PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to request City Council adoption of the resolutions revising the specifications for the classifications of Housing Assistant (CTC No. 0409) and Housing Specialist (CTC No. 0410), and a resolution re-titling and revising the specification of the classification of Housing Administrator (CTC No. 0407) to Housing Officer (CTC No. 0407), as shown in the attachments.

BACKGROUND

With the retirement of the Housing Administrator last year, the Housing Authority reorganized to better utilize its human resources.  The Authority wanted to more efficiently meet the needs of the organization and the community while, at the same time, keep pace with industry standards and practices.  The reorganization process included discussions with the affected employees, bargaining groups, and management.  It also included a review of similar positions and organizational structures in Burbank�s survey cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove, Glendale, Inglewood, Long Beach, Pasadena, Santa Ana, Santa Monica, and Torrance.  The cities of Huntington Beach, Riverside, and San Bernardino do not have a Housing Authority and therefore are not comparable.

Approximately seven years ago the Housing Authority and the Redevelopment Agency were merged into a single division under the direction of an Assistant Community Development Director � Housing & Redevelopment.  As such, it was no longer necessary for the Housing Administrator to serve as a division manager.  At that time, the specification was not changed.  However, with the retirement of the incumbent, this is the appropriate time to revise and re-title this specification in order to accurately reflect the responsibilities of the position.

The specifications for the classifications of Housing Specialist and Housing Assistant have not been revised since their establishments in 1979 and 1986, respectively. It is appropriate to revise these specifications to reflect current duties, responsibilities, and current industry standards for both recruitment and retention purposes.  The housing field is highly technical and specialized.  As such, the minimum qualifications for education/training have been revised for these two classifications to include the �any combination of education and/or experience� language.  This language allows for a flexible combination of education and/or experience to substitute for specific education/experience requirements.  These changes will allow the department the flexibility to consider the widest pool of candidates.  These specifications have also been formatted to conform to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

ANALYSIS & CONCLUSION

The revisions to the specifications for the classifications of Housing Assistant and Housing Specialist and the re-titling and revision of the specification for the classification of Housing Administrator to Housing Officer more clearly reflects the specialized duties and current requirements of the positions.  These changes remove outdated language and update the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for each position.  They also clearly address the current and on-going needs of the department and will help to ensure the recruitment and retention of highly qualified individuals.

The classifications of Housing Assistant and Housing Specialist will continue to be Civil Service positions, subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and represented by the Burbank City Employees Association (BCEA).  They will not be included in the City�s Conflict of Interest Code.

The classification of Housing Officer will be a Civil Service position, exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and represented by the Burbank Management Association (BMA).  This classification will be subject to the City�s Conflict of Interest Code. 

The Civil Service Board approved these revisions and re-titling at their regular meeting on December 1, 2004.  Since this time, the City has been meeting with the effected employees and respective bargaining groups to negotiate equitable compensation and representation.

FISCAL IMPACT

The new salary ranges for the Housing Officer, Housing Specialist, and Housing Assistant classifications were determined by comparing them with similar positions in Burbank�s survey cities.  The Housing Officer salary range will be $6,548-$7,956.  This range results in an annual savings of $8,544 as compared to the previous Housing Administrator salary.  The Housing Specialist salary range will be $4,751-$5,933.  This equates to a $14,904 annual salary increase.  The Housing Assistant salary range will be $3,802-$4,748 which equates to a $6,036 annual salary increase.  Overall, there will be an annual salary increase of $12,396 to the Division. 

The current Housing Specialist is working out of class as the acting Housing Administrator/Officer.  The subsequent existing Housing Specialist vacancy has not been filled.  As such, the department will recognize a salary savings from this vacancy until the recruitment is completed and the position is filled.  Since it is anticipated that this process will take several months to complete, there is ample salary savings in this year�s budget to

offset the salary increase of $12,396.  The recurring cost for this increase will be budgeted next fiscal year. 

RECOMMENDATION

Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the proposed resolutions revising the specifications for the classifications of Housing Assistant (CTC No. 0409) and Housing Specialist (CTC No. 0410), and the resolution re-titling and revising the specification for the classification of Housing Administrator (CTC No. 0407) to Housing Officer (CTC No. 0407), as shown in the attachments.

Respectfully submitted,

Judie Sarquiz

Management Services Director