To: Board of Supervisors
From: Probation
SUBJECT:
title
Extension of Extra Help Hours to 1950 for Seven Juvenile Corrections Officers (4/5 Vote Required)
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors authorize the extension of extra help hours for Juvenile Corrections Officers (JCOs): Geyra Gastelum-Hernandez, Karina Gigear; Amber Hoskins; Daniel Maldonado; McKenna Mays; Maurice Purify; and Lyndon Rowells to 1950 hours through June 30, 2019, per Section 7 of the Humboldt County Salary Resolution (4/5 Vote Required).
Body
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Juvenile Probation & Camp Funding, Youthful Offender Block Grant, Prop 172, Regional Facility Cost Reimbursement, and General Fund
DISCUSSION:
The above listed JCOs are extra help employees who have worked extensively in the Juvenile Hall and Regional Facility providing replacement coverage for regular staff. There are currently nine vacancies for Juvenile Correction Officers and Senior Correctional Officers in the Department. Human Resources currently has recruitments open for all vacant positions. At this time there are four candidates undergoing background investigations. Replacement coverage is necessary for regular staff off work due to mandated training, vacation, sick leave, disability, and different types of approved leave as well as vacancies. Availability of existing extra help causes fluctuation in individual officers’ hours; the less available a person becomes the more hours another person is asked to work to fill shifts. Use of extra help officers is necessary in order to meet minimum juvenile facility staffing levels as mandated by Section 1321, Title 15 California Code of Regulations. The above officers are approaching their 960 hour limit for extra help; they are experienced and well trained in routine facility operations, and as such, a request is being made to authorize an extension of their extra help hours. The Probation Department continuously accepts applications and conducts background investigations to expand the number of extra help officers. The goal is to hire and keep enough extra help staff to keep all officers at or below 960 hours in each fiscal year.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The additional 990 hours per officer would be a maximum cost of approximately $110,048.40 ($15,721.20/officer) assuming all extended hours are worked. Depending upon the total number of hours actually worked there are possible health and dental insurance costs totaling $35,215.49 ($5,030.78/officer). Sufficient funds exist within budget unit 1100-234 Juvenile Hall and 1100-254 Regional Facility to cover the expense. Salary costs for extra-help positions will be offset by savings accrued through vacant regular positions.
All extra help employees working beyond 960 hours are subject to paying into the California Public Employees Retirement System (PERS). The additional costs for PERS has been included in the above mentioned estimated salary costs.
Beginning January 2015 the Affordable Care Act required large employers with 50 or more full-time employees to offer health coverage to all full-time employees. A full-time employee is defined as a person who is employed an average of 30 or more hours per week. The Probation Department is aware of these 2015 federal provisions that impact extra help employment and is aware that the County’s standard measurement period of employee hours will occur over the course of a 52-week period. There is no additional financial impact for health coverage in the current fiscal year.
This action supports your Board’s Strategic Framework and Core Values by protecting vulnerable populations, enforcing laws and regulations to protect residents, and investing in county employees.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Departments: Human Resources, Auditor’s Office, and Payroll.
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Your Board may not approve the extension of hours which will result in increased use of mandatory overtime for regular staff and possibly Deputy Probation Officers resulting in costs exceeding those accrued by extra help employees.
ATTACHMENTS:
N/A
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: C24
Meeting of: 06/05/2018