CITY OF SIGNAL HILL
STAFF REPORT
2175 Cherry Avenue • Signal
Hill, California 90755-3799
11/14/2023
AGENDA ITEM
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR
AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: CARLO TOMAINO
CITY MANAGER
BY: GRISSEL CHAVEZ
DEPUTY CITY MANAGER
WAYNE BYERLEY
POLICE CHIEF
PATRICIA AHUMADA
HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER
SUBJECT:
RESOLUTION APPROVING AND ADOPTING A SIDE LETTER OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL AND THE SIGNAL HILL POLICE OFFICERS’
ASSOCIATION
Summary:
The Signal Hill Police Department is currently experiencing a high level of vacancies in sworn Police Officer positions. To improve recruitment efforts, attract lateral Police Officer candidates, and increase retention efforts staff is proposing a new incentive program. The proposed program would enable a lateral Police Officer hire to receive credit for prior years of continuous law enforcement public service as a Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) certified or P.O.S.T. approved Peace Officer for the purpose of sick leave, vacation leave, and longevity pay. The program also includes a proposed modification to the longevity pay structure in the current Signal Hill Police Officers’ Association (SHPOA) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The City met and conferred with the SHPOA, and mutually agreed to amend Section 36 (Longevity Pay) of the 2021 - 2024 SHPOA MOU and implement the proposed Police Lateral Recruitment Incentive Program. A resolution approving the Side Letter of Agreement between the City and SHPOA is presented for City Council consideration. If approved by the City Council, the program would be implemented immediately and would be retroactive to July 1, 2023.
Strategic Plan Goal(s):
Goal 2: Community Safety: Maintain Community Safety by supporting public safety services and CITY OF SIGNAL HILL Page 1 of 5 Printed on 11/9/2023
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increasing emergency preparedness.
Goal 5: High-Functioning Government: Strengthen internal communication, recruitment, retention, systems, and processes to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of City services.
Recommendations:
1. Adopt the following resolution, entitled:
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL, CALIFORNIA,
APPROVING AND ADOPTING A SIDE LETTER OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL AND THE SIGNAL HILL POLICE OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to sign the agreement in a form approved by the City Attorney.
Fiscal Impact:
The future fiscal impact for the longevity credit provided for prior years of service would depend on the success of the program in attracting and retaining police officers within the Police Department.
For example, if the program reduces police officer vacancies this should translate into lower overtime cost, partially offsetting the increase in longevity pay component for the program. However, the total fiscal impact would be dependent on the demographic makeup of each police officer hired and the ratio of lateral officers hired versus recruits. The proposed amendment to the longevity pay structure represents an annual increase of approximately $78,600 based on the current employee census. The current cost of the longevity pay program is approximately $37,200 annually. If approved by the City Council, the current fiscal year budget would be adjusted at mid-year.
Background:
Similar to numerous Police Departments across the United States, the Signal Hill Police Department is facing a staffing shortage due to a variety of external factors. The Police Executive Research Forum conducted a survey noting that Police Officer resignations increased by 47 percent in 2020 compared in 2019, retirements also increased by 19 percent over the same period. Given the amount of time and cost necessary to recruit and train qualified Police Officers, the statistics have not improved significantly over the past three years. Additionally, the decline in new Police Officers recruits has further increased the net shortage of qualified personnel. In Signal Hill, of the available 35 sworn Police Officer positions, there are currently 10 vacancies which represent approximately
28.5 percent of the City’s police force.
Analysis:
The Chief of Police and Human Resources developed a program to address attraction and retention efforts uniquely associated with Police Officers. Attracting lateral officers with experience in other policing agencies is more effective than relying exclusively on academy recruits. For example, the Police Academy typically requires six months to complete, and an academy graduate requires an additional six months of field training to enable them to address patrol duties on their own. The CITY OF SIGNAL HILL Page 2 of 5 Printed on 11/9/2023
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additional six months of field training to enable them to address patrol duties on their own. The approximate one-year lead time can create a deficiency in qualified Police Officers, especially in a smaller police department. By contrast, a lateral Police Officer can be deployed with a few weeks of field training after the date of hire. The proposed program is specifically designed to attract lateral Police Officers to bolster the ranks more quickly in our Police Department and improve the City’s retention of existing Police Officers.
In September 2023, the City initiated a meet and confer session with the SHPOA to discuss the proposed Police Lateral Recruitment Incentive Program. As part of those discussions, the SHPOA proposed restructuring the Longevity Pay provision in the current MOU as part of the Police Lateral Recruitment Incentive Program. The parties met and conferred in good faith and reached the proposed Side Letter Agreement to implement the Police Lateral Recruitment Incentive Program; and amend Longevity Pay in the current SHPOA MOU.
Below is a summary of the proposed recruitment incentive program and proposed amendment to the SHPOA Longevity Pay modifying the existing longevity pay structure. Further details are provided in the attached Side Letter Agreement.
Police Lateral Recruitment Incentive Program
Credit for Prior Years of Service
Effective July 1, 2023, a sworn Police Officer hired as a lateral entry would receive credit for prior years of continuous law enforcement public service, as a Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T) certified or P.O.S.T. approved Peace Officer, at another agency, for the purpose of sick leave, vacation leave, and longevity pay as follows:
1) Sick Leave - Upon date of hire, a lateral entry Police Officer would receive a frontloaded sick leave bank based on their sick leave balance at separation from their previous agency, up to a maximum of nine-hundred sixty (960) hours.
2) Vacation Leave - Upon date of hire, a lateral entry Police Officer would accrue vacation benefits based on the City’s annual vacation leave accrual corresponding to their prior years of service at their previous agency.
Additionally, new lateral Officers would receive a one-time front-loaded bank of vacation accrual based on cumulative annual accrual for corresponding prior years of service. This frontloaded vacation leave would not be eligible for cash out under any circumstances. 3) Longevity Pay - Upon date of hire, a lateral Officer would receive longevity pay corresponding to their prior years of public service at another agency.
Amendment to POA MOU, Section 36. Longevity Pay
The current longevity pay structure applies to Police Officers after they have served with the City for five years, or seven years or more, as follows:
Years of
Service
Monthly
Benefit
5 Years $100.00
7 years $200.00
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Years of
Service
Monthly
Benefit
5 Years $100.00
7 years $200.00
Under the proposed amendment to the MOU Section 36, the longevity pay structure would be modified as follows, retroactive to July 1, 2023:
Years of
ServiceMonthly
Benefit
5 Years $300.00
10 years $500.00
15 years $750.00
20 years $1,000.00
If approved, the proposed longevity pay structure would amend the current MOU and remain in effect for the entire term of the successor SHPOA MOU which is anticipated to take effect on July 1, 2024.
Applicability to Current Employees
Current employees previously hired as a lateral entry Police Officer would receive credit for prior years of continuous law enforcement public service, as a Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) certified or P.O.S.T. approved Peace Officer, at another agency, retroactive to July 1, 2023, for the following:
a. City’s Annual Sick Leave Cash Out Program
b. Vacation Accrual Rate
c. City’s Vacation Cash-Out
d. Longevity Pay
A Resolution approving the Side Letter of Agreement between the City and SHPOA is presented for City Council consideration. If approved by the City Council, the program would be implemented immediately and would be retroactive to July 1, 2023.
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Reviewed for Fiscal Impact:
_________________________
Sharon del Rosario
Attachments:
A. Resolution
B. Exhibit A - Side Letter Agreement
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