DATE: June 12, 2018
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Steven E. White, Director
Department of Public Works and Planning
SUBJECT: Salary Resolution Amendment
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve amendment to the Salary Resolution adjusting the salary range for Water/Wastewater Specialist II/III/Supervising, effective July 2, 2018, as reflected in Appendix F.
REPORT
The recommended action is consistent with direction from the County Administrative Office to aid in recruitment and retention efforts for the Water/Wastewater Specialist classification. Approval will adjust the salary range for the identified Water/Wastewater Specialist classifications. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If your Board were not to approve the recommended action, salary ranges for the Water/Wastewater classifications will remain unchanged and recruitment and retention issues will continue.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase to Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The salaries for the identified classifications are funded through the benefitting properties receiving water and wastewater service within multiple County Service Areas. The recommended salary adjustments are relatively minor to the overall water/wastewater expenses and will not initiate additional Proposition 218 hearings that are not already anticipated.
DISCUSSION:
The Department of Public Works and Planning manages the County’s Water and Wastewater function, and the following County job classifications are assigned to that effort: Water/Wastewater Specialist I, Water/Wastewater Specialist II, Water/Wastewater Specialist III and Supervising Water/Water Specialist.
The County of Fresno owns and operates, via County Service Areas (CSAs), 23 State regulated potable water systems and 12 State regulated wastewater systems that are scattered throughout the County between Tamarack (CSA 1) on the East side and El Porvenir (CSA 30) on the West side (see Attachment A). Because of the County’s organizational structure that combines the County’s water and wastewater functions, employees in the classifications noted above are required to obtain and maintain State Water Resources Control Board issued water and wastewater certifications. This, in turn, saves the County considerable cost by not having to staff the water and wastewater functions with separate sets of staff.
Due to the County’s need to require multiple certifications, the qualified candidate pool in California is limited. For example, as of August 2017 there were only 43 qualified operators within California that meet the Water/Wastewater Specialist III minimum qualifications.
At this time the County has one employee with the appropriate Grade 3 wastewater certification to operate all 12 County wastewater systems. Although this is legal, it is imperative that the County fill the two vacant positions with Grade 3 operators as soon as soon as possible.
A recruitment was conducted on a continuous basis from May 2017 to December 2017 at the current salary level and the Department only received one qualified candidate that met the Water/Wastewater Specialist III minimum qualifications but declined the interview. From November 2017 to May 2018, the Department also recruited for a Water/Wastewater Specialist I on a continuous basis, specifically requiring a Grade 1 wastewater certification. The Department received five qualified applicants, but none of those applicants were selected due to their lack of or limited skills and abilities.
Because of recent recruitment issues, the Department conducted a comparative analysis of certain Water/Wastewater classifications with local agencies. The results of the analysis clearly showed that the County is not competitive with the local market. Although most agencies designate Water and Wastewater into separate career paths, the requirement for multiple certifications also affects the salary range. Increasing the affected salary ranges will not only aid future recruitment efforts, but also with the retention of staff.
After consultation with County Human Resources and the County Administrative Office, the Department requests that your Board consider and approve the recommended changes in salary ranges as shown in Attachment B.
The Department will work with County Human Resources to determine the effect of the proposed increases on the recruitment and retention of Water/Wastewater classifications. Additional work between the two Departments may be required to develop incentives for employees within these classifications.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Appendix F
Attachment A
Attachment B
CAO ANALYST:
Sonia M. De La Rosa