To: Board of Supervisors of the County of Sonoma, Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Water Agency, Board of Commissioners of the Community Development Commission, and the Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District
Department or Agency Name(s): Human Resources Department
Staff Name and Phone Number: Janell Crane, 707-565-2885; Lisa Conner, 707-565-3207
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Miscellaneous Classification, Compensation, and Allocation Changes
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Adopt a Concurrent Resolution amending the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the County and Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 1021, Salary Table Scales, to adjust the salaries of six job classifications, effective, June 24, 2025.
B) Adopt a Resolution amending the Department Allocation List for Permit Sonoma, effective April 15, 2025.
end
Executive Summary:
The County’s Human Resources Department is responsible for managing the County-wide classification and compensation structure. Components of this responsibility include ensuring employees are appropriately classified, administering the County’s Compensation Plan, and assisting departments with organizational changes when they involve classification reviews. Regularly, the department conducts classification and compensation analyses, develops reports, and presents recommendations to incumbents, unions, departments, and in many situations the Civil Service Commission. However, four agencies (Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, Community Development Commission, Sonoma County Fair, and Sonoma County Water Agency) are not governed by the County’s Civil Service System and the Board has sole authority to approve revisions to their classifications.
In this item before your Board today, Human Resources requests approval to amend the SEIU MOU to align with the Living Wage Ordinance and implement the recommendations resulting from a classification study for Permit Sonoma.
Discussion:
Human Resources
On January 14, 2025, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors increased the Living Wage for Sonoma County to $23.15 per hour, effective July 1, 2025. In preparation for the change, Human Resources conducted an analysis and determined the salaries for four job classifications (Public Health Aide I, Animal Care Assistant, Park Aide, and Event Services Aide) would need to be adjusted to comply with the update to the ordinance. Human Resources further determined the salaries for two additional classifications (Public Health Aide II and Lead Animal Care Assistant) would need to be adjusted to address compaction that would be created as a result of the adjustments to the lower-level classifications.
Upon the Board’s approval of the Living Wage adjustment, Human Resources offered to meet and confer over the impacts with SEIU, the employee organization who represents all six classifications. The two parties reached agreement, as outlined in the attached side letter, that effective June 24, 2025, the start of the pay period immediately before the July 1st Living Wage adjustment date, the A-step hourly rate for the four directly impacted job classifications would be adjusted to $23.15, and that the A-step hourly rate for the Public Health Aide II and Lead Animal Care Assistant would be adjusted to $24.90, creating an appropriate differential between the classification levels.
Additionally, and in compliance with Civil Service rule 2.3 (I), which states, “The Human Resource Director shall… Maintain an official record of all actions taken by the Commission and shall prepare an annual report which summarizes such actions. After Commission review, this report shall be submitted to the Board of Supervisors.” Human Resources respectfully submits a copy of Human Resources’ Recruitment and Classification Unit and Civil Service Commission Workload Summary Update ‐ Fiscal Year 2023/2024 for the Board’s review.
Permit Sonoma
At the request of the department and incumbent, Human Resources conducted a position review study for one Accountant III in Permit Sonoma. Through the classification study process and based on the duties, knowledge, skills, and abilities required, it was determined that Supervising Accountant was an appropriate classification for the position which includes supervisory responsibilities, as well as responsibility for performing complex accounting activities, including financial and audit reporting, within and on behalf of the department.
On March 6, 2025, the Civil Service Commission approved the reclassification of the studied position to the Supervising Accountant classification and the retention of the incumbent in accordance with Civil Service Rule 3.3B.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
January 14, 2025 (Item 14; File number 2025-0027) - Adjustment to Living Wage Hourly Rate
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY24-25 Adopted |
FY25-26 Projected |
FY26-27 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
DHS: $231 PRD: $1,996 PRK: $3,600 SPI: $0 |
PRD: $9,620 PRK: $14,325 SPI: $4,310 |
DHS: $0 PRD: $9,908 PRK: $14,755 SPI: $5,000 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
DHS: $11,612 |
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$5,827 |
$39,867 |
$29,663 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
PRK: $3,600 |
PRK: $14,325 |
PRK: $14,755 |
|
State/Federal |
DHS: $231 |
DHS: $11,612 |
|
|
Fees/Other |
PRD: $1,996 |
PRD: $9,620 |
PRD: $9,908 |
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
General Fund Contingencies |
|
SPI: $4,310 |
SPI: $5,000 |
|
Total Sources |
$5,827 |
$39,867 |
$29,663 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Human Resources
The following departments provided fiscal impact information for allocated and extra-help positions receiving salary adjustments due to the Living Wage Ordinance:
Department of Health Services: Fiscal Year (FY) 24/25 estimated expenditures will be covered by savings already budgeted. Budget appropriations will be added through FY 25/26 Quarter 1 Consolidated Budget Adjustments (CBAs), these fees will be covered by the General Fund. Future fiscal year appropriations will be through normal budget appropriation approvals.
Regional Parks: The Department employs over 40 extra-help and six full-time Park Aides. For the current FY 24/25, it is estimated the impact to the Department enacting the wage changes to this job classification for the remainder of the year is $3,600. In FY 25/26, the impact is estimated at $14,325. In projecting for FY26-27, and dependent on negotiations of employee agreements, we increased the estimate by 3%.
Sonoma Public Infrastructure: The Department employs five extra-help Event Services Aide positions. Their hours vary but are generally less than 40 hours per week. If each employee works 40 hours a week it would increase the Department’s budget $3,952 for FY 25/26.
Permit Sonoma
The salary differential between the Accountant III and Supervising Accountant prorated for the remainder of FY 24/25 is $1,996 and will be absorbed within existing budget appropriations. Costs for FY 25/26 and FY 26/27 assume a 3% Cost of Living Adjustment and will be funded within existing resources, sourced primarily through fees and charges for services.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
Accountant III |
$8,515.45 - $10,350.38 |
|
(1.0) |
|
Supervising Accountant |
$8,960.70 - $10,893.03 |
1.0 |
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
Human Resources
There are no staffing impacts associated with adjusting the salaries for the six SEIU job classifications.
Permit Sonoma
There is no net change to the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions. The incumbent in the studied Accountant III position will be retained in the Supervising Accountant allocation in accordance with Civil Service Rule 3.3B.
Attachments:
1. Resolution 1: Concurrent Resolution amending the Memorandum of Understanding between the County and Service Employees International Union, Local 1021, Salary Table Scales, to adjust the salaries for six job classifications.
2. Resolution 1: Attachment A ‐ Appendix A ‐ Salary Tables
3. Resolution 1: Attachment B - Side Letter Agreement
4. Resolution 2: Resolution amending the Department Allocation List for Permit Sonoma.
5. Human Resources’ Recruitment and Classification Unit and Civil Service Commission Workload Summary Update - Fiscal Year 2023/2024
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
Classification Study Report by Human Resources on a Permit Sonoma Accountant III Position