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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/02/1988, 1-B - 1988-89 BUDGET REVIEW - NEW POSITION REQUESTS II�I�III�IIIIII�III II� MEETING DATE: civ' of San Luis oBispo 5-3-88 COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT ITEM T2:En FROM: Toby Ross, Assistant City Administrative Officer SUBJECT: 1988-89 budget review - new position requests CAO RECOMMENDATION: Authorize 3.25 new positions and defer a Police Officer position until completion of the Police Services Plan DISCUSSION: The 1987-89 Financial Plan includes four new positions for the 1988-89 fiscal year . Additionally, conversion of a half-time clerical Assistant I to a three-quarter time position is requested to maintain full-time service at the Community Development counter. Based on evaluation consistent with City policy, three and one-quarter positions are recommended. SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS: The new positions recommended would cost $84,300 for salary and benefits or $43,000 (net) after subtracting current expenses. This is less than what is programmed in the Financial Plan. CONSEQUENCES OF NOT TAKING THE RECOMMENDED ACTION: Depending on the position, programs or services could be reduced if the positions are not approved. ��►►�► 111111111 city of San tuts OBIspo Imma COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT BACKGROUND: As summarized on page F-26, the 1987-89 Financial Plan includes four new permanent positions for the 1988-89 fiscal year: two in the Police Department and one each in Public Works and Recreation. Consistent with the Human Resources Policy, these new position requests were evaluated at both the department and administrative levels (CAO's office, Personnel and Finance Directors) . The evaluations included assessment of: - The necessity, term, and expected results of the new activity. - Staffing and materials costs including salary, benefits, equipment, uniforms, clerical support and facilities. - The ability of private industry to provide the proposed service. - Additional revenue or cost savings which may be realized. Summaries of these evaluations are attached. The four positions requested in the Financial Plan for 1988-89 were: Field Service Technician; Police Officer; Engineering Technician; and Recreation Coordinator. The Field Service Technician (FST) is. a non-sworn public safety position that performs a variety of duties not requiring a sworn Police Officer. The Police Department has had two FST positions since the late 1970s funded from salary savings. Consistent with City policy, the Financial Plan proposes to convert them to permanent positions: one in 1987-88 and the other in 1988-89. Staff recommends that the FST be approved. The Police Officer would be assigned to increase patrol strength. The Police Department has recently begun work on a Police Services Plan. This study, which will assess resources and requirements and recommend programs for the next five years, is scheduled for completion during the coming fiscal year. The CAO recommends and the Police Chief concurs that this position request be deferred until after the Police Services Plan is completed. The Engineering Technician performs a variety of duties in support of the design, traffic and inspection functions of the Engineering Division. With the increase in capital projects and traffic engineering activities the division has been unable to keep up with the workload. Private sector alternatives are financially unattractive and the workload is expected to remain high for at least the next three-five years. Staff recommends that the Engineering Technician be approved. The Recreation Coordinator is requested to permanently staff the Latchkey Program which provides child care services to more than 200 children at four sites. Currently the program is supervised by a temporary employee. This program is primarily supported by user fees which are sufficient to cover the net cost increase of about $13,000 for the new position. Staff recommends that the Recreation Coordinator be approved. In addition to four positions originally requested, a Clerical Assistant I in the Community Development Department should be increased from one-half to three-quarter time. This adjustment was required when the .Department extended the hours of the Public Counter to 8 am to 5 pm. The money necessary to do this was included in the Financial Plan but the adjustment in the position from .5 to .75 was inadvertently left out. The error now should be corrected. (�� ►i�illuIIIIIIIIIU° ���l� city of San Luis OBISPO COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT ALTERNATIVES: See position summaries attached. SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS: The fiscal impacts of the requests are summarized in the chart below: No. of Salary & Other Cost Annual Position Positions Benefits Costs Adj . Net Cost Comments Field Service Tech. 1 $27,000 0 ($27,000) 0 (1) Police Officer 1 43,000 $5,000 $48,000 (2) Engineering Tech. 1 28,000 2,000 30,000 Recreation Coord. 1 24,000 0 ($11 ,000) 13,000 (3) Clerical Asst. I .25 5,300 0 ($ 5,300) 0 (4) (1) Overhire/no new costs (2) Position not recommended at this time (3) Program is fee supported. Temporary wages will be reduced by $11,000 (4) Increased time for an existing position. Money already included in budget. Recommended position totals 3.25 $84,300 $2,000 ($53,300) $43,000 TR:mp Attachments: Position Summaries 131t C-L-j VL6 C� 2 i v10.r,C� 1— �U�tl- POSITION SUMMARY POSITION: Field Service Technician (FST) - Police Department DESCRIPTION: The FST is a non-sworn public safety position which performs a variety of tasks including non-hazardous calls for service, assisting with traffic control, processing of property, vehicle abatement, relief dispatching, vehicle maintenance coordination, fingerprinting and other duties not requiring a sworn officer. JUSTIFICATION: Two FSTs have been employed since the late 1970's. The primary benefit is to perform non-hazardous tasks which would otherwise be done by a sworn officer. Funding for positions historically has been from salary savings due to vacancies during the year. In 1987-88 one FST was made permanent. The current request is to make the other positions permanent and should be reflected and provided for in the budget, consistent with City policy. Salary savings are difficult to predict and may not occur consistently in various years. These and similar positions in other agencies have proven to be a cost effective means of service delivery and reduce the need for additional sworn officers. OOST: No net cost results from this change. Any salary savings that would have been available to fund the position would still be available for use or reallocation. Annual cost $27,000. ALTERNATIVES: 1. Approve the FST position. This would fund a long-standing position as a permanent position, consistent with City policy. 2. The position could continue to be funded from salary savings. This would not be consistent with City policy to use permanent positions to staff ongoing, year-round activities. 3. The position could be eliminated and replaced with a sworn officer. This would add strength to the Department at a substantially higher cost. RECOMMENDATION: Fund positions in the budget. POSITION SUMMARY POSITION: Police Officer - Police Department DESCRIPTION: Police Officer patrols assigned area of City to seek out enforcement and protection opportunities. Responds to emergencies, crimes in progress, traffic collisions, and other calls for service. Collects evidence and property, interviews witnesses, victims, and suspects. Processes crime scenes, directs traffic, and performs proactive crime prevention and community relations functions, writes reports and enforces numerous codes. JUSTIFICATION: The number of persons assigned specifically to Patrol has not increased since 1979, although several specialized positions have been added: Traffic; DUI; Drug Enforcement; and School Resource. The permanent resident population has increased by +120, while calls for service have increased by 240, and traffic collisions have increased 600. The department is experiencing increasing demands for special enforcement problems; vandalism, high theft rate, juvenile, traffic, sex crimes, and drug/alcohol abuse. This position is requested to keep pace with demands for service. The Police Department has recently undertaken a Police Services Plan to assess the resources needs of the Department over the next five years. This guide to staffing and programs in the Police Department should be available in 1989. COST: Annual cost $43,000 salary and benefits; $5,000 support costs. ALTERNATIVES: 1. Authorize additional Police Officer position for 1988-89 budget year. 2. Deny authorization of additional Police Officer position. 3. Defer consideration and funding until review of five-year Police Services Plan. RECOMMENDATION: Defer consideration until evaluation of the five-year Police Services Plan. POSITION SUMMARY POSITION: Engineering Assistant - Public Works Department DESCRIPTION: This position is used for design and construction inspection of City projects. JUSTIFICATION: The workload of the Engineering Division is largely dependent on the size of the City's Capital Improvement Plan. Design and construction inspection services are provided by a combination of City staff and consultants. In general , consultants are more expensive and less familiar with City standards than City staff. Consultants will always be required for some major projects because of their special expertise but, if there is a sufficient number of small projects City staff is generally less expensive. The workload now and in the foreseeable future would justify another Engineering Assistant position. COST: Given adequate workload City staff is less expensive than contract consultants. Annual salary $28,000 Equipment and supplies $ 2,000 (included in 955 Morro remodeling) Contract consultant $30-50 per hour Full-time consultant $60-100 thousand ALTERNATIVES: 1 . Approve a permanent Engineering Assistant position. This approach is generally less expensive than a consultant and generally higher quality applicants than contract employees. 2. The City can contract out more of the work to consultants, a more costly approach. 3. The City could hire a contract employee. This approach costs about the same as a permanent employee and is appropriate if we expect the workload to decline in the next two years. POSITION SUMMARY POSITION: Recreation Coordinator I - Recreation Department DESCRIPTION: Recreation Coordinators are responsible for the separate programs of the Recreation Department. The requested position is to supervise the Preschool and Latchkey Programs . JUSTIFICATION: Enrollment in the Latchkey Program has grown from 35 children four hours per day to over 200 children 6 to 11 hours per day in 1987-88. Latchkey services are provided at four sites. With the end of year-round school at Hawthorne Elementary the summer program is expected to increase significantly. The program is currently staffed by temporary employees. A permanent Recreation Coordinator I would improve the continuity of program supervision and be consistent with the City's policy for staffing ongoing, year-round activities with permanent employees. COST: The position is Currently filled with temporary personnel . Converting to a permanent position will increase salary and benefit costs by approximately $13,000 in 1988-89. The program charges a fee for the service and is designed to be 80-1000 self sufficient. Revenues to date indicate that the program is self sufficient. Both revenues and costs are projected to increase in 1988-89. Annual salary and benefit Recreation Coordinator $24,000 Current temporary position $11 ,000 Other expenses No change ALTERNATIVES: 1 . Approve the Permanent Recreation Coordinator I position. This would improve coordination of the program and be consistent with the City's staffing policy with a small increase in personnel cost. 2. Continue staffing with temporary employees. This would be less expensive than the permanent position but hampers year-round coordination and may not be consistent with the City's staffing policy. 3. Fill the position with a contract employee. The costs and benefits would be about the same .as a permanent employee and would be appropriate if the City Council wants to consider major modifications to the program in the next two years.