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01-18-1971 - Regular Meeting - MinutesMINUTES OF THE ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL CITY OF WEST COVINA, CALIFORNIA JANUARY 18, 1971. The adjourned regular meeting of the City Council was called to order by Mayor Ken Chappell at 7.30 P.M„ in the West. Covina Council Chambers. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by the Mayor. ROLL CALL Present. Mayor Chappell, Councilmen Shearer, Nichols, Young, Lloyd Others Present. George Aiassa, City Manager Lela Preston, City Clerk Leonard Eliot, Controller Ray Windsor, Administrative Assistant Ross Nammar, Administrative Analyst Terry Brandt, Administrative Analyst,, Jr. .Allen Sill, Chief of Police H. 'R. Fast, Public Services .Director Craig Meacham, Deputy Police Chief 1970 MID -YEAR SALARY ADJUSTMENTS L Mr. Aiassa. I have_Mx. Windsor present, the Assistant Personnel Officer, who has done a very thorough and comprehensive job. He will pre- sent what we are proposing for Council approval. Mr. Windsor. Mr. Mayor and members of Council, you have before you a report submitted to you on Friday, which, outlines a survey that was taken by staff and the consultant as an outgrowth of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in May of 1970. As Council is aware, at that time the City Manager agreed that in November of 1970 we would check the 1.0 criteria cities on those classifications that we had comparable data for and where these classes fell. below the fourth rank we would make adjustments as of. January 1, .197.1. The consultant and staff were guided by two major factors in making the survey. 1 - Percentile relationships of the Criteria Cities which were arrived at through a combination of position ranking and dollar difference between West Covina°s classifications and the high and low ;::salaries in the comparison Cities, and 2 - Percentile relationships between classifications in any given Department in order to maintain proper alignment of positions and avoid compaction. As the Council knows,, these range relationships are based upon a dollar difference of 2.5% and 5, Based upon this we came up with some preliminary data and a recommendation which was put to the Personnel Board at its meeting in January, but there was some disagreement on the part of many employees as to the manner in which we arrived at some of our conclusions. Based upon this the Board agreed to hold the matter over. Following this the City Manager met with the Employees' Association Salary Committee and from this some compromises were made and based • upon that we were able to go back to the .personnel Board with firm recommendations for salary adjustments as of January 1. The Board did approve and this was the report sent to you on Friday. Mr-. Aiassa. Mr. Mayor, staff has no further presentation, but perhaps the representatives of the Employees' Association would like to address a few words to the Council. (Council agreed to hear presentation.of the Employees' Association Salary Committee.) 1 ADJ. REG„ CITY COUNCIL 1/18/'71 Page Two 1970 Midyear Salary Adjustment Carol Whelan Mr, Mayor and members of Council, Vice -President and Chairman, Mr, :butler is home with a bad back WoCoCoEoAo Salary Committee this evening and I will be making the presentation. As you know the recommendation of staff and the Employees' Association was made with a great deal of work on both the part of staff as well as the Salary Committee, and it was an attempt on our part to solve a number of problems, perhaps created by an across-the-board raise granted by the City Council in July, 1970. The Salary Committee is made up of members of both the Employees' Association as well as the Fire and Police and we have worked in unity since the Committee was established in 1970. It is the same Committee that worked on the Memorandum of Understanding. The mid -year survey is a direct result of the Memorandum of Understanding and the reasons for the midyear adjustments include discrepancies that were anticipated. to occur in the Public Safety categories as a result of the raises granted such categories throughout the 10 City comparisons, as well as various other cities, and is an attempt, to even out - as Mr. Aiassa, uses the terms m the mountains and, the valleys within the various salary classifications. While we realize that unemployment is high at this point and sales taxes are down, we feel that the criteria established is reasonable and important that it be maintained and the compromise effectuated as a result of the raises in the Memorandum of Under- standing in 1970, were such that it was felt .in the best interests of the City that six months be given in order to carefully and fully evaluate the effects that other Cities, activities have on the City of West Covina. The six months having past, the picture was quite clear that :some adjustments would have to be made. So in November the Salary Committee started. their work and did some , extensive surveying and came up with some rather startling figures that we were all surprised about.: This revealed there were a number of rather grave inequities in positions in the Street Depart- ment, as well as other problems that had been anticipated in the Police and Fire categories. The result of the discrepancies noted resulted in the hiring of Mr. Cold to do a salary survey and as I am sure you are aware, the survey was not intended to be an overall comprehensive survey but rather to study, the ,specific problem areas reveled by our study. As a result of his work a report was submitted by Urban Associates recently and taken under study by the administrative staff as well. as the Employees' Association and of course the Fire and Police Associations. It was found that along with the criteria reports adopted by the City and followed by Gold that there were a, few problem areas and it was in keeping with the criteria, report that the Employees' Association Salary Committee tried to iron out these - difficulties to create the most logical well, designed salary adjustment package that was possible. When the report was held over. by -the Personnel Board, again the Salary Committee went into negotiations with management and in keeping with our policy of con-, ferring in good faith, some changes were agreed upon. The changes on the part of the Miscellaneous Employees originally requested by the Salary Committee came to only an additional, amount of $7, 000 o And when it was indicated that a $2,000 cut would have to be made for a realistic package so that an agreement could be made between administration and the Salary Committee, the group had to more closely analyze the proposal by Mro Gold in an attempt to decide where the changers could be made in all fairness to everyone concerned. From the percentile recommended for Principal Engineering Aide, Public Works,Inspecto.rs and Building Inspectors, the Salary Committee recommended a 2.5/ cut from Mr. Gold°s recommendation. Obviously the persons in those categories were not exactly delighted over the result of this recommendation-, however we had found that since the recommended raises were taken from -the original survey done by the Employees' Association, that our surveys 2 ADJ. REG. CITY COUNCIL 1/18/71 .Page Three 1970 Mid -Year Salary Adjustments showed for those positions the,2o5/ was more closely aligned with what was indicated and as such it was felt that those positions were not going to be dropped back down into the valley but were closer to the even ratio attempted forla.11 positions. As a result this compromise was felt to be in the best interests of the majority of the employees and it was a difficult task for the Committee and not one taken lightly. At that point we attempted to explain to all the employees the thinking and the problems we were up against. I think we have an audience here in support of the recommendations and a sincere interested group appreciating much of the work gone .into this proposal and I think the proposal before you is a fine example of the meeting and conferring in good faith that has gone on between the representatives of the various associations and management and it was only due to the very fine cooperation of Mr. Windsor, Mr. Eliot and Mr. Aiassa, that such a program was able to exist this evening. The West Covina Employees' Association would like to thank the City Manager, Mr. Windsor ,and Mr. Eliot for their time and effort and consideration on our behalf and I appreciate your giving me this opportunity to make the presentation and we appreciate the consideration given to the proposal. Mr.- Aiassa: Mr. Mayor, I would like the members of the Employees' Association - the Salary Committee, that negotiated with staff to stand up so Council will know who worked with use Mr. Butler is the only one not present. If Council has any further questions staff will be ready to answer. I believe Council had the opportunity to review the entire proposal. We have the funds budgeted to cover the amount of money necessary to put this proposal into effect as of January to (COUNCIL DISCUSSION FOLLOWED.) Councilman Shearer: Mr. Aiassa, approximately on a percentage basis, hors many employees will stand to get a, raise? Mr. Aiassa: Roughly about two-thi.rd,s will get between 2.5/ and 5%o The biggest majority will be in the 2.5% picture. I would say we have about 300 employees not including the department heads and this would represent about two -•thirds. Councilman Shearer: A question, perhaps of Mrs. Whelan. What contact, if any, has been made with the unfortunate 33/ including the clerical employees who .are not included in this recommendation? Mrs. Whelan: We have made attempts to notify those individuals not receiving raises as to the breakdown within the 10 City Comparisons and I have the percentile figures on the number ranking position for most of those positions and have indicated if they fall within the 65th to 75th category that because we are attempting to fall within that breakdown that no raise would be forthcomingo There are a few positions which do not have comparison positions in the 10 citiesifor which on the present basis/without it becoming a complete overall Salary Survey/ adjustments would not be forthcoming at this time and we have indicated that those positions would receive the top priority in consideration in the coming July in regards to a full scale salary survey and perhaps reclassifications, if necessary. Councilman Shearer: Have you had any feedback from these people? 3 ADJ. REG. CITY COUNCIL 1/18/71 Page four 1970 Mid -Year Salary Adjustment____ Mrs. Whelan: Yes, and generally speaking with a couple of exceptions, I think most people understand. Councilman Shearer: Thank you. Let me explain why I asked the question,, Being a civil service employee myself I can sympathize with both sides. A number of years ago the State granted a 5/ increase to everyone except the unfortunate few who only got 205/ and in this case all the facts and figures backed it up, etc., and you never heard such an out -cry of anguish from those people and they brought pressure to bear and when you get into the across-the-board versus class by class, there are arguments both gays, it depends on where you happen to sit. If you are left out on the class by class then you are all for the .across- the-board, and if you are left out on the across-the-board then you are for the other. So I am interested in what kind of reaction, if the recommendation.is accepted by Council tonight, that we might expect from those 33% approximately, including all the clerical help that are not included. I. think we have to ask ourself all of these questions before we make our decision, and that is why I ask. Mr. Aiassa: I would like to answer that one question. At the time we gave the 6.7% raise a lot of our positions in the clerical. line went into a 2nd or 3rd differential position. and even in. some of the adjustments with the comparison cities some of them did. not drop down much, whereas the Police and .Fire had a distinct markdown. We actually made this quite apparent to all employees that there was not going to be a flat raise for everybody. As Mrs. Whelan pointed out we are knocking off the peaks and the valleys and that.is all we can. do. We don't have enough funds to do a complete salary classification at this time and this is not the normal time to do it. Councilman Lloyd. Mr. Aiassa, and that is Obviously we income? you brought up the crucial point how do we stand, financially? are :now dealing with estimated Mr. Aiassa: We have closed the six months receipts as of December 31. And looking at the receipts - and we have actually now reduced the number of new positions that were to be established as of January 1, 1.971 - and that will give us our first nucleus for the salary raises. Councilman Lloyd,. You have projected your income for the first half of the fiscal year of 1970 and at the present moment with that projection in mind from the sales taxes, etc., in the percentage factors you deal with as an administrator, do you see where we may or may not find our- selves in an extremism position, say'.in June of this year? Mr. Aiassa: No. As I pointed out to Council, we are running a tight ship and the reasons I have curbed additional personnel is for the purpose to,give it on the salary increases to employees, which is a. one-shot deal and I won't be increasing vacatibn, sick leave, etc., and all the other problems if I hired new employees. Councilman Lloyd: Strictly speaking we have the dough at this time? I realize if economy falls drastically we could be faced with a different picture, but basically we have the dough? Mr. Aiassa: That's right. The normal run of our receipts is going to be tight. We have to watch expenditures and we are estimating the six months receipts to finish this fiscal year and I think we will have sufficient funds for this recommendation and also for the Department Heads salary increases. - 4 - ADJ. REG. CITY COUNCIL 1/18/71 Page Five 1970 Mid -Year Salary Adjustments Councilman Lloyd: You are not using.any funds which currently exist as a cushion or as a May or June situation to cover this? Mr. Aiassa: No. We are using no proposed unbudgeted encumbrances normally used for the un- usable nonmaterialized receipts. Councilman Lloyd: In the normal structure of salary classifica- tions whether we go Column 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, or Steps A-B-C-D®E m would you say that our people here tend to fall into the more senior categories? In other words they are falling in Column 4 or 5, or steps D & E? Mr. Aiassa: I would say the majority of our employees have now reached D & .E steps. Councilman Lloyd: Then should we talk about dollars or percentage increases? I know in governmental areas they always go percentage increases. Well if someone earns $1.0,000 a year, as a Step E employee, there is a whale of a lot of difference from the employee coming in at Step Ap and even though the responsibilities are about the same, the disparity that exists between these two is not that insignificant in other words I am philosophizing at this point and the question I am asking is in the normal attrition which occurs as people move sideways or into other positions or go to other cities, do 'we anticipate that we will change this pattern fall of personnel classification on the chart? Will we gain on that or are we going to pretty well remain where we are? Mr. Aiassa: I think from now on - from 1971 to 1973 we probably have reached a degree of stability as far as the number of employees'working with no change. I think the average employee, as a whole, has reached the step of .Ea where there is no place to go other than the, cost -of -living increases that may be given. I do want to advise Council that this Committee is well versed with the economics, the unemployment and all the .rest of the factors that will be facing us in 1971-72. I think they also understand that especially the semi -skilled and unskilled positions are going to be having premium demands, and if we have a vacancy say in the Street or Parks Departments, we will probably do like the Gas Company - we have two positions and have 450 responsible responders to it. This is prevalent due partly to the cutback the President is proposing in regard to the curbing of aircra.fts,.etco There is really drastic unemployment at this point, So the employees we do have and who are loyal employees and most have been with us for 13 years or better, but I would say generally we will have some fluctuations. We have a lot of Police Officers looking for better jobs in other areas, also some rich street boys that have decided to go into private business, but as a whole we will not have a great turnover of employees, Councilman Lloyd, One other question. Could you give me a feeling on the comparative situations for a City of 67,500 with a budget of almost six million dollars - how do we compare employee -wise with "our comparative cities" - or better yet the cities that fill this criteria, give or take 5. Do we have fewer employees? Mr. Aiassa: As a whole, and this is one reason we have paid the quality differential - because we have a lower number of employees by comparison to cities of our size and our population, such cities as Alhambra and a few others have a larger percentage of total employees than we have. This is true in certain Public Safety departments also and in certain critical situations. ® 5 ADJ. REG. CITY COUNCIL 1/18/71 :Page Six 1970 Mid -Year Salary Atustments Councilman Lloyd. Is there a reason for this? Mr. Ai.assa: No, I think it is because they are older cities and I think there is a tendency that jobs have been added and there has never been a cutback made of dead wood. • Councilman Lloyd: You don't feel that we are running thin on our operation? Mr. Aiassa: No, we are running a tight ship with a tight crew and each person is responsible to do a certain amount of work and there is no leeway for dead wood. We do have a few branches but for the number of employees we have you are bound to have a few but in a very small number. Councilman Lloyd., A question of Mrso Whelan. You referred to some of the grave inequities and you alluded to them but in my mind you didn't fully clarify what the inequities were. You people have lived with the problem and talked about it and I know individuals in this room have personally gone out and reviewed what is occurring in other cities, but unfortunately, we, up here, do not have that opportunity, so when you allude to certain things we are kind of trapped. In the middle of your presentation you indicated there were certain grave inequities and you . . referred to the in- equities by the types of jobs, I believe, from .Public Safety versus Street Maintenance. Mrs. Whelan: If I did that was in e.rroro What I intended to say was that of the positions that we have job titles and job descriptions for regarding their activities, indicated in -our survey that similar and in, fact exact positions in other cities were being paid substantially more for those same positions with the same job .responsibilities and we were being paid considerably less. We came up with a number of positions actually at the 49th and 48th percentile., Our criteria report, as suggested by Mr. Gold and approved by Council, even prior to 1970, was for the 65th and 75th percentile as being an appropriate slot for West Covina employees to fit in the pay range. So within that, the goal of the Memorandum of Understanding was to place all the Departments between the 3rd and 4th position in the 10 City Comparison Group and not less than 4tho So when we were coming up with the 49th percentile and of course some came up 60th and 61, which were not.so serious, but below the 65th, were therefore deserving of a raise. Councilman Lloyd: Your group then feels that it is essential that we maintain this agreed on percentage factor? Mrs. Whelan: Right. Councilman Lloyd: And another thing you referred to which I didn't quite understand. You referred to only $7,000 differential and I don't mean to minimize $7,000 but $7,000 when you consider the number of employees is almost a minute figure. Mrs. Whelan: That's right. The increase we saw as necessary over and above the report from Urban Associates is $7,000. Councilman Lloyd: In other words you are asking for an increase over and above their recommendation in the amount of $7,000. Mrs. Whelan: Right, but that was reduced down to $5,000 as a result of the compromise. 6 - ADJ. REG. CITY COUNCIL 1/18/71, Page Seven 1970 :MID -YEAR SALARY ADJUSTEMTNS Councilman Lloydv 'then the amount now is $5,000 over and above what Urban Associates has recommended. Mrs. Whelan: Right. Councilman Lloyd: Okay that covers it. I will enter into the • philosphy and then the rest of the gentlemen can have their say and we will all go home. As you, of course, recognize/ we live in a very difficult time as far as finance.is concerned. 'I don't know what the term is that we are currently using, when. I was a boy we called it a depression and then in the immediate postwar era of World War II it became a recession. We are .in an economic depression, which means that people in this immediate area are not working and as a matter of fact we have a number of our own citizens that are unemployed and I am equally certain that the people here this evening feel very justified in asking for these increases. I am not going to tel.l you that I am wildly enthused about any percentage increase whatsoever, because 1. am not. I recognize the faithful, loyal service and the support this staff gives to Mr. Aiassao I have seen you at work, I have had the opportunity to associate with you and I think that without any question that you people certainly meet the 4th step and I think you do a little better than that, personally. As a result of my profession and occupation I am throughout the Los Angeles area and certainly I am in somebody's city hall besides that of West Covina, on the average of two times a week, so I have an opportunity to see other people and I do have some feelings for the thing. There is a attitude on the part of. government agencies and the people that work for them and we sometimes forget - and I am reminding you at this point that I too have worked for the government agencies for some 20 years -7 so I know what it is like to count on somebody to give a percentage raise. On the other hand I recognize we are in a difficult position and I think this Council, as .long as I have served on it,. has really done its very level best to be supportive of the people that work f:or this City. I think the percentage raise at this time I would prefer to look at it as a. re- alignment and if I go to the people of West Covina who elected me and everyone of these other gentlemen up here, and say we gave a percentage raise to our employees, no matter what I do I am going to be severely censored. On the other hand if we don't do this and in view of the obvious great'deel of effort that has gone into the talks between the office of the City Manager, not only has the City paid for it but you also contributed and I am aware of.the fact that we do not have a strike going on in our City as other cities do have and I think this is important to the people of our community. So while I am extremely reticent to say to my people and I have to justify to my voters and I know some of you are also constituents, but I have to justify to those people why I, who don't give it to my own employees,- can say it is okay for them but when it comes to Lloyd's Public Relations you just are not going to get anymore, you can negotiate till. your blue in the face but I am sorry I just don't have it. The answer is how can I do it and then sometimes people say to me, it is not your money you are spending. So .it is very difficult for me to say okay let's go forward but on the other hand the point made is that we have fewer employees - so in this case you might have to work a mite harder because we have fewer people pulling the load. I think when it comes to efficiency in government I am going to be quick to say that I think Mr. Aiassa has, over the years/ demonstrated his ability to financially get monies into this City, and the fact that I am willing to go forward with the recommendations as -have been presented is in a great measure directly the responsibility of your City Administrator. I think this man has brought a lot of dough .in here, made it possible for me to be very generous with monies which I didn't raise. As pointed out to you eit is your responsibility as citizens of this community) to reflect on the problems -.that we all face and that is the end of my lecture. I do appreciate all the problems you face and I think you have been loyal employees and. created 7 .y ADJ. REG. CITY COUNCIL 1/1.8/71 1970 MID -YEAR SALARY ADJUSTMENTS a City we are proud to be representative ofo .Page Eight Councilman Young: I intend to support the recommendation of staff this evening„ I am concerned about the fact that a portion of the funding arises out of not filling positions which were authorized and asked for, urged for, and lobbied for in the spring budget sessions, and now we are not filling these positions and they were essential at that time. Perhaps Mr. Aiassa will expound somewhat on what we are not filling and what we will do in the future. I think the Salary Committee and the staff., and I,have worked on the Personnel Boardp and I am aware of Mr. Gold°s diligent efforts over the years, and I have every confidence in the report made and furthermore I think the employees have shown a very commendable restraint in the demands they have made upon the budgetary processes of West Covina, so I intend to support this. We are here to serve, the only reason -we have Government is to serve and to render services to the people who live here and I think employee morale is very important to that. I think sufficiency of staffing is very important to that and this is the area of latent concern which I think we evidently have to deal with. As Mr. Lloyd says, the City Manager and all of the staff have done a great job of providing this service and maintaining budgets. Every other municipality and county agency around including the State agencies and Federal agencies, except West Covina have called for increases in taxes. West Covina has not done so in a long time and I think we may well have to take a look at that in the near future, because we are obviously borrowing somewhat from the future when we raise salaries at the expense of increasing the service which we commended ourselves to when adopting the budget this year. So I think we do face some tough decisions in the future, but as of now I think we see nothing here but commendable restraint and I.think the increases we are giving, or I 'hope we will tonight if the other Councilmen join me3 nonetheless, we are not at the top or the bottom. I don't think we are overdoing it by any means and I hope we are not underdoing it because it .is the ultimate service that counts. The City Manager m.y want to comment; on the positions we are not filling. Mr. Aia.ssa.m We are holding open .for further consideration of the City Manager and the Department Heads one police officer position and one maintenance man and one communications supervisor, and we have filled the custodian vacancy as of January 1, 1971. We have dropped the Police Cadet and the promotion of three firemen to Fire Engineers. One promotion :is predicated on the opening of fire station :No. 6, and I think the one .Police Officer and one Cadet position was subject to the economics anyway. If we didn't have the money these positions wouldn't be filled and I think I discussed this with the Department Heads, that these'positions would have to be determined whether we give salary or personnel, I will say that the city staff will not be diminished that badly. Councilman Young. Yes, but you can only stretch it so thin, but I suppose we will have to face that sooner or later. Councilman Nichols: I have observed for the last two or three years and. many of you in the audience have observed the same thing, that is in order to attempt to maintain our reasonable competitive salary structure we have had to cover leaner and leaner in germs of other types of expenditures in the City in the way of extra equipment for the various Departments. Each year - from conventions to tuitions, to extra hoses for the Fire Department, etc., - - you name it, we have cut it leaner and leaner. It is rather apparent to me and I am sure apparent - 8 - ADJ. REG. CITY COUNCIL 1./18/71 1970 MID -YEAR SALARY ADJUSTMENTS Page Nine to many of you employees that the day of reckoning is pretty nigh. upon use The Council. voted to apply a 603% raise across-the-board in July and made a commitment' to review salaries again at this time of the year and this commitment's to review salaries h.as.gradually been taken to.mean adjust salaries. Although in retrospect, I think it was probably a mistake for the Council to go on .record ,six months ago that it would in fact attempt to reopen salaries during the year but that • commitment_ was made and again for myself, I say that the Council, can't do anything more but follow through on that implied commitment So I am also prepared to vote for these recommendations. T, frankly, don°t�attach all that to it, I don't think it is such a noble act to take all of the dollars that are available and split it up in such a way so that a riot doesn't break out among the city employees, but rather that it is a political act that has been going on in the city in the last weeks than an act of nobility. I want to leave one thought only and that is that all of this talk about salaries - what we are getting and what we are not getting - is tied totally to this 10 City Comparison and your representatives can stand before the Council and say we must stay with the 10 City Comparison and the City Manager can say that we are trying to stay with the 10 City Comparison, but remember it has been about seven years now since those 10 Cities were adopted as our comparison cities and all, of the cities have changed since then. Some are better off financially and some are a little worse, and I think West Covina is a little worse financially. What am I heading for - I am heading for the thought that probably before very long the great issue that is going to face the City Council is can we continue to try and keep all of our salaries in the upper 3rd or 4th of these 10 Cities? I think you City employees will be the ones that will have to help us decide that. Last July and again tonight, the decision is being made to take every blessed penny that, can be scraped together and pay it out in salaries. Once and awhile as I go about the City I hear an employee say - well if the Council would just give us this, or if we could just get this new piece of equipment we could do a much better job. I hope as we go about our jobs that we will remember that your Council is taking available monies that might be used for just that thing you want in your .Department and putting it in your pockets, because we too feel when the money is there it should go to pay our employees. Likewise when the day comes that we just don't have the money I hope that you folks will join with us and help keep our City on the track even though that money may not be there on that date. When the money is here I feel you people should have it, and so it has been recommended and I. think it has been .recommended equitably and I will support it. Councilman Shearer. I guess I will make my negative comments and then go positive, which seems to be the way things are going this evening. I feel like a person on a merry-go-round or caught in a whirlwind - trying to catch up with things and I think I can appreciate the attitude and feelings of the employees - they go to the store and of course I am now talking about the cost of living, but it is all tied. in with what • we can buy. Last week a canof beans was 15t and now it is 1°�� and next week it is 18�, so we are all in this maid, whirlwind. We have a recession but we have inflation. I guess it is a situation unique and I am not an economist so I can't explain it and I am not going to try, I echo the sentiments of Councilman Nichols. I would like to see the Recreation Building built at Del Norte Park that has been in the budget. At the last Recreation & Parks Com- mission meeting they talked about that and you people in the Parks Department, I am sure you would like to see it built too. I would like to see Vine Street resurfaced, it is in miserable condition. 9 ADJ. REG. CITY COUNCIL 1/18/71 Page Ten 1970 MIDYEAR SALARY ADJUSTMENTS You people in the Street Department can appreciate that. There are probably other streets just as bad, but that is the one I drive quite a bit. There are a lot of things I would like to see in the City, but the money just isn't there and one of these days, as Councilman Nichols says, there is going to be a day of reckoning. I would like to go on record now as saying that I. will .in the future take .a very dim look at mid --year salary adjustments. I will take a very dim look at further .readjustments based on internal inequitiesibecause perhaps what we are doing tonight will create other inequities. I just happen to see before me in the Engineering Department, I see that all of the classifica- tions down from Public Works Inspector 2.5%, Senior Aide 5% and the other two no increase. Now what is going to happen in six months from now when the Engineering Aide and the Engineering Aide Trainee says we are out of line because in January everybody else above us got 5% and this makes, a spread of 10 or 15 or 20% therefore this justifies me moving up and the man above says you are too close to me because I have so much more responsibility, etc. So we are in the whirlpool not only of inflation but of this constant readjust- ment because I should earn more than him and I am not - so there we go round and round. So in the future, and I will be around for a minimum of 3 years, I think we are going to have to faceup to further internal adjustments which are one thing and the cost of living is something else and I think the cost of living is about the most city employees can expect in the future as far as my vote is concerned. Mayor Chappell: Since .March I have been attending two or three meetings a month with Mayors of the seventy- seven cities ,'of the County area regarding midyear pay raises. After a tremendous amount of meetings we met with the supervisors about a month ago and they promised us there would be no more mid' -year pay raises in the County.;Mid-year pay raises cause a tremendous amount of problems,, those of you getting the raise are happy and those not getting the raise are .really not going to be happy no matter what you say.. It just happens to be a way of life. There are several positive ways that we can continue to keep West Covina on the 4th and 3rd step and the 350 employees of this City are the ones that will have to start it and initiate it if for nothing more than to protect your pay and your salaries in comparison to the .10 other cities, You are going to have to spend your money in West Covina and encourage your friends and neighbors to spend money in West Covina. As many of you may know and others may not know, we only had %% increase in sales taxes in the past year. Covina had 22% and city after city around us had 17%, 18% and 19%o My concern is if we spend our money here and our citizens do and we don't knock our businesses and say they are second class but try and be positive and think in a positive way and spend our money in West Covina and keep the sales taxes rising then. the West Covina City Council will be able to continue'to pay you on -the 3rd and 4th step. And if you don't do these things then come July we will have a real problem because there are a lot of things that have been cut out.of the -budget this past year that will have • to be donee We have been told by the City Manager we are growing. As you know some 39,.000 people will be added to our City in the next 4 or 5 years and this will take more employees and they will not generate a lot of taxes to us unless they too spend their money here. So all I can say is if you are positive and you really want to work with this City Council then you employees will have to spend your money here, buy your cars here, buy.your suits here and everything else you buy, and then I don't think Mr. Aiassa will have to look at a .5% sales tax increase at the end of 197.10 10 ADJ. REG. CITY COUNCIL 1/18/71 Page Eleven 1970 MID -YEAR SALARY ADJUSTMENTS I am going to support this because we com- mitted ourselves in 1969 to keep you on the 3rd and 4th steps® I was on the Council at that time and I voted to do this and then in July I voted to 'reevaluate the pay situation in January and adjust, no pay raises just adjustments. A tricky word but it will have to serve when I talk to the.33 people that called me Saturday and . Sunday after reading the articles in the newspaper. Roughly 7% in West Covina, and these are -the statistics given me, are out of work and those are probably.the ones calling .me or a good portion of them. But I like to think positive in my business and I don't think I am going to be out of business., the same thing with Councilman Lloyd and Councilman Young. So we are asking you from now on to put your hats on and work that extra 5 or 10 minutes necessary to get 'the work done so we don't have to hire the extra people to get that work out. We will then all be happy and you will be earning the amount of money you should be earning as employees of our City. Is there anyone else that would like to say something? Councilman Young: Yes, Mr. M.ayoro Just a comment and maybe I am out of line, I don't mean to be rude or impertinent at all. I think everything said here has been said in good faith and I think probably we are rah-rahing just a little too much. I think we are tending to lecture a .little too much. I think this staff is doing an outstanding job and deserves to be recognized. in every way including salary adjustments. While I appreciate the sincerity of your remarks and certainly my own and those of the other Councilmen, I don't think we want to leave the impression that we are doing a great big favor but I think we are doing what we conscientiously .feel should be done in the light of the services rendered and in, light of arrangements elsewhere. I think we have a good staff and a loyal staff and it is a duty on our part from my thinking. Motion by Councilman Lloyd, seconded by Coun.ci.l.man. Young, to accept and approve -the mid -year salary adjustments recommended by the ,Personnel Board and instruct the City Attorney and staff to amend Resolution No. 1277 accordingly, Motion carried on .roll call vote as follows: AYES. Councilmen Shearer, Nichols, Young, Lloyd, Mayor Chappell NOES. None ABSENT: None RESOLUTION NO. 4285 The City Manager presented. ADOPTED °"A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WEST COVINA, AMENDING CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF RESOLUTION NO, 1277 RELATING TO AUTHORIZED 1POSITIONS AND SALARIES." Mayor Chappell; Hearing no objections waive further reading of the body of said Resolution. Motion by Councilman Lloyd, seconded by Councilman Young, adopting said Resolution. Motion carried on roll call vote as follows.. AYES., Councilmen Shearer, Nichols, Young, Lloyd, Mayor Chappell NOES. None ABSENT: None Councilman Nichols: Mr. Mayor, I have one more observation. I didn't think the chair was lecturing. I thought the chair made some very excellent points to our family, to all of us, which I hope are taken by all in the constructive spirit, that in fact we are all in the same boat and that our City does face lean days ahead and we do all need to pull together in order to accomplish all the things that need to be accomplished. I don't mean to say it as taking exception to the remarks of Councilman Young, but perhaps .rather to be a hair more supportive of the chair. Councilman Young; I would join Councilman Nichols' remarks. - 11 ADJ. REG. CITY COUNCIL 1/18/71 Page Twelve ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW COMMITTEE CONSULTANT'S RECOMMENDATIONS Mr. Aiassa: Last year as of and on which we consulted with Mr® Gold. Mr. Windsor report on this because this of the action from the Personnel Board. July 1 we bad four items not resolved I believe I will let is part of the carryover Mr. Windsor: Mr. Mayor and members of. Council, I. would like to preface this by saying this is not a part of the salary adjustments that you just made a decision on. The Administrative Review Committee is a group of employees selected by the City Manager. It meets annually to review employee grievances on classifications and similar problems. If you recall, the last salary survey and classification study was conducted in 19690 We did not have one in 1970 and therefore used just the Administrative Review Committee to look into some of the employee problems. There were a number.of requests made before the ARC and you received a report which outlined these. These in turn were recommended on by the Committee and passed. to the Personnel Board who in turn referred back to the City Manager and the salary consultant. You approved hiring Mr. Gold who reviewed these problem areas and he came forth with certain recommendations. Some of these recommendations are such that will require administrative review and we have not asked you to act on these but just given you a brief summary. What we are asking for is four specific actions as stated in my memorandum of January 13, 1971. Mr. Gold is present if you have any questions. COUNCIL .D.ISCUSSION, Councilman Shearer: I have a question on each of the four items, Starting with Item 4 on the call-back situation. In Mr. Golds report, the last page of the report dated December 3, 1970, second page of the recommendations 1 (a): "Present rate can vary from approximately $5.50 (Clerk -Typist at A Step) to $7.75 (Clerk -Stenographer at E Step)oa° I think these rates are a little high. Using our figure of 168 hours per month which is usually the average monthly hours, the $5.50 figures out to $924. a month and the $7.75 figures out to $1302. I don't think we have any Clerk -Stenos in the City of West Covina receiving that rate of pay. Mr. Gold. Those rates apply to the 2 hour rate minimum. They are for the matron .service on a 2 hour basis and inasmuch as the 2 hour minimum is used we quoted the amount of money they might earn. Mr. Windsor: May I point out the problem here was that you had two classifications paying different amounts of money depending where you are on the range for either one yet you do the same work, in that you are asked to go in between the hours of 12:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. in the morning to assist as a matron and although you are a clerk -typist or a clerk -steno you receive the rate for that position although you do the same duties. Councilman Shearer: Well I think this is a fact of life that we have to accept when we .are talking about the 5 step civil service - that somebody is going to be paid. more for doing the same job as somebody else. I. am at -the -top step in my classification, a man next to me may only be in the job one year and doing exactly the same work, but because of the timing I am getting more for the same work than he is getting. In a couple of years he will be up to me. It is a matter of timing. So I don't think we can tie it in with m well we are getting .paid the same because of the steps. It does clarify my question. I am a supporter of extra pay for this type of a call back. We recognize this, a man gets paid a 4 hour minimum regardless of what he works. I wasn't disputing that. I just wanted to make sure the figures justified .in the recommendation were correct and not as stated. 12 m ADJ. REG. CITY COUNCIL 1,/18 71 ARC - CONSULTANT'S RECOMMENDATIONS :Page Thirteen Mr, Aiassa. These girls are normally called on a polling basis. Their names go up on a list and if the first person can't do it then they go on. down the line, but it .requires somebody getting up and coming in. at.2 or 3 a.m. in the morning. We feel, it is quite an imposition to not pay them a minimum of 2 hours at equal rates° Councilman Shearer. That answers my question on that. On Items 2 and 3, reclassifications, the same question applies to both. Is this changing from one job to another job require an examination to see if the person who is now, in one case a clerk -typist, is comparable to other engineering aide trainees, or is it just going to be an automatic movement from one class to the other, and if so, is this legal within the City of West Covina's personnel rules?. Mr. Windsor: yes that is correct,, As a reclassification. it does not require a promotional examination. What the salary consultant determines is that the person deserving reclassification is actually doing the duties involved. with the higher class. Councilman ,Shearer: So who ever is filling the Clerk -typist posi- tion, she then becomes an engineering aide trainee without taking the same examination that someone who is already an engineering aide trainee takes, :she took the Clerk -typist examination? Mr. Windsor: We have no such examination. This is a new position we are creating. We do have an engineering aide trainee on a part-time basis, on what we call our limited service clays and even in that we do not require an examination. We hire merely on the possession of certain college credentials. In this case the consultant has determined the person is doing duties aboTB the Clerk -typist position and therefore deserving of the different class. Councilman Shearer. If the person is in the audience who we are talking about, believe me :I am. not talking about personalities because I don't know who she is. The same type of question holds true with the welder - mechanic. Mr. Aiassa. This problem has been with us for about a. year and it was through the Committee that we finally came to this process and through Mr. Gold's analysis and review. Normally I think it would be a big problem to give an in-house test to :see .if they meet the minimum requirements, and as you know they are all on probation everytime they change from one classification to the other and we continue the probation until they meet the minimum .requirements. These are not the higher type positions that would have requirements such as Civil Engineering Associates and Assistants. Councilman Shearer. .Basically then the answer to the question is that this is within the allowable? Mr. Aiassa. Right Councilman Shearer-. My last question has to do with Item to It is not so much a question as a position. I realize this is a small amount - 205% of whatever this particular engineering classification pays, and again I don't know the individuals, so nothing I say is personal. I am a registered civil engineer. I was motivated to become registered not because the minute I passed the examination I got 5 _ V-2 ® or 10%, because I got nothing. I think the motivation is there. The person who takes any particular field as a career and to advance and progress, 13 - ADJ. REG. CITE' COUNCIL 1/1.8/71. ARC - CONSULTANT'S RECOMMENDATIONS Page Fourteen and if it happens to be a field where a license is obtainable to advance further and make him eligible for promotion or another position, well I fail to see where the City will "benefit by increasing from 5 to 7%/ the incentive pay or .reward or whatever you want to call it, for a man who happens to be in aprofession where he can avail himself of a professional license° I don't see • where that will motivate an indi:�iidua.l to do it. I don't see where the City will benefit and for that reason I seriously question that. Again we are probably talking pennies compared to the $55,000 we voted just a few minutes ago, but I can't quite see the justification to that. Mr,, Windsor: All I can say in answer is that the Engineering Department had .requested an increase in both the EoloT. and the Registered .Engineer licenses. The only recommendation -that Mr. Gold .felt was reasonable was the increase in the Registered Engineer. If you want his justification. I would have to ask'M.r® Gold to speak to that Mr. Gold., I would like to say something first in a. general way. :L think -that there is a beginning of a philosphy on pay as it might modify the salary schedule which all. cities, and many other jurisdictions will, be coming to face with and deciding whether they want to adopt or not, which will emphasize the area of incentiVes for employees. I would be inclined to agree that there is a, slight conflict in logic, perhaps, if someone is in a profession and he tyrants to go to the top, etc., he can, without any monetary reward or any other things, but the push this City is making and many other cities, is on improving qualifications and getting the best qualified people possible and once in -the service to improve themselves, usually at their own time and at their own convenience or lack of convenience, and is a direction of reward that I think is becoming more and more important.. You will find it in the Police Departments, for example, and perhaps in the Fire Departments and other areas that are not now covered. It is imperative that one hire - let us say certain people for certain positions, such as the entering Level Police Officer with a high school graduation but it isn't imperative that they stay at that level of education all the time, it is very desirable that they increase their qualifications. In your City there are not a large number of engineering positions, such as in the City of Los Angeles, where once a person gets registered he is automatically going to qualify for a Civil Engineer position or a class, there isn't such a thing available. However, a, section head who is an associate and is registered., becomes much more useful and effective employee for the City, He can do certain things that he wasn't able -to do previously in the approval of plans and other things required. If you can retain such employees with -the City and not treat it as a point where they have reached this nouveau of :having registered and now they must go some other place to get their .reward.. I think it is relatively a good idea from everyone's point of view that they would be so rewarded. If there is any logic to that argument then that means something but it doesn't say whether 2.5 or 12.5% would be the right amount. This is an area of fringe benefits in which your City is pioneering and about a year and a half ago I recommended . a little more pioneering in the Police'Department and I think it is a coming area where there is some variation from •the rigidities of the 5 step scale. Now I think it has to be on specific criteria and definite and it can't always be as ideal as everyone might want, but I think .it is the right direction to go in. It .is something, of course, that the teachers have done on their salary schedule for a long time. I had some questions about. the very precise, automatic steps of the teachers system that go by units and number of years, but nevertheless something in this area is desirable. I think it doers add to the employee's motivation and it may add to the reduction of turnover. Councilman Shearer: Well then placed in that content., the reason, and perhaps then I can justify the vote, is not -. 14 ADJ. CITY COUNCIL 1/18/71 ARC ® CONSULTANT°S RECOMMENDATIONS Page Fifteen just to motivate the man to become licensed but the benefit to the city is to retain that employee once he becomes licensed. Mr. Gold. I think so, definitely/ a.nd I would say all incentive plans on this type of additional compensation would have to benefit both. There might be an -'individual -case where it didn°t for some reason • because the man really wasn°t any better or just flukely passed, or something, but in general it would have to benefit both. It would have to benefit the City before you pay more money and you would have to assume by the criteria set up that the employee had benefited also. Councilman Shearer. Under this proposal it would become automatic? Mr. Gold: Yes, once achieved. The 5/ is already automa- tic and this would become automatic also. It is another area where one can achieve something where the initiative can be left with the employee, Most other things, the initiative is somewhere else or just a matter of existing long enough to get to the right ,step and this at least turns the focus into the employee to become more qualified and if he is getting some additional reward then maybe the turnover will be reduced. When you are dealing with four section heads and one is registered, how do we know what the turnover would have been whether he got 2.5/ more or not, but we are speaking in principles and not isolated individual cases, and I think it does contribute in that direction. Motion by Councilman Young, seconded by Councilman Lloyd, adopting the recommendations of the salary consultant and Personnel Board relating to the bonus pay for possession of a Civil Engineer's Registration; the Clerk -Typist position in the Engineering Department reclassified to Engineering Aide Trainee o the position of the Welder Mechanic in the Street Department. and the compensation for matron duty call -hack for Clerk -Stenos and ClerkmTypists in the Police Department. Motion carried on roll Call vote as follows,. AYES: Councilmen Shearer, Nichols, Young, :Lloyd, Mayor Chappell NOES None ABSENT'. None FIRE DEPARTMENT WORK FOURS Mr. Aiassa*q This is a Resolution REDUCTION gradually reducing the work hours of the Fare Department from 60 hours a week to 56 hours and we are doing it under actl,on adopted last julye I made one variation to it, that as of january 1, 1971, we are planning to move the Fire Department work house t0 5994 and instead we would like to use the factor that we were going to make effective on July 1, 1971, 68o5 hours per week. We require a Resolution_ of the City Council to amend this change and establish the hours of work for the Fire Department,, RESOLUTION NOo 4286 The City Manager presented: ADOPTED "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WEST COVINA, ESTABLISHING THE HOURS OF WORK FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES .AND AMENDING RESOLUTION NOS 1277 ACCORDINGLY. Mayor Chappell: Mr. Aiassa, we have a question from Councilman Shearer, Councilman Shearer: In view of the fact that we have already talked about not hiring 3 firemen, and correct me if I am wrong, however there was some reduction in what was anticipated to be the staffing of the Fire Department, and now we are talking about the reduction of an hour a week. How do we - 15 t ADJ REGo CITY COUNCIL 1/18/71 \ P age•.Sixteen 1 FIRE "DEPT. WORK HOURS REDUCTION make up for the coverage? Is it increased overtime? Do we-havelessfiremen on duty? We ,have less people and less hours which means less i' coverage m Mr, Aiassa: The additional firemen listed in the:•1-1-71 ' schedule for.the Fire Department were predi- cated on the actual opening and functioning of Station No. 6. We can see that we are not going to get _station No.'6 open until probably July 1 and at that time we will have.,to make adjustments. This is the station for the Bren Develop- `" mment and we have not yet determined the exact site. ..So by the time we get.it setup and graded it will be July. y Councilman Shearer: How do we compensate each fireman working less time per week? 1Kra Aiassa: Over a period of time they used to accummulate extra hours they owed the City so men were called back to fill the shifts with the extra hours. Since we have been reducinghours we will eventuallyhave to pay some overtime. We have budgeted,the.amount of overtime to cover :'.this. There are only 2 holidays affected by this small percentage change. Councilman Shearer: So then it will be made up by increased over- time. So when we say this eliminates a pay - raise it still costs us money because instead of giving 1/ of his salary he gets one extra hour in overtime and it :still costs the City more money. Mr. Aiassa: A little more but less,. than giving the Fire Department 5/0 Councilman Shearer.: Okay, but we are not getting away with this for nothing, Mr,' Aiassa: Oh no. When you deal with the Fire Department you will not get away with anything. They are very professional..and know .every .turn:.,I•would also like to say the people I worked with in the Fire .Department have.a reasonable challenge when they negotiate with me, too. ut.. Mayor Chappell. Hearing no objections, waive further reading _ of the body of said Resolution. ,Motion by. Councilman Shearer, seconded by Councilman Lloyd, -adopting said. Resolution. " w tz . Councilman Young: Mr. .Mayor, I would like the record to shorn that { sometime in the past I did assist the Fire i Department in my capacity as an attorney in organizing an employee organization, but I don't think there is any conflict involved, and I am voting °' aye "o Motion carried on roll call vote as follows, AYESo`Councilmen Shearer, Nichols, Young, Lloyd, Mayor Chappell NOES: None -ABSENT: None ' ADJOURNMENT Motion by Councilman.Lloyd, seconded by Council- y man Young, and carried, adjourning meeting at 8:57 P.M. APPROVED: ATTEST, MAYOR CITY CLERK � ■ 16 14