To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Fran Robustelli, Assistant City Manager
Prepared By: Liz Habkirk, Deputy City Manager
TITLE:
Title
City Manager’s Office Budget Staffing Plan Update
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to amend the FY 2019/20 Budget Staffing Plan to Add two Limited Term Management Fellow positions and Delete one Limited Term Deputy City Manager position in the City Manager’s Office.
Body
DISCUSSION:
The City Manager’s Office requests to delete the Limited Term Deputy City Manager position and add two Limited Term Management Fellows.
Over the last year, Council has approved a series of staffing changes in the City Manager’s Office and the Finance Department to further key initiatives directly in support of the City Council’s priorities and to create more efficient communication, succession planning, and a centralized risk management function to better serve the City’s needs. Those changes included the approval of one new full time Deputy City Manager (DCM) position, in addition to the existing full time DCM position, as well as the approval of one Limited Term DCM position.
With a recently announced retirement of one DCM, the City Manager has reassessed the allocation of responsibilities that were initially planned to be assigned to the two full-time DCM positions and the one Limited Term DCM position. The City Manager has determined that Council’s priorities will be most efficiently served by the elimination of the vacant Limited Term DCM position (effective 4/25/2020), and the creation of two Limited Term Management Fellow positions.
The responsibilities of the two full-time DCM positions will include managing and addressing special project management, risk management, and labor negotiations. The two Limited Term Management Fellow positions would support the department on key initiatives in a variety of ways including:
• Providing research assistance;
• Identifying proposed updates to the City Charter, Napa Municipal Code, and other City policies;
• Managing regular team communications/announcements;
• Drafting agenda items and preparing presentations; and
• Back-filling standard tasks for key team members to allow for focused project work
This structure will allow City Manager’s Office staff to continue to manage these special projects, as well as provide for the administration of regular DCM duties.
In addition to creating valuable support to key initiatives, the City plans to design a fellowship program that will provide comprehensive work experience for recent recipients of a graduate degree and graduate students interested in a career in local government. Upon completion of this program, the Fellow will be prepared to function at a management level within a municipality. The goal of the program is to provide the following:
- A better understanding of local government at the management level that encourages and promotes professionals to consider public service as a profession
- Development of skills and knowledge needed by local government managers, through hands-on experience, observation and active involvement in various areas of public administration
- Experience working on management level projects from a diverse selection of departments
- Interaction with staff, Council and members of the Napa community.
- Critical support to the City Manager’s strategic initiatives programs and the furthering of City Council goals.
The intent of the program is intended to last one year, but may be extended to no more than two years, utilizing a Limited-Term, “At-Will” status.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
The cost of adding two Limited Term Management Fellows for the remainder of FY 2019/20 is approximately $13,500. No additional appropriation authority is required as salary and benefits allocation is available in the Non-Recurring City Manager’s Office budget. The cost for these limited term positions in FY 2020/21 is $172,000 in salaries and benefits with an additional $20,000 designated to support required educational training and other costs of the positions. Based on the specialty nature of these positions, they will not be offered Management Leave or cell phone stipends but will be eligible for all other benefits offered to AMPX members.
In FY 2020/21, the department will be transferring budget from salary and benefits to training/travel to offset the costs with the mid-cycle budget adjustment presented to City Council in June 2020
CEQA:
The City Manager has determined that the Recommended Action described in this Agenda Report is not subject to CEQA, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c).
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
ATCH 1 - Resolution with EX A (Management Fellow Classification)
NOTIFICATION:
Department Directors