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6.5. SR 01-09-2012Item # 6_5 MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and Council FROM: Cal Portner, City Administrator DATE: January 9, 2012 SUBJECT: Public Works Staffing Discussion In preparation for the final General Fund Budget discussion, it was brought to my attention that we had three pending requests for position reclassification review. One of the positions was the assistant street maintenance superintendent. After reviewing the reclassification request and discussing the history of what had happened in the Street Maintenance Division, the November 21, 2011, memorandum was prepared by Human Resource Representative Wipper outlining the proposal for Council consideration. From my review of past staff reports, minutes, memos, and discussions with staff this is where we are at as I understand. Phased Retirement Street Superintendent Phil Hals requested and was approved for a PERA Phased Retirement Program. For 2012, the city will save $55,886 in salary and benefits as Mr. Hals stays at part- time. The Council approved the hiring of a laborer position in 2011 with funding from the phased retirement as a revenue source. The 2012 wages and benefits for the full-time laborer position are projected to be $35,367. On February 7, 2011, the Council approved a $1.00/hour wage adjustment for the individual(s) assigned as a lead street maintenance worker. The assignment was to be made when both the street superintendent (I'T) and assistant superintendent are absent for a full day or more. On May 2, 2011, the Council approved the wage adjustment for lead worker for when either the superintendent or the assistant superintendent were absent. In the same memo, staff requested authorization for a pay adjustment for the assistant street superintendent, which was not approved, pending further discussion. N:\Public Bodies\City Council\Council RCA\Agenda Packet\01-09-2012\street maint memo.docx P~~~EBE~ 8t ~~A~ A January 10, 2011, memo from City Administrator Lori Johnson to the City Council informs the Council that the expected savings from the Phased Retirement will be reallocated within that division. The Phased Retirement savings minus the approved laborer position and the maximum street lead worker pay results in approximately $18,130 in savings for 2012. Supervision/Span of Control On July 11, 2011, staff presented a Streets Division restructuring plan which was not approved by the Council. A March 8, 2011, memo from the city administrator to Phil Hals outlines the discussion points from a meeting in which the work and supervision structure was discussed. The memo indicates daily operations and supervision will be managed by the assistant superintendent and lists a number projects and activities for the part-time street superintendent. In discussions with staff and in accordance with the aforementioned memos and staff reports, I did not feel a new job was created to oversee the Street Maintenance Division, rather an interim staffing situation resulted following an opportunity to take advantage of a new PERA retirement program. Outcomes /Recommendations When the Phased Retirement Option request was brought to the City Council for approval in December of 2010, savings was assumed from the decrease in hours for the street superintendent. Following the approval, additional staffing was requested and approved and pay incentives for additional supervisory (lead worker) responsibilities. The continuation of service levels was either assumed to be absorbed by existing staff or planned to be requested as needed upon further evaluation at a later date. Following are three questions important for the discussion. 1. Will the city save money from the Phased Retirement Option? 2. How does the phased retirement/part-time employment impact staffing/operations? 3. What are the advantages to the city with a Phased Retirement Option? 1Vill the city save money from the Phased Ketirement Option? Yes, if the remaining hours (1,040) can be absorbed by the existing staff accounting for vacation, illness, injuries, or unforeseen natural events, if there is currently an overstaff situation to meet the expected service level, if there are inefficiencies that can be corrected, or if work needs can be met at a significantly lower salary level. No, if additional staff is needed to meet work demands or new/different skillsets are required to replace what was missing. Hoav does the phased retirement/part-time employment impact sta~ng/operations? Laborer positions have been backfilled, however, the supervisory structure has not been formally addressed. We currently have excess supervisory expertise within the division and have identified/created new work, which may or may not have been outside of the work N:\Public Bodies\City Council\Council RCA\Agenda Packet\O1-09-2012\street maint memo.doca plan for the division. Job-sharing at the management level creates potential authority and accountability concerns. 1-Vhat are the advantages to the city with a Phased Retirement O~ition? There are some budgetary savings recognized earlier in time rather than waiting until the actual full retirement. By maintaining the management experience on staff in a mentorship capacity, the chance for a successful transition increases. We are able to utilize. his institutional history for strategic planning purposes. With the extra supervisory capacity and the approval for the lead worker pay incentive, staff is able to temporarily appoint leads who have the opportunity to get hands on experience as a crew leader, allowing management to better determine who the best candidate will be and allow potential candidates to see if the position is right for them or help them understand the skills they need to be successful in the position at a later time. The City Council has approved the Phased Retirement Program, the laborer position, and the lead worker pay incentive. The city administer recommends the following: 1) Promote the assistant street superintendent to an interim superintendent position with full managerial control and accountability of the Street Maintenance Division, consistent with past city practice with regard to pay. The position will remain in an interim capacity until completion of the PERA Phased Retirement Option commitment at which time the administrator will recommend an appointment to superintendent or other vacant position respective of further department restructuring. 2) Maintain the part-time superintendent position in the capacity outlined in the March 8, 2011, memo. N:\Public Bodies\City Council\Council RCA\Agenda Packet\01-09-2012\street maint memo.docx 1~ f~ Cry t _~ MEMORANDUM VC's TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Lauren Wipper, Human Resource Representative DATE: November 21, 2011 SUBJECT: Consider Adjustment for Interim Street Superintendent Duties As you are aware, Street Superintendent Phil Hals began Phased Retirement in March of this year following an extended vacation. Because Phased Retirement required Mr. Hals to reduce his work hours to 50% of full-time, Assistant Street Superintendent Mark Thompson was assigned the day-to-day management of the street and equipment services divisions with Mr. Hals providing assistance and backup. Mr. Hals was also provided a number of special projects to complete during this period. In a memo to Council dated May 2, 2011, which I became aware of only recently, I was directed to work with Mr. Thompson to determine if an adjustment to the position description and pay classification are warranted during this period. As Mr. Thompson has essentially served as the superintendent, apay adjustment should be considered. In discussion with City Administrator Cal Portner it was decided that Mr. Thompson is currently serving in an interim position until Mr. Hals officially retires. For that reason, an adjustment to the position description is not warranted, instead it is recommended that an appropriate interim increase be considered to compensate Mr. 'Thompson for the added duties and responsibilities during this period as opposed to a position or pay grade change. Mr. Thompson is currently paid at the top of pay grade 11. The top of the pay grade for the street superintendent position, pay grade 13, is approximately 13.7% higher. When Fire Marshal Cliff Anderson served as interim Chief in 2009, the rationale used to figure his compensation resulted in a $640 per month adjustment. This amount is approximately equal to a 10% increase for Mr. Thompson, which is my recommendation. Council should also consider a retroactive pay adjustment due to the period of time Mr. Thompson has served in this position. Had this been acted on following the May 2, 2011, memo, a pay adjustment recommendation would have been brought to Council on May 9, 2011. It is my recommendation that any pay adjustment given to Mr. Thompson be made retroactive to May 10, 2011. R 0 R E R E! 1 1 NA~'U~~ FINANCIAL IMPACT Savings from the street superintendent's phased retirement will fund this request fox as long as it continues. Realizing that we have previously allocated some of this savings to the lead worker assignment and a new laborer position, there remains sufficient funds for this request. N:\Public Bodies\City Council\Council RCA\Agenda Packet\l 1-21-2011\M Thompson Interim memo (2).docx c~ or El -Diver REQUEST FOR ACTION TO ITEM NUMBER Ci Council 5.4. AGENDA SECTION MEETING DATE PREPARED BY Administration February 7, 2011 Lauren Wipper, Human Resource Re resentative ITEM DESCRIPTION REVIEWED By Lead Street Maintenance Assignment Mark Thompson, Assistant Street Su erintendent REVIEWED BY Lori ohnson, Ci Adminnistrator ACTION REQUESTED The Ciry Council is asked to consider and approve the implementation of a Lead Street Maintenance Assignment to be paid an extra $1.00 per hour while assigned the Lead responsibility. BACKGROUNDIDISCUSSION As you may recall, Street Superintendent Phil Hals will be working half time under his phased retirement agreement. I have been involved in discussions with Assistant Street Superintendent Mark Thompson and City Administrator Lori Johnson to find ways to assure the needs of the Street Maintenance Division continue to be met during this period. The Street Superintendent and Assistant Street Superintendent maintain their schedules so at least one of them is working during normal business hours. Because Mr. Hals' schedule is reduced to 20 hours each week, this will be more difficult to accomplish. We are requesting the ability to allow the Street Maintenance Supervisors to assign a Street Maintenance II employee to a Lead position when the Street Maintenance Supervisors are both absent for a full day or more. The ability to assign a Lead to direct division staff maintains a level of oversight within the division. FINANCIAL IMPACT 'The financial impact should be minimal and will be covered with the funds available from Mr. Hals phased retirement reduction in hours. ATTACHMENTS None Motion by Second by Vote Follow Up C:\Users\jmiller\AppData\I.ocal\Microsoft\Windows\Temporazy Internet Files\Low\Content.IES\AQUi~1I4RP\Lead%2AStreet%20Maint%2ARFA[l).docx Cicy of E ----- Rives REQUEST FOR ACTION TO ITEM NUMBER Ma or and Ci Council 5.2. AGENDA SECTION MEETING DATE PREPARED BY Administration Ma 2, 2011 Lori ohnson, Ci Adnvnistrator ITEM DESCRIPTION REVIEWED By Street Department Personnel Requests REVIEWED BY ACTION REQUESTED Clarify use of Lead Street Maintenance assignment to include days when either the Street Superintendent or Assistant Street Superintendent is absent. Consider hiring Laborer with savings from Street Superintendent phased retirement. BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION In December 2010 the Council approved PERA's phased retirement plan. Street Superintendent Phil Hals began his phased retirement on February 28, 2011. During the discussion with Council regarding the phased retirement, we indicated that we would come back with a plan for addressing the future staffing needs of the department and for filling the short term staff shortage caused by Mr. Hals' phased retirement. One of the first actions was to implement a lead street maintenance assigrunent. The Council approved the lead program on February 7, 2011, as outlined in the memo indicating that the lead assignrent would only be utilized when both the superintendent and assistant superintendent were absent. The request made by Assistant Street Superintendent Mark Thompson at the meeting was slightly different than the request in the staff memo; therefore, we would like to clarify when a lead assignment is utilized. To accommodate the street department's needs, we are requesting that the lead street maintenance assignrent be expanded to be allowed when either the street superintendent or assistant street superintendent is absent. That will bring the cost up to slightly over $1,000 per year. The next request is to hire additional staff to fill the 1040 hours lost by the phased retirement. The savings from the phased retirement is $54,500 for the first year. However, before filling that position, the structure of the deparnnent upon Mr. Hals' full retirement must be considered. The previous preliminary plan was to have a street superintendent and a fulltime lead maintenance worker under the public works director. The assistant position would be replaced by assigning a full time lead worker. Another maintenance worker or laborer would then be added. This is consistent with other divisions such as parks maintenance and wastewater that each has a lead worker under the division manager. Mark Thompson did a thorough analysis of the department's work load by task and by the type of position needed to accomplish each task. The result of his analysis is that hiring a laborer will best meet the needs of the department. The cost including benefits for a full time labor at starting pay is approxunately $42,500. Including the lead assignment, there is funding for the labor position during the phased retirement and long term if the assistant position is replaced by assigning a full time lead worker. Additionally, the street superintendent and lead worker position descriptions need to be updated and evaluated to ensure that they are being paid appropriately if that change is made. Further, the assistant position should be reviewed during this transition period. Lauren Wippex will work with Mark Thompson to determine if an adjustment to the position description and pay classification are warranted both during the transition and in the long term. Staff recommends the change in division structure to be consistent with other divisions. With that change, we request authorization to begin the hiring process fox a laborer. FINANCIAL IMPACT The savings from the street superintendent's phased retirement will fund all of the above requests. However, in the long term, this is a budget addition unless the structure of the division is changed as noted above. ATTACHMENTS None Action Motion by Second by Vote Follow Up MEMORANDUM 1~1V~'Y' TO: Phil Hals, Part Time Street Superintendent CC: Mark Thompson, Assistant Street Superintendent Justin Femrite, City Engineer Lauren Wipper, Human Resource Representative FROM: Lori Johnson, City Administrator DATE: March 8, 2011 SUBJECT: Transition of Duties This week you returned to work after a six week vacation and began working part time as you transition to retirement. As you anticipated, this change in your work status requires a change in duties and responsibilities in order to ensure smooth operation of the street and equipment services divisions. Today we met to discuss the transition and how we proceed. You agreed with the proposed changes in duties and responsibilities and, in fact, suggested additional changes. This memo outlines the items we agreed upon at our meeting. As we discussed, the day to day management of the divisions is best handled by an employee who is full time. For that reason, the day to day management of the two divisions needs to transfer to Mark with the expectation that you will provide assistance and backup. Mark has been filling this role well during your extended vacation. He and I have communicated frequently during your absence about issues and ideas. Additionally, Mark and Justin have teamed up on several matters and have shared information and ideas. With you available as a resource to Mark during this transition, I expect that the transition will go very smoothly. In addition to assisting Mark in the management of the divisions, there are several important projects that need to be completed. These projects fit well with your part time schedule in that you have the expertise needed to complete them, they are projects that can be done independently, and although they have deadlines, the deadlines are far enough in the future that you will easily be able to meet them. Below axe the projects and other assignments we specifically discussed during our meeting: 1. Rate remaining street segments for condition: Last year the city committed to rating all of its street segments to create an up-to-date, usable pavement condition index. Justin has rated one third of the streets. You and Mark were originally assigned the other two thirds. Given the change in responsibilities, I am requesting that you be assigned rating the remainder of the segments by May 15. ' 2. Street improvement projects and sealcoating: You will complete street improvement projects as you historically have after coordination with Justin. 3. Sign reflectivity: You will complete the reflectivity analysis on all street signs by the end of 2011. You suggested that this could be completed before yearend. 4. Municipal Recycling Committee: You suggested that Mark take your place on this committee. Everyone.. agreed that was a good idea. 5. Budgeting: You stated you would like to involve Mark in the budget process. Thank you for your willingness to continue to participate in that process and to pass on your expertise to Mark. Finally, another item we have discussed several times is your part time schedule. You stated you want to be flexible and that you will work with Mark to ensure that your schedules mesh. I'm sure there will be other items that arise during this transition'period that will need to be addressed. I look forward to a successful transition as you phase into retirement.