REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 22, 2021
FROM
DIANE RUNDLES, Director, Human Resources Department
SUBJECT
Title
Ordinance Relating to Compensation and Terms and Conditions of County Officials, Exempt, Non-Represented Employees, Student Interns and Student Nurses
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Adopt ordinance amending Sections 13.0613, 13.0614, and 13.0617 of the San Bernardino County Code, relating to Exempt Group and elected official and student interns and student nurses’ compensation and terms and conditions introduced on June 8, 2021, Item 111.
(Presenter: Diane Rundles, Director, 387-5570)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Create, Maintain and Grow Jobs and Economic Value in the County.
Improve County Government Operations.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Ensure Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of the amendment to the ordinance to update the timing of the Medical Premium Subsidy increase will result in a one-time cost of approximately $5,000 in 2021-22 and $5,000 in 2022-23. This will result in the use of additional one-time Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost) of approximately $2,000 in 2021-22 and $2,000 in 2022-23. Impacted departments have sufficient budget authority to cover this one-time cost and will include this in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The ordinance relating to compensation and terms and conditions of County Officials, Exempt and non-represented employees was introduced on June 8, 2021, Item No. 111.
Exempt Ordinance
The Exempt ordinance sets the terms and conditions of Exempt Group and non-represented employees covered by the ordinance, as well as County Officials including the members of the Board of Supervisors (Board) and county-wide elected officials.
The County recently identified a timing issue with the negotiated Medical Premium Subsidy (MPS) increases provided to certain bargaining units. The issue was that the agreed-to dates for certain bargaining units to receive their MPS increase was one pay period after the medical premium increase took effect. Employees therefore paid the higher premium amount for one pay period before it was offset during the following pay period by the MPS increase. On March 9, 2021 (Item No. 55) the Board approved side letter agreements with eight employee organizations to prospectively, beginning in July 2021, adjust the timing of the MPS increases by providing the MPS increase at the same time of the medical premium increases.
To ensure consistency, it is proposed that the Exempt Group Salary Ordinance be amended to include the updated timing of the MPS increase.
Additionally, it is also proposed that the Exempt Group Salary Ordinance be amended to make the following updates:
• Update classification and salary range structure to reflect changes in the County’s 2020-21 First Quarter Budget Report and the 2021-22 Adopted Budget; and
• Provide the Director of Human Resources the authority, with the approval of the County’s Chief Executive Officer, to provide Exempt Group employees who participated in major COVID-19 initiatives, up to 40 hours of COVID Leave consistent with the represented bargaining units.
Student Interns, Graduate Student Interns, and Student Nurses Ordinance
The ordinance also sets the terms and conditions of Student Interns, Graduate Student Interns, and Student Nurses covered by the ordinance. In recent years, Student Interns and Graduate Interns have been compensated at salary ranges 17 and 25, respectively, of the Administrative Services Unit; and Student Nurses have been compensated at salary range 22 of the Craft, Labor, & Trades (CLT) Unit. During the last round of negotiations for a successor MOU for the Administrative Services Unit and CLT Unit, parties agreed to establish new salary ranges for classifications impacted by minimum wage increases. This restructure impacted salary ranges 1 through 27. To ensure that the salaries of the student and intern classes remain consistent with similar level classifications in the Administrative Services Unit and CLT Unit and are competitive in the market, it is proposed that the ordinance be amended to update the salary ranges used to compensate the student/intern classes.
The recommendation before the Board will adopt the ordinance on the Consent Calendar.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Cynthia O’Neill, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 9, 2021; Human Resources (Diane Rundles, Director of Human Resources, 387-5570) on June 9, 2021; County Finance (Jessica Trillo, Administrative Analyst, 387-4222) on June 7, 2021; and County Finance and Administration (Matthew Erickson, County Chief Financial Officer, 387-5423) on June 7, 2021.