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Home My WebLink About06 - Seasonal Lifeguard Salary AdjustmentJanuary 25, 2000 Council Agenda . Item No. 6 TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council FROM: Timothy Riley, Fire and Marine Chief SUBJECT: Adjustment in the Salary Schedule for Seasonal Lifeguards RECOMMENDATION: Adopt Resolution #2000- authorizing a 10% increase adjustment in the City's Compensation Plan for the Classifications of Lifeguard 1, Lifeguard 2 and Lifeguard 3, effective March 1, 2000, and approve Budget Amendment transferring $32,000 from General Fund reserves. BACKGROUND: The Fire and Marine Department relies heavily on seasonal ocean lifeguards to provide a safe environment for the millions of people who visit our beaches each year. In fact, while we maintain a year -round staff of only fifteen marine safety professionals, we supplement that staff by hiring over 150 seasonal workers each summer. Without this cadre of seasonal workers, we could not meet our public safety objectives. We have been fortunate that our strong reputation and competitive salary structure has kept us from experiencing some of the seasonal lifeguard recruitment difficulties our neighboring jurisdictions have gone through. Last summer, the Los Angeles Times newspaper ran a feature article that reported on the difficulty most Southern California agencies had in attracting and retaining entry-level and returning lifeguards who could do the job. All but Newport Beach and Los Angeles County expressed real concerns for the future of their lifeguard programs; Newport Beach because of their high quality program, and Los Angeles County due to the high pay structure they enjoy as a result of their unionization efforts. I believe these other agencies will most likely adjust their salary schedules prior to the summer of 2000 to overcome their recruiting difficulties. This could have a very negative impact on our ability to attract and retain quality seasonal ocean lifeguards. SALARY HISTORY AND COMPARISONS: Our seasonal ocean lifeguard salaries have not been adjusted since 1994, when they were adjusted by 3.1 %. At the same time, the Lifeguard 1 salary range was expanded from five steps to seven steps; resulting in an increase of the top step for each classification by 3% but a lowering of the entry-level step. As the attached salary survey shows, our entry level step is significantly below other agencies. To remain competitive during spring lifeguard recruitment, we have been skipping over steps one and two and starting our new lifeguards at step, $10.76. Even this hourly rate is still below all other agencies surveyed, making entry-level recruitment a difficult task at best. (See attached survey) Our seasonal ocean lifeguards are in the process of forming a bargaining unit for the purpose of meeting and conferring with representatives from the City on wages, hours and working conditions. I do not know how long it will take for this bargaining unit to be formed and begin meaningful dialog with the City. With summer recruitment just a few short months away, I would recommend we eliminate steps one and two for the Lifeguard l classification and make a l0% adjustment in all seasonal lifeguard salaries to allow us to be competitive with other agencies when we start the 2000 recruitment process. Any future adjustments would come as a result of the meet and confer process. A 10% adjustment in seasonal salaries will increase our seasonal lifeguard annual personnel costs by approximately $78,000 and, including the increase in retirement costs, would only impact our current fiscal year budget by $33,106. RESOLUTION NO. 2000- A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH ESTABLISHING THE SALARIES FOR SEASONAL OCEAN LIFEGUARDS AND AMENDING THE CLASSIFICATION AND COMPENSATION PLAN TO REFLECT SAID CHANGES. WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Newport Beach has the authority, under the Newport Beach City Charter, to establish salaries for employees; and WHEREAS, the City Manager has recommended certain salary adjustments for seasonal ocean lifeguards; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Newport Beach, hereby establishes, effective March 1, 2000, the salaries for seasonal ocean lifeguards shall be as shown on Exhibit "A ", attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City's Classification and Compensation Plan shall be amended to reflect these changes. Adopted by the City Council of the City of Newport Beach at the regular meeting held • on the 25`h day of January, 2000. MAYOR ATTEST: CITY CLERK 0 CLASSIFICATION LIFEGUARD 1, Steps 1 - 5 LIFEGUARD 2, Steps 1 - 3 LIFEGUARD 3, Steps 1 - 3 0 Exhibit "A" March 1, 2000 CLASS CODE 9080 9120 9110 HOURLY RATE 11.83644 — 14.38723 14.35467 — 15.82603 15.79006 — 17.40860 CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH 2000 SALARY SURVEY Contact Agency First Step Top Step Los Angeles County Lifeguard 1 $17.19 $21.30 310.372.2166 Lifeguard I with EMT $18.86 $23.37 Capt. Dave Storey Includes Dispatchers and some Unit Operators Long Beach Lifeguard I - Tower, Shotgun, Deckhand $11.62 $15.85 562.570.1349 Lifeguard 11 = 43 cent an hour skill pay over bc)p step Lg 1 $16.29 Sgt. Gary Horn for: Shotgun, Deckhand, Dispatcher, JG Instructor 562.598.8560 (f) Lifeguard III - Positions are permanent 562.570.1353 (f) Other Pay - 50 cents per hour for all EMTs Additional 3% raise on 4-1 -00 Seal Beach Lifeguard I - Tower Guard $11.00 $13.40 562.430.2613 Lifeguard 11- Shotgun, Deckhand $11.50 $14.05 Chief Steve Cushman Lifeguard III - Unit, Desk, HQ Guard, Boat Op, Area Su $12.15 $14.75 562.598.8560 (f) Other Pay - 50 cents per hour for all EMTs Huntington Beach Lifeguard I - Tower Guard, JG Instructor $11.51 $12.14 714.536.2581 Lifeguard II - Shotgun, Deckhand, Tower 0, Group Ldr. $13.22 $13.95 Lt. Kyle Undo Lifeguard III - Unit Operator, Night Patrol, Dispatcher $14.22 $15.00 714.374.1500 (f) Other Pay - none (Info: Seasonals in negotiations) Cal. State Parks Lifeguard I - Tower, Shotgun, Relief Guard $11.89 $12.83 714.536.1454 Lifeguard II - Unit, Shotgun, Deckhand, Dis $13.73 $14.96 Ca t. Joe Milligan Lifeguard III - Boat Operator 8 Beach Su pr are permanent 714.841.7830 (f) Other Pay - none Newport Beach Lifeguard I -Tower Guard, JG Instructor $9.76 $13.07 949.644.3046 or 3045 Lifeguard 11- Unit Operator, Deckhand, JG Group Leader $13.04 $14.38 Lt Tumer /Bauer Lifeguard 111 - Boat Operator, Dispatcher $14.35 $15.82 949.673.3056 (f) Other Pay - none Duna Beach Life uard I - Tower Guard $12.25 $13.75 949.494.6571 Lifeguard II-Senior Ocean Guard /Shot un, Dispatcher $14.00 $14.75 Chief Mark Klosterman Lifeguard 111 - Seasonal Supervisor $15.00 $16.25 949.494.4021 (f) Other Pay - $ .501hour for Lg I's, (required for Lg II and III) San Clemente Lifeguard I - Tower Guard $11.35 $13.80 949.361.8219 Lifeguard II none Lt Bill Humphries Lifeguard III - Seasonal Supervisors $14.53 $17.67 949.361.8277 (f) Other Pay - none San Diego Lifeguard I - Tower Guard, Units, Small boat operator $12.58 $15.10 619.221.9270 Lifeguard II - none Lt Nick Lerma Lifeguard III - none 619.221.9274 (f) Other Pay - EMT Bonus of 4 1/2% 1/17100 City of Newport Beach BUDGET AMENDMENT 1999 -00 ECT ON BUDGETARY FUND BALANCE: Increase Revenue Estimates X Increase Budget Appropriations Transfer Budget Appropriations SOURCE: from existing budget appropriations from additional estimated revenues PX from unappropriated fund balance EXPLANATION: NO. BA- 033 AMOUNT: $33,1os.oa Increase in Budgetary Fund Balance AND X Decrease in Budgetary Fund Balance No effect on Budgetary Fund Balance This budget amendment is requested to provide for the following: To give the lifeguards I, II and III a 10% raise trying to bring them more in line with competitor pay scales. PARS (retirement) also needs to be adjusted. There have been no prior budget amendments. ACCOUNTING ENTRY: Amount BUDGETARY FUND BALANCE Debit Credit Fund Account Description 010 3605 Fund Balance Control $33,106.00 ONUE APPROPRIATIONS (3601) Fund /Division Account Description EXPENDITURE APPROPRIATIONS (3603) Description Division Number 2352 Training- Marine Account Number 7030 Salaries- Temporary $307.00 Division Number 2352 Training- Marine Account Number 7460 Retirement Part Time/Temp $12.00 Division Number 2353 Training -Jr. Lifeguards Account Number 7030 Salaries - Temporary $5,549.00 Division Number 2353 Training -Jr. Lifeguards Account Number 7460 Retirement Part Time/Temp $208.00 Division Number 2360 Fire -Marine Safety Account Number 7030 Salaries- Temporary $26,053.00 Division Number 2360 Fire -Marine Safety Account Number 7460 Retirement Part Time/Temp $977.00 Automatic System Entry. Signed: t ' Q O . inancial Approval: Finance Director Date bigned: Z. 7/ 0 Administrative Ap val: City Manager 9de Signed: City Council Approval: City Clerk Date