HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Statement 1980/08/05 Item 15
COUNCIL AGENDA STATEMENT
Item '15
Meeting Date 8-5-80
ITEM TITLE: Resolution,"'- - ..;'- Amending Resolution No. 10184 establishing the compensation
l" plan for the Middle Management employees for FY 1980-81
SUBMITTED BY: Development Services Administrator f,) 1) (4/5ths Vote: Yes_X- No_)
The position of Transit Coordinator was not studied in the Arthur Young Salary and
Classification Report. Since the position was vacant and since the responsibilities
of the Transit Coordinator might be changed, it was recommended in the Arthur Young
study that the Personnel Department complete a salary study for this position. The
Personnel Department Report is appended to this Agenda Statement. Based on the informa-
tion in that report and on my own experience in interviewing applicants for the
Transit Coordinator position during the past several weeks, it is my
RECOMMENDATION: That the Transit Coordinator's salary be established at Salary Range
44.5 which is from $2136 per month to $2597 per month, or $31,164/year.
DISCUSSION
The recommendation calls for an increase in the Transit Coordinator's salary of nearly
10 percent over the existing salary of $2365 per month ($28,380 per year). In the
Personnel Department Report which is attached, it is recommended that the salary for
the Transit Coordinator be established in the range of $30,000 per year to $33,000 per
year. This is based primarily on two conclusions. First there is only one com-
parable position that they have been able to find in the State. Therefore, comparison
to existing salaries is meaningless; and since I have not been able to fill the position
at $28,380, the existing salary is too low. Second, there is evidence to indicate
that in order to recruit someone with the knowledges, skills, and abilities required
for this position that more than $30,000 annual salary is needed.
My own experience in the recent interview process confirms this. Of the 37 people
who applied for the position, which was advertised nationally, we selected nine persons
to interview. Of the seven persons who showed up for the technical interview, (the
first step in a two-step process) only two were considered acceptable by the Technical
Interview Board. That Interview Board met twice and was composed of either Tom Larwin,
General Manager of MTDB or Maurice Carter, Director of Planning of MTDB and Jas Kooner,
Chief of the Transit Division of the County Department of Transportation; also repre-
sentatives from the Personnel Department and Gary Hansen, Acting Transit Coordinator,
sat in for some of the interviews. I have actually interviewed four persons, only
two of whom I subsequently found out were satisfactory to the first Interview Board.
Of those four persons, three of them indicated they would not consider taking the job
for less than $30,000 per year. This was at a time when it was advertised at the old
pay scale of less than $27,000 per year.
Of these four persons, there is one person who I would like to hire, there is one who
I consider marginal, and two who I do not want to hire for the Transit Coordinator
position. When I offered the position to my first choice, he turned it down. He
indicated that the salary of $28,380 per year was simply not enough to motivate his
/o~~7
Form A-113 (Rev. 11/79)
EXHIBITS
Agreement_____ Resolut10n_____ Ordinance_____ Plat_____ Notification List
Other Pers. Report
ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENT: Attached
Submitted on
Page 2, Item
Meeting Date
15
8-5-80
move from New Orleans to San Diego to accept this position even though he really
would like the position from a career standpoint. In subsequent discussion with
him, I determined that a salary of $31,000 to $32,000 per year plus payment of a
considerable portion of his moving expenses would be enough for him to take this
position. He has received two estimates for moving his belongings from New Orleans
to here and they are $4,800 to $5,100. He indicated that his primary learning about
living conditions on his visit to San Diego was that the housing costs here, even
though he had heard that they were high, were well beyond his expectations.
The experience of this applicant, I believe, is typical of any applicant from out-of-
state. It seems that it is difficult enough for in-state people to move with housing
conditions being the way they are to accept another job, let along out-of-state persons.
In all of our applications we received very few from in-state which we considered
even interviewing.
In discussing the salary with representatives from MTDB and the County (both of whom
were on the Interview Board) and CPO, we all agreed that the responsibilities,
knowledge, skills, and experience required to do a satisfactory job in this position
were equivalent to the positions of Sr. Transportation Planner (or Specialist) in
those agencies. The Senior Transportation Specialist in the County salary range tops
out at $33,000 per year and this includes a recent pay increase. Neither CPO nor
MTDB have had their pay raises for this fiscal year, though both anticipate it in
the near future. However, the present salary for the Senior Planner for CPO is
$31,000 per year and for MTDB $31,720 per year. Therefore, it seems unlikely that
we will attract the kind of person I would like to have in this position for a
salary of $28,380 per year.
Based on all of the above, it is my conclusion that in order to have a competent
person fill this position a salary raise for the Transit Coordinator is necessary.
I am recommending a salary of $2597 per month or $31,164 per year. I choose that
salary, frankly, because that is the salary that is necessary to get the applicant
from New Orleans. It also fits well within the recommended range by the Personnel
Department though on the low side of that range.
It is my intention if the Council approves this salary adjustment to offer the
position to the applicant in New Orleans and to not readvertise at this new salary.
The applicant comes highly recommended, had a good interview both with the Technical
Interview Board and with myself and has the requisite experience. Also, this fits
very well into his career advancement pattern. In my opinion, the chances of getting
better applicants by readvertising is minimal and the time to fill the position would
be increased by another three months or so.
WJR:vt
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by the City C;-;lJ:1CII ?f
Chula Vista, C<:.lifornla
Dated ,f,S,/?-Q
IO~1. '7