Minutes - Council Work Session - 05/14/2019

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City Engineer Bruce Westby stated that the former employee was already working elsewhere and was not available. Councilmember Heinrich asked how.long the current Engineering Technician II has been working for the City and how does the rate of pay compare to the private sector. City Administrator Bruce Westby stated the current Engineering Technician II has been with the City for about 15 years. He stated the pay is approximately 20 percent less than what the private sector pays, but that benefits and other factors are not the same. He noted that it has been several years since the current Engineering Technician II has had a raise in pay. Administrative Services Director Colleen Lasher noted that while the current Engineering Technician II has received the applicable cost of living adjustments, he has been at the top of his pay scale for about 10 years. Councilmember Musgrove asked if he would be getting an adjustment if he changes levels. City Engineer Bruce Westby stated that his duties will be changing and that staff will be proposing a reclassification to the next step, which would include a higher wage. Councilmember Musgrove asked if the new wage would be automatic. City Engineer Bruce Westby stated that reclassifications must come forward to the City Council for approval and that is not on the table at this time, but will occur in the near future. Mayor LeTourneau asked about finding a new Engineering Technician II, and what the net effect would be on the budget. City Engineer Bruce Westby responded that the exact figures are not available at this time but that he would assume there will be a negative budget impact based on the former employee's higher wage and a new employee's lower wage. Administrative Services Director Colleen Lasher stated the Engineering Department has been down on staffing since the Senior Engineering Technician has been on phased retirement. Under this proposal, the staffing would go back to the levels in early 2017. Administrative Services Director Colleen Lasher stated that Staff is looking for a consensus from the City Council to begin a recruitment for an Engineering Technician II at this time. She noted that it would be the plan to reclassify the current Engineering Technician II after the employee was fully transitioned into the new role. She noted that a reclassification would be necessary because without a reclassification,the employee would be working out of his job classification. Mayor LeTourneau asked the Council if there is a general consensus to move forward and he replied that we have a consensus. City Council Work Session/May 14,2019 Page 2 of 7