PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to request City Council approval of the establishment of the specification, title, and salary for the classification of Marketing Associate (CTC No. 0543).

BACKGROUND:

An important issue in California is the need for increased electricity and water conservation and efficiency.  This is reflected in the growing number of legislative actions that have impacted California utilities like Burbank Water and Power (BWP).  Several of the legislative actions include complex and ongoing reporting requirements, which not only require extensive staff support, but can also be a lengthy, difficult and time consuming process.  The Marketing Division of BWP is responsible for complying with these legislative proceedings and the additional reporting requirements are placing a strain on the Marketing Manager.

BWP also offers a variety of programs to Burbank�s residential and business customers to help them reduce their need for electricity and conserve water.  To continue these efforts, over the past year, BWP has added thirteen new programs to serve their customers.  The Marketing Division is also in charge of administering these programs, and each program requires substantial supervisory effort and staff support, due to the time consuming elements involved with every program, such as implementation, communication, tracking, and reporting.  There is also new activity taking place with metering and time-of-use rate designs, which has impacted the duties of this Division.  As more and more customers move to time-of-use rate designs, increased efforts will be required to educate those customers.  Therefore, BWP has identified the need for an additional staff member in the Marketing Division to handle the increasing responsibilities associated with the legislative requirements, manage all new and ongoing programs, and provide necessary customer service interactions.

ANALYSIS & CONCLUSION:

Staff is requesting the establishment of the title, specification, and salary for the classification of Marketing Associate.  This classification is proposed to be the lead for BWP�s Marketing/Key Accounts Division, thereby allowing growth and promotional opportunities within the Division.  The Marketing Associate will report directly to the Marketing Manager and will be responsible for managing all aspects of the electric and water efficiency programs, including recommending options for increasing building and system efficiencies in existing and new development projects.  This classification will monitor legislative mandates to ensure compliance and assist with the additional reporting requirements.  The Marketing Associate will also be the primary contact and provide customer service to the City�s largest users of electricity and water.  Another critical duty of this position will be to research and make recommendations on the City�s utility�s rate designs and requirements. The proposed specification for Marketing Associate accurately reflects the duties and qualifications necessary for this position and meets the current and future needs of the Department.

The classification will be a Civil Service position, represented by the Burbank City Employees Association (BCEA), subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act, and included in the City�s Conflict of Interest Code.  The BCEA has been advised of this establishment.  The General Manager � BWP concurs with this recommendation.  On July 12, 2007, the Civil Service Board (Board) approved the establishment of the title and specification for this classification with the recommendation of including �driving on City business� as an essential function.  It is the City Attorney�s opinion that �driving on City business� is an essential function of this position.  Therefore, staff recommends that the City Council approve the establishment of this classification as approved by the Board.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The proposed salary range for the Marketing Associate was established by conducting a survey of comparable positions within other cities and reviewing the internal salary relationships within BWP to maintain consistency among positions with similar responsibility levels.  The proposed salary for this classification will be set at $6,198 to $7,741, which is 80% of the Marketing Manager classification.  There will be no fiscal impact for the establishment of the classification of Marketing Associate.  The Department has included this position in its budget for Fiscal Year 2007-2008.

RECOMMENDATION:

Staff recommends that the City Council approve the proposed establishment of the specification, title, and salary for the classification of Marketing Associate (CTC No. 0543).

Attachment

Exhibit A � Proposed specification for Marketing Associate