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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 12132005 - D3 �• 3 To: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: Mark DeSaulnier --� Contra -- - - Costa DATE: December 13,2005 County susJEcr: Identify Existing Funds for the Position of Chief Public Communications Officer SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: Direct the County Administrator's Office(CAO)to identify existing funding sources in order to fund the position of Chief Public Communications Officer(CPCO) which position was approved by the Board of Supervisors on November 1,2005. The CAO shall look at existing funded positions and vacancies as well as the reorganizing of positions and/or resources in order to accomplish this goal./The CAO shall also review contracts for public relations and/or public outreach as part of this analysis. Additionally,the CAO shall review the newsletters of all departments to determine if such departments might,in part or in whole, replace such newsletters,either with on-line publications or with their less frequent distribution, in order to help fund the position of CPCO. RECOMMENDATION: Direct the CAO to make recommendations to improve overall public outreach and public information within and between County departments. RECOMMENDATION: Direct the CAO to report back on these items to the Board of Supervisors before the position of CPCO is filled. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: C� RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURES: ACTION OF BOARD ON APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS(ABSENT AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. ATTESTED /00 JOHN E E ,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Contact: cc: BOS CAO ,DEPUTY 10 4 BACKGROUND: On May 1,2003,approximately twelve County departments participated in a retreat, in part to discuss how to better communicate with the public. Because of budget concerns at that time, a plan to create a type of position to better direct and coordinate information to and with the public was not created. Earlier this year,the question drew renewed interest. In June of this year,the Board of Supervisors was faced with a budget shortfall of approximately $50.4 million. As a result,the Board necessarily struggled with how best to close the deficit without eliminating positions or programs or reducing services. Though a difficult process,the Board closed the gap by eliminating items from the budget,many of them important to the public which we are charged to serve. Currently,the County has still not completed contract negotiations with our County's various service employee unions,even though the budget for the 2005/06 fiscal year was completed several months ago. The creation of a Chief Public Communications Officer position with a total combined annual salary and benefit cost of more than$150,000 a year should,at the least,be funded with existing revenue sources and not with new County monies. The filling of the position of Chief Public Communications Officer should wait until existing funds already in tile budget can be identified to pay for its salary. ADDENDUM TO ITEMS D.3 and C.22 December 13, 2005 On this day,the Board of Supervisors considered: Agenda item D.3,to consider directing the County Administrator's Office to identify existing funding sources to fund the Chief Public Communications Officer position and examine current public information outreach methods and develop recommendations for improvement, and report back to the Board of Supervisors before the new position is filled;and Agenda item C.22,to introduce Ordinance No.2005-36 to exclude the class of Chief Public Communications Officer-Exempt from the Merit System, waive reading,and fix December 20,2005 for adoption,as recommended by the Assistant County Administrator-Director of Human Resources. Commencing Board discussion,Chair Uilkema noted for the record that Supervisor DeSaulnier had pulled item C.22 from the Consent Calendar to be considered concurrent to agenda item D.3. Supervisor DeSaulnier said that item D.3 does not seek reconsideration of the creation of the position of Public Communications Officer,as the Board has already acted on that matter,but is an attempt to identify possibilities for reorganization so that the position can be as beneficial to the County as possible in a number of areas, including cost savings. Supervisor Piepho said the goal should be to make sure that current communications are streamlined and are efficiently communicating information to the public. Recognizing that the County is having budget difficulties, she acknowledged that some see this as a poor time for the establishment of this position,but she noted that recent misinformation in the press about the creation of position itself is a good indicator of the need for this position. Supervisor Glover said that particularly in light of the budget difficulties ahead, it is important to ensure the public will receive accurate information about County programs and services.He also noted that the establishment of this position is consistent with the organizational structures of other state counties of Contra Costa's size. The Chair called for public comment. The following person spoke: Rollie Katz,Public Employees Union Local 1. Supervisor Gioia noted the need to develop acost-effective way to work with the media to get messages out to the public, including to households where English is a second language. Supervisor DeSaulnier proposed a correction be noted for the record: on page two of the Board Order,the combined annual salary and benefit cost for the position should be$132,000,not $150,000 as stated. He also proposed striking the second Recommendation,which states,"Direct the CAO to make recommendations to improve overall public outreach and public information within and between County departments." ADDEND UM TO ITEM D.3 and C.22 December 13, 2005 Page 2 of 2 Mr. Sweeten sought clarification from the Board on the third recommendation of the Board order, which states,"Direct the CAO to report back on these items to the Board of Supervisors before the position of CPCO is filled."Mr. Sweeten asked if the intention is for the CAO to report back after the position has been filled,rather than before. Supervisor Gioia said that the recommendation is to continue with the recruitment,but that under this direction staff will report back to the Board at a time prior to the position being filled to provide a position resolution. Supervisor DeSaulnier clarified that the recruitment can proceed,but that presumably when the position is filled,it will be funded by existing,as yet unidentified,funding sources. Supervisor DeSaulnier moved approval and Supervisor Gioia seconded the motion. By a unanimous vote with none absent, the Board of Supervisors took the following action: D.3: DIRECTED the County Administrator's Office to identify existing funding sources in order to fund the position of Chief Public Communications Officer;and DIRECTED the County Administrator's Office to report back on this matter to the Board of Supervisors before the position is filled. C.22: INTRODUCED Ordinance No. 2005-36 exempting from the Merit System the classification of Chief Public Communications Officer-Exempt; WAIVED reading, and FIXED December 20,2005 for adoption. )400000� OR TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CONTRA FROM: Lori Gentles, Assistant County Administrator-Director of ' � Ile COSTA Human Resources �,�� DATE: December 13, 2005 %.•�=„ COUNTY SUBJECT: Ordinance No. 2005-36 Exempting Position from Merit System SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: INTRODUCE Ordinance No. 2005-36 exempting from the Merit System the classification of Chief Public Communications Officer-Exempt; WAIVE reading, and FIX December 20, 2005 for adoption. FISCAL IMPACT: There is no cost associated with this action. BACKGROUND: The newly established classification provides for a centralized internal communications and public information capacity to address the needs of a diverse, complex and growing community of more than one million residents. The Chief Public Communications Officer- Exempt is a member of the Senior Staff of the County Administrator's Office and will be responsible for interfacing with the Board of Supervisors, elected officials, media and key officials. RESULT OF NEGATIVE ACTION: Denial of this action results in this class not having exempt status appropriate for senior level classes in the County Administrator's Once. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE: �G rcECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR _RECOMMEN ON BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE _OTHER r SIGNATURE(S): a�2�, mom ACTION OF BOA(D APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED _� OTHER [_ 5P_2 a�P•v��w�-- VOTE OF SUPERVISORS .**/, UNANIMOUS(ABSENT � I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED ON THE AYES: NOES: MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE ABSENT: ABSTAIN: SHOWN. Orig. Dept: Human Resources Department ATTESTED I Cc: County Administrator JOHNWE E CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR 100C DEPUTY M382(10188) , ORDINANCE NO. 2005-36 (Excluding chief public communications officer-exempt from the merit system) The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors ordains as follows (omitting the parenthetical footnotes from the official text of the enacted or amended provisions of the County Ordinance Code): SECTION 1: Section 33-5.307 of the County Ordinance Code is amended to exclude from the merit system the class of chief public communications officer-exempt, to read: 33-5.307 County Administrator. (a) The county administrator is excluded and is appointed by the board of supervisors. (b) The following positions in the county administrator's office are excluded and are appointed by the county administrator: chief assistant county administrator; assistant county administrator; assistant county administrator-director of human resources; labor relations -manager; manager capital facilities and debt management-exempt; executive assistant to the county administrator-exempt, and chief public communications officer- exempt. (Ords. 2005-36 §1, 2004-03 §1, 2002-26 §1, 97- 47 § 1195-41 § 17 85-7 § 21 81-70 § 29 81-32 § 1[2]9 80-56 § 11 79-43 § 21 76-21, 73-9 § 3: former § 32-2.602 (8): prior code § 2413(h): Ords. 1449, 1444, 128991209, 703 §21 627 §2 (8-31-51): §§ 24- 4.002, 00041 00121 8013)e SECTION 11: EFFECTIVE DATE. This ordinance becomes effective 30 days after passage, and within 15 days of passage shall be published once with the names of the supervisors voting for and against it in the ro hJMg A Cv 5TA ooll ML a newspaper published in this County. PASSED ON 5000, by the following vote: AYES* Gioia,Piepho,DeSaulnier,Glover and Uilkema NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None ATTEST: JOHN SWEETEN, Clerk of the Board and County Administrator Depu Board Chair [SEAL] VLD:Id H:\Ordinances\Exemprordinances\CAo 2005.wpd (11/29/05) ORDINANCE NO. 2005-36