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
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) Approve a motion to adopt revisions to the Water Agency Director of Engineering and Water Agency Deputy Director of Engineering classifications, effective January 21, 2025.
B) Adopt a Concurrent Resolution amending Salary Resolution 95-0926, Salary Tables, to revise the classification titles of County Equity Program Manager to County Equity Manager and Water Agency Deputy Chief Engineer to Water Agency Deputy Director of Engineering and establish the new classification and salary for Water Agency Principal Land Surveyor, effective January 21, 2025.
C) Adopt a Resolution approving the reclassification of the studied Water Agency Land Surveyor, with the retention of affected incumbent and amending the Sonoma County Water Agency’s Department Allocation List, effective January 21, 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 implement recommendations resulting from classification and compensation studies for the Office of Equity and the Sonoma County Water Agency.
Discussion:
Office of Equity
Human Resources conducted a classification study to update the specification of the County Equity Program Manager classification. The study resulted in edits to the specification to better reflect the level of responsibility, supervisory responsibilities, and the role this position plays in support of the Director. Additionally, given the County’s effort to reduce artificial barriers and emphasize experience over education where appropriate, it was determined that a bachelor’s degree is not a minimum requirement to perform the essential duties of the job. As such, the bachelor’s degree requirement was removed, and language was modified to reflect coursework in a related field. The study also concluded the classification should be re-titled to County Equity Manager as it more appropriately describes the scope of the position. The Civil Service Commission approved the revisions to the specification and re-titling of County Equity Program Manager to County Equity Manager at their November 21, 2024, meeting.
Human Resources seeks approval to amend the Salary Resolution to re-title the classification of County Equity Program Manager to County Equity Manager.
Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water)
CPS HR Consulting Services (CPS HR) conducted a classification study of a Water Agency Land Surveyor in the Sonoma County Water Agency. The study identified that the position has responsibility for managerial functions with a higher level of discretion and decision-making authority than those listed on the existing specification, which is a first-level supervisory classification of technical staff. The incumbent is responsible for managing and overseeing all professional surveying activities of the Sonoma Water Land Survey Section within the Engineering and Resource Planning Division, which includes the supervision of a licensed professional Land Surveyor, and indirectly supervising Engineering Technicians. The incumbent’s current job classification of Water Agency Land Surveyor is a first-level supervisor, and does not appropriately define the responsibility for managing a section and providing second-level supervision.
Therefore, CPS HR recommended the establishment of a new management class, Water Agency Principal Land Surveyor, and the reclassification of a Water Agency Land Surveyor with the retention of the incumbent.
Human Resources, Sonoma Water management, and Western Council of Engineers (WCE) met the meet and confer obligations, and WCE waived the offer to meet and confer over regarding the recommendation to reclassify the Water Agency Land Surveyor.
To finalize the establishment of the new class, CPS HR performed a compensation study to determine the appropriate salary range and Human Resources completed a Community of Interest (COI).
Bargaining Unit and Fair Labor Standards Determinations
In accordance with the County’s Employee Relations Policy, Human Resources conducted a COI analysis to determine the appropriate representation and bargaining unit for the new classification of Water Agency Principal Land Surveyor. The review determined representation by Sonoma County Administrative Management Council (SCAMC ‐ 50) would be most appropriate, and that it should be exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Based on CPS HR’s evaluation of external market data and internal compensation alignment, Human Resources is recommending the salary for Water Agency Principal Land Surveyor be set at $18,367/monthly I-step. For ongoing salary administration purposes, it is recommended that the new class be tied to Water Agency Principal Engineer.
Additionally, Human Resources conducted a classification study to update the specifications of Water Agency Deputy Chief Engineer and Water Agency Director of Engineering to modernize the language and ensure consistency between the specifications. The study resulted in edits to the specifications to identify and remove barriers that may adversely impact individuals in underrepresented demographic groups and standardize specification language that reflects the County’s commitment to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and a sense of belonging within our workforce. In order to make titles more consistent, Human Resources, in collaboration with the Water Agency, also recommends amending the title of the Water Agency Deputy Chief Engineer to Water Agency Deputy Director of Engineering.
Human Resources seeks approval to reclassify one Water Agency Land Surveyor to the new classification of Water Agency Principal Land Surveyor, retain its incumbent in accordance with the Sonoma Water Agency Personnel Policies ‐ Article V., amend the Department Allocation List to delete a 1.0 full-time equivalency (FTE) Water Agency Land Surveyor and add a 1.0 FTE Water Agency Principal Land Surveyor. Further, Human Resources also seeks approval to revise the Water Agency Deputy Chief Engineer and Water Agency Director of Engineering classification specifications and amend the Salary Resolution to re-title Water Agency Deputy Chief Engineer to Water Agency Deputy Director of Engineering.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
Throughout the year, Human Resources submits several Miscellaneous Classification, Compensation, and Allocation Change Board Items that require Board approval to be fully adopted and implemented.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY24-25 Adopted |
FY25-26 Projected |
FY26-27 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
WTR: $22,377 |
WTR: $55,854 |
WTR: $55,854 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$22,377 |
$55,854 |
$55,854 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
WTR: $22,377 |
WTR: $55,854 |
WTR: $55,854 |
|
State/Federal |
|
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
General Fund Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$22,377 |
$55,854 |
$55,854 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Office of Equity
There are no fiscal impacts related to retitling the classification.
Sonoma County Water Agency
The increase in annual salary and benefits to add 1.0 FTE Water Agency Principal Land Surveyor and delete 1.0 FTE Water Agency Land Surveyor is $53,706 (based on hourly weighted rates of $178.46 and $152.64). The increase will take effect February 2025 and the prorated Fiscal Year (FY) 24/25 increase of $22,377 will be funded by existing funds in the SW enterprise funds. Labor costs for FY 24/25 and 25/26 include the March 2025 COLA adjustment. Salary and benefits are budgeted in the General Fund which is funded through water sales revenue, taxes, and grants. The General Fund is reimbursed by our enterprise funds through project costing. These increased labor costs will be funded by existing funds in the Water Agency’s enterprise funds. The Water Agency’s cost accounting system allocates labor costs to Water Agency projects specific to its enterprise funds.
The current negotiated MOU agreement expires in FY 25/26 and no new cost adjustments are included in the rates beyond the agreement.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
Water Agency Land Surveyor |
$12,922.75 - $15,709.06 |
|
(1.0) |
|
Water Agency Principal Land Surveyor |
$15,110.75 - $18,366.66 |
1.0 |
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
Office of Equity
There are no staffing impacts related to retitling the classification.
Sonoma County Water Agency
The incumbent in the studied Water Agency Land Surveyor position will be retained in the Water Agency Principal Land Surveyor position, pursuant to Water Agency Personnel Policy, Article V. Reclassification and there are no staffing impacts related to revising the Water Agency’s Director of Engineering and Deputy Director of Engineering specifications.
Attachments:
1. Water Agency Director of Engineering specification
2. Water Agency Deputy Director of Engineering specification
3. Resolution 1: Concurrent Resolution amending Salary Resolution 95-0926, Salary Tables, to revise the classification titles County Equity Program Manager to County Equity Manager and Water Agency Deputy Chief Engineer to Water Agency Deputy Chief of Engineering and establish the new classification and salary for Water Agency Principal Land Surveyor.
4. Resolution 1: Attachment A - Appendix A - Salary Tables
5. Resolution 2: Resolution approving the reclassification of one Water Agency Land Surveyor position, with the retention of affected incumbent; and amending the Sonoma County Water Agency’s Department Allocation List.
6. Classification Study Report by CPS HR Consulting Services on Water Agency Land Surveyor
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
Classification Study Report by Human Resources on County Equity Program Manager