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SR 04-26-2016 3R City Council Report City Council Meeting: April 26, 2016 Agenda Item: 3.R To: Mayor and City Council From: David Martin, Director, Planning and Community Development, Planning & Community Development Donna Peter, Director Subject: Planning and Community Development Department Reorganization Recommended Action Staff recommends that the City Council: 1. Adopt a resolution of the City of Santa Monica establishing new classifications and salary rates for various listed positions (Attachment A) and approve the position and classification changes (Attachment B) to reorganize the Planning and Community Development Department in the amount of $50,947 in FY 2015-16; and 2. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts & Budget Actions section of this report. Executive Summary To better align Planning and Community Development staffing with Council priorities and more effectively manage operations related to mobility, parking, and urban design, staff proposes a strategic reorganization of the Planning and Community Development. Staff is proposing budget adjustments to strengthen capacity for mobility planning, urban design and parking operations. The reorganization includes a net increase of 2.0 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) positions at a cost of $50,947 ($42,864 for staff and $8,083 for one-time set-up costs) in FY 2015-16. Background The mission of the Planning and Community Development Department is to create a engagement of the citizenry, the Department strives to enhance the character of Santa Monica, conserve neighborhoods, expand mobility options and ensure the safety of the built environment. Last August 23, the City Council adopted five Strategic Goals, including creating a new model of mobility. 1 of 7 The Planning and Community Development Department is currently budgeted for 121 staff positions, distributed between the following seven divisions: Administration Planning Strategic and Transportation Planning Transportation Engineering and Management Parking Operations Building and Safety Code Enforcement On January 26, 2016 (Attachment C), Council approved FY 2015-16 midyear expenditure and revenue budget adjustments and staffing changes, including the transfer of four long-range planning staff from the Strategic and Transportation Planning division to the Planning division to facilitate the creation of a Mobility Division. Discussion Given the current workload of the department and the length of time needed to implement staffing changes, it is necessary to request the changes listed below in advance of the upcoming budget process. If approved, three of the positions can be filled before July 1, 2016. Offset by the deletion of 2.0 FTE vacant positions, staff is requesting the addition of 4.0 FTE positions, a net increase of 2.0 FTE; and an increase to the salary of 1.0 FTE existing vacant position as outlined below: Position Division Change City Urban Designer Administration Add 1.0 FTE Special Projects and Administration Delete 1.0 FTE (vacant) Communications Administrator 2 of 7 Principal Transportation Planner Mobility Add 1.0 FTE Staff Assistant III Mobility Add 1.0 FTE Administrative Analyst Planning Add 1.0 FTE City Planning Division Assistant Planning Delete 1.0 FTE (vacant) Parking Manager Parking Operations Salary adjustment The proposed reorganization seeks to 1) create a Mobility division to ensure focus on creating a new model for mobility, which includes the addition of 2.0 FTE positions, 2) create a new City Urban Designer position to ensure focus on the integration of buildings, streets, landscaping, whole neighborhoods, districts, and public spaces to ensure functionality, connectivity, diversity, aesthetics, and sustainability. Mobility Division At its August 23, 2015 meeting, Council established as one of its strategic goals for the City a new model for mobility. In pursuit of achieving that goal, staff is moving forward with the creation of a new Mobility Division. The strategic planning responsibilities of the existing Strategic and Transportation Planning would move to the Planning Division, including the Downtown Community Plan, Local Coastal Plan, Memorial Park Plan, Land Use and Circulation Element, and other specific and area plans. On January 26, 2016, Council approved the transfer of four long-range planning staff from the Strategic and Transportation Planning (STP) division to the Planning division as the first step in the creation of a Mobility Division. To continue the transformation of the new division, staff is recommending that the Strategic and Transportation Planning division be renamed the division would be responsible for: Development of mobility policies such as the Pedestrian Action Plan and Bike 3 of 7 Action Plan Circulation studies Safe Routes to School Compliance with the California Complete Streets Act Management Ordinance, including management of the Transportation Management Organization (TMO). Management of shared use mobility options such as Bike Share, Car Share, Taxicabs, and other shared modes. Preferential Parking Streetscape conceptual design To ensure focus on mobility priorities, staff is also recommending the addition of 1.0 FTE Principal Transportation Planner to provide additional capacity for neighborhood circulation studies, curb space allocation assessments, Downtown Community Plan Mobility Implementation Actions section, the Gateway Master Plan, and grant writing to fund mobility projects. It will also oversee taxicab, other vehicle for hire policies, as well as the management of the Santa Monica Travel and Tourism Shuttle program contract, all of which are currently managed directly by the Assistant Director of PCD. Professional services to support these functions will also be included as part of the FY 2016-17 exception based budget. The addition of 1.0 FTE Staff Assistant III for the Mobility division is being recommended to provide administrative support to the various new mobility and transportation demand management programs. The addition of 1.0 FTE Administrative Analyst for the Planning Division is also recommended to provide assistance with the division budget, tracking of data used for benchmarking purposes, and with report writing. City Urban Designer 4 of 7 Santa Monica sets a high bar of expectations for how we plan and execute public spaces and shape private development. currently includes architectural design review through the Architectural Review Board (ARB). The ARB is charged with preserving culturally important buildings and structures and ensuring that projects are well designed. Staff is recommending the creation of 1.0 FTE City Urban Designer position, reporting directly to the Director of Planning and Community Development, who would focus on the integration of buildings, streets, landscaping, whole neighborhoods, districts, and public spaces to ensure functionality, connectivity, diversity, aesthetics, and sustainability. The City Urban Designer would work to improve private development urban design outcomes and how private projects interact with public spaces; coordinate citywide, neighborhood and district place-making efforts; and shape the way public spaces contribute to community vitality and quality of life. This position would work across City departments and across multiple disciplinary subjects including landscape architecture, urban planning, building architecture, traffic and civil engineering, and urban economics, drawing on the many strands of place-making, social equity, and economic vitality. The cost of the position would be offset by the deletion of 1.0 FTE vacant Special Projects and Communication Administrator position. Parking Manager A 1.0 FTE Parking Manager position is currently budgeted in the biennial FY2015-17 budget as part of the transfer of the unit from Finance to PCD, however, this position has remained vacant. Staff is requesting that the Parking Manager salary be adjusted to more closely reflect salary rates for comparable positions in the region. Traffic Management Staff recommends changing the name of the Transportation Engineering and Management division to the Traffic Management division to more accurately reflect the role of the division. The Department has begun the recruitment process for a new City Traffic Engineer, and anticipates hiring before the end of the fiscal year. This division 5 of 7 of creating a new model of mobility. Summary of Position Changes The staffing changes include a net increase of 2.0 position for FY 2015-16, all in the General Fund. Position changes include: Addition of 1.0 FTE Principal Transportation Planner, addition of 1.0 FTE City Urban Designer, addition of 1.0 FTE Administrative Analyst, addition of 1.0 FTE Staff Assistant III, deletion of 1.0 FTE City Planning Division Assistant, and deletion of 1.0 FTE Special Projects and Communication Administrator. The 1.0 FTE Parking Manager salary would be adjusted to align with equivalent positions in the labor market. Any final changes related to other necessary adjustments to complete the reorganization would be included in the exception based budget. Financial Impacts and Budget Actions Staffing adjustments to reflect the reorganization of the Planning and Community Development Department include a net increase of 2.0 FTE positions in FY 2015-16. The reorganization requires an appropriation of $50,947 for two months of staffing and one-time costs (furniture, computer, and phone) in FY 2015-16 and $264,670 for annual operating costs in FY 2016-17 in the Planning and Community Development Department. Staff will include the FY 2016-17 costs in the Proposed FY 2016-17 Budget that will be presented to Council on May 24, 2016. Prepared By: Salvador Valles, Assistant Director of PCD Approved Forwarded to Council 6 of 7 Attachments: A. Resolution for Position Changes B. Position and Class Changes C. January 26, 2016 Council Meeting 7 of 7 ATTACHMENT B POSITION AND CLASSIFICATION CHANGES 1 REASON DELETEADDSUBTOTALS FundDeptDeletePosition TitleFundDeptAddPosition TitlePrimary ReasonNet FTE Salary (#FTE)(#FTE)ChangeChange 01PCD1.0Parking Manager01PCD1.0Parking ManagerEquityadjustment- 802 01PCD1.0Special Projects & Communications Administrator01PCD1.0CityUrban DesignerOperational change-(1,271) 01PCD1.0CityPlanning Division Assistant01PCD1.0Administrative AnalystOperational change- 1,340 01PCD1.0Pr Transportation PlannerNew position1.0 27,942 01PCD1.0Staff Assistant IIINew position1.0 14,051 PERMANENT SUBTOTAL2.0 FTE42,864 GRAND TOTAL2.0 FTE42,864 1. Salary totals include fringe costs. Amounts are pro-rated for the remaining two months of FY 2015-16. Reference: Modified Agreement No. 10951(CCS)