REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: GEORGEANNE A. WHITE, City Manager
Office of the Mayor & City Manager
TJ MILLER, Interim Director
Personnel Services Department
BY: SANTINO DANISI, Controller
Finance Department
BRIAN BARR, Director
General Services Department
SCOTT MOZIER, Director
Public Works Department
GREGORY BARFIELD, Interim Director
Transportation Department
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to the FY24 Position Authorization Resolution No. 2023-184:
1: ***RESOLUTION - Adopt the 4th Amendment to Position Authorization Resolution (PAR) No. 2023-184, adding two (2) full-time positions in the Finance Department, two (2) full-time positions in the General Services Department, three (3) full-time positions in the Public Works Department, and three (3) full-time positions in the Transportation Department. (Subject to Mayor’s Veto).
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that Council authorize the adoption of the 4th Amendment to Position Authorization Resolution (PAR) No. 2023-184 adding a total of ten (10) full-time positions; two (2) to the Finance Department; two (2) to the General Services Department, three (3) to the Public Works Department; and three (3) to the Transportation Department.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The proposed amendment will add ten (10) full-time positions citywide to improve service delivery and project delivery throughout the City.
BACKGROUND
During the FY24 Budget build, departments were asked to be conservative in their requests for new positions in order to maintain a steady approach to staffing growth and balance available resources to the most important needs. As the City is currently three months into the new fiscal year, Finance, General Services, Public Works, and Transportation Department staff have identified the necessity for the additional personnel in order to adequately administer and manage the current and future needs.
Finance Department
The Finance Department is requesting the approval of two (2) additional positions. These additions are recommended to strengthen and restructure the Accounting Division. Currently, the department is constrained by key person dependency, lacking the ability to cross train and equip staff with varied skills to support their development. This is essential to developing a high-functioning accounting team. In addition to addressing these challenges, the restructuring will sharpen focus on key accounting functions, create appropriate division of duties, strengthen internal controls and procedures, and provide enhanced service and training for customers. Other goals for the division will be increased efficiency, enhanced support for end users of the financial system and intentionally building skill redundancy amongst staff.
• One (1) Division Manager will oversee the Accounting team comprised of Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Banking and Cash Management, and General Ledger Support sections. The Division Manager will have supervisory oversight of each of the aforementioned sections and will be responsible for implementing cross-training and building an overlapping skill plan for the team. The manager will be responsible for critical areas of work such as the development and completion of the City’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), annual 1099 processing, and completing various reports for the State Controller’s Office. The manager will develop Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for the Accounting division to assess and monitor performance. This will include comparative analysis and benchmarking KPI’s to industry standards. Lastly, the manager will develop a work plan to ensure all accounting procedures performed by the team have appropriate controls and documentation.
• One (1) Principal Accountant will oversee the Accounts Receivable team. This newly formed section will have responsibility of accounting for all deposits and incoming revenue sources to ensure accurate and timely processing. The Principal Accountant will oversee and supervise a Real Estate Finance Specialist and Senior Administrative Clerk. Together the team will work with third party agencies to collect aging debt. The team will also work closely with the City Attorney’s Office to ensure all loans are being tracked for compliance and monitored properly. The team will be responsible for training and supporting end-users throughout various departments on the proper procedures for recording deposits within the financial system.
The recommended action will be accommodated by salary savings in the current Fiscal Year 2024 PERS appropriations in the Finance Department.
General Services Department
The General Services Department’s Fleet Management Division is responsible for maintaining approximately 2,600 active vehicles and equipment for the City of Fresno. This includes vehicle acquisitions, whole life maintenance, fueling, and end of life disposal. Fleet management serves the city departments by providing reliable like new transportation to support their needs and service responsibilities. This is done by scheduling and performing preventative maintenance, making repairs when needed, and replacing equipment in a timely manner. To accomplish this goal, Fleet management needs support in acquisitions management and welding.
• One (1) Senior Management Analyst (Fleet Acquisitions): The addition of one full-time position of Senior Management Analyst will be responsible for the administration and interpretation of the upcoming Advanced Clean Fleet CARB regulation effective January 1, 2024. The new regulation was presented by General Services Department to Council in a workshop on May 25, 2023. These new regulations significantly alter the way the Fleet department will conduct business and require dedicated resources over the next ten plus years to ensure compliance. The Senior Management Analyst’s duties include the implementation of the CARB Advanced Clean Fleet zero emission vehicle mandate adopted on April 28, 2023, affecting 620 vehicles in the municipal fleet. Due to the late timing of the new regulation, this resource was not able to be considered in the FY24 budget submission. The full-time position will also analyze new zero emission vehicles technologies for reliable adoption in the city fleet, lead zero emission vehicle compliance regulation reporting, and ensure compliance with all applicable portions of the regulation. Additionally, the Senior Management Analyst will oversee the Fleet Acquisitions unit and assist with creating solutions in acquiring vehicles required by various internal City departments. This one full time position of Senior Management Analyst will be funded utilizing unanticipated FY2023 carryover from Fleet Management operations.
• One (1) Combination Welder (Fleet Management): The addition of one full-time position of Combination Welder will be responsible for welding and fabricating items for new vehicles. The workload of the welding shop has increased significantly over the past few years due to the volume of vehicles being added to the fleet, as well as the aging status of many of the vehicles still in service. Additionally, the Combination Welder will fabricate and repair parts for the refuse truck and claw loader fleet, to keep them in good working order. This one full time position of Combination Welder will be funded utilizing unanticipated FY2023 carryover from Fleet Management operations.
The recommended action will use Fiscal Year 2024 funding in The General Services Department, Fleet Management Operating Fund, generated through Inner Departmental billing.
Public Works Department
The Public Works Department is requesting the approval of additional positions in the Street Maintenance Division.
• Three (3) Concrete Finishers are needed in order to deliver the concrete repair program. In FY2023, the Street Maintenance Division missed 127 concrete pour days due to not having enough Concrete Finishers to perform the work. By having these three additional Concrete Finishers, the Department can eliminate the lost production of missed pour days and will be able to meet the increased demands of the additional projects funded by SB1 Gas Tax and other funding sources in FY2024 and beyond.
The recommended action will be accommodated by the current Fiscal Year 2024 PERS appropriations in the Public Works Department.
Transportation Department
The Department of Transportation/Fresno Area Express (FAX) is in need of three (3) positions to meet the workload demands in the Information Services (IS) section of the Administration Division and the Vehicle Maintenance and Facilities Maintenance sections of the Maintenance Division. The workload for those divisions remains consistent, and FAX seeks to eliminate the need for temporary and limited positions by adding the following full-time permanent positions:
• One (1) Computer Systems Specialist II for the Information Services section of the Administration Division. The expense for the position will be covered by FY2023 surplus of Transportation Development Act (TDA) Article 4 revenue, carried over and available in FY2024.
• Two (2) Custodians for the Vehicle Maintenance and Facilities Maintenance sections of the Maintenance Division. The expense for these positions will be covered by the annual allocation of funds from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Program 5307, which is sufficient to cover the proposed position additions.
There is no requirement to meet and confer with bargaining units over this PAR amendment as this is only increasing the number of employees in existing classifications.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
This is not a “project” for the purpose of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) Guidelines Section 15378 and is therefore exempt from the CEQA requirements.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference is not implicated because this item does not involve public contracting or bidding with the City of Fresno.
FISCAL IMPACT
There will be no impact to the General Fund in FY24. The Finance Department positions will be funded by salary savings in the current Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations. The General Services Department positions will be funded by the Fiscal Year 2024 Fleet Management Operating Fund which is generated through Inner Departmental billing. The Public Works Department positions will be funded by salary savings in the current Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations. The Transportation Department positions will be funded by a carryover of FY2023 Transportation Development Act Revenue and allocated funds from the Federal Transit Administration Program 5307.
In FY25, the Finance Department’s two (2) positions are projected to increase the cost to the General Fund by $259,240, covering both salaries and fringe. The General Services Department Internal Service Fund would need to increase their Base Charges to be ID Billed to other departments by $155,573 to cover their two (2) positions. The Public Works Department’s three (3) positions would be funded by the SB1 Gas Tax Revenue for the Concrete Repair Program and would result in a cost of $299,741 (salary and fringe). The Transportation Department’s Computer System Specialist has an estimated cost of $81,500 (salary and fringe) and is expected to be funded by the FY24 Article 4 Revenue Carryover. The two (2) Custodian positions requested by Transportation are estimated to cost $111,500 for both positions (salary and fringe) and would be covered by the FY25 Program 5307 funding allocation from the Federal Transit Administration.
Attachment:
Resolution - Fourth Amendment to Position Authorization Resolution No. 2023-184