To: Board of Supervisors of Sonoma County
Department or Agency Name(s): Sheriff’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Connie Newton, 565-8884
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): All
Title:
Title
Restructure Sheriff’s Office Personnel Unit and Records Bureau
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Adopt a Resolution to amend the Sheriff’s position allocation list, deleting four positions and adding three positions to allow for restructuring in the Sheriff’s Personnel Unit and Records Bureau. Effective administrative services provide better service to the public and community and utilize limited funding more efficiently.
end
Executive Summary:
The Sheriff is requesting approval of the proposed amended Sheriff’s Office FY 20-21 allocation list. These changes, which include adding and deleting allocations, are necessary to implement efficiencies in the Sheriffs’ Personnel Bureau and Records Bureau. There are no increased costs associated with this request.
Discussion:
Over the past few years, workload impacting the Sheriff’s Office Personnel Unit and Records Bureau has changed and evolved, creating a need to realign positions and job duties. Through the County’s Fiscal Year 2020-21 budget development process, two Program Change Requests (PCRs), one addressing the Personnel Restructure and a second addressing the Record’s restructure, were submitted for consideration. After extensive evaluation and review of these two requests by Sheriff’s executive staff, County Human Resources, and County Administrator’s Office staff, the Sheriff’s Office has identified a need to implement staffing changes prior to the upcoming FY 2020-21 Budget Hearings in September 2020, as follows:
Sheriff’s Administration Personnel Unit Restructure
Program Change Request (PCR) Summary: This request reorganizes and restructures the Sheriff’s Administrative Bureau by establishing a Special Services Lieutenant through the reorganization of assignments, which includes adding two new allocations and deleting three existing allocations within the Sheriff’s Office Personnel Unit and Administrative Bureau. Position changes associated with this PCR include adding 1.0 FTE Administrative Services Office (ASO) II, adding 1.0 FTE administrative aide, deleting 1.0 FTE ASO I, deleting 1.0 FTE legal processor II, and deleting 1.0 FTE secretary. This add/delete will not result in any layoffs and has a zero General Fund net cost. The reorganization will allow the Sheriff’s Office to implement best practices in human resource management and administration, better support the Sheriff’s hiring and personnel needs, and establish a separation of management between the Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau and Investigative Bureau. Separating management of the Coroner’s Bureau and Investigation Bureau was recommended by the County’s Community and Local Law Enforcement (CALLE) Task Force in its 2015 Final Report, and supported by the Board of Supervisors.
The Sheriff’s Personnel Unit Administrative Services Officer I (ASO I) has been managing the Unit since late FY 18-19, when the Personnel Lieutenant was eliminated and the Special Services Lieutenant was established and assigned new responsibilities including the oversight of the County’s Coroner Bureau. The majority of the work the Personnel Lieutenant had been doing, in addition to all of the recruitment and hiring work the ASO position was doing, now falls under the ASO I. As outlined in the PCR and approved by County HR, this work is at a level of an ASO II. During these difficult financial times, there is a greater emphasis and focus on employment forecasting which needs to take place at the management level. The Personnel ASO is responsible for this work. We have added responsibilities to the ASO position and need to ensure the ASO allocation is at the appropriate job class. In addition to this work and the work described in the PCR, there is a very high probability that the Sheriff’s Office will face management reductions in other areas of Sheriff’s Administration for FY 20-21. This will result in shifting additional work to the Personnel ASO such as the Sheriff’s Safety Program. As the level of responsibility of the Personnel ASO grows, lower level work needs to be performed by an appropriate job class. Working with County HR, it has been determined that an Administrative Aide is the appropriate job class to perform many of these functions including; entry level clerical examinations, submitting personnel requisitions, reviewing draft job announcement and advertising plans, as well as coordinating the interview processes. The Administrative Aide will oversee the Sheriff’s Office intern program, assist with onboarding new employees, schedule background appointments, and other duties necessary to support the Personnel Unit.
Reasons for Expedited Request: Beginning immediately, the ASO II job classification is needed to plan for and implement the shifting of assignments within the Sheriff’s Office to prepare for potential funding reductions. The Sheriff will also be depending on this position to immediately support the department’s planning efforts to address budget cuts to be considered by the Board of Supervisors during September budget hearings in the first three months of the fiscal year. Making the allocation change now as opposed to waiting until Final Budget adoption in September will align the job class to the current and anticipated duties it will be expected to perform in the near-term and into the future. The Administrative Aide position is needed to assist with promotional recruitments and assisting with the additional work identified above.
Sheriff’s Record’s Bureau
Program Change Request (PCR) Summary: This PCR addresses several problems with the Sheriff’s Office Main Lobby Front Desk operation by providing much needed supervisorial stability and continuity. It will provide enhanced communication and customer service for the residents of Sonoma County, County departments, outside law enforcement agencies, the Superior Court, attorneys, media, and many other entities that contact the Sheriff’s Office on a daily basis. In consideration of the County’s budget constraints, this PCR is requesting the deletion of 1.0 FTE vacant Community Services Officer (CSO) position and the addition of 1.0 FTE Legal Staff Supervisor (LSS) position, rather than a request for an additional allocation. This action will provide the much-needed supervisorial stability at the Front Desk and ensure the Sheriff’s Office continues to provide outstanding service to our community. This request will also create an additional promotional opportunity for civilian staff, which in turn, may help reduce the high turnover rate in the Central Information Bureau (CIB). This add/delete will not result in any layoffs and has no General Fund net cost increase, because the higher position costs will be offset by reduction of budgeted overtime hours for this Unit.
Reasons for Expedited Request: The Sheriff’s Office has been holding one of the three CSO allocations at the Sheriff’s Main Office Front Lobby Desk vacant for over four months in anticipation of these changes. If the Office is forced to wait to until October for this no net cost change, the Unit will have operated short staffed for nine months creating hardships for the Unit and staff. This vacancy has already created operational challenges, not only with workload, but with coverage. We are not able to sustain the coverage necessary to keep the Sheriff’s Front Lobby open to the community with only two allocations. The Sheriff’s Office will need to either fill the vacancy or move forward with the conversion to get up to our minimum staffing of three. If we fill the CSO vacancy we will not be able to move forward with the conversion in October making this an unacceptable option.
The Sheriff’s Office Central Information Bureau (CIB /Records) has multiple workload additions coming within the next few months including implementation of a new Records Management System (RMS) and on-line public reporting system (CopLogic), as well as new requirements from the Department of Justice (DOJ) with regards to California Penal Code Section 290 sex offender registrants pursuant to Senate Bill 384. These changes will add a higher and more complex workload to the already taxed Front Desk staff. This is in addition to phone calls, walk-ins, and reports they must process on a daily basis. As stated in the PCR, the Sheriff believes the added tasks and workload need a dedicated supervisor to manage and train staff accordingly as well as actively participate in working the Front Desk to provide appropriate supervision and assist in coverage.
The Sheriff’s Office has internal candidates that are qualified and ready to step into the Legal Staff Supervisor role once the conversion is approved. This will allow us to be in front of the changes list above and to quickly implement the new structure and process improvements that are necessary to create a stable and consistent environment for employees and members of the community.
Prior Board Actions:
None
Fiscal Summary
Expenditures |
FY 19-20 Adopted |
FY20-21 Projected |
FY 21-22 Projected |
Budgeted Expenses |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
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Total Expenditures |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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State/Federal |
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Fees/Other |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
There are no increased costs associated with this allocation amendment. The allocation costs are included in the Sheriff’s Office FY 20-21 Recommended Budget and not being contemplated for reduction.
Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
Administrative Aide |
$4,713 - $5,729 |
1.0 |
|
Administrative Services Officer I |
$7,030 - $8,545 |
|
-1.0 |
Administrative Services Officer II |
$8,086 - $9,827 |
1.0 |
|
Community Services Office II |
$3,978 - $4,833 |
|
-1.0 |
Legal Processor II |
$3,682 - $4,477 |
|
-1.0 |
Legal Staff Supervisor |
$4,733 - $5,753 |
1.0 |
|
Secretary |
$3,602 - $4,378 |
|
-1.0 |
Total |
|
3.0 |
-4.0 |
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
Allocation changes better align the Sheriff’s job classes with existing and future workload challenges and are fully described in the attached Program Change Requests.
Attachments:
1. Position Allocation List Amendment Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
1. Sheriff’s Office Program Change Request #SHF-PCR-02 - Personnel Bureau Reorganization
2. Sheriff’s Office Program Change Request #SHF-PCR-03 - Records Bureau Reorganization