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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 10c - Hiring a retired PERS Annuitant for Police Dispatcher Supervisor 960 ProgramDATE: December 3, 2019 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Robert Guthrie, Chief of Police By: Jennifer Brutus, Senior Management Analyst Paul Foley, Police Captain SUBJECT: HIRING OF RETIRED PERS ANNUITANT FOR POLICE DISPATCH SUPERVISOR 960 PROGRAM Recommendation: Approve SUMMARY The Arcadia Police Department’s Police Dispatch Supervisor is expected to retire in December of 2019, which will increase the Department’s dispatcher vacancy level to two. The Department is interested in hiring the Dispatch Supervisor after retirement to fill a designated retired annuitant position, specifically for the Dispatch Center. Since the position is a critical need, it is recommended that the City Council approve the hiring of a retired PERS annuitant for a Police Dispatch Supervisor 960 Program through Calendar Year 2020. BACKGROUND The Department’s Dispatch Center is budgeted for one Dispatch Supervisor position plus eight Dispatchers for a total of nine Dispatch personnel. Although the Dispatch Supervisor’s primary duties are to handle overall supervision and scheduling of the personnel assigned to the Dispatch Center, the position also fills a front line position to ensure adequate staffing and operation of the center. Currently, there is one Dispatcher vacancy, which is being covered by our Dispatch Supervisor. The Dispatch Supervisor intends to retire in December of 2019, which will reduce our Dispatch center to seven personnel. At this time, the Department is in the recruitment and selection stage of hiring two new dispatchers. In order to fill shift vacancies, a five to six month testing and background investigation period followed by a six month training period is expected. This means that newly-trained Dispatch personnel will not be ready to perform independent dispatching duties until about one year from now (latter part of 2020). Hiring of Retired PERS Annuitant for Police Dispatch Supervisor 960 Program December 3, 2019 Page 2 of 3 DISCUSSION By having the retired PERS annuitant on board, the Department will continue to benefit from the annuitant’s critical role of dispatching. They will also continue to perform their role as a supervisor. It is expected that the retired annuitant will be utilized for about one year or until the Dispatch Center is fully staffed, whichever comes first. The Department is confident that the retired annuitant will not work past December 31, 2020. California Government Code §7522.56 legislates how a PERS retiree can work after retirement. Generally, a PERS annuitant must have a 180-day separation from employment, before being eligible to return to work at a PERS agency. Government Code § 7522.56(f)(1) allows a PERS annuitant to return to work before the 180-day period if it is deemed necessary to fill a critically needed position (see attached Government Code Section 7522.56). This law also states that if these criteria are met, then the employer’s governing body (Arcadia City Council) must approve this appointment at a public meeting. This matter must be placed on the public meeting agenda and cannot be on the Consent Calendar. California Government Code §21224 outlines that a PERS annuitant, who is approved to fill a position, is limited to 960 hours in a fiscal year and cannot be paid more than other employees performing the same duties (see attached Government Code Section 21224). The retired annuitant is eligible to work two Fiscal Year periods during the Calendar Year 2020 (960 hours from January 1, 2020, through June 30, 2020; and 960 hours from July 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020). It is expected that the Department will have the retired annuitant work an average of 36 hours per week; however, this can fluctuate due to scheduled unpaid time off. An example of a typical work-week is three 12-hour shifts and the scheduling will be based upon the Department’s needs. Police dispatching is a critical position that is our first point of emergency contact for the community. Understaffing in this area of the Department would be detrimental to the public’s safety and welfare. Dispatchers are responsible for answering 9-1-1 and other emergency calls, as well as providing information to police officers in the field. Suffice it to say, dispatchers are the forefront of emergency law enforcement services. Their response to calls for service directly impact how effectively and quickly police officers, firefighters and other first responders arrive at critical incidents. It is also important to note that recruiting and retaining dispatchers is a deliberate, demanding, and, at times, challenging process. In addition to attracting talent in a competitive labor market, the City is tasked with finding the right people who are capable of the job, and who can pass the rigorous entry standards and tests. Moreover, with dispatching comes the pressure of responding quickly and calmly in life-threatening situations, situational stress due to the nature of dealing with emergency phone calls, and Hiring of Retired PERS Annuitant for Police Dispatch Supervisor 960 Program December 3, 2019 Page 3 of 3 often times long work hours. In fact, it is extremely common throughout California for Dispatcher trainees to quit during the training process. While the position comes with its challenges, the Department will seek out qualified candidates for the job. With the announcement of the Dispatch Supervisor’s retirement, it is recommended that the City Council approve the hiring of a retired PERS annuitant for a Police Dispatch Supervisor 960 Program through Calendar Year 2020. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS The proposed action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), and it can be seen with certainty that it will have no impact on the environment. Thus, this matter is exempt under CEQA. FISCAL IMPACT The designated retired annuitant position does not include medical or fringe benefits, which will result in a cost savings of approximately $50,000. In addition, the Department will experience a $5,700 savings in salary due to the cap on the number of hours the annuitant is eligible to work per fiscal year, resulting in a total cost savings of $55,700 over a one-year time period. The City’s financial obligation will be a maximum of $68,333 over the one-year period (the retired PERS annuitant’s current hourly wage based on two Fiscal Year periods of 960 hours each). The personnel cost for the first six months will be supported by the Dispatch Unit’s Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2019-20. The second half of the year will be budgeted and approved through the City’s budget adoption process for Fiscal Year 2020- 21. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council determines that this project is exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”); and approve the hiring of a retired PERS annuitant for a Police Dispatch Supervisor 960 Program. Attachment: Government Code Section 7522.56 and 21224 Descriptions