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Home My WebLink About5B OCRCITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT DATE: December 10, 2020 NEW BUSINESS SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THE FISCAL YEAR 2020-2021 ALLOCATED POSITIONS AND COMPENSATION PLAN ADDING ONE FIRE MARSHAL. FROM: BY: David H. Ready, City Manager Fire Department SUMMARY The City Council will consider an amendment to the current fiscal year Allocated Positions and Compensation Plan by adding one Fire Marshal. The total cost (salary and benefits) for the amended 1 FTE is estimated at $211,000 dependent upon salary range at hire date and related benefits. This amendment is subject to meet and confer process with the affected associations. RECOMMENDATION: 1. Adopt Resolution No. __ , "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THE ALLOCATED POSITIONS AND COMPENSATION PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020-2021, ADOPTED BY RESOLUTION NO. 24434." 2. Authorize the City Manager to execute all documents necessary to effectuate this action . BACKGROUND: In 2018 the legislature passed AB 2911, amending various sections of state law relating to fire safety, in response to the devastating fires that occurred in 2017 and 2018. AB 2911 implemented regulations related to construction of new buildings and structures, and with vegetation and brush management to reduce the potential for wildfires in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (the "Zone"). The state publishes maps of these Zones for each jurisdiction, which is adopted locally as an Appendix to the Fire Code. In anticipation of future state mandated inspections on properties located within or adjacent to the Zone, the City adopted "Appendix S -Vegetation Management in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones" during the 2019 fire code adoption in November 2019. In July 2020, per AB 2911, the state implemented the mandatory requirement for jurisdictions to perform vegetation management inspections at properties identified on state published maps in the .. ,:, ., t-•,"; ~f) .,,__):,, -~~ .. -suao.K ~-- 2City Council Staff Report December 10, 2020, Page 2 FY 2020-2021 Allocated Positions and Compensation Plan -Amendment 1 Zone of each jurisdictions Local Response Area (LRA). Beginning in 2021, the state is requiring its fire department to provide an annual report to its City Council identifying compliance in completing state mandated inspections by July of each year. STAFF ANALYSIS: The fire department coordinated with City GIS staff to overlay the state LRA Zone map and identify the Palm Springs properties subject to inspection within the state LRA Zone. Twelve hundred twenty-six (1,226) properties are within Palm Springs LRA Zone requiring annual mandatory vegetation management inspections and enforcement. The fire department fire prevention bureau (bureau) currently performs approximately four thousand (4,000) inspections annually and does not have adequate staff to absorb these additional mandated inspections. The Fire Chief recommends one additional civilian staff member be added to the bureau to absorb the additional workload. The department has been working toward the reorganization of the bureau over the past three years moving to an all civilian bureau. In 2018-2019 the bureau had eight staff members with two of those sworn personnel at the rank of Captain. In 2020-2021 the bureau has six civilian personnel (with one vacant unfunded position resulting from the pandemic budget reductions). During the last labor negotiations, the affected labor association agreed to reassign the two Captains to oversee the department's medical division and training division. This provided a path for the Fire Chief to fill those two assignment without asking the City for an increase in allocated positions to serve in those capacities and subsequently create a civilian staffed bureau. Therefore, the Fire Chief is recommending the addition to the bureau be a civilian Fire Marshal position. The Chief is confident that all inspections can be completed with the addition of this position, the gap in supervision for the plans examiner and fire inspectors will be filled and the City will be better served with the qualification requirement of a Fire Marshal. The need for the Fire Marshal position is exacerbated as the Deputy Chief position whom oversees Fire Department Support Services is vacant and unfunded as a result of the pandemic budget cuts. The current City Comprehensive Fee Schedule fire department Weed Abatement fee is $299 for all properties inspected. The revenue from completing all twelve hundred twenty-six inspections is potentially $366,500. Salary and benefits to add the Fire Marshal position is estimated at $211,000. Other Cities fees for these inspections are higher than Palm Springs current fee: Chino Valley Fire Department Weed Abatement Admin Fee $328 Non-Compliance Penalty $300 Redlands Fire Department Weed Abatement Admin Fee $239 Re-Inspection $43 Ontario Fire Department Weed Abatement Admin Fee $285 Re-Inspection $50 Glendale Fire Department Weed Abatement Adm in Fee $37 4 LA County Fire Weed Abatement Admin Fee $141-$1,064 (based on structure type) Riverside County Fire Department Weed Abatement Admin Fee $254 plus $150 Per Acre 3City Council Staff Report December 10, 2020, Page 3 FY 2020-2021 Allocated Positions and Compensation Plan -Amendment 1 Orange County Fire Authority Precise Fuel Modification -Inspection Only $328 Precise Fuel Modification -Single Family Dwelling (includes plan review & inspection) $743 Precise Fuel Modification -Single Family Dwelling Inspection Only $328 Fuel Modification Maintenance Inspection -Tract Developments $725 Precise Fuel Modification -HOA's $1, 116 Staff recommends the Palm Springs Fire Weed Abatement fee be amended to: High Fire Zone Weed Abatement > 10 Structures or Commercial $275 High Fire Zone Weed Abatement< 10 Structures $150 Using the recommended fee schedule the revenue from completing all twelve hundred twenty-six inspections is potentially $215,000. If Council is in agreement with this suggested fee modification, the City's fee schedule will be updated by resolution at the next meeting. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: The requested City Council action is not a "Project" as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Pursuant to Section 15378(a), a "Project" means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. According to Section 15378(b ), a "Project" does not include: (5) Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. FISCAL IMPACT: This new position will be classified, subject to the meet and confer process with the represented association, as "MX Range 64" with a salary range of $99,492 to $133,800 and the estimated one-year cost at top step including benefits is $211,000. The potential revenue to offset the cost is $366,500 with the current Weed Abatement Fee and $215,000 should Council amend the Weed Abatement Fee to the recommended rate. I~ k ~i4der Fire Chief Attachments: David H. Ready,~ t-::?~~ City Manager Proposed Resolution Amendment 1 to Allocated Positions and Compensation Plan 4RESOLUTION NO. --A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THE ALLOCATED POSITIONS AND COMPENSATION PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020-2021, ADOPTED BY RESOLUTION NO. 24775. THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. That the Allocated Positions and Compensation Plan for positions in the City Service is hereby amended as follows: Department _,., ~ ---Action -I Classification --J._ l:Jnit/Range Fire Add Fire Marshall MX64 SECTION 2. The Director of Human Resources is authorized and directed to modify the Fiscal Year Allocated Positions Plan and fulfill any meet and confer process(es) in accordance with this change. SECTION 3. The position change approved by this resolution shall be effective on December 10, 2020. Total Authorized positions 2020-2021 (As Adopted) Total Authorized positions 2020-2021 (Amendment 1) ADOPTED THIS 10th DAY OF DECEMBER, 2020 506.00 507.00 David H. Ready, City Manager ATTEST: Anthony Mejia, City Clerk 5Resolution No. Page2 CERTIFICATION STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE ) ss. CITY OF PALM SPRINGS ) I, ANTHONY MEJIA, City Clerk of the City of Palm Springs, hereby certify that Resolution No. __ is a full, true and correct copy, and was duly adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Palm Springs on this 10th day of December 2020, by the following vote: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: Anthony Mejia, City Clerk City of Palm Springs, California