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Home My WebLink About04 - City Hall Holiday ClosureSEW PART F O O U � S c9L, Fp�P TO: CITY OF Agenda Item No. 4 August 9, 2011 HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: City Manager's Office Dave Kiff, City Manager 949 - 644 -3002, dkiff @newportbeachca.gov PREPARED BY: Terri L. Cassidy, Human Resources Director APPROVED: C. TITLE: City Hall and Limited Off -Site Holiday Closure (December 24, 2011 through January 2, 2012) ABSTRACT: In 2009 and 2010, the City Council approved closure of City Hall and other off -site facilities between Christmas Eve and the New Year's Day holiday. The City Council may consider such action again for 2011. RECOMMENDATION: Approve closing the City Hall complex and provide limited city services at off -site facilities beginning Saturday, December 24, 2011 through and including Monday, January 2, 2012. The proposed City Hall closure does not apply to public safety or other essential functions that provide necessary municipal services. FUNDING REQUIREMENTS: There is no funding requirement related to this item. This proposal will lower the City's liability for employee leave time and provide savings of utilities and other maintenance costs for the City Hall complex and other off -site facilities. The estimated reduction in the City's liability for employee leave time is approximately $75,000 for FYI 1-12. DISCUSSION: In an effort to reduce City expenses, in 2009 and 2010 the City Hall complex and other off -site facilities were closed between the Christmas and New Year's holiday. The period between Christmas and New Year's is typically a slower time and the closures in 2009 and 2010 were successful in reducing the City's leave liability with little disruption to city services. It is recommended the City Council approve closure of City Hall and other off -site facilities again for 2011 to further reduce leave time liability. City Hall and Limited Off -Site Holiday Closure (December 24, 2011 through January 2, 2012) August 09, 2011 Page 2 The City's employee groups (with the exception of the Association of Newport Beach Ocean Lifeguards, which is not impacted) considered the proposal, acknowledged the need for the City to continue to reduce expenditures, and have agreed to the terms of the closure. The attached Side Letter Agreement (Attachment A) reflects the proposal to close City Hall and other off -site facilities beginning Saturday, December 24, 2011 through Monday, January 2, 2012. As proposed, employees will be required to use leave time or be on unpaid status for the duration of the closure. Public safety operations, including police, fire, and marine services will not be impacted by the closure. Other necessary city services, including refuse collection and parking lot operations will also remain open. Attached is a list, by department, of services and programs that will be operational during the holiday closure (Attachment B). If approved, the Public Information Manager and staff from the City Clerk's Office will coordinate with departments to ensure effective communication to the public of this change. Notice will be provided, beginning via signage at the impacted facilities, through press release, as well as communicated on NBTV and the City's homepage. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act ( "CEQX) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly. NOTICING: The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item). Submitted by C Dave iff City Manager Attachments: A. Side Letter to the Memoranda of Understanding B. Department Holiday Closure Schedule ATTACHMENT A Side Letter to the Memoranda of Understanding between the City of Newport Beach and Several Newport Beach Employee Associations as well as Unrepresented Employees Since 2009 the City and its employee associations agreed upon the closure of the City Hall complex during the Christmas and New Year's Holiday period. The Newport Beach employee associations and the unrepresented group listed below acknowledge the need for the City to reduce expenditures and the City's leave accrual liability. The undersigned Associations and City jointly agree to close the City Hall complex and other non- essential facilities and functions between the Christmas and New Year's Holiday period (December 24, 2011 through January 2, 2012). Facility closures shall be cost neutral to the City and will not result in additional paid days /hours off. The City and the undersigned also agree that staff located at the City Hall complex and other non- essential employees will not have the option to work during this period, unless specifically requested by Department Directors and exclusively authorized by the City Manager or designee. Emergency Conditions requiring the activation of the Emergency Operations Center shall render this agreement invalid. The following guidelines will be applied to the closure: 1. Both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve fall on a Saturday in 2011. Per applicable Memoranda of Understanding, the City provides half -day holidays (4 hours each) for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, which would otherwise be observed on December 23 and December 30 respectively. Under this agreement only, the two half -day holidays will be combined into one paid 8 -hour holiday and observed on Friday, December 30. In conjunction, the City Hall complex will be open a full day on Friday, December 23, 2011. 2. Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall on a Sunday in 2011. As provided for in the current Memoranda of Understanding, the holiday will be observed the following Monday. Christmas Day will be observed on December 26, 2011 and New Year's Day will be observed on January 2, 2012. This results in only 3 full days (12/27, 12/28, and 12/29) that are required for employees to use Flex Leave during holiday closure. This is a one -time exception of the existing designated holiday schedule outlined in the current Memoranda of Understanding for each Association. 3. According to the City's Employee Policy Manual, an employee must be in paid status in order to receive holiday pay. Therefore, employees must either work or use flexible leave, vacation leave, administrative leave or compensatory time the day before and the day after the holiday in order to meet this requirement. The only day employees would be eligible to take leave w /out pay and still receive holiday pay would be Wednesday, December 28. 4. Employees who have completed their initial probationary period but do not have any accrued flexible leave, vacation leave, administrative leave or compensatory time will be required to take leave without pay. 5. Employees on a flexible schedule whose regularly scheduled day off is Friday, December 30, will take their regularly scheduled day off and bank the 8 hours of holiday pay to their Comp or Flex Leave Bank. Side Letter Agreement - Holiday Closure FY2011 -12 Page 2 This agreement will help lower the liability on the City's books for leave balances and provide savings of utilities and other maintenance costs for fiscal year 2011 -2012. This agreement shall not apply to Public Safety or essential functions that operate on a 24/7 basis regardless of scheduled holidays designated by existing MOU's and authorized for unrepresented employee groups. Any questions or requests for information shall be addressed to the Human Resources Department. Executed this day of 2011. NEWPORT BEACH EMPLOYEE ASSOCIATIONS: City Employees' Association By: Teresa Craig, President Firefighter's Association 0 Brian McDonough, President Fire Management Association la Charles Duncan, President Key & Management Employees By: Mike Pisani Police Management Association 0 Steve Rasmussen, President Approvedj�to rm / r David I u , City Attorney� -- Newport Beach Employees' League By: Chris Auger, President Lifeguard Management Association 0 Brent Jacobsen, President Professional & Technical Employees' Assoc. Marcus Puglisi, President Police Association By: David Syvock, President FOR T` HHE CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH: By: C. LL-n Da iff, City Manager Attest: Leilani Brown, City Clerk ATTACHMENT B City of Newport Beach — Department Holiday Closure Schedule From Saturday, December 24, 2011 through Monday, January 2, 2012 Department Planned Closure Administrative Services Parking meter services and parking lot operations to remain open; all other services closed. City Attorney's Office Closed. City Clerk's Office Closed. City Manager's Office Closed. Residential and commercial building inspections Community Development provided on a limited basis and Code Enforcement Department available "on call" to respond to vital health /safety issues; all other services closed. Fire Fire Administration closed; fire command staff and all other fire services operational. Human Resources Closed. Offices and libraries closed beginning Saturday, Library Services December 24, 2011, and will re -open on Tuesday, January 3, 2012. General Services operational; select Utilities services, Municipal Operations including Water, Sewer, and Electrical, in limited Department operation or staff are on -call. All other operations closed. Police All Police Department operations open. Public Works Public works inspections provided on a limited basis; all other services closed. Recreation & Senior Park Patrol operations to remain open; all offices and Services facilities closed. 8/9/2011