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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10037ORDINANCE NO. 10037 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2021 STAFFING ORDINANCE BY A STAFFING ADJUSTMENT WITHIN THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT WHEREAS, it is necessary to revise the staffing levels to achieve necessary and increased efficiency and functionality within the Finance department; 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 “Finance” “of Ordinance No. 9852, being the 2021 Staffing Ordinance, is amended as follows: Finance Director of Finance 1 Accountant II 4 Accountant I 2 Accounting Manager 1 Assistant Accounting Manager 1 Grants Analyst 1 Tax Audit Manager 1 Tax Auditor II 2 Tax Auditor I \[2\]3 Tax Compliance Technician 2 Administration Technician 1 Accounting Technician IV 2 Accounting Technician III 2 Accounting Technician II 2 Payroll Coordinator 1 Total 26 SECTION 2. The officers and staff of the City are authorized to perform any and all acts consistent with the intent of this Ordinance to implement and transactions described therein. SECTION 3. This Ordinance shall be deemed to amend the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget and staffing with respect to the number and allocation of positions within the Finance Department and shall become effective on the date of final action by the Mayor and City Council. Action by City Council: Introduced and initial adoption of Ordinance by City Council on October 25, 2021 . Final adoption of Ordinance by City Council on November 8, 2021 . President of City Council Action by the Mayor: ☒ Approved on November 10, 2021 . □ Disapproved on based on the following objections: _ Mayor Action by City Council After Disapproval by the Mayor: □ Council did not act to override the Mayor's veto. □ Ordinance re-adopted on a vote of , on □ Council action on _______ failed to override the Mayor’s veto. President of City Council ATTEST City Clerk City Clerk’s Office Item # R-5 BACKGROUND PAPER FOR PROPOSED ORDINANCE COUNCIL MEETING DATE: October 25, 2021 TO: President Lawrence W. Atencio and Members of City Council CC: Mayor Nicholas A. Gradisar VIA: Marisa Stoller, City Clerk FROM: Laura Solano, Chief of Staff Marisa Pacheco, Human Resources Director SUBJECT: AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2021 STAFFING ORDINANCE BY A STAFFING ADJUSTMENT WITHIN THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT SUMMARY: The Finance Department requests to adjust the department staffing through the addition of a full- time Tax Auditor in the Sales Tax Division. PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION: On December 28, 2020, Ordinance No. 9852 was approved by City Council. This Ordinance provided authorized staffing for Fiscal Year 2021. BACKGROUND: By Ordinance No. 9931, approved on May 17, 2021, the City Council established Project No. CI- 2113 and budgeted and appropriated up to $36.7 million in funds which were expected to be distributed to the City from the American Recovery Plan Act (“ARPA”) for covered costs and eligible expenses to be incurred during the period which began on March 11, 2021 (the date ARPA became law) until December 31, 2024 (to be expended by December 31, 2026). This influx of funding entails significant additional accounting, auditing, and compliance activities. The current staffing resources within the Finance Department are not structured to take on these additional duties. Therefore, a full-time special assignment has been created with a working title of ARPA Compliance Auditor to handle these duties over the next several years. After careful review by Finance staff in conjunction with the Mayor’s office, it was determined that an internal resource assigned to perform these duties was preferred given familiarity with the City’s accounting system and internal operations. This special assignment will be filled by an existing staff member from the Sales Tax Division on temporary basis for the life of the project, which is anticipated to continue over the next few years. The method of redeploying an existing staff resource was particularly palatable to the City and the Pueblo Association of Government Employees union as it avoids abolishing the position in several years and then laying the person performing the duties off when the project ends. A Tax Auditor II with extensive auditing and accounting experience has elected to fulfill the special assignment role. The salary and all related benefits for the assignment will be covered entirely by ARPA funds for the duration of the project. This frees up the general fund salary and benefit costs associated with this employee’s position for several years. This action leaves the Sales Tax Division short staffed and with no ability to back fill the position temporarily assigned elsewhere as it is still technically occupied. Therefore, it is requested that an additional Tax Auditor be added to the Sales Tax Division. This is lower classified position than that occupied by the person being redeployed to handle the ARPA Compliance Auditor work. Therefore, there is no additional funding required for this position and in fact salary savings will be realized over the next several years within the general fund based on this change. This action will allow the Sales Tax Division to continue the important tax auditing work which is core to the mission of the division and the Finance Department. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The department intends to fund the position through the salary savings realized through the Tax Auditor II position which will not be used as ARPA funding will be used to cover the special assignment. The estimated salary savings for the remainder of 2021 is $2,999.40 with savings continuing over the life of the ARPA special assignment. BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: Not Applicable. STAKEHOLDER PROCESS: City administration met with Pueblo Association of Government Employees union leadership to discuss the special assignment and this ordinance on September 16, 2021, through the labor management process and union leadership stated they are fully supportive of City administration’s proposal. ALTERNATIVES: The no action alternative would be to retain staffing levels and lose valuable auditing capacity within the Sales Tax Division of the Finance Department for several years. This is not operationally ideal for the Finance Department nor the City of Pueblo organization. RECOMMENDATION: Approval of the Ordinance.