REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: SUMEET MALHI, Director
Personnel Services Department
FRANCISCO PARTIDA, Interim Director
Airports Department
PAUL AMICO, PE, Director
Department of Public Utilities
GREGORY A. BARFIELD, M.A., Director
Department of Transportation
BY: SANDRA CHAVEZ MARTIN, Assistant Director
Personnel Services Department
SUBJECT
Title
***RESOLUTION - Adopt the Fourth Amendment to the Position Authorization Resolution (PAR) No. 2025-178, adding ten (10) Permanent, Full-Time Positions in the Airports Department; adding four (4) Permanent, Full-Time Positions in the Department of Public Utilities Water Division; and adding two (2) Permanent, Full-Time Positions and ten (10) Unfunded full-time Positions in the Department of Transportation/Fresno Area Express (FAX), effective May 4, 2026 (Subject to Mayor’s Veto)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that Council authorize the adoption of the Fourth Amendment (Amendment) to the PAR No. 2025-178, by adding:
• Ten (10) Permanent, Full-Time Positions in the Airports Department that include two (2) Airports Operations Officer I’s, two (2) Airports Public Safety Agent I’s, one (1) Airports Systems Technician, one (1) Air Conditioning Mechanic, and four (4) Custodians;
• Four (4) Permanent, Full-Time Positions in the Department of Public Utilities Water Division that include two (2) Water Distribution/Production Technician, one (1) Water Distribution/Production Specialist, and one (1) Senior Water Distribution/Production Operator; and
• Two (2) Permanent, Full-Time Positions in the Department of Transportation/Fresno Area Express (FAX) that include one (1) Bus Equipment Attendant Leadworker and one (1) Equipment Service Worker I; and ten (10) unfunded Student Bus Driver positions.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff in the Airports Department are seeking approval to add ten (10) permanent, full-time positions to support the increased operational, maintenance, safety, and custodial demands created by the airport’s new terminal expansion.
In addition, staff in the Department of Public Utilities are seeking approval to add four (4) Permanent, Full-Time Positions. The Water Division is responsible for all repairs, major maintenance, and replacement of over 14,000 fire hydrants across the City’s water service area. There is currently a backlog of 345 fire hydrants requiring repair, maintenance, or replacement. This Amendment establishes a dedicated fire hydrant maintenance crew to address the backlog and implement a more structured and proactive maintenance program. The proposed team will focus exclusively on inspection follow-ups, timely repairs, and replacement of aging or inoperable hydrants to increase reliability and emergency response effectiveness, and strengthen public safety infrastructure.
Finally, FAX intends to replace its existing detailing and seat replacement contract service with an in-house team and is seeking two (2) permanent, full-time positions within the Vehicle Maintenance Division. This will enable FAX to offset the program expense with contract savings, and recoup eighty percent of the expense from federal funding sources. The positions will also further enhance the effectiveness of the Adult Offender Work Program (AOWP) by increasing oversight and training of community service workers. Within the Operations Division, FAX requests to add ten (10) unfunded Student Bus Driver positions to stay ahead of the recruitment schedule. These zero-cost positions will allow FAX to recruit bus drivers more consistently, ensuring adequate staffing levels to minimize service interruptions due to natural staff turnover.
BACKGROUND
To support the City’s operational needs and ensure continued delivery of high-quality services, staff recommends adding positions across three departments. These positions will address workload demands, enhance service capacity, and strengthen critical functions that have expanded in scope.
Airports Department
To support the increased operational, maintenance, safety, and custodial demands created by the airport’s terminal expansion, the Airports Department is requesting ten (10) positions. The project added significant new mechanical equipment, tripled the length of the baggage system, expanded the facility by 98,000 square feet, and increased 24/7 passenger activity. To ensure reliable operations, maintain safety and cleanliness, and provide consistent service levels, additional skilled staff are required across HVAC maintenance, systems support, custodial services, airport operations, and public safety functions.
• One (1) Air Conditioning Mechanic - The terminal expansion project added 68 new devices that will need to be maintained, in addition to the 126 existing units currently maintained by this trade. This position is needed to support the facilities and increased maintenance workload.
• One (1) Airports Systems Technician - The baggage system has expanded from 800 feet to more than 3,000 feet. This position is needed to oversee, troubleshoot, and maintain the expanded baggage system to ensure efficient, continuous operations and minimize downtime that impacts airline and passenger services.
• Four (4) Custodians - The terminal expansion added 98,000 square feet of new public and operational space. Combined with increased customer traffic through our 24/7 operations, additional custodial staff is required to maintain cleanliness, safety, and service standards throughout the expanded facilities.
• Two (2) Airports Operations Officer I - These positions will help oversee the 24/7 operation of the new terminal expansion. Duties include monitoring and assisting with flights, airfield activities, passenger flow, responding to incidents, and conducting required safety and regulatory inspections. The additional officers will help ensure operational continuity and compliance amid the increased activity from the new terminal areas.
• Two (2) Airports Public Safety Agent I - With more terminal space and higher passenger volumes, additional Public Safety Agents are needed to monitor ground traffic, escalators, gates, and public areas. These positions will help identify and report safety hazards, unattended baggage, and suspicious activities, supporting a safe and secure environment for passengers and employees.
Department of Public Utilities Water Division
The DPU Water Division is responsible for maintaining over 14,000 fire hydrants across the City’s water service area to ensure operational readiness for emergency response. The Fresno City Fire Department conducts annual hydrant inspections and performs routine maintenance activities that include flushing, lubrication, and painting. When valve maintenance, repairs, or potential replacements are identified, service requests are sent to the Water Division for assessment and completion of the work.
Currently, hydrant maintenance activities are performed alongside other essential operation and maintenance priorities, limiting the Water Division’s ability to address the growing backlog of 345 fire hydrants requiring repair and replacement. The proposed addition of dedicated staff will allow the Water Division to implement a structured hydrant maintenance and replacement program that will focus on eliminating the backlog and addressing the routine hydrant maintenance workload that consists of an average of 1,400 service requests per year. This approach will allow the Water Division to transition from reactive maintenance to a proactive, preventive strategy designed to improve repair response times and reduce the number of out-of-service hydrants, which will enhance system performance and ensure consistent service delivery. The positions requested to support these duties are:
• Two (2) Water Distribution/Production Technicians
• One (1) Water Distribution/Production Specialist
• One (1) Senior Water Distribution/Production Operator
Department of Transportation/FAX
FAX operates a fixed-route bus fleet of 147 heavy-duty compressed natural gas (CNG), battery electric buses (BEBs), and hydrogen fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs), which provide 363 days of transit service to the residents of the City and County of Fresno each year, accruing over 5.4 million vehicle service miles and providing more than 10 million rides per year. To meet growing demand from our community, from fiscal year 2024 to fiscal year 2026, FAX expanded transit service by 44,000 service hours and added 460,000 fleet miles annually.
The recent customer satisfaction survey revealed that seat condition was among the lowest-rated aspects of service, particularly among high school students and business professionals. To maintain and grow ridership, FAX must address these concerns early to ensure long-term loyalty. The proposal of two (2) additional positions to the Vehicle Maintenance Division will enable FAX to implement a seat cleaning and replacement program, and to increase the frequency of deep cleaning of buses so each bus in the fleet is detailed no fewer than six (6) times per year:
• One (1) Bus Equipment Attendant Leadworker
• One (1) Equipment Service Worker I
In addition, FAX currently contracts with an outside vendor to detail the entire fleet four (4) times per year for $132,000. Bringing this service in-house will result in a reduction in corresponding expenses. Both positions will be supported by federal funds, which displaces eighty percent of their cost.
To ensure adequate staffing levels and to minimize bus service interruptions due to staff shortages, FAX also intends to add Student Bus Driver positions as a strategy to increase the average number of positions filled within the Operations Division:
• Ten (10) unfunded Student Bus Driver
Due to the length of the recruitment process, and the ten-week Bus Driver training program, FAX realizes an average vacancy rate of ten (10) full-time Bus Drivers, equivalent to 20,000 hours of service. The availability of ten (10) additional Student Bus Driver positions will allow the department to stay ahead of the recruitment process, resulting in an increase to the average number of positions filled within the Operations Division that would otherwise be delayed until 8-10 Bus Driver vacancies exist before beginning a new recruitment. Approving these zero-cost positions will reduce overtime and service cancelations.
The City Attorney’s Office has approved the Fourth Amendment to the Position Authorization Resolution (PAR) No. 2025-178 as to form.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
This request to amend the PAR does not qualify as a project for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 and is therefore exempt from the CEQA requirements.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference is not applicable to this action, as this request to amend the PAR does not involve a contract award.
FISCAL IMPACT
Airports Department
There will be no impact to the General Fund. The Airports Department positions will be funded by FY26 appropriations.
Department of Public Utilities
There will be no impact to the General Fund. The DPU positions will be funded by FY26 appropriations.
Department of Transportation/FAX
There is no impact to the General Fund. The FAX positions will be funded by FY26 appropriations.
Attachment:
Resolution - Fourth Amendment to PAR 2025-178