TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Councilmember David Cohen Councilmember Pam Foley
Councilmember Sergio Jimenez
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: September 12, 2023
Approved Date: 09/08/2022
SUBJECT: Approval of the Terms of an Agreement Between the City of San José and Each of the Following Bargaining Units: the Association of Engineers and Architects, IFPTE, Local 21 (AEA), the Association of Maintenance Supervisory Personnel, IFPTE, Local 21 (AMSP), the City Association of Management Personnel, IFPTE, Local 21 (CAMP), and the Municipal Employees’ Federation, AFSCME, Local 101 (MEF) for the Term of July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2026, and Authorizing the City Manager to Execute Agreements with Those Terms; Approval of Side Letter Agreements Between the City of San José and Each of the Following Bargaining Units to Amend Certain Articles in the Current Memoranda of Agreements: the Association of Building, Mechanical and Electrical Inspectors (ABMEI), the Association of Legal Professionals (ALP), the Peace Officer Park Rangers Association (POPRA), the San Jose Police Dispatchers’ Association (SJPDA), and International Union of Operating Engineers, Local #3 (OE#3) and Authorizing the City Manager to Execute Agreements with Those Amendments; and Approval of Changes to Compensation and Benefits for Executive Management and Professional Employees in Unit 99 and Other Unrepresented Employees (Units 81/82) for Fiscal Years 2023-2024, 2024-2025, and 2025- 2026.
RECOMMENDATION
1. Approve the staff recommendation with the following changes in cost savings and re- funding:
a. Adjust the following items:
i. Decrease each City Council Office appropriation by $10,000 for a total of $100,000
ii. Decrease the Office of the Mayor appropriation by $100,000 iii. Increase the Personal Services appropriation to the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department by $200,000
b. Fund all the following items with cost savings from item above:
i. Add 1.0 Events Coordinator I/II to the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department to support Viva CalleSJ and Viva Parks placemaking events
COUNCIL AGENDA: 09/12/23
FILE#:
ITEM:
23-1185
3.4 HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
September 12, 2023
Subject: Approval of Agreements with AEA, AMSP, CAMP, and MEF; Approval of Side Letter Agreements to Amend Certain Articles in the Current MOAs with ABMEI, ALP, POPRA, SJPDA, and OE#3; and Changes for Executive Management and Professional Employees in Unit 99 and Other Unrepresented Employees (Units 81/82) for Fiscal Years 2023-2024, 2024-2025, and 2025-2026
.
ii. Add 1.0 Recreation Leader part-time to the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department to support the Viva CalleSJ and Viva Parks placemaking events
iii. Any surplus/overage funds should be used to continue three Viva Calle events per year.
2. Direct Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department to pursue private grants and sponsorships to fund non-personal costs for a third Viva Calle event.
3. Evaluate ways to ease and simplify the crossing guard application process to increase the number of completed submissions.
BACKGROUND
Thank you to City Staff for their proposal to balance our budget while adequately compensating our valuable staff. We recognize we must always work towards a compromise to ensure budget solvency. Each of our City Council offices receives ongoing funding for our own operations and community outreach, and we should be willing to step forward with a small contribution to protect our small but mighty workforce.
The 1.0 Event Coordinator and 1.0 Recreation Leader PT are essential in continuing PRNS services and supporting the Placemaking Team with Viva Calle and Viva Parks events. These positions are technically “vacant,” however the funding for these roles goes to individuals who take time out of their primary roles to complete the assignments of these positions. It is important to continue funding these positions to ensure that city workers are still being compensated for the additional work that they are conducting. Also, to further clarify recommendation two, PRNS should fundraise for non-personnel costs associated with Viva Calle since the personnel costs should be covered with the funds from the Councilmember’s and Mayor’s offices.
We have heard from many residents about the importance of Viva Calle and Viva Parks as they bring a sense of community, and unity while impacting our most underserved neighborhoods and communities. While we look to reduce the overall number of Viva Parks events, let us reinvest the additional savings towards a third Viva Calle event, and any shortfalls can be addressed through private donations and sponsorship opportunities.
Lastly, we want to recognize and clarify that we are still prioritizing safety around our schools by lifting barriers for applicants who want to become crossing guards. There is a 10% clearance rate of applicants for crossing guards leading to the high number of vacant crossing guard positions.
We are requesting staff to find ways to simplify the process with a goal to increase the clearance rate number and hire more crossing guards for our schools. The current background check is fully digital and online, deterring our older residents from applying. Alternative methods for applying that may be easier for residents to utilize should be evaluated to ease accessibility. If by the mid-year budget review the leftover vacant positions are filled, we also request staff to evaluate the possibility of refunding the eliminated vacant positions.