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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/01/2003 Adjourned Meeting 334 • CITY OF YAKIMA, WASHINGTON ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL APRIL 1, 2003 - 7:30 A.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS - CITY HALL 1. ROLL CALL Present: Council: Mayor Mary Place, presiding, Council Members Lynn Buchanan, Paul George, John Puccinelli, and Bernard Sims Staff: Dick Zais, City Manager; Paul McMurray, Assistant City Attorney; Glenn Rice, Assistant City Manager; Carol Bates, Chief Examiner, Sheryl Smith, Deputy Human Resources Manager, and City Clerk Roberts Commission: Charter Civil Service: Melanie Gilmore, Greg Lighty, and Beverly Warren Police & Fire Civil Service: Gloria Anderson, Melanie Gilmore, and William Wright Consultant: Robert Weaver Absent: Council Members Clarence Barnett and Larry Mattson 2. STUDY SESSION ON CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEE RECLASSIFICATION PROCESS • The Civil Service Commissions are Described Carol Bates gave an overview on the purpose of the Civil Service Commissions that have their roots in the City Charter. Mayor Place asked why there is both a Civil Service Commission and Union established for the employees? Ms. Bates replied that the Civil Service Commission was established by the City Charter. The employees are also covered by a union who assists with labor negotiations and other related employee /management issues. The Charter employees are covered through the AFSCME Union, and the Police and Fire employees have their separate Civil Service Commission and Unions. Ms. Bates advised that there are three members on the Charter Civil Service Commission. The covered employees appoint one member; one is appointed by the City Council, and those two Commission members select the third one. The members of the Police and Fire Civil Service Commission are appointed by the City Manager. The term of appointment for both Commissions is six years. • Carol Bates Describes the Reclassification Process • Ms. Bates stated that every year, if an employee believes that their job duties have changed substantially (over 50 %), they can apply for a reclassification (reclass) of their position. As the Chief Examiner, she reviews the application and if she agrees that the 335 APRIL 1, 2003 - ADJOURNED MEETING change is significant she will recommend special assignment pay while the application is under review and will forward it to the City's consultant for further scrutiny. The consultant will conduct a job audit, interview the employee and his /her supervisors, and then give his recommendation to the Chief Examiner. The application and recommendations will then be presented to the Civil Service Commission, who will make their own recommendation for presentation to the City Council. She elaborated on the 5% special assignment pay, stating that the employee has to have been doing the extra work assigned by his supervisors for six months or longer. The changes have to be more than technical in nature, for example, it has to be more than changing from a typewriter to a computer. • What the Consultant Does: Robert Weaver, RHW Consulting Services (former Human Resources Manager for the City of Yakima), described his process to review the applications: • Read the information packet from the employee about what they do and how they do it; look at the level of responsibility and independent level of authority • Review the information provided by the supervisors • Talk with the employee for two hours or more • Talk to the supervisor(s) for about one to one - and -a -half hours • Spend some time, in most cases, with the department director • If it appears that the job has changed or the job description is out -of -date, he will draft a revised job classification • The information is then submitted back to the employee, supervisor, and department director with a request for their comments • He will do a salary study using comparisons within the state of Washington and public and private entities /businesses within the City • He then analyzes the information provided by the other entities to determine if there are any good matches with our job description • He evaluates the classifications within the City to find similar type of work to this job • • He prepares a report to submit to the Chief Examiner on the external analysis and salary information suggestions, and the internal analysis and salary information. • He gives his recommendation on the appropriate salary range • It then goes to the Civil Service Commission for action Asked how someone ends up working out of class, Mr. Weaver stated that his experience tells him that the extra duties are usually assigned to the employee; sometimes it is because the work of the department has changed due to consolidation of the department; or by assuming tasks not in the employee's job description that were done by an employee whose position was Another reason that requests are made is that there is more work to be done, and if that is the primary reason for the request, he will normally say that doesn't justify a reclass. Paul McMurray interjected that most job descriptions are flexible due to the standard phrase in them that states, "and other duties as assigned." 2 336 APRIL 1, 2003 — ADJOURNED MEETING • Questions and Answers Staff responded to Council questions by giving the following answers: There are two reasons for special assignment pay: 1) for someone consistently working out of class for more than six months, and 2) someone may receive temporary special assignment pay for performing work out of class on a temporary basis, i.e. filling in for someone who is ill. The special assignment pay is authorized by the Municipal Code and not through the Civil Service rules. The employee may be approved to receive acting pay, which would be one step above their current range in the pay scale. • Although there are a lot of cities that have police and fire civil service, which is established by state law, there are only six other cities that have charter civil service. • If a reclass is not approved, the special assignment pay ceases, but the employee is not required to reimburse the City for the special pay previously paid to him. • A position that is reclassified downward is usually done through the budget process and is a managerial decision and not a Civil Service Commission decision. • The latitude of the Commission was described; their duty is to determine if there is a sufficient change in duties to warrant the reclassification. • A specific employee cannot be singled out for extra pay for exceptional service through the negotiation process. • Council Hears from the Union Representative Tom Barrington, Union Staff Representative for AFSCME, commented that if this reclassification process were not available, then reclassifications would be a part of the labor negotiations. Since there are 290 employees represented by the Union, this reclass process is a benefit to both the employee and the City. Responding to Council Member Puccinelli's earlier comments, singling out an employee for extra pay for exceptional service, he commented that every city employee needs to meet a certain standard and the City has established the step increase system, based on merit, to reward the employee for performing at a certain standard. 3 • 337 APRIL 1, 2003 — ADJOURNED MEETING • More Questions and Answers A reclassification is based upon the duties of the position and not the merit or character of the employee in that position. Reallocation of the position is another method to reclassify a position, i.e. take a position from a general classification and make it specific for a certain position. • It was pointed out that many of these job descriptions were done in the 1970's and have not been changed or updated since. Updated classifications would reduce the number of reclassification requests. • Discussion turned once again for rewarding the employee for performing their job in an exceptional manner or after an employee receives additional training or schooling that helps them perform their job in a more efficient manner, thus saving the City money. • Mr. Zais and Mr. McMurray both alluded to the collective bargaining contracts that may contain a provision to provide special pay for advanced schooling. Council also discussed the merit pay through the salary five -step increases. Once an employee reaches the top step in the salary range, the next opportunity to receive additional pay, or an incentive to stay, is by advancement, reclassification, or a lateral transfer to gain - different experience. There is also the longevity benefit that pays extra money based on the length of employment. It would take a vote of the citizens to change or eliminate the Civil Service system because it is a provision in the City Charter. Council also discussed the previous attempt to combine the two civil service commissions. Council, staff, and the Commission members briefly touched on the number of job examinations performed during the year, the recruitment process, bi- lingual special pay, and the time devoted by the Commission members that is volunteered. Each of the Commission members provided Council with a brief bio, stating which Commission they sit on and for how long. • Closing Remarks City Manager Zais commented that it is important to remember that the Charter Civil Service has a long history that goes back to protect the rights of the employee and provide checks and balances to protect against favoritism. It is important that the system be brought into a more modern era of reform. Mayor Place thanked the Commission members for being here today and for the hours they volunteer as service to the City and the community. She requested that for future reclassification reports that the Chief Examiner's recommendation and the Commissioner's recommendation be placed side -by -side in the report. 4 333 APRIL 1, 2003 — ADJOURNED MEETING Council discussed the minutes of the Commission meetings, noting that they are very detailed so that the whys and wherefores of the decisions of the Commission may be referenced. It was suggested that perhaps the action taken by the Commission could be bolded in the minutes to make it easier to find. Tom Barrington noted that another purpose for the civil service system is that it establishes a relationship between the taxpayers and the employees. It eliminates, through the process, the possibility of a situation in which an employee is'treated differently (discriminated against) for reasons other than their abilities and to be paid accordingly. • 3. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:00 a.m. • READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BY: ( a0 ' D7` O V OUNCIL MEMBE! ,4 *ATE (2- , � ,2c / ' b3 COUNCIL MEMBER DATE ATTEST: CITY CLERK MARY PL MAYOR Minutes prepared by Karen Roberts. An audio and video tape of this meeting are available in the City Clerk's Office 1 5