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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08935 City Clerk’s Office Item # R-5 BACKGROUND PAPER FOR PROPOSED ORDINANCE COUNCIL MEETING DATE: October 26, 2015 TO: President Stephen G. Nawrocki and Members of City Council CC: Sam Azad, City Manager VIA: Gina Dutcher, City Clerk FROM: Marisa Pacheco – Human Resources Director Scott Hobson – City of Pueblo MPO Manager SUBJECT:AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2015 STAFFING ORDINANCE BY ESTABLISHING A TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM MANAGER AND A TRANSPORTATION PLANNING TECHNICIAN POSITION WITHIN THE PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT SUMMARY: The Planning and Community Development Department is requesting the establishment of two new positions to be assigned to transportation planning to perform work directly associated with the City’s annual delegation agreement with the Pueblo Area Council of Governments (PACOG) for Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) activities. The positions include a Transportation Program Manager which would be classified as an exempt position, and a Transportation Planning Technician is which would be classified as a non-exempt administrative and field support position. PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION: On December 8, 2014, Ordinance No. 8813 was approved by City Council approving the 2015 City of Pueblo/Pueblo Area Council of Governments Transportation Planning Delegation Agreement. On April 13, 2015, Ordinance No. 8857 was approved budgeting and appropriating additional PACOG Consolidated Planning Grant Funds for Transportation and Planning Services. BACKGROUND: Currently the Planning and Community Development Department has one Planner and approximately 50% of the salary of the Assistant City Manager for Community Investment assigned to complete the work related to the PACOG MPO transportation planning work program. Two additional part-time staff from the Planning Department, an administrative support position and professional planner, have been used to assist with transportation planning tasks. In December 2014, the part-time administrative support person accepted a job with Pueblo Transit, and in August 2015, the part-time professional planner for socio-demographic data, retired. The City transportation department also has a transportation intern position who is paid from PACOG transportation planning funds for traffic counting, and entering data for counts and traffic crash data. The Transportation Program Manager position will provide a full-time management level position to manage the PACOG transportation planning programs, attend regional and statewide transportation meetings, and assist with budget preparation, transportation data, and analysis of projects based on available funding. The Transportation Planning Technician position will provide a full-time staff member that will perform data collection, data entry, traffic counts, communications, assistance with preparation and scheduling of various transportation related meetings, maintain and disseminate information to staff and communities, and assist with the organization and maintenance of the transportation planning website. The two full-time positions will take on the responsibilities of the part-time staff members, and also perform additional transportation planning duties from the PACOG-adopted Urban Planning Work Program for FY2016-FY2017. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Funds for the two new positions will come from the Transportation Planning Project. In December 2015, the PACOG Board will enter into a two year Consolidated Planning Grant with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). Concurrently, the City and PACOG will enter into a delegation agreement that will authorize the City to complete the transportation planning work on behalf of PACOG. The cost for the two positions is estimated to be $136,000 per year. There will be a cost savings of approximately $56,000 from not hiring the three part-time positions. The total impact to the Transportation Planning Project budget will be an increase of $80,000 per year out of a total annual budget of $350,000. BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: The Planning and Community Development Department staff has notified the PACOG Board of the plans to hire two new full-time positions for transportation planning programs. On August 27, 2015 the PACOG Board approved the Urban Planning Work Program for FY2016-2017 that includes the addition of these two new employees. STAKEHOLDER PROCESS: Not Applicable. ALTERNATIVES: If these positions are not approved, the current staff of 1.5 full-time and other part-time staff will continue to perform the transportation planning functions. FWHA, CDOT, and the Federal Transit Administration recently completed an evaluation of the PACOG MPO for compliance with federal requirements and standards. The report recommends that PACOG have qualified full-time staff in place to commit to the transportation planning programs and activities. Maintaining the current staffing would not address the recommendation in the PACOG MPO evaluation. RECOMMENDATION: Approval of the Ordinance. Attachments: ORDINANCE NO. 8935 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2015 STAFFING ORDINANCE BY ESTABLISHING A TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM MANAGER AND A TRANSPORTATION PLANNING TECHNICIAN POSITION WITHIN THE PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT WHEREAS, it is necessary to increase the staffing for transportation planning services performed by the City of Pueblo for the Pueblo Area Council of Governments; NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF PUEBLO, that: (brackets indicate matter being deleted, underscore indicates matter being added) SECTION 1. The following section captioned “PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT” of Ordinance No. 8811, being the 2015 Staffing Ordinance, as amended on February 23, 2015, through Ordinance No. 8842, is amended as follows: Planning & Community Development Director of Planning & Community Development 1 Assistant City Manager/Community Investment 1 Assistant City Manager/Development Services 0 Principal Planner 1 Capital Projects Manager 1 Transportation Program Manager1 Senior Planner 3 Planner 3 Land Use Technician 1 Administrative Technician 1 Transportation Planning Technician1 \[12\] 14 Total SECTION 2. The officers and staff of the City are directed and authorized to perform any and all acts consistent with the intent of this Ordinance to effectuate and transactions described therein. SECTION 3. The foregoing staffing amendment is contingent upon and subject to final approval by the Civil Service Commission if such staffing amendment is appealed and shall become effective upon the date that such staffing amendment becomes final pursuant to Section 6-4-5, P.M.C. INTRODUCED: October 26, 2015 BY: Dennis Flores PASSED AND APPROVED: November 23, 2015