HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 3.D 01/06/2020Agenda Item #3.D
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DATE: January 6, 2020
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council through City Manager
FROM: Jason Beatty, Interim Director, Public Works & Utilities Department
SUBJECT: Resolution Authorizing the Position Allocation of an Additional Parks
Maintenance Worker I/II
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a resolution authorizing the position allocation of an additional Parks Maintenance
Worker II position.
BACKGROUND
Parks maintenance staff maintains 46 parks that cover over 460 acres, two swim centers and over
20 play structures. In 2007, parks maintenance staff consisted of fourteen full time employees
and were augmented by two or three part-time employees. The current staff is 8 full time
maintenance workers. Parks acreage was around 300 acres in 2007 and has increase to around
460 acres today. That number equates to approximately 60 acres per worker compared to 20
acres per worker in 2007. Due to the low number of staff and increased acreage, the parks
maintenance staff has implemented a strategy of streamlined maintenance that allows for
mowing, some very minimal trash and leaf pickup, and moving on to the next site. Irrigation
repairs are done on an as needed basis often at the expense of other parks duties.
Park maintenance staff has been using mechanical methods for weed abatement, which requires
significant labor and time to keep areas weed free. While staff have long followed a practice of
minimal use of glyphosate in City Parks, Parks staff voluntarily suspended its use in 2016. This
was followed by the subsequent ban on the use of glyphosate by the City last year. These
maintenance strategies are significantly more labor-intensive than using chemicals and have
created a tremendous amount of deferred maintenance throughout the City. Additionally, the
City will be considering moving toward a pesticide -free approach in its updated Integrated Pest
Management Plan, which will continue to require additional labor to implement.
Prior to the current fiscal year, the Parks Maintenance crew was comprised of one Parks
Maintenance Lead Worker providing day-to-day direction to a team of seven Parks Maintenance
Workers. On July 1, 2019, the City Council approved resolution 2019-098 which modified this
structure by eliminating a Parks Maintenance Worker and adding an additional Parks
Maintenance Lead Worker, creating a crew of two Parks Maintenance Lead Workers and six
Parks Maintenance Worker IIs.
DISCUSSION
Since the modification that was authorized in July, Parks Maintenance has continued to struggle
with workload issues, as that change was a workload reallocation and did not add any additional
positions to the Parks team. The situation was compounded by an employee being out on a long-
terin medical leave. Since the position is still filled but unable to complete duties as the
employee recovers, the Parks Maintenance crew remains understaffed for the eight employees it
is authorized.
Due to the workload impacts of the long-term medical leave situation, staff is proposing to add a
regular full-time Parks Maintenance Worker I/II position. When the next Parks Maintenance
Worker vacancy occurs (through attrition, retirement, resignation, etc), staff would recommend
eliminating the vacant position; thereby creating no long-term increase in Parks Maintenance
staffing or ongoing long-terin increase in cost to the City.
While hiring a "provisional" or temporary employee may be an alternative, staff is concerned
about the ability to recruit a skilled employee for a relatively short-term opening. Therefore, the
recommendation is to allocate an additional regular full-time Parks Maintenance Worker I/II and
subsequently eliminate a vacant Parks Maintenance Worker I/II position when the next vacancy
occurs.
The Parks Maintenance Worker I/II classification is represented by Bargaining Unit 2, American
Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees ("AFSCME"). AFSCME has reviewed
the proposed action and is supportive of the proposal.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
This item was listed on the agenda of the December 16, 2019 City Council Agenda, published in
accordance with public noticing requirements. As noted above, the City discussed the proposed
actions with AFSCME and AFSCME is in agreement with the City's approach.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS
The full annual cost of a Parks Maintenance Worker I/II is estimated to be between $94,505 and
$107,695. Thus, for the remainder of the current fiscal year, the impact to the 2019/20 General
Fund budget is estimated to be $54,000 (assuming a Parks Maintenance Worker II level for six
months). The cost for the position may continue into fiscal 2021, depending upon when a
vacancy occurs.
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution
K
Attachment 1
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE POSITION ALLOCATION FOR AN
ADDITIONAL PARKS MAINTENANCE WORKER II POSITION
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Works and Utilities has inadequate
staffing to complete park maintenance; and,
WHEREAS, the addition of one Park Maintenance Worker II position will allow
staff to provide increased maintenance services at the City's parks; and,
WHEREAS, the City Manager/Personnel Officer has determined that certain
duties and responsibilities are appropriately allocated to the classification of Parks
Maintenance Worker II;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of
Petaluma hereby:
1. Authorizes the allocation of one additional Parks Maintenance Worker
position in the Parks and Facilities Maintenance Division of the Public Works
and Utilities Department effective upon the adoption of this Resolution.
3