REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: AARON A. AGUIRRE, Director
Parks, After School, Recreation, and Community Services Department
ALDI RAMIREZ, Assistant Director
Parks, After School, Recreation, and Community Services Department
BY: DARY BOUALAMSY, Business Manager
Parks, After School, Recreation, and Community Services Department
SUBJECT
Title
***RESOLUTION - Adopt the Eighth Amendment to the Position Authorization Resolution (“PAR") No. 2022-153 entitled, “A Resolution of the Council of the City of Fresno establishing the number of positions authorized in the various departments and offices of the City for Fiscal Year 2023,” to add a total of four positions: one full time Projects Administrator; one full time Program Manager; and two full time Senior Management Analysts, in the Parks, After School, Recreation, and Community Services (“PARCS”) Department. (Subject to Mayor’s veto).
Body
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends City Council adopt the Eighth Amendment to the Position Authorization Resolution (PAR) No. 2022-153 to add four total positions: one full time Project Administrator; one full time Program Manager; and two full time Senior Management Analysts to the PARCS Department in order to provide adequate staffing to administer current and future capital projects; to administer new grants, subcontractors, and City contracts; and to manage recreation programming for Aquatics, Action Sports and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff have identified the need for additional personnel in order to adequately administer and manage the current and future needs of the City of Fresno PARCS Department in key areas, including capital projects administration; grants, contracts, and purchasing; youth sports and recreation; and neighborhood safety & community development. The addition of one Project Administrator, one Program Manager, and two Senior Management Analysts will utilize appropriations in Fiscal Year 2023 from the following funds: $44,600 of Measure P expenditure category 1; $14,300 Measure P expenditure category 3; and $1,400 from Federal Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grant (BJA) which will fund 10% of the Senior Management Analyst position in the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Community Engagement (ONSCE). Expected onboarding of positions will begin June 1, 2023.
BACKGROUND
During the Department’s Fiscal Year 2023 midyear budget review, appropriations were identified to support a total of four additional positions: one Projects Administrator; one Program Manager; and two Senior Management Analysts. These positions are needed to adequately implement administrative, engagement, management, supervisory, and reporting activities across several functions including recreation, ONSCE grants administration, contract and procurement compliance, and the large and growing portfolio of capital projects.
1. Projects Administrator: PARCS is requesting to add one additional full-time position of Projects Administrator for the implementation of the $67 million capital portfolio representing approximately 182 distinct projects in the current fiscal year. In the current year, PARCS anticipates expending or encumbering $24,251,965 million of the current year capital appropriations, representing an increase of 197% over Fiscal Year 2022 expenditures. The Projects Administrator role serves as the primary owner representative for coordinating project activities, reporting, and funding across all internal and external stakeholders. This one additional position of Projects Administrator in the PARCS Department will allow: 1) increased focus on each project to improve quality of stakeholder engagement; 2) increased responsiveness and speed across entire portfolio to respond to emerging project-related issues; 3) cost-savings through rigorous project oversight to ensure consultant and contractor performance aligns with primary scope objectives; 4) improved project outcomes by ensuring projects are scoped in a comprehensive, cost-effective fashion; 5) additional funding by coordinating internally to provide project information pertinent to the pursuit of grants and other funding mechanisms. Approving the one full time position of Projects Administrator will address capacity to adequately manage and increase the capital projects pipeline, ultimately resulting in more improvements funded and implemented. The position will not result in a new impact to the General Fund because PARCS Project Administrators project cost directly to the projects they are working on. PARCS proposes to continue to utilize this approach.
2. Program Manager (Recreation): PARCS is requesting one full time position of Program Manager to manage programming for Aquatics, Action Sports, and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program. These programs are currently managed by one incumbent Program Manager who is responsible for oversight of programs including: Camp Fresno Youth Recreation, Youth Sports, Adult Sports, Aquatics, the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program, and Action Sports. Many of these programs experience a significant increase in activities and events during spring and summer months, which causes severe capacity constraints during times of peak activity when planning, oversight, supervision, and quick adaptation to changing conditions are most critical. The addition of one full time position of Program Manager is designated specifically for Aquatics, Action Sports, and Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Programing to allow current operations to be sustainably implemented while identifying opportunities for improvement and expansion. Aquatics programming includes recreation swim and swim lessons at ten City pools, up to seven Fresno Unified School District pools and one Central Unified School District pool; CPR and First Aid Certification instruction for all lifeguards as well as for the public; and the Junior Lifeguard Program. Aquatics programs require temporary and seasonal staffing of over 100 employees. Action Sports includes the Woodward Park BMX Program and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program. Woodward Park BMX holds USA BMX sanctioned races every Thursday night and Sunday morning, and practices on Saturday mornings. Program participants include both youth and adults. The Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program is a grant-funded year-round program with specific goals and strategies to help reduce the number of persons killed and injured in crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists. This program includes classroom education, bicycle rodeos, community events, presentations, and workshops conducted in community areas with high numbers of pedestrian and/or bicycle-related crashes including underserved communities, older adults, and school-aged children. This addition of one full time position of Program Manager will provide improved program oversight and staff development, improving overall quality of guest services. This position will be funded under Measure P expenditure category 3 - Youth and Senior Recreation Programs.
3. Senior Management Analyst (ONSCE): The addition of one full time position of Senior Management Analyst will be responsible for managing ONSCE Division grants, subcontractors, and City contracts; coordinating grantee meetings and audits; verifying and processing invoices; developing and submitting funders’ quarterly progress reporting and data entry; coordinating and verifying grant subcontractor expenditures; and assisting with grantee audits, site visits, and findings follow-up. The ONSCE Division experienced an influx of grants and contracts under management from $1,543,000 to $5,167,160 within Fiscal Year 2023. This expansion of activity requires grant and contract administrative support in order to maintain positive and productive working relationships resulting in compliant grant reimbursements. This one full time position of Senior Management Analyst will be funded 10% by Federal Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grant (BJA) funding and future grant fund applications will include requests to fund the balance of the position. Until such grants are identified, 90% of the position will be funded from Measure P expenditure category 1 - Improving and Maintain Safe, Clean Neighborhood Parks and Playgrounds.
4. Senior Management Analyst (Procurement): The addition of one full time position of Senior Management Analyst will be responsible for working with Program Managers, Area Managers, Business Managers, and other staff responsible for procuring goods or services to prepare and route Requests for Proposal (RFPs) through the procurement process on behalf of the Department. There are currently 17 RFPs in the queue, and it is expected there will be more due to the volume of purchasing that occurs within the Department. The workflow required to scope, prepare, develop a template in consultation with Purchasing, Risk and Legal for procuring services has been mapped and requires at least 63 identifiable steps from concept to award of a purchasing contract. Funding this additional one full time position of Senior Management Analyst will enable the Department to maintain compliance with purchasing requirements, develop processes and procedures to build capacity for purchasing with existing Managers, work with purchasing to create templates for procurement that suit the needs of PARCS and streamline the process. PARCS’ purchasing is unique when compared to other departments in the City. Most City purchasing is for construction, trade labor, well-defined supplies, or equipment. PARCS’ operational needs result in procurement that is nonstandard and requires extensive research to create appropriate scope of work and, once awarded, effectively operationalize the contract across a distributed team. This additional one full time position of Senior Management Analyst will be funded under expenditure category 1 - Improving and Maintain Safe, Clean Neighborhood Parks and Playgrounds, from the 2% designated for administrative delivery per Measure P.
This agenda item and proposed recommendations are being presented to the Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission (PRAC) on April 17, 2023. Staff will report PRAC’s recommendations related to this item to the City Council.
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
Increasing budget appropriations and staffing levels are not considered a project for purposes of CEQA, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference is not applicable since this item will not include a bid or award of a construction or services contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
There will be no impact to the General Fund. The recommended action will use Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations in Measure P of $58,900 and Federal Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grant (BJA) of $1,400
Attachment:
Resolution - Eighth Amendment to Position Authorization Resolution No. 2022-153