To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and Board of Commissioners of the Sonoma County Community Development Commission
Department or Agency Name(s): Community Development Commission
Staff Name and Phone Number: Martha Cheever (707-565-7521, Arvan Williams (707) 565-7512.
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Community Development Commission Staffing Allocations
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Adopt a personnel resolution amending the Sonoma County Community Development Commission’s Department Allocation List, add 1.0 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Accounting Technician, extend 1.0 Time-Limited FTE Senior Office Assistant through June 30, 2025, and delete 1.0 FTE Account Clerk II, effective October 24, 2023.
B) Adopt a budget resolution adjusting the fiscal year 2023-2024 adopted budget by increasing expenditure appropriations in the Sonoma County Community Development Commission by $80,523 to support an increase in position allocations. (4/5th Vote Required)
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Executive Summary:
The Community Development Commission (“Commission”) is requesting approval of modifications to its position allocation list. These modifications will meet the Agency’s needs, goals, objectives, and strategies.
The Commission is requesting the addition of one full-time equivalent (FTE) Accounting Technician allocation and the deletion of one vacant FTE Account Clerk II position. This change will more appropriately align the functions needed by the Commission with the position allocation.
Additionally, the Commission is requesting to extend one time-limited Senior Office Assistant position through June 30, 2025. The position is currently set to term on December 31, 2023. This position is critical to the continued success of the Board-funded Sonoma County Housing Connector Program.
These changes will not result in the displacement of any Commission employees.
Discussion:
The Sonoma County Housing Authority (“SCHA”), a division of the Sonoma County Community Development Commission (“Commission”) administers several rental assistance programs under contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These programs enable very low-income households to rent from private landlords at fair market rental rates.
Over the past several years, SCHA has been awarded several new voucher programs necessitating a higher level of accounting support than previously needed. To that end, the Commission is requesting the addition of one full- time equivalent (FTE) Accounting Technician allocation and the deletion of one vacant FTE Account Clerk II allocation. This change will more appropriately align the functions needed by the Commission with the position allocation.
The Accounting Technician will be funded via the Rental Assistance/Housing Choice Voucher Service Area. The new Accounting Technician’s work will consist of administrative functions for the Housing Choice Voucher program, Special Needs Assistance rental assistance programs, Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program, Project-Based Voucher programs, Family Unification Program, the Mainstream Voucher program, the Emergency Housing Voucher program, Tenant Protection Vouchers, and the Centralized Housing Navigation Program. These Programs receive a combined ongoing administration revenue of approximately $4.4M.
Adding the Accounting Technician position will relieve the existing workload of the Accountant I/II position by engaging in report preparation, preparation of the monthly Voucher Management Submission, processing Tenant and Landlord overpayments, reconciliation of HAPPY Software / EFS and bank statements and process all journal / voucher transactions. These tasks are more complex than those performed by an Account Clerk II, and removal of these tasks would allow more time for the Accountant I/II to do higher level work including program and report analysis, unit month lease forecasting, review of program attrition rates/lease ups and overpayment collection management.
The Commission is also seeking to extend one full-time equivalent, time-limited Senior Office Assistant position through June 30, 2025. The time-limited position was put in place with funding that can fluctuate depending on the source. Originally, the job was funded by special purpose funding from CARES and EHV. Going forward, the extension will be funded using ARPA. This position will enable the continued success of the ARPA and EHV programs. Continued support is needed to perform clerical work supporting the people leasing under those programs and getting the check requests completed.
Strategic Plan:
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Healthy and Safe Communities
Goal: Goal 4: Seek out grant funding to enhance programs and improve infrastructure
Objective: Objective 3: Increase investment in programs that treat underlying causes of homelessness, including substance abuse, mental illness, poverty, and lack of affordable housing.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
Choose an item.
No
Prior Board Actions:
8/24/2021 Item #5: Adopted a personnel resolution adding time-limited positions to support Housing Authority efforts.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY23-24 Adopted |
FY24-25 Projected |
FY25-26 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
|
136,241 |
$140,439 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
$80,523 |
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$80,523 |
136,241 |
$140,439 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
$80,523 |
136,241 |
$140,439 |
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
General Fund Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$80,523 |
$136,241 |
$140,439 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Expenditure appropriations are being requested for the FY 2023-24 Budget in the amount of $80,523. This amount represents the net change in Salary & Benefits. These positions will be funded via the Rental Assistance / Housing Voucher Program’s Administration ongoing annual award of approximately $4.4 million. Appropriations for FY24-25 and FY25-26 will be included in the Budget Development process.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
Accounting Technician |
$5,315.20 - $6,459.64 |
1.0 |
|
|
Accounting Clerk II |
$4,542.96 - $5,522.17 |
|
1.0 |
|
Senior Office Assistant |
$4,635.15 - $5,633.48 |
1.0 |
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
The CDC has identified a need to add 1.0 FTE position, extend 1.0 FTE position and delete 1.0 FTE position.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 - Department Allocation List Resolution
Attachment 2 - Budget Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
N/A