To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Heather Ruiz, Human Resources Director
Prepared By: MJ Tueros, Human Resources Manager
TITLE:
Title
Salary Range for Waste Prevention Specialist and Water Conservation Specialist in the Utilities Department
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Adopt a resolution approving the salary range for Waste Prevention Specialist and Water Conservation Specialist.
Body
DISCUSSION:
The Napa City Employees Association (NCEA-SEIU) requested that Human Resources conduct a study to review the classification specification and salary for the Waste Prevention Specialist and Water Conservation Specialist. With the assistance of Bryce Consulting, the two positions were studied to determine the appropriateness of the classifications based on currently assigned duties and responsibilities. The classification structure and job descriptions were reviewed, and recommendations were made, which align with the operational needs of the Utilities Department.
City staff in the Utilities Department documented a variety of program-specific technical and specialized work that is required to be performed by the persons filling these positions. Specifically, the Waste Prevention Specialist is responsible for performing technical, administrative, and programmatic activities in support of the City’s Recycling and Solid Waste diversion programs to ensure compliance with California State Mandates and Laws. This position also provides education and outreach to businesses and residents, completing field work (inspections/audits/assessments), compiling data, creating promotional and marketing materials. The Water Conservation Specialist is responsible for performing a variety of technical, administrative, programmatic and customer service support duties for the Water Division related to the development and implementation of an effective water conservation program which includes researching and compiling information, preparing reports, and assisting with regulatory compliance. This position is also responsible for providing technical assistance and expertise in the development and implementation of a comprehensive water conservation program, including conducting field-based water audits and inspections, the production of educational materials, and the presentation of information to groups and individuals.
The request for a review of the positions was initiated based upon the fact that during a compensation study, it was difficult to find comparable classifications in other comparable agencies. Some of the difficulty stemmed from the fact that not all of the survey agencies have solid waste or water and, for those that do, the work is allocated to varying classification levels. Each position is instrumental in the implementation of their assigned programs, and they are each required to review, understand, and implement activities related to their respective program, ensuring compliance with legislation and regulations. They each assist in ensuring that programmatic elements are implemented properly and that requirements are understood and properly explained to the public and/or businesses. Furthermore, the number of regulatory requirements placed on the work programs for each of the two positions continues to grow.
With respect to the salaries, while insufficient data was found in the comparator agencies, the positions do work very closely with the Utilities Program Compliance Coordinator. All three classifications have program implementation responsibilities related to utilities, have a frequent amount of public contact in the performance of the duties, and often work side by side as they seek compliance. The Utilities Program Compliance Coordinator is at a salary range from Step 1 - $78,898 to Step 5 - $95,298. The Waste Prevention Specialist and Water Conservation Specialist are both currently at a salary range from Step 1 - $75,181 to Step 5 - $90,813, nearly 5% below the Utilities Program Compliance Coordinator. It is recommended that the Waste Prevention Specialist and Water Conservation Specialist salaries to be set the same as Utilities Program Compliance Coordinator.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
No additional funding is required beyond that already allocated and approved in the Utilities Department budget. While these salary range updates will increase expenses by approximately $3,100 for both the Materials Diversion and Recycling fund and the Water Utility Fund, these funds have sufficient budget capacity to absorb the additional expenditures.
CEQA:
The Human Resources Director 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
NOTIFICATION:
Department Managers and Bargaining Group.