REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 08/07/2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Human Resources Department
SUBJECT:
Title
SIDE LETTER WITH THE CITY OF CORONA PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION, AND THE CITY OF CORONA SUPERVISORS ASSOCIATION ADOPTING THE CITY OF CORONA POSITION LIBRARY AND COMPENSATION PLAN AND REPEALING ALL PRIOR PLANS, TO ADJUST SALARY RANGES IN THE UTILITIES DEPARTMENT
End
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to adopt the City of Corona Position Library and Compensation Plan updating the Water Operator I/II/III Flex, Water Reclamation Operator I/II/III Flex, Lead Water Operator, Lead Water Reclamation Operator, Deputy Chief Water Operator, Deputy Chief Water Reclamation Operator, Chief Water Operator, Chief Distribution Operator, and Chief Reclamation Operator compensation ranges. To fully effectuate this action, the City Council will consider authorizing the City Manager to sign a Side Letter with the Corona Public Service Employees Association and Corona Supervisors Association to reflect the salary range increases for the position titles mentioned above.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Adopt Resolution No. 2024-081, approving the City of Corona Position Library and Compensation Plan and repealing all prior Plans, including Resolution No. 2024-068, effective July 27, 2024.
b. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to approve the Side Letter of Agreement modifying the 2021-2024 Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Corona and the Corona Public Service Employees Association.
c. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to approve the Side Letter of Agreement modifying the 2021-2024 Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Corona and the Corona Supervisors Association.
Body
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
State regulations for public employers require disclosure of position classifications and corresponding compensation. In an effort to ensure compliance, and for even greater transparency, the City Council has previously adopted and updated the Position Library and Compensation Plan, a document that includes a list of all authorized employment positions for the City and their corresponding compensation rangers (“Plan”). The Plan provides organizational efficiency and permits departments to continue streamlining operations without impacting service levels. Additionally, it allows members of the public to see what any given position, even those not currently filled, is paid. To this end, it is essential to note that this document is strictly a resource document of available employment positions, as the positions listed will not necessarily be budgeted or funded in any given fiscal year. A list of full-time budgeted positions is located on the City’s website.
ANALYSIS:
The Water and Water Reclamation teams within the Operations Division of the Utilities Department are experiencing significant staffing challenges. Corona’s Utilities Department is attractive to lower-level operators due to its highly rated treatment processes, which provide the necessary service time for operators to obtain higher-level certifications.
Corona’s water distribution and treatment systems are rated as a Distribution Grade 5 and Treatment Grade 5, respectively, due to its complex blending plan, advanced treatment processes, and high-volume facilities. Similarly, the sewer treatment system is rated as a Grade V, attributed to the variety of treatment processes and higher flows at our tertiary treatment facilities. These high ratings require the City to maintain a minimum number of higher-certified operators as mandated by State of California permits.
To address critical staffing challenges and ensure compliance with the State of California’s permit requirements, staff proposes targeted salary adjustments for key positions within the Water and Water Reclamation teams.
The proposed adjustments are as follows:
• Increase of 9% for Water Operator I/II/III Flex
• Increase of 9% for Water Reclamation Operator I/II/III Flex
• Increase of 9% for Lead Water Operator
• Increase of 9% for Lead Water Reclamation Operator
• Increase of 8% for Deputy Chief Operator - Water
• Increase of 8% for Deputy Chief Operator - Water Reclamation
• Increase of 5.5% for Chief Distribution Operator
• Increase of 5.5% for Chief Water Operator
• Increase of 5.5% for Chief Reclamation Operator
These salary adjustments are crucial for several reasons. Firstly, they will help ensure that we can maintain the minimum number of higher-certified operators required by state permits. Secondly, by aligning our salaries with those offered by neighboring agencies, we can reduce the risk of losing our skilled operators to competitors. Lastly, stabilizing our workforce is essential for the continued high performance of our water distribution and treatment systems, as well as our sewer treatment facilities.
Given the necessity to maintain compliance with state regulations, provide competitive compensation, and ensure operational continuity, staff strongly recommends the approval of the proposed salary increases for the specified classifications within the Utilities Department.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Approval of the recommended actions will be retroactive to July 27, 2024. The pro-rated costs through the end of Fiscal Year 2025 will result in an estimated increase of $318,536. The Utilities Department’s personnel budget will be adjusted by a total of $318,536 as follows: Reclaimed Water Utility Fund 567 by $1,758, Water Utility Fund 570 by $182,570, and Sewer Utility Fund 572 by $134,208.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. This action will increase wages of employees within the Utilities Department and therefore not subject to CEQA. There is no possibility that the acceptance of this report will have a significant effect on the environment.
PREPARED BY: ANGELA RIVERA, CHIEF TALENT OFFICER
REVIEWED BY: BRETT CHANNING, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Position Library and Compensation Plan - Redline Version
2. Exhibit 2 - Resolution No. 2024-081, Position Library and Compensation Plan
3. Exhibit 3 - Side Letter to the 2021-2024 CPSEA MOU
4. Exhibit 4 - Side Letter to the 2021-2024 CSA MOU