PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to request City Council adoption of a resolution re-establishing the specification for the classification of Principal Civil Engineer/BWP CTC No. 0680, as shown in the attachment.

BACKGROUND

Burbank Water and Power (BWP) has been undergoing departmental reorganization over the past several years to be able to better address the changes in the utility industry and to be on the cutting edge of these changes.  In August of 2004 there were two Principal Civil Engineer positions in the Water Division of BWP.  During a subsequent reorganization of the Water Division, one of these positions was downgraded to a Senior Civil Engineer position and the other position was revised and re-titled to Manager Water Engineering/Planning to accurately portray it as a management position, to include project management responsibilities, and to update the certification requirements.  The revisions and re-titling of this specification reflected the existing market conditions and reflected the needs of the department at the time.

ANALYSIS & CONCLUSION

BWP has been recruiting to fill the vacant Senior Civil Engineer/BWP position for some time and is continuing to have difficulty recruiting and retaining a qualified candidate that can meet the needs of the department in this position.  The department is proposing to re-establish the higher level position of Principal Civil Engineer/BWP to replace the Senior Civil Engineer/BWP position to assist in attracting highly qualified and experienced water utility engineers to apply for this highly specialized field.

This classification will be a Civil Service position, subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and included in the City�s Conflict of Interest Code.  The Burbank Management Association (BMA) will represent this classification.  The Civil Service Board approved this re-establishment at their regular meeting on March 2, 2005.

FISCAL IMPACT

The salary range for the Principal Civil Engineer/BWP position was established based on the salary range that the prior Principal Civil Engineer/BWP position had and the recent salary survey adjustments that were made to BMA positions.  The salary range will be set at $7,864 - $9,555.

Burbank Water and Power will be upgrading the Senior Civil Engineer/BWP position to Principal Civil Engineer/BWP so that there will be the same number of total positions.  The estimated additional costs associated with upgrading the Senior Civil Engineer/BWP to the proposed Principal Civil Engineer/BWP would be $16,188 per year.  This increase this fiscal year will be achieved through salary savings from the vacant Senior Civil Engineer/BWP position.  The proposed Principal Civil Engineer/BWP position will be budgeted in the 2005/2006 Budget.

RECOMMENDATION

Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the proposed resolution re-establishing the specification for the classification of Principal Civil Engineer/BWP CTC No. 0680.

Respectfully submitted,

Judie Sarquiz

Management Services Director