DATE: October 23, 2018
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Jean M. Rousseau, County Administrative Officer
SUBJECT: Salary Resolution Amendments and Salary Adjustments for Appointed Department Heads/Assistant CAOs
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve Amendments to the Salary Resolution as reflected on Appendix C, effective October 22, 2018.
2. Approve a one-time, non-pensionable equalization payment of $1,000 for Unrepresented (excluding confidential classifications covered by Footnote “y”) and Management (excluding Deputy County Counsel I/II/III/IV/Senior) employees who have satisfactorily completed at least 26 consecutive pay periods at Step 9 in peak level classifications and Senior Management employees (excluding Department Heads) who have satisfactorily completed at least 26 consecutive pay periods in a Senior Management Band (by January 13, 2019), effective January 14, 2019.
3. Approve salary increases for appointed Department Head and Assistant County Administrative Officer salaries as proposed on Attachment A, effective October 22, 2018.
REPORT
Approval of the first recommended action will adjust salaries to maintain equity, parity, and for compaction with a represented subordinate classification series.
Approval of the second recommended action would provide for a one-time, non-pensionable equalization payment of $1,000 to employees who have satisfactorily completed at least 26 consecutive pay periods at Step 9 in peak level classifications or in a Senior Management Band by the date of the step structure conversion to maintain equity and parity amongst represented and unrepresented employees
Approval of the third recommended action, consistent with Board direction, would increase the salaries of Department Heads and Assistant County Administrative Officers (CAOs). All Department Heads would receive a 3% increase effective October 22, 2018. The recommended action also authorizes an additional 3% for the Directors of the Departments of Behavioral Health and Public Works & Planning and an additional 5% for the Assistant CAOs.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If your Board were not to approve the recommended actions, the salary resolution would remain unchanged. However, the Sheriff’s Public Information Officer would not be equitable to the Senior Administrative Analyst, the Chief of Investigations would not be equitable to Assistant Sheriff, and the Supervising Communications Dispatcher would be compacted at less than 10% with their represented subordinate. Additionally, tenured Unrepresented, Management and Senior Management employees who have satisfactorily completed 26 pay periods at their highest salary would not receive the non-pensionable equalization payment, which would cause an inequity due to only receiving the 2% salary adjustment with no additional enhancements. Finally, Department Heads and the Assistant CAOs would not receive a salary increase.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions.
The remaining FY 2018-19-estimated cost for the Public Information Officer reclassification is $27,019 with $17,563 in Net County Cost (NCC). Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Sheriff-Coroner Org 3111 FY 2018-19 Adopted Budget.
The remaining FY 2018-19-estimated cost for the Chief of Investigations salary adjustment is $12,042, with $7,225 in NCC. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the District Attorney-Public Administrator Org 2860 FY 2018-19 Adopted Budget.
The remaining FY 2018-19-estimated cost for the Supervising Communications Dispatcher compaction adjustment is $15,850, with $10,302 in NCC. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Sheriff-Coroner Org 3111 FY 2018-19 Adopted Budget.
The total estimated cost of Recommended Action No. 2 is approximately $430,600; $103,452 in NCC. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the affected department’s FY 2018-19 Adopted Budgets.
The total estimated cost of Recommended Action No. 3 is approximately $167,702; $79,794 in NCC. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the affected department’s FY 2018-19 Adopted Budgets.
DISCUSSION:
Recommended Action No. 1
• Reclassification of Sheriff’s Public Information Officer and Senior Administrative Analyst to Public Information Officer
Currently, two classifications are responsible for disseminating public relations activities on behalf of the County. The Sheriff-Coroner’s Office has a Sheriff’s Public Information Officer designated as a management classification that provides public relations updates exclusively for the Sheriff’s Office. The County Administrative Office has tasked this responsibility to a Senior Administrative Analyst who provides public relations updates through various media forms on behalf of the entire County. Since both positions perform equitable functions, approval of the first recommended action will reclassify the positions to the Senior Management classification as a Public Information Officer. For parity purposes, the compensation for the Public Information Officer will be equivalent to the salary earned by Senior Analysts countywide and each position will remain allocated to the respective Office. The Sheriff’s Public Information Officer will be reclassified upwards and the increased cost absorbed within the Sheriff Coroner’s Office appropriations while the Senior Administrative Analyst will be a lateral reclassification with no increase or adjustment to the current salary.
• Adjust the Chief of Investigations salary from Band D to Band C
As the District Attorney-Public Administrator’s Office continues to review operational efficiencies, the Chief of Investigations role has evolved as the only key advisor from their administrative staff that manages operations between attorney, investigative, and civilian staff. Under the Chief of Investigation’s direction, District Attorney Investigators are now involved in complex violent crime investigations with State and Federal task forces that require cooperation with law enforcement partners to expand resources and better prosecute cases, including the development of new investigative units within the District Attorney Bureau of Investigations. Due to the increase in responsibilities and critical nature of law enforcement services provided, approval of the first recommended action will place the Chief of Investigations salary equitable to the Assistant Sheriff for parity purposes.
• Adjust the Supervising Communications Dispatcher salary to maintain a 10% spread with subordinate classification
As initially approved by the Board on April 25, 2017, approval of the first recommended action will adjust the Supervising Communications Dispatcher salary range to maintain a 10% spread between the Supervising Communications Dispatcher classification and its subordinate classification. This adjustment is the result of negotiated salary increases for Unit 1 - Fresno Deputy Sheriff’s Association that became effective July 2, 2018.
• Update to Pre-Authorized Extra-Help Classifications
Lastly, approval of the first recommended action will update Salary Resolution, Subsection 1114.2.1 - Classifications, to include Forensic Autopsy Technician (JCN 1530), pre-authorizing the Sheriff-Coroner’s Office to utilize the classification without employment limitations (unless the employee is a Fresno County Employees’ Retirement Association retiree) in order to deliver service timely and effectively.
Recommended Action No. 2
• Approve a one-time, non-pensionable equalization payment of $1,000 for Unrepresented (excluding confidential classifications covered by Footnote “y”) and Management (excluding Deputy County Counsel I/II/III/IV/Senior) employees who have satisfactorily completed at least 26 consecutive pay periods at Step 9 in peak level classifications and Senior Management employees (excluding Department Heads) who have satisfactorily completed at least 26 consecutive pay periods in a Senior Management Band (by January 13, 2019), effective January 14, 2019
The County has negotiated terms with various bargaining units (previously approved on June 12, 2018 for Management [MGT] and unrepresented [UNR] classifications) to convert the current 9-step salary structure to a 5-step salary structure, thereby increasing step intervals from 3.125% to 5%. As a result of this conversion, individuals between steps 1 and 8 will receive an increase (percentage varies by step) that accommodates the enhanced step structure. However, because the established ceiling of the current ninth step will become the new fifth step, individuals at the top step will not see an increase as a result of the ceiling remaining the same. Accordingly, approval of the second recommended action would provide for a one-time, non-pensionable equalization payment of $1,000 to employees who have satisfactorily completed at least 26 consecutive pay periods at Step 9 in peak level classifications by the date of the step structure conversion. Otherwise, these individuals would only experience the 2% increase and no enhancements would result from the step structure conversion. Furthermore, the one-time, non-pensionable equalization $1,000 payment is extended to individuals in Senior Management (SMG) classifications (excluding Department Heads) who have met similar requirements of having satisfactorily completed at least 26 consecutive pay periods in an SMG Band by the effective date, as they too will only have received the 2% adjustment in 2018. Approval of the second recommended action would serve to maintain equity and parity amongst represented and unrepresented employees. FCERA has confirmed that the $1,000 equalization payment would not be pensionable. The Board of Retirement approved the new earn code EQP for the equalization payment at their October 3, 2018 Board meeting.
Recommended Action No. 3
• Department Head and Assistant County Administrative Officer Salary Increase Effective October 22, 2018
Approval of the third recommended action, consistent with Board direction, would increase the salaries of Department Heads and the Assistant CAO’s. Department Heads would receive a 3% increase effective October 22, 2018. Your Board has approved salary increases for represented employees this year ranging from 2% to 5%. Represented employees that have reached agreement for a 2% increase this year will also benefit from the conversion from the current 9-step salary structure to a 5-step salary structure, thereby increasing step intervals from 3.125% to 5%. Because of this conversion, individuals between steps 1 and 8 will receive an increase as part of the enhanced step structure. Therefore, granting Department Heads a 3% increase is consistent with, and within range of, increases provided to represented employees. Appointed Department Heads last received an increase on March 27, 2017. Approval of the third recommended action will also authorize an additional 3% equity adjustment for the Directors of the Departments of Behavioral Health and Public Works & Planning. Finally, the third recommended action authorizes an additional 5% for the Assistant CAO’s. The current Assistant CAO’s were hired or promoted on March 14, 2016 at an annual salary that was 6.12% less than the prior incumbent with authority to receive an additional 5% after one year of satisfactory performance. Subsequently, your Board approved a 5% increase for appointed Department Heads effective March 27, 2017 that did not include Assistant CAO’s. The recommended action grants the additional 5% that was given to Department Heads.
Elected Department Heads are not impacted by this action. Pursuant to the Fresno County Charter, Section 12(b), the salaries of Elected Department Heads may not be increased or decreased during the four-year elected term. The Board approved salary increases for the next four-year term on November 14, 2017 and the first increase is effective January 7, 2019.
OTHER REVIEWING AGENCIES:
FCERA reviewed the one-time equalization payment of $1,000 for Unrepresented and determined it is non-pensionable.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #40, June 12, 2018 - Sal Res Amendments for UNR/MGT
BAI #35, November 14, 2017 - Resolution Setting Elected Department Head Salaries
BAI #39, April 25, 2017 - Salary Adjustment for Supervising Communications Dispatcher
BAI #31.1, April 4, 2017 - Salary Adjustments for Appointed Department Heads
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Appendix C
Attachment A
CAO ANALYST:
Sonia De La Rosa