To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Human Services
Staff Name and Phone Number: Jeneal Wells 565-2046, Felisa Pinson 565-2198
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Conversion of Human Services Aide II positions to Senior Office Assistant positions.
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Adopt a resolution to convert 4.0 Full-Time Equivalent Human Services Aide II vacant position allocations to 4.0 Full-Time Equivalent Senior Office Assistant positions effective February 28, 2023.
end
Executive Summary:
The Human Services Department (HSD) Economic Assistance Division (EA) is requesting to convert 4.0 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Human Services Aide II (HSA II) positions to 4.0 FTE Senior Office Assistant (SOA) positions. The conversion of these vacant positions is being requested to provide a lead presence in our lobby with the authority to make higher level decisions to meet the increasing complex needs of our clients and support for lower ranked employees.
Discussion:
The Economic Assistance lobby located on Paulin Drive in Santa Rosa is the most visited lobby in the Human Services Department. On average, the Paulin lobby receives 4,000 visitors each month seeking assistance with CalFresh, Medi-Cal, and Information and Referral services. The lobby staff are responsible for greeting clients, checking them into the lobby management system, reviewing client documents and forms, assessing client needs, and directing them to the correct services. The current budgeted FTE for the Paulin lobby is two Office Support Supervisors, two Senior Office Assistants, and fourteen Human Services Aide I/IIs. Employees covering the lobby work eight-hour shifts, Monday through Friday. Due to the increased complexity and client needs in the lobby, EA is continually diverting Senior Office Assistants and Office Support Supervisors from other clerical units to manage these challenging lobby interactions. Some examples of these types of interactions involve aggressive and/or argumentative clients, racist and/or lewd client comments, clients with mental health and/or substance abuse issues, and clients with multiple complex program questions. The increasingly difficult nature of the lobby environment requires staff who hold a higher level of de-escalation abilities and decision-making authority. SOA’s are also responsible for explaining rules, policies, and procedures to clients. The SOA in the lobby conducts on the job training, reviews work for accuracy, adjusts work assignments and coordinates schedules to keep the lobby traffic moving.
The addition of SOA job classifications will provide additional staff who can be tasked with higher level decision making and authority, and who are more equipped to de-escalate client situations, mitigating the need to request a supervisor to assist.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Prior Board Actions:
N/A
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 22-23 Adopted |
FY 23-24 Projected |
FY 24-25 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$8,400 |
$24,000 |
$25,200 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$18,400 |
$24,000 |
$25,200 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
$8,400 |
$24,000 |
$25,200 |
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$8,400 |
$24,000 |
$25,200 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The Fiscal Year 2022-2023 salary for a 1.0 FTE Human Services Aide (HAS) II is $112,400. The Senior Office Assistant (SOA) salary in Fiscal Year 2022-2023 is $118,100, which would increase the cost per position by $5,700 in Fiscal Year 2022-2023. Due to department-wide salary savings, no additional budgetary appropriations are needed in Fiscal Year 2022-2023 to cover the anticipated cost increase.
The cost for 1.0 FTE HSA II in Fiscal Year 2022-23 from Board date February 28, 2023 through fiscal year-end June 30, 2023 is $40,400 at the I-Step. The cost for 1.0 FTE SOA from Board date February 28, 2023 through fiscal year-end June 30, 2023 is $42,500, which would increase costs by $2,100 in Fiscal Year 2022-2023 per 1.0 FTE. The increase cost for 4.0 FTEs from Board date February 28, 2023 through fiscal year-end June 30, 2023 is $8,400 at the I-Step.
The cost for 4.0 FTE HSA IIs in subsequent years is $472,000 and $495,600 in Fiscal Years 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively. The cost for 4.0 FTE SOAs in subsequent years is $496,000 and $520,800 in Fiscal Years 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively. Replacing 4.0 FTE HSA IIs with 4.0 FTE SOAs would increase costs by $24,000 and $25,200 in Fiscal Years 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively.
The state/federal Medi-Cal allocation will fully cover the increased cost of these job classifications in Fiscal Year 2022-2023, and in future fiscal years. No additional County General Fund is required for these positions.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
Human Services Aide II |
$3,654.20 - $4,442.09 |
|
4.0 |
|
Senior Office Assistant |
$3,916.83 - $4,760.37 |
4.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
Current Human Services Aide II positions being converted are vacant. SOA’s have a higher level of decision making to successfully manage complex situations, which will relieve other job classifications from having to step in and assist, and will allow other senior staff to focus more on their work.
Attachments:
Position Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
Program Change Request