To: Board of Supervisors
From: Planning and Building Department
Agenda Section: Consent
SUBJECT:
title
Advance Salary Step from Step A to Step C for Alyssa Suarez, Planner II (4/5 Vote Required)
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve the advanced salary step for Alyssa Suarez, Planner II.
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SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Permit fees and existing General Fund allocation
DISCUSSION:
The Planning and Building Department is requesting approval to advance the salary step for Alyssa Suarez from her current Step A to Step C. Ms. Suarez was hired as a Planner I effective July 15, 2019. She has recently been recommended for a promotion from Planner I to Planner II.
Ms. Suarez’s performance since her hire has been excellent, and she has continued to excel and improve upon her planning knowledge and skills. She is routinely one of the top producers in the planning unit.
Ms. Suarez has recently taken the lead on the Nordic Aquafarms project. This is a very large, complicated project. A project of this nature would typically be assigned to a Senior Planner. For her work on the Nordic Aquafarm project, she has received excellent feedback from the project applicant, the county’s consultant, and the Planning Director. She has exceeded expectations with her ability to manage information flow between the applicant, outside agencies and County, take on managing changes to the Initial Study and most importantly take on making modifications herself. She has successfully managed the Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report and excelled in managing the public and agency scoping meetings. Her work on the Nordic Aquafarm project has truly exceeded the expectations of somebody in her job classification as a Planner II and she is working beyond an entry-level Planner II. For these reasons, the Planning and Building Department is seeking an advanced step increase for Ms. Suarez, to Planner II, Step C. This increase will put her closer to the salary of more experienced planners who are typically expected to work on large complex and controversial projects such as the Nordic Aquafarm.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The cost of this increase is approximately $8,000, including taxes, insurance and the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) contribution. The current budget will accommodate this increase. This action will accelerate Ms. Suarez’s salary step actions by eighteen (18) months.
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 choose to deny the advanced salary step. This is not recommended because recognizing the valuable contribution of our employees helps attract and retain qualified individuals.
ATTACHMENTS:
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PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A