To: Board of Supervisors
From: Sheriff
Agenda Section: Departmental
SUBJECT:
title
Compensation Range Increase for Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Supervising Correctional Deputies (4/5 Vote Required)
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve an increase of the compensation range for Class 0420 Supervising Correctional Deputy by 12% or 24 salary ranges effective the first full pay period in April 2022 (4/5 Vote Required) This action is not recommended by the County Administrative Office; and
2. Instruct Human Resources and Payroll to make the approved changes to the class and compensation tables effective the first full pay period in April 2022.
Body
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
General Fund (1100)
DISCUSSION:
In the interest of public safety, the Sheriff’s Office is recommending that the Board of Supervisors (BOS) provide an equity adjustment for Supervising Correctional Deputies to be consistent with the salary increase that will be received by Correctional Deputy I/II and Senior Correctional Deputies the first full pay period in April 2022. Though this action is out of the ordinary, pursuant to the Humboldt County Salary Resolution, the BOS has the authority to increase a salary range for a specified job classification for situations such as this to insure orderly and efficient operation of county government.
Humboldt County Salary Resolution 79-150, SECTION 7. SPECIAL ACTIONS BY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. Upon a four-fifths (4/5) vote, the Board of Supervisors may take any action concerning the employment and remuneration of county personnel deemed by the Board of Supervisors to be for the insurance of orderly and efficient operation of county government; and in such event such action of the Board of Supervisors shall be binding and controlling as against any inconsistent provisions of this resolution. Any salary increase given under this section shall establish a new anniversary date for such employee.
The county approved a 12% equity adjustment for Correctional Deputy I/II and Senior Correctional Deputies as part of the recent AFSCME memorandum of understanding renewal. It was an oversight by AFSCME and the county that the Supervising Correctional Deputies classification was not included in the April equity adjustment, of which are in the same bargaining unit in the same promotion chain, to receive the same 12% increase.
This pay inequity that will exist come April, if not fixed, could result in a compaction issue as a Senior Correctional Deputy who is at E step may have a salary greater than a Supervising Correctional Deputy that upon promotion is placed into a step lower than D. In order to maintain equity of positions and prevent significant morale issues which will further impede the facility’s ability to recruit and retain staff, it is in the best interest of the county to approve this increase.
The Correctional Facility is experiencing a significant shortage of staff. As of Feb. 14, 2022, there are 24 Correctional Deputy positions vacant which is 22.6% of the total Correctional Deputy staffing. It is believed that this high vacancy rate is due to the impacts of COVID on the county-wide workforce in general and specifically the additional challenges expected of Correctional Deputies in the 24/7 facility to protect inmates and staff from contracting COVID. Additionally, Supervising Correctional Deputy is the class of Correctional Deputy tasked with oversight and responsibility of the entire staff and inmate population when administration is not present on the weekends and evenings. This oversight to the Supervising Correctional Deputies’ pay, if not fixed, will further negatively impact the facility’s ability to recruit and retain staff.
Correctional Facilities are mandated by the state and required to be staffed and maintained by the Sheriff. Further losses of staffing may result in Sheriff Patrol Deputies being assigned to the Correctional Facility and may limit the Sheriff’s ability to have patrol staff available throughout the county.
County Administrative Office (CAO) note: The CAO is authorized in county code Chapter 1, Section 241-6 (f) to make “…recommendations, as necessary concerning the number, qualifications and compensation of employees in any of the various departments and offices.” As it pertains to this agenda item, your Board authorized your labor negotiations team to negotiate with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), which represents the Supervising Correctional Deputies for the county, and those negotiations resulted in an agreed upon memorandum of understanding, executed on Jan. 4, 2022. Compensation of this type is typically addressed through the labor negotiation process, and if your Board would like to explore this issue, the CAO recommends that you direct your labor negotiations team to engage in those discussions. As a reminder, the mid-year budget report your Board is receiving today discusses the strain that recent salary increases and other factors are placing on the General Fund, and must be considered when evaluating additional salary increases of this type.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
If approved, the Supervising Correctional Deputy step E will increase from $36.54/hour to $41.18/hour. This is an increase of $4.64/hour or $9,651/annually per position. The Correctional Facility has 7 Supervising Correctional Deputies for a total of $67,557/annual base salary increase for this request.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports your Board’s Strategic Framework by managing our resources to ensure sustainability of services and investing in county employees.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
None.
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board could choose to decline this request, and that is the recommendation of the County Administrative Office. Employee compensation of this sort is addressed through the labor negotiation process, which was recently completed for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Your Board could also direct your labor negotiations team to re-engage with AFSCME to discuss this request and return to the Board.
ATTACHMENTS:
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PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A