HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 2g - Revisions to Classification Specifications in Development Services Department DATE:August 1, 2017 TO:Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM:Jason Kruckeberg, Assistant City Manager/Development Services Director SUBJECT:REVISIONS TO THE EXISTING CLASSIFICATIONSPECIFICATIONS FOR DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES/CITY ENGINEER, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATOR, BUILDING OFFICIAL, BUILDING TECHNICIAN SERIES, AND ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT SERIES WITHIN THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT Recommendation: Approve SUMMARY The Development Services Department is planning a staffing re-organization to modernize job classifications, better distribute workload, improve customer interface, and provide room for growth in personnel. Minor modifications are recommended to more accurately reflect respective job specifications, and, in the case of management positions, to better distribute job duties under the Division Manager where they can be best administered. In addition, a new classification is proposed to be added to the Building Technician Series (“Senior Building Technician”), and the Administrative Assistant series of positions is proposed to be changed to a flexible-staffing model, whereby individuals can move more freely within these positions based on merit and experience. This group of changes was included in the 2017-18 Fiscal Year Budget,and they represent a cost savings to the City in Year One of $89,653 in salaries and benefits. It is recommended that the City Council approve the revisions to the relevant classification specifications. BACKGROUND Over the past several years, senior management in the Development Services Department has been evaluating service delivery and current personnel. As retirements and employee departures have occurred, rather than simply looking to replace key managers in their current roles, a critical review of the Department work load has taken place. Through this effort, several structural changes have become apparent that will Revisions to Classifications in Development Services Department August 1, 2017 Page 2of 5 improve service delivery and function throughout the Department. In addition, these changes provide growth opportunities for staff. These changes will achieve the following: Align line-level staff more appropriately with the management structure. Re-structure management positions to better fit the needs of the City. Provide opportunities for growth and development of staff, including opportunities for cross-training, and broadening of skills. Remove reliance on hiring from the outside, especially for mid-level management or journey-level positions. It is clear that the City’s salary and benefit structure, and the general trends within the public sector,have made hiring and retaining quality talent very challenging. Provide support and redundancy among departmental divisions, which will aid in providing uninterrupted service delivery. The proposed changes were discussed in detail with the City Council at the Budget Study Session on May 16, 2017,and were included in the Fiscal Year 2017-18 Budget approved by the City Council. The detailed changes to the classification specifications were reviewed by the Human Resources Commission at their meeting on July 13, 2017, and were unanimously approved(see Attachment 1). DISCUSSION Thechanges anticipated within the Department require redrafting several position classifications to clarify duties. They also result in one new position description and one position being reclassified to different pay range to reflect new duties. Each of the classifications proposed for modification is described below. DeputyDirector of Development Services/City Engineer The classification specification for the Deputy Director of Development Services/City Engineer (Deputy Director) has been modified to better reflect actual job duties and better distribute managerial responsibility. The Deputy Director (also the City Engineer) currently has full managerial responsibility over the Engineering Division and the Transportation Division, and provides oversight and management assistance to the Building Official over the Building Division. The specification has been edited to clarify these roles (which the Deputy Director is already doing) and to make these responsibilities clear. It should also be noted that responsibility for Geographic Information Systems has been removedfrom this specification, as this duty is better served by the Community Development Administrator. There is no change in compensation recommended as a part of these modifications. Revisions to Classifications in Development Services Department August 1, 2017 Page 3of 5 Community Development Administrator The classification specification for the Community Development Administrator has been modified to better reflect actual job duties, and to modernize these job duties to account for changes in technology and new regulations. Specifically, technology-driven duties such as Geographic Information Systems (“GIS”) and other technological tools and resources (such as permit software and IT consultant management) have been added to the specification. In addition, responsibility forhistoric preservation has been added to this position as has direct responsibility over the implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”)regulations. Duties related to CEQAand historic preservation already fall under this classification, but the addedspecific mention will make it clear where managerial duties lie for these tasks. Several tasks are being removed from the managerial responsibilities of this position; including code enforcement, transportation, and building. These tasks were originally organized under the Community Development Administrator;however, in practice,this position did not have oversight over the building and transportation staff. Building staff reported directly to the Building Official and transportation staff were physically located in another part of the building and directly reported to either the Development Services Director or Deputy Director. The changes proposed to this classification clearly show where managerial authority for these functions are best placed. With regard to code enforcement, this function is better placed underthe Building Official. Code enforcement works most directly with building code and property violations and many of thetasks associated with code enforcement require the assistance of a Building Inspector or other building staff. This is a model used by many cities and it will provide a more seamless and cooperative structure within the Department. There are no changes proposed to the salary range for the Community Development Administrator position. Building Official As was mentioned above, the primary change proposed to the Building Official classification is the addition of Code Services as a function to be managed under the Building Official. This is a better staffing model and will provide better reaction times on problems and issues,as well as improved service delivery. For the Building Official, this means taking on additional managerial responsibility in the form of four new direct reports (three Code Services Officers and one support staff). As a result of this additional responsibility and duty, it is recommended that the Building Official range be increased by 5%, from the current range of 80M to 82M. A survey was conducted of twelve (12) neighboring cities both on duties inherent in the Building Official position, and salary range. The survey found that many of the cities did include Code Enforcement as a direct report, including the Cities of Monrovia, Revisions to Classifications in Development Services Department August 1, 2017 Page 4of 5 Pasadena, Whittier, and Norwalk, all of which have very similar job descriptions. In addition, the proposed 5% salary range increase puts the salary in-line with these same four cities. Building Technician Series –Add Senior Building Technician The Building Technician series in the Development Services Department has two levels currently: Building Technician I and Building Technician II. These positions are responsible (at varying levels of responsibility) with issuing building permits, managing plans and submittals, working with contractors such as plan check consultants and landscaping consultants, andwith much of the customer service aspect of the Department. Recently, this role has taken on a new dimension in that the Building Technicians are primarily responsible with the administration and function of new Permit Tracking Software(called “Energov”). The Energov systemis a new program that will greatly assist the entire Department in issuing permits, allowing outside access to electronic plans and files, and providing applicants with real-time information on their permits. This software will substantially improve customer service and the responsiveness of the Staff. The Building Technicians are at the front line for this permit software, and it takes specialized training and effort to effectively implement the system. As a result, it is recommended that a new position inthe Building Technician series be added, entitled “Senior Building Technician”. This classification willessentially be a Building Technician III and willbe classified in Salary Range 60. This positionwould oversee the permit counter, permit issuance, permit tracking software and maintenance, and quality control. There would not be an additional employee added to fill this position. It would simply be part of the Building Technician series and existing employees could promote into the position (or it could be filled from the outside if additional skills were needed).The Building Technician series would mirror similar existing positions within the City in Accountingand Library Services,which have three levels within the Technician classification. ChangeAdministrative Assistant Series to Flexible Staffing Model This is a very simple change that is proposed to the administrative positionsCitywide. Currently, the City has three levels of administrative positions: Office Assistant, Administrative Assistant, and Senior Administrative Assistant. These positions are not “flexibly staffed”, meaning an Office Assistant cannot be promoted or moved into the Administrative Assistant role based on a combination of experience and/or merit. The only way to move intothe Administrative Assistant role is for an Office Assistant to physically apply for the job through an outside or internal recruitment. Other positions, such as the Assistant Planner-Associate Planner-Senior Planner series or the Building Inspector-Senior Building Inspector series, provide more flexibility to managers and staff by allowing the opportunity for promotions and movement of staff in a more logical manner. Revisions to Classifications in Development Services Department August 1, 2017 Page 5of 5 It is proposed that the Office Assistant-Admin Assistant-Senior Admin Assistantseries of positions be modified to make themflexibly-staffed positions. The classification specifications for these positions have been modified to make them more flexible. No job duties have been removed as a result of these changes; rather, some additional language has been added to allow guidance for when promotions and/or movement of staff is warranted. This should be a much more effective methodology for the Department and the City. FISCAL IMPACT These modifications represent a cost savings to the City in the upcoming Fiscal Year of $89,653 in both salaries and benefits. The savings primarily result from a change in management positions. The Planning Services Manager position will not be filled under this plan, and that management position will be shifted to a Management Aide position. The difference in the overall compensation package between these two positions, as well as a change in staffing at the Community Development Administrator position, account for the majority of these savings. The staffing modifications have been included in the approved 2017-2018 Fiscal Year Budget. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council approve the revisionsto the existing classificationspecificationsfor Deputy Director of Development Services/City Engineer, Community Development Administrator, Building Official, Building Technician Series, and Administrative Assistant Series within the Development Services Department. Attachments:1-Revised ClassificationSpecifications 2-July 13, 2017,Human Resources Commission Staff Report