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
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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.
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August 1, 2017
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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,
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August 1, 2017
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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.
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August 1, 2017
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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