To: Board of Supervisors
From: Planning and Building Department
Agenda Section: Consent
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
SUBJECT:
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Extension of Extra-Help Hours for the Long-Range Planning Unit 1100-282 (4/5 Vote Required)
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve the extension of 160 additional extra help hours beyond the 960 hour limit for Planner I, Sarah Wickman, to a maximum of 1,120 hours through March 31, 2023, pursuant to Section 7 of the Humboldt County Salary Resolution. (4/5 vote required)
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SOURCE OF FUNDING:
General Fund, Long Range Planning, General Plan User Fees (1100-282-608005)
DISCUSSION:
Sarah Wickman has been working on a multi-year planning grant assessing the feasibility of a regional approach to sea level rise planning on Humboldt Bay since 2020, first as a Civic Spark Fellow then as an extra help employee as of July 26, 2021. Ms. Wickman has worked a total of 776 hours in the current fiscal year (FY) 2022-23 but will exceed the 960 limit before the study is completed. Board approval is required to extend extra-help employees beyond the 960 hour limit.
The Planning and Building Department is requesting an extension of extra help hours for Ms. Wickman to a total of 1,120 hours (160 hours beyond the limit) to finalize the feasibility study and engage with the stakeholders and public to answer the question: Does it makes sense to move forward with a regional approach to sea level rise planning on Humboldt Bay?
Ms. Wickman’s tenure working for the Department on regional sea level rise planning has given her the breadth of knowledge and experience needed to conclude this phase of the effort which is ninety eight percent complete. There is no-one else in the Department as well qualified to efficiently complete the last two percent of this remaining work without an extraordinary amount of preparation and training in the coming weeks. Since she did most of the work drafting the feasibility study being reviewed by the agencies and the public, Ms. Wickman is the Planner best positioned to finalize the feasibility study and lead the upcoming discussion.
To complete the project, the County must finalize the draft feasibility study and hold at least one public meeting of the relevant agencies/asset owners to review, comment on, and discuss and document the findings.
The regional sea level rise planning feasibility study being completed has four parts:
3.1. Outreach - describe the regional sea level rise planning outreach process and provide the results regarding the role, responsibilities, needs, and concerns for the various entities.
3.2. Research - describe the options for regional sea level rise planning.
3.3. Planning framework - drawing from the outreach and research in Tasks 1 and 2, recommend and describe one or more potentially appropriate approaches for a framework for managing sea level rise in the Humboldt Bay including at a minimum the type(s) of framework (regulatory frameworks, cross-jurisdictional coordination, and/or funding frameworks per the analysis in Task 2); the role and responsibilities of asset owners/managers, regulatory and trustee agencies, and private landowners; the source and conduit for sea level rise adaptation funding; and the regulatory and feasibility pathways and barriers for the option.
3.4. Recommendations for next steps - Recommendations regarding how to move forward with implementing a Humboldt Bay Sea Level Rise Regional Planning effort.
The schedule of work tasks and deliverables and the hours needed to complete the tasks is estimated as follows:
2/21/23 Complete administrative draft feasibility study and circulate internally (40 hours)
2/28/23 Complete draft feasibility study and circulate to stakeholders (40 hours)
3/14/23 Complete public review draft feasibility study and circulate to public (40 hours)
Prepare materials and web page for public workshop (80 hours)
Publicize public workshop and respond to inquiries (80 hours)
3/29/23 Hold public workshop (8 hours)
3/31/23 Report of workshop results (16 hours)
Total number of hours: to complete the work: 304
All extra help employees working beyond 960 hours are subject to paying into the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS). The additional costs for CalPERS are included in the estimated salary costs below
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Up until mid-November, 2022 Ms. Wickman’s work was funded by the $100,000.00 from the 2019 Coastal Commission grant to develop the feasibility study. That funding was exhausted before the study was complete. From mid-November to date, her work has been funded by the General Fund contribution to Long Range Planning (Budget Unit 282). The total cost to the General Fund thus far for her work on this study from mid-November to date has been $8,745.
To complete the remaining work for the feasibility study and public engagement, the additional cost to the General Fund is approximately $10,474 for a total of approximately $19,210 used for this study. If existing staff were used, the cost for a full-time Planner I to complete the remaining work if it could be done in the 304 hours (x $110/hr for a Planner I) would be $33,440. This would be a more costly impact on the General fund, and arguably a less effective option to complete the last remaining items for this study.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports your Board’s Strategic Framework priority of managing our resources to ensure sustainability of services .
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
None.
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board could choose not to authorize the requested extension of extra help hours. However, this alternative is not recommended because assigning a different Planner at this late stage would be both more costly and would likely produce an inferior result than having Ms. Wickman complete the last two percent of her work on this important project.
ATTACHMENTS:
N/A.
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A