REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 8, 2021
FROM
DIANE RUNDLES, Director of Human Resources, Human Resources
SUBJECT
Title
Introduction of an Ordinance Relating to Compensation and Terms and Conditions of County Officials and Exempt and Non-Represented Employees
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Consider proposed ordinance relating to compensation and terms and conditions of County Officials and Exempt and non-represented employees.
2. Consider proposed ordinance relating to compensation and terms and conditions of Student Interns and Student Nurses.
3. Make alterations, if necessary, to proposed ordinance.
4. Approve introduction of proposed ordinance.
5. Read title only of proposed ordinance; waive reading of the entire text and SCHEDULE FOR FINAL ADOPTION ON TUESDAY, June 22, 2021, on the Consent Calendar.
(Presenter: Diane Rundles, Director of Human Resources, 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
The proposed amendment to the ordinance to update the timing of the medical premium subsidy increase will result in 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
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 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 Recommended 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 proposed amendments to the ordinance will become effective in the pay period immediately following its adoption, which will be pay period fifteen of calendar year 2021 should the Board adopt the ordinance on June 22, 2021.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Cynthia O’Neill, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 26, 2021; Human Resources (Diane Rundles, Human Resources Director, 387-5570) on May 27, 2021; County Finance (Jessica Trillo, Administrative Analyst, 387-4222) on May 27, 2021; and County Finance and Administration (Matthew Erickson, County Chief Financial Officer, 387-5423) on May 27, 2021.