DATE: February 6, 2024
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Kirk Haynes, Chief Probation Officer
SUBJECT: Salary Resolution Amendment
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve Amendment to the Salary Resolution adding 13 positions and increasing allocations in Probation Org 3430, effective February 5, 2024, as reflected in Appendix C; and
2. Approve Amendment to the Salary Resolution deleting 2 vacant positions from Probation Org 3430, effective February 5, 2024, as reflected in Appendix C; and
3. Approve Amendment to the Salary Resolution deleting 11 vacant positions from Probation Org 3440, effective February 5, 2024, as reflected in Appendix C.
REPORT
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the approval of the recommended actions. Approval of the first recommended action will allow the Department to add 2 Supervising Program Technician - Confidential, 1 Program Technician - Confidential, 1 Senior Business Systems Analyst, 1 Senior Staff Analyst, 1 Supervising Accountant, 3 Staff Analyst, and 4 Program Technician positions to Probation Org 3430. This action will also add 1 Principal Accountant allocation to Probation Org 3430. Approval of the second recommended action will delete 1 vacant Chief Office Assistant and 1 vacant Information Technology Analyst IV position from Probation Org 3430. Approval of the third recommended action will delete 5 vacant Senior Juvenile Correctional Officer and 6 vacant Juvenile Correctional Officer positions from Probation Org 3440. Approval of all recommended actions will result in no net increase of positions in the Department. The Department conducted a review of current workloads and staffing levels and it was determined that the addition of these positions is essential for the delivery of high-quality services to the county residents and to comply with state and federal regulations. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board could choose not to approve the Salary Resolution Amendment and the Probation Department’s positions would remain unchanged.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the approval of the recommended actions. The estimated cost, for the remainder of FY 2023-24, to add the 13 positions in Probation Org 3430 is $555,787, which will be fully offset by the deletion of the 13 positions in Probations Orgs 3430 and 3440. The Department will allocate budgeted Net County Cost and Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act funds as needed to cover any associated costs in FY 2023-24, if expended. Due to anticipated salary savings, there are sufficient appropriations available to absorb any costs incurred in Probation Org 3430 FY 2023-24 Adopted Budget.
DISCUSSION:
The Probation Department is proposing a reorganization of its Administrative Services and Personnel Development & Research Divisions to better support the goals of the Department, to deliver high-quality services to the county residents, and to assist with compliance of state and federal regulations.
Over the years, the Probation Department has seen continued budget and programmatic growth. Between FY 2016-17 and FY 2023-24, the Department’s budget has increased 47%, or roughly $36.8 million, to a total of $115,012,126. The Probation Department also functions as the fiscal agent for the Community Corrections Partnership (CCP), oversees the budget development, and provides administrative support. The CCP budget also grown over the years and its FY 2023-24 Budget surpassed $55.4 million. Current administrative and fiscal support staffing levels are no longer sufficient to meet the goals and objectives of the department and to ensure that state and federal regulations are met. Approval of the administrative and fiscal positions will ensure that the staff have the skills, resources, and support they need to deliver high-quality work and meet all expectations.
During this time frame, the Department has also increased the number of allocated positions and responsibilities of the Personnel Unit without the addition of support personnel. The workload of the Personnel Unit has increased due to the additional responsibilities imposed by main County Human Resources to the individual departments (e.g. NeoGov data entry, implementation of Onboarding, COVID procedures, EDD unemployment claims, REACH requests, processing of retention pay, and the increased amount of paperwork in general to be processed and scanned). Furthermore, due to the increased number of leave of absences, ADA/FEHA restrictions, and on the job injuries, to meet state and federal guidelines, the additional positions are needed.
The supervisory level positions will improve span of control in the Department’s Personnel, Automation, Management Support, and Business Office operations. These positions are needed as the current span of control is too large and managers are overwhelmed by the workload and responsibilities. Resulting in the inability to provide adequate guidance and feedback to their subordinates.
With this reorganization, the Department hopes to attain an optimal span of control where upper management is connected to work happening on the ground and where middle managers spend more time managing and some of their time improving operations and on other highly impactful projects.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Salary Resolution Amendment - Appendix C
CAO ANALYST:
Fine Nai