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Home My WebLink About2007/01/09 Item 3 COUNCIL AGENDA STATEMENT ITEM TITLE: Item: 3 Meeting Date: 1/9/07 Resolution of the City Council of the City of Chula Vista eliminating the position of Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator from the authorized positions in the Department of Mayor and Council's Fiscal Year 2007 budget, with the City Manager assuming the administrative duties of the position with existing budgetary resources REVIEWED BY: Director of BU~hd Analysis tv' City Manager "jf (4/5ths Vote: Yes _ No L ) SUBMITTED BY: BACKGROUND At the December 19, 2006 City Council meeting, the City Council's Budget Subcommittee, composed of Mayor Cox and Councilmember McCann, presented a memorandum for discussion during Mayor and Council comments. The memorandum was regarding support staff issues in the Department of Mayor and Council. The memorandum is attached to this Agenda Statement as Exhibit A. Following discussion, the Council, by oral motion and majority vote, expressed its intent to eliminate the position of Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator from the authorized positions in the Department of Mayor and Council's Fiscal Year 2007 budget, with the administrative duties of the position to be assumed by the City Manager with existing budgetary resources. The Council directed City staff to prepare a resolution and bring it to the January 9, 2007 Council meeting, formalizing the Council's intended action. RECOMMENDATION: That Council adopt the resolution eliminating the position of Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator from the authorized positions in the Department of Mayor and Council's Fiscal Year 2007 budget. BOARDS/COMMISSIONS RECOMMENDATION: N/A. DISCUSSION: By Resolution 2004-284, on August 24, 2004, the Council approved a budgetary transfer of the position of Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator from the City Manager's Office to the Department of Mayor and Council. The transfer was part of a shifting of oversight of the City's Legislative Program, from a committee composed of the City Manager, City Attorney, and one member of the City Council, to a committee composed of the Mayor and one member of the Council. 3-1 Page 2, Item ~ Meeting Date: 1/9/07 At the Council meeting on December 19, 2006, the Council discussed and stated its intent to eliminate the position of Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator from the Department of Mayor and Council's Fiscal Year 2007 budget. Under the Council's action, the Manager will assume the administrative functions of the Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator with existing budgetary resources. The elimination of the Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator resulted in savings of $63,600 in fiscal year 2007. These funds will be administratively encumbered (frozen) for the remainder of fiscal year 2007; these funds will be returned to the General Fund at the end of the fiscal year. DECISION MAKER CONFLICT Staff has reviewed the decision contemplated by this action and has determined that it is not site specific and consequently the 500 foot rule found in California Code of Regulations section 18704.2(a)(1) is not applicable to this decision. FISCAL IMPACT: Approval of this resolution will result in savings of $63,600 in the fiscal year 2007 Mayor and Council department budget. The ongoing savings are $124,000. 3-2 From: Chula Vista City Council ~ Council Budget Subcommittee Members Cox and McCann To: Date: December 14, 2006 Support staff in the Office of Mayor and CounCil Subject: In an effort to respond to comments offered by Council members in the City Council meeting of December 5, regarding support staff in the Office of Mayor and Council, we offer these topics that Cheryl plans to bring to the Council for discussion under Mayor's Comments in our December 19 meeting. The Subcommittee anticipates that the Mayor/Council budget will be part of a comprehensive budget that will be reviewed by the Council in May/June 2007. BackQround Support staff in the Office of Mayor and Council under discussion includes the following positions: Position Inter ovemmental Affairs Coordinator Coastal/Environmental Poll Consultant Senior Council Aide Resolution 2004-284 (approved 08/24/04) authorized the transfer of the Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator position from the City Manager's Office to the Office of Mayor and Council. Ordinance 3042, approved 09/26/06, shifted the appointing authority for this position from the Mayor to the Mayor and Council. Resolution 2005-326, approved 9/20105, authorized the addition of a Coastal and Environmental Policy Coordinator position to the Office of Mayor and Council. This position was intended to improve the City's ability to monitor and analyze the growing number and complexity of land use and environmental issues citywide including the Bayfront Master Plan, the Urban Core Specific Plan, and the University Project. SUQQested Discussion Points 1. Coastal/Environmental Policy Consultant The Mayor is prepared to fill the position of Coastal/Environmental Policy Consultant as a half-time position or less. The position is currently authorized as a fuil-time position and funded at $114,400 annually (salary and benefits). Reducing it to a half-time position or less for the balance of fiscal year 2007 would save at least $41,000. The Mayor will re-examine this position during budget deliberations in June 2007. The $41,000 in savings would be returned to the General Fund to pay for or help offset the cost of an Independent Financial Review, scope and cost to be determined. :a-.::f 2. Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator The Mayor is prepared to recommend the elimination of the position of Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator from the Mayor and C01Jncil budget and the shift of these duties to existing staff in the City Manager's Office, where the government relations function had existed prior to August 2004. If the City Council agrees to eliminate this position from the Mayor and Council budget, staff will bring back a resolution at a subsequent Council meeting to eliminate the position from the budget. Adoption of this recommendation would result in a savings of $63,600 in fiscal year 2007 and $124,700 per year ongoing. 3. Council Aides Regarding Council interest in supplementing City Council staff funding, the City Council might consider increasing each Council member's budget for Council staff by a specified amount. With the savings of $63,600 described above by eliminating the Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator position in the Mayor and Council budget and shifting the duties to existing staff in the City Manager's Office, there could be an allocation to Council staff and a net savings to the general fund for fiscal year 2007. Any additional funding for Council staff could be addressed as part of the comprehensive budget review at the May/June budget hearings. :3'-4 RESOLUTION NO. RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA ELIMINATING THE POSITION OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COORDINATOR FROM THE AUTHORIZED POSITIONS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MAYOR AND COUNCIL'S FISCAL YEAR 2007 BUDGET, WITH THE CITY MANAGER ASSUMING THE ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES OF THE POSITION WITH EXISTING BUDGETARY RESOURCES WHEREAS, Chula Vista Charter section 501 provides that the City Council shall control by budget the number of positions in the City; and WHEREAS, by Resolution 2004-284, approved on August 24, 2004, the City Council authorized the budgetary transfer of the position of Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator from the City Manager's Office to the Department of Mayor and Council; and WHEREAS, by Ordinance 3042, approved on September 26, 2006, the City Council shifted the appointing authority for the position of Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator from the Mayor to the Mayor and Council; and WHEREAS, at the December 19,2006 City Council meeting, a proposal of the City Council's Budget Subcommittee regarding support staff in the Department of Mayor and Council was presented to the Council by Mayor Cox and Councilmember McCann; and WHEREAS, the Budget Subcommittee's proposal included a discussion of the elimination of the Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator position from the authorized positions in the Department of Mayor and Council in Fiscal Year 2007, and the assumption of the administrative duties of the position by existing staff in the City Manager's Office; and WHEREAS, it was discussed at the December 19, 2006 meeting by the Council that the elimination of the position from the Department of Mayor and Council's Fiscal Year 2007 budget would result in a savings of $63,600; and WHEREAS, by oral motion and majority vote at the December 19, 2006 meeting, the Council expressed its intent to eliminate the position of Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator from the authorized positions in the Department of Mayor and Council's Fiscal Year 2007 budget. 3-5 Page 2 NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Chula Vista hereby eliminates the position of Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator from the Department of Mayor and Council's Fiscal Year 2007 budget, with the City Manager assuming the administrative duties of the position with existing budgetary resources. Presented by Approved as to form by t:wLt-..- G ., Ed Van Eenoo Director of Budget and Analysis ~t(f/lY&~-M Moore ~ v ' City Attorney 3-6