the unhoused population; providing general information to all stakeholders in the community regarding homeless-related questions and or concerns; assisting in providing in-house referrals to homeless seeking services; grant management, administering homeless counts, data analysis, Continuum of Care planning, as well as routine clerical duties.
An internal study was performed identifying City of San Bernardino Administrative Support classifications including Senior Office Assistant, Administrative Assistant, Senior Administrative Assistant, and Executive Assistant. The duties and responsibilities of the proposed classification are determined to be at the level of a Senior Administrative Assistant. As a result of this study, the salary recommendation for the Homeless Services Assistant is as follows:
Homeless Services Assistant – Range 420 ($3,996.70 - $4,857.89/monthly) As changes are made to salaries or classifications, the City is required to adopt a revised salary schedule in a public meeting. The attached salary schedule meets the California Public Employees Retirement Systems (CalPERS) pay rate reporting requirements in accordance with Government Code Section 20636 defining “Compensation Earnable” and the California Code of Regulations (CCR) Section 570.5.
2021-2025 Strategic Targets and Goals
The salary adjustments for the Director of Animal Services and Shelter Veterinarian along with the creation of the Homeless Solutions Manager (U) and Homeless Services Assistant aligns with Key Target No. 2: Focused, Aligned Leadership and Unified Community by enabling the City to improve service delivery and function more efficiently; and Key Target 2b: Focused, Aligned Leadership and Unified Community by building a culture that attracts, retains, and motivates the highest quality of talent.
Fiscal Impact
The salary adjustments for the Director of Animal Services (U) and Shelter Veterinarian would cost an additional $66,219 per fiscal year, which the Animal Services Department has adequate funding for. The fiscal impact for the Homeless Solutions Manager (U) and Homeless Services Assistant would cost $266,947 per fiscal year.
Conclusion
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council adopt Resolution No. 2024-037 of the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California:
1. Amending the Director of Animal Services (U) salary;
2. Amending the Shelter Veterinarian salary;
3. Establishing the Homeless Solutions Manager job classification;
4. Establishing the Homeless Services Assistant job classification;
5. Authorizing the City Manager or their designee to add two (2) FTE for Fiscal Year 2023/24;
6. Amending the City-Wide Salary Schedule for full time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal positions
Attachments
Attachment 1 Resolution 2024-037
Attachment 2 Resolution 2024-037 Exhibit A – City-wide Salary Schedule
Ward:
All Wards
Synopsis of Previous Council Actions:
February 21, 2024 Mayor and City Council adopted Resolution No. 2024-XX amending the City-wide salary schedule for full time, part- time, temporary, and seasonal positions.