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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/27/1993 Item 5 - Council Secretary Position MEETING ATE: �� I§ city of_san _ as owspo I `EM NUMBER: !;d COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT FROM: Diane R. Gladwell, City Clerk SUBJECT: Analysis of the Council Secretary Position RECOMMENDATION: By motion, receive and file Hughes, Heiss and Associates' analysis of the City Clerk's Office; By motion,adopt alternative #1 retaining the Council Secretary position. BACKGROUND: At the budget study session held on March 13, Council requested an analysis be conducted to determine if the Council Secretary position could be reduced to half-time. Interest in discussing the past analysis of the City Clerk's department was also expressed. The Council Budget has been reduced by$16,240 (a 12.1% reduction),with Council actually cutting their professional development funds by 37%to accommodate funding for the radio broadcast of all Council meetings. The Council Secretary position is funded through and supervised by the City Clerk. The City Clerk's proposed budget includes a reduction .of 16.2% and recommends the elimination of one Office Assistant position. Hughes, Heiss and Associates was retained to analyze the City Clerk Department one year ago. They found processes to be generally efficient, although staffing levels were higher than other cities because this office performed functions not traditionally administered by City Clerk departments. They recommended transferring functions (special events, contract processing, City Hall mail) to other departments and subsequently reducing staff in the City .Clerk's office. In September, a new City Clerk was appointed by the Council. After a thorough and objective analysis, selected recommendations from the report were implemented, but the transfer of selected functions to other departments was deferred due to impending budget cuts and staff reductions. Rather than repeat the analysis that was submitted to Council in January, we have included the memorandum as an attachment to this report. Following the March 13th meeting, the Council Secretary conducted a time/task study, tracking activities over a two-week period. Analysis of this data provided the following information: 1. Public Access to Council : (Respond and refer phone calls and visitors, process mail) 15% 2. Public Information/Other: (City Clerk, Administration, General) 15% 3. Scheduling Activities: (Various public functions requested by Council, staff and citizens) 25% 4. Special Assignments: (Advisory Body activities, Research, etc) 15% 5. Council Budget Management: 5% 6. Other: (Training activities, meetings) 5,% 7. Calendaring: Evaluating and scheduling requests 10% 8. Dictation and Transcription: 10% These activities exclude seasonal peaks in activities, such as the advisory body appointment and interview process. SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS: Activities listed in items 1 through 6 are driven by requests generated from the public or the City organization. Only 20% of the activities are in direct response to Council requests. In addition, the position has seasonal heavy workloads in the support of the Advisory Body nomination and appointment process and elections. Due to severe budget cutbacks throughout the organization, shifting administrative burdens such as special events, contracts and mail services from one general fund department to another is no longer a simple alternative, although the City Clerk Department is required to reduce its staff while retaining those 'functions. The department is committed to creatively re-engineering processes, and plans to implement a volunteer program in order to maintain acceptable service levels. Because 80% of the Council Secretary's functions are driven by citizen/staff requests, these tasks would have to be assigned to other staff if Council elected not to request secretarial support, reducing or eliminating this position. In addition, the position is scheduled to accept the responsibility for coordinating all Council activities (e.g. Groundbreakings, hosting of the Cities with Prison Conference, etc.) due to significant reductions in Administration staff which will reduce their capacity to assist with ceremonial and community relations functions. CONCURRENCES: John Dunn, City Administrative Officer concurs with the identification of alternatives. ALTERNATIVES: 1. Retain the Council Secretary position. Advantages: Council support not mixed with mandated and administrative functions; citizen contacts with Council maintains high-priority, consistent and independent of the organization. Disadvantages: Because of higher labor costs, a larger reduction in operational expenses were proposed in the City Clerk department. Fiscal Impact: Retain recommended reduction of $53,800 (16.2%) in City Clerk budget. 2. Reduce the Council Secretary position to 1/2 time, and transfer selected functions to other departments (I have suggested the transfer of City Hall mail support as the best alternative for the organization.) Advantages: Less expensive. Disadvantages: During the Council Secretary's "off' hours, it will be more difficult to respond to Council-related requests; impact of transfer of proposed City Hall mail support function on another department; anticipated increased staff turnover due to very high demand levels. Fiscal Impact: Proposed City Clerk budget further reduced by $20,400 (fully burdened rate); for a total reduction of $74,200 (22.3%); an estimated $5,000 increase in another budget if City Hall mail is transferred. 3. Eliminate the Council Secretary position, restore the Office Assistant position, support the listed activities by assignment throughout the department (I would request an equal increase in the contract secretarial service account to support peak demand periods.) Advantages: Simplifies internal structure of the City Clerk Department; allows City Clerk to delegate assignments to match skill and responsibility of remaining personnel. Disadvantages: Decreased response to Council and citizen requests; staff asked to mix mandated and administrative responsibilities with Council priorities; loss of the independent qualities of Council support. Fiscal Impart: If no additional secretarial support is funded: Proposed City Clerk budget further reduced by $7,300 (fully burdened rate); for a total reduction of $61,100 (18.4%). If difference is added to secretarial support account: Retain recommended reduction of $53,800 (16.2%) in City Clerk budget. 4. Implement recommendations made by Hughes, Heiss and Associates, eliminate an additional Office Assistant or the Council Secretary position. Advantages: Unidentified costs or savings by shifting administration and costs to other departments. Disadvantages Some services discontinued, some functions would have to be moved to departments where staffing levels have been reduced (City Clerk Department's budget has included these functions with a reduction of one position), re-training would be required, newly implemented contract streamlining would be redesigned, anticipated increased staff turnover due to very high demand levels. Fiscal Impact•. Unidentified. RECOMMENDATION: The key factor in the decision between these alternatives is whether the Council is willing to accommodate delays and sacrifice the independence of their support on a long-term basis. Since this decision is not the prerogative of the City Clerk, and there may be an inherent conflict of interest to the City Clerk Department in alternative #3, my recommendation is to adopt alternative #1. �3 ATTACHMENTS: (Available in the Council Office) Council.Secretary Time/Task Study City Clerk Memorandum: January 9, 1993 Hughes, Heiss and Associates Analysis of the City Clerk's Office: August 15, 1992 �— 1