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Report regarding a resolution amending the City of South San Francisco wage and salary schedule and amending the position allocation for the Economic and Community Development Department for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 (Leah Lockhart, Human Resources Director)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Staff recommends that City Council approve a resolution amending the City of South San Francisco wage and salary schedule to establish the classification of Economic Development Specialist, and amending the position allocation for the Economic and Community Development Department to include an additional Assistant Building Official position.
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BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The City maintains a salary and wage schedule (“salary schedule”) for all positions of employment with the City, and any amendments to the schedule are subject to City Council approval. The salary schedule is typically updated at the beginning of each fiscal year, and as needed to implement negotiated rate increase or other recommended changes to job classifications and salary ranges. As a part of the reorganization of the Economic and Community Development Department, staff is recommending the following changes to the City salary schedule as well as a change to the departmental position allocation included in the fiscal year 2022-2023 budget:
Economic Development Specialist (New Classification)
The 2022-2023 fiscal year budget included funds and position changes for a substantial reorganization of the Housing and Economic Development divisions within the Economic and Community Development Department. Within the Economic Development division, two vacant Economic Development Coordinator positions were replaced with a higher-level Economic Development Manager position and a lower-level Economic Development Specialist. In November, 2022, Council approved the Economic Development Manager classification and salary schedule, and that position has since been filled. The proposed Economic Development Specialist is a professional, journey-level classification that will report to the Economic Development Manager. The recommended salary for the Economic Development Specialist is $9,006 to $10,889 monthly, which is equivalent to the Management Analyst II classification. The job description for Economic Development Specialist is included as Attachment 1.
Assistant Building Official (New Allocation)
The current fiscal year budget also included funds for a proposed new classification of Plans Examiner/Building Inspector to better support plan check and inspection operations in the Building Division. After review of the division’s staffing needs and analysis of the existing classification and salary structure, staff recommends re-allocating this position to the classification of Assistant Building Official. Currently, the division is staffed with one Assistant Building Official. This position supervises the daily operations of building inspection, plan review, and administration, as well as performs the more advanced and complex inspection work. The proposed change will allow one Assistant Building Official to supervise building inspection operations, with the second position supervising and coordinate plan check permits center operations. The second Assistant Building Official will also perform the more complex plan review assignments, including a portion of work that is currently handled by outside consultants. The Assistant Building Official is an existing classification listed in the current salary schedule, and no changes to the salary schedule are needed. The proposed resolution will reallocate positions within the Building Division budget by replacing the Plans Examiner/Building Inspector with an Assistant Building Official.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Economic Development Specialist position was included in the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 budget, with an estimated cost that is higher than that of the proposed compensation for the position. The proposed salary range for the position results in an annual total compensation expenditure that is $38,747 below the currently budgeted amount.
Funds were also included in the current fiscal year operating budget to add a Plans Examiner/Building Inspector position within the Building Division. Replacing this position with an Assistant Building Official results in a cost increase of approximately $54,243 annually.
The total net cost for both changes is approximately $15,496 annually. As new positions typically take 60-90 days to fill, no budget amendment is necessary for the remainder current fiscal year, however, these changes will be incorporated in the proposed Fiscal Year budget for 2023-2024. It is anticipated that the inclusion of the second Assistant Building Official will reduce reliance on outside plan review consultants, thereby absorbing the additional costs, and this change will be reflected in the proposed budget.
RELATIONSHIP TO STRATEGIC PLAN
This action supports City Council’s strategic priority of Workforce Development, by ensuring that the City maintains a competitive compensation package to attract and retain a high-performance workforce, and ensuring the necessary staffing structure to enable effective service to the community.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Job Description for Economic Development Specialist