To: Board of Supervisors
From: Sheriff
Agenda Section: Consent
SUBJECT:
title
Approve Advanced Step for Correctional Lieutenant Benge (4/5 Vote Required)
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve advanced step at Salary Range 480, Step A for Correctional Lieutenant Jason Benge retroactive to his promotion date of August 12, 2018; (4/5 Vote Required)
2. Instruct payroll to process the Personnel/Position Action Form submitted by the Sheriff’s Department to adjust Correctional Lieutenant Jason Benge’s step and calculate and pay back pay from August 12, 2018; and
3. Instruct payroll to ensure Correctional Lieutenant Jason Benge is advanced to Salary Range 480, Step B upon completion of his six month probationary period.
Body
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
General Fund
DISCUSSION:
Correctional Lieutenant Jason Benge was promoted on Aug. 12, 2018, moving him from the American Federation of State, Municipal and County Employees (AFSCME) bargaining unit to the Law Enforcement Management (LEM) bargaining unit. Due to delays in the AFSCME contract being approved, he did not receive the additional 5 percent raise as the other Supervising Correctional Deputies in AFSCME prior to his promotion. This caused him upon promotion to be placed into salary range 480, Step 1A. Had he received the 5 percent raise prior to promotion, he would have been promoted into salary range 480, Step A. This unfortunate timing issue has created an unintended inequity. A fellow employee, who qualified for the promotional list at the same time as Jason Benge, was later promoted to Correctional Lieutenant and was placed into salary range 480, Step A. This has created a situation where an employee having been promoted 5 months after Jason Benge is making a higher step in the same salary range.
The Sheriff’s Office requested a formal evaluation of the circumstances (Attachment 1) and Human Resources is unable to make any changes given the limitations of the bargaining contract.
Since his promotion date, Correctional Lieutenant Benge has performed the role of Lieutenant in addition to the Sheriff’s Compliance Officer since that position has remained vacant. Given Lieutenant Benge’s experience, performing additional duties beyond that of a Lieutenant, and the unintended inequity created due to contract timing issues, the Sheriff’s Department is requesting that Lieutenant Benge be advanced to Step A retroactive to his promotion date.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The financial impact would be approximately 6 months of back pay totaling approximately $1,622. There is substantial salary savings to cover this expense in Sheriff’s Office budget 1100-243 due to the Sheriff’s Compliance Officer position remaining vacant and it will continue to remain vacant until at least May.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports your Board’s Strategic Framework by investing in county employees.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
N/A
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board could deny the request for an Advanced Step for Correctional Lieutenant; however, this is not recommended as it would have a negative impact on staff morale by not correcting an unintended inequity.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 - Human Resources review of Employee Records for Jason Benge
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A