Agenda Item #12.5
For Council Meeting of: July 26, 2022
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: AMY REEVE, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES
HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: AMENDMENT TO THE CITY CLASSIFICATION AND SALARY PLAN MODIFYING THE SALARY RANGE OF MULTIPLE POSITIONS AGENDA ACTION: RESOLUTION
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended by the Human Resources Department that Council, by resolution, amend the City’s Classification and Salary Plan to modify the salary range of multiple positions to address significant and ongoing issues of recruitment and retention.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Amendments to the City’s classification and salary plan require City Council approval. Staff recommends the following amendments for Council approval:
Increase salary for the classifications listed below by 5%, effective January 2nd, 2022.
Associate Civil Engineer
Materials Engineer
Associate Traffic Engineer
Assistant Engineer
Junior Engineer
Supervising Engineer
Water Reuse Engineer
Mechanical Technologist
Instrumentation Technician
Electrical Technician- Transportation and Public Works
Electrical Technician- Utilities
Senior Mechanical Technologist
Senior Instrumentation Technician
Senior Electrical Technician- Utilities
Supervising Mechanical Technologist
Supervising Electrical Technician
Supervising Electrical Technician- Utilities
Supervising Instrumentation Technician
Utilities Mechanical Superintendent
BACKGROUND
During the recent round of labor negotiations, the City and Teamsters 856 mutually identified these classifications as having significant and ongoing recruitment and retention issues, including: multiple failed recruitments, employment offers to qualified candidates being rejected due to compensation, and insufficient candidate pools with a lack of qualified candidates possessing the minimum qualifications for the classification. The parties agreed that the City would complete a total compensation survey for the identified classes by January 1, 2022 and make recommendations to Council to adjust the salary based on the survey information and recruitment and retention challenges.
The survey data showed that these classifications were between six and twelve percent below the market average. After completing the total compensation surveys, the Union and the City did meet and confer and agreed that the 5% increase is appropriate. These classifications will be further evaluated against the market during the City-wide classification and compensation study, which will be completed prior to the end of the contract.
PRIOR CITY COUNCIL REVIEW
Not applicable
ANALYSIS
The Engineering series, Mechanical Technologist series, Instrumentation Technician series and the Electrical Technician series contain critical positions that support Transportation and Public Works, Water, and Planning and Economic Development. The technical nature of these positions makes recruitment challenging. Although only four classifications were specifically identified to be studied, the City determined it was appropriate to study all positions in a series, to avoid issues of compaction after the recruitment and retention adjustments were applied. Although the adjustments were expanded to include the series associated with the identified classifications, there are additional positions with historical linkages to the same salary range. During meet and confer, we explained that it was impossible to adjust every classification in a vacuum and the other classifications not reviewed in this limited study, would be included in the City-wide classification and compensation study, to be performed prior to the end of the current contract.
Over the last several years, the City has had a difficult time filling these positions which has been demonstrated by multiple failed recruitments, employment offers to qualified candidates being rejected due to compensation, and insufficient candidate pools. It is recommended that we address the recruitment and retention issue by adding a 5% increase to the salary range effective January 2, 2022, and further evaluate the classifications with the rest of the organization during the City-wide classification and compensation study.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total fiscal impact will be approximately $166,535 for Fiscal Year 2021-2022. The total fiscal impact will be approximately $360,825 for Fiscal Year 2022-2023. The impact to the General Fund for Fiscal Year 2021-2022 will be approximately $59,906 and the impact to the General Fund for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 will be approximately $129,796, which will be added into the respective department budgets during mid-year adjustments.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Not applicable.
NOTIFICATION
Not applicable.
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution
CONTACT
Amy Reeve, Director of Human Resources, Human Resources Department, [email protected]; (707) 543-3070
AMENDMENT TO THE CITY CLASSIFICATION AND SALARY PLAN MODIFYING THE SALARY RANGE OF MULTIPLE CLASSIFICATIONS PAGE 3 OF 3