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 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: Spencer Keywood, 707-565-3568
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Amendment to Salary Resolution 95-0926 for Overtime Pay for Qualifying Mutual Aid Events
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Adopt a Concurrent Resolution amending Salary Resolution 95-0926, Article 20.15 to expand straight-time overtime eligibility to include all exempt Administrative Management and appointed Department Heads for qualifying mutual aid events, and authorize the County Administrator to approve the most recent 2021 mutual aid assistance pursuant to the amended article.
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Executive Summary:
Salary Resolution Article 20.15 allows Administrative Management within the Department of Emergency Services and the Fire Marshall to receive straight-time overtime pay when deployed to outside agencies through qualifying mutual aid assignments. As currently written, the article does not apply to any other exempt Administrative Management employees and/or appointed Department Heads who may also be deployed for mutual aid emergencies. The proposed amendment provides the ability for all exempt Administrative Management and appointed Department Heads to be eligible for straight-time overtime when activated for mutual aid events.
Discussion:
During a declared emergency event, an agency may request mutual aid from neighboring jurisdictions. Over the years, these requests have become more frequent. Mutual aid is a voluntary reciprocal exchange of resources and/or services, which are typically provided from one agency to another through the use of personnel or supplies. When County employees are deployed through mutual aid requests, they work in a similar emergency-response capacity for another county or partner agency, as they would in responding to a County emergency. This typically entails working overtime. Salary Resolution Article 20.15 currently allows only exempt Administrative Management employees and the Director in the Department of Emergency Management, and the Fire Marshall, to be eligible for straight-time overtime for qualifying mutual aid events in which they work in excess of twelve (12) hours, if the following criteria is met:
• The County is entitled to reimbursement for that employee’s time from a third party; and
• Overtime will be paid at the Department Head’s discretion only after the County has received either advance approval for the reimbursement, or the reimbursement itself
Historically, employees in emergency-related job classifications have been those primarily deployed to outside agencies through mutual aid requests given their emergency-response expertise. Therefore, limiting the types of positions eligible to receive overtime had been appropriate in the past. However, as the types and frequencies of significant disasters across the State has dramatically increased in the last several years, Administrative Management employees in a variety of job classifications outside of the Department of Emergency Management have also become valuable resources to other jurisdictions who have requested mutual aid. Based on how Article 20.15 is currently written, Administrative Management employees not in the Department of Emergency Management are ineligible to be compensated for any overtime they work when deployed and providing mutual aid.
The proposed amendment to Article 20.15 would provide straight-time overtime compensation for all exempt Administrative Management or appointed Department Heads deployed to qualifying mutual aid events in excess of twelve (12) hours, if the County is entitled to reimbursement for that employee’s time from a third party. Such overtime will be paid at the Department Head’s discretion after the County has received either advance approval for the reimbursement, or the reimbursement itself.
Additionally, for the 2021 major northern California wildfires thus far, it is recommended that the County Administrator be authorized to approve the most recent mutual aid assistance pursuant to the amended Article.
Prior Board Actions:
June 2019: As part of a larger package of changes to Salary Resolution 95-0926, Article 20.15 was revised to include the new Department of Emergency Management and expanded the list of eligible job classifications within the department from four classifications to “All exempt Administrative Management, the Director of Emergency Management and Fire Marshal.”
Fiscal Summary
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
There are no fiscal impacts. In order to be a qualifying event, the County would be entitled to reimbursement for that employee’s time from a third party.
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
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Attachments:
1. Resolution
2. Attachment A - Final Track Changes
3. Attachment B - Final Changes Accepted
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
N/A