Title
Adoption of Resolution Amending the Management and Confidential Employees Association (MCEA) Salary Schedule to Add the Classification of Principal Financial Analyst; Amending the Alameda City Employees Association (ACEA) Salary Schedule to Retitle the Traffic Signal Maintenance Technician to Traffic Signal/Pump Station Maintenance Technician; Upgrading One Senior Management Analyst to Principal Financial Analyst; Upgrading One Public Works Maintenance Foreperson to Traffic Signal/Pump Station Maintenance Technician; and Upgrading one Economic Development Manager to Development Services Division Manager, Effective September 12, 2021. (Human Resources 10025060)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As part of the 2021-2023 Biennial Budget process, funding for the potential upgrade of positions in the Finance Department and Community Development Department were included pending the outcome of two reclassification studies. These studies have now been completed. It is recommended, based on the increased responsibility of the incumbents, that both positions be upgraded.
In the Finance Department, it is recommended to create a new classification of Principal Financial Analyst and to upgrade the existing Senior Management Analyst position. In the Community Development Department, it is recommended to upgrade the Economic Development Manager to Development Services Division Manager.
Additionally, since the approval of the budget, the Public Works department has recognized the need to have a classification that addresses the specialized requirements of staff assigned to the repair and maintenance for the city’s wastewater pump stations. The City of Alameda (City) has been unable to recruit an employee with the skill set required to perform the skilled work needed using the generic Public Works Foreperson classification. In order to successfully recruit someone with the required skill set staff is recommending retitling and expanding the role of the Traffic Signal Maintenance Technician classification to Traffic Signal/Pump Station Maintenance Technician. The Public Works Department will then use this classification to recruit an employee qualified to perform the work needed.
BACKGROUND
The Human Resources Department, under governance of the Civil Service Board and City Council, is responsible for administering the City’s classification and compensation systems, which includes on-going maintenance of all classification specifications and salary schedules.
As part of this duty, the Human Resources Department oversees the periodic review of existing job descriptions to ensure they still represent the work being performed by employees assigned to the classification. Human Resources staff worked directly with the requesting departments and with an outside consultant to determine if the positions adequately reflected the job responsibilities required to meet the needs of the organization.
DISCUSSION
Human Resources staff worked with Bryce Consulting to conduct the classification studies of the Economic Development Manager in the Community Development Department and Senior Management Analyst position in the Finance Department. The studies included the completion of position questionnaires and interviews with incumbents and their supervisors.
The Senior Management Analyst is a classification that is used broadly for positions that perform complex analytical work in a generalist capacity. The Finance Department Senior Management Analyst position has assumed oversight of the budget process and will oversee staff performing analytical work such as an Administrative Management Analyst. The Finance Department wanted a classification that would perform the higher-level duties and the financial analytical work. At the completion of the classification study, it is recommended to create a new job classification, titled Principal Financial Analyst and to upgrade the current Senior Management Analyst position to this new job classification. This type of classification is common in municipal Finance Departments and it provides for a position that can perform a broad scope of highly complex managerial and analytical work in the area of finance. The salary range for the new job classification is 10% above the Senior Management Analyst.
The role of the Economic Development Manager in the Community Development Department has expanded beyond oversight for the Economic Development Division to include responsibility for services related to housing such as the Community Development Block Grant, Home Investment Partnerships Program, and Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program and other community services related to Alameda’s unhoused populations. The existing classification of Development Services Division Manager is a better fit for the broader scope of responsibility required of the position. As a result, it is recommended to upgrade the Economic Development Manager position to Development Services Manager. The salary difference between the two job classifications is 5.5%.
Additionally, it is recommended to retitle the Traffic Signal Maintenance Technician classification to Traffic Signal/Pump Station Maintenance Technician position and to upgrade a vacant existing Public Works Maintenance Foreperson position to Traffic Signal/Pump Station Maintenance Technician. Because much of the city lies at sea level the City is unable to rely on gravity to assist with transporting wastewater to EBMUD treatment facilities. The City must rely on about 50 electric wastewater pump stations to move wastewater. The Public Works Department has been unable to recruit a qualified candidate within the existing generic classification of Public Works Foreperson to maintain and repair these critical pump stations. The requested classification will be a dual specialty class. Incumbents will be assigned to either the traffic signal or pump station specialty, with cross coverage duties expected. Both specialties require similar electrical knowledge. The salary of the Traffic Signal/Pump Station Maintenance Technician will be 6.4% higher than the Public Works Maintenance Foreperson classification
This retitling of the classification is pending review by the Civil Service Board.
ALTERNATIVES
• Approve the recommended classification changes.
• Not approve any of the recommended classification changes.
• Approve one or more of the classification recommendations.
• Not approve the title and classification upgrade for the Traffic Signal/Pump Station Maintenance Technician and instead use contracted services for the pump station maintenance work.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The annual cost of upgrading the Economic Development Manager position to Development Services Division Manager is approximately $10,000 for the Community Development Department. The cost for the remainder of the fiscal year is estimated at approximately $8,000.
The annual cost of upgrading the Senior Management Analyst position to Principal Financial Analyst is approximately $12,000 for the Finance Department. The cost for the remainder of the fiscal year is estimated at approximately $10,000.
The annual cost of upgrading the Public Works Maintenance Foreperson position to Traffic Signal/Pump Station Maintenance Technician is approximately $5,000 annually for the Public Works Department. The cost for the remainder of the Fiscal Year is approximately $4,000.
All three departments have sufficient funds in the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 budget to cover the additional cost.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action is in conformance with the Alameda Municipal Code.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action is not a project under Public Resources Code Section 21065 or California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines section 15378 because it does not have potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
CLIMATE IMPACTS
There are not identifiable climate impacts or climate action opportunities associated with the subject of this report.
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a resolution amending the Management and Confidential Employees Association (MCEA) salary schedule to add the classification of Principal Financial Analyst; amending the Alameda City Employees Association (ACEA) Salary Schedule to retitle the Traffic Signal Maintenance Technician to Traffic Signal/Pump Station Maintenance Technician; upgrading one Senior Management Analyst to Principal Financial Analyst; upgrading one Public Works Maintenance Foreperson to Traffic Signal/Pump Station Maintenance Technician; and upgrading one Economic Development Manager to Development Services Division Manager, effective September 12, 2021.
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
The City Manager recommends adoption of the MCEA salary schedule.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Bronstein, Human Resources Director
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Annie To, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. MCEA Salary Schedule
2. ACEA Salary Schedule
cc: Eric Levitt, City Manager
Gerry Beaudin, Assistant City Manager