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Request to Change One Clerical Position Within Emergency Communications Department from Part-time to Full TimeCopyrighted June 20, 2022 City of Dubuque Consent Items # 024. City Council Meeting ITEM TITLE: Request to Change One Clerical Position Within Emergency Communications Department from Part-time to Full Time SUMMARY: City Manager recommending approval of changing the Emergency Communications Department clerical position which is currently 0.725 FTE to 1.0 FTE making it a full-time position. SUGGESTED Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Approve DISPOSITION: ATTACHMENTS: Description Type Communications Clerical Recommendation for Full City Manager Memo Time-MVM Memo Staff Memo Staff Memo THE C DUjIBQTE Masterpiece on the Mississippi TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: Communications Clerical Position to Full Time DATE: June 15, 2022 Dubuque WAWca 914 ii 2007-2012.2013 2017*2019 Emergency Communications Manager Mark Murphy is recommending City Council approve changing the Emergency Communications Department clerical position which is currently 0.725 FTE to 1.0 FTE making it a full-time position. I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval. v Mic ael C. Van Milligen MCVM:sv Attachment cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager Mark Murphy, Emergency Communications Manager THE CITY OF DUB E MEMORANDUM Masterpiece on the Mississippi To: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager From: Mark Murphy, Emergency Communications Manager DATE: June 10th, 2022 RE: Communications Clerical Position to Full Time INTRODUCTION: Proposal to change the Clerical Position to Full Time due to low number of applications for part time. BACKGROUND: The part time clerical position that is in dispatch opened with the resignation of Peggy Eppler on February 8t", 2022. We started the recruitment process a short time later and when the recruitment closed, there were twenty-one applicants. Strategic Workforce Equity Coordinator Kecia Dougherty went through the applicant list and advise me of thirteen applicants that she advised were in the top tier. I invited all thirteen applicants in to take a computerized testing program that measures there typing, data entry skills, proofreading, cross referencing and spelling abilities. Of those the thirteen invited, six responded. When the testing was completed, only four took the test. None of the four passed the test with most having very low words per minute in the typing test. When this position was created, it was originally a part time position to enter warrants into the state system. Now the position is doing more work and should be full time. Additional work being performed in this position is modifying and updating domestic abuse information into the state entries. This requires them to run backgrounds (driver's record checks, vehicle registration and criminal histories) on the offenders and add any information obtained that is not in the state entry. This position is helping to validate every warrant that we have on file with the state. Every month, we receive a list from the state of warrants that need to be validated. Once these are received, someone is again required to run backgrounds (driver's record, vehicle registration, criminal histories) on each individual. Any new or changed information is to be added or changed in the warrant entry. The employee then must go into a different state system and advise the state that the warrants have been validated. Every year, every warrant that is entered by Dubuque Dispatch must be validated. As of today, Dubuque County has 3,430 active warrants in the system. If was divide this total by twelve months, the average number of 285 warrants must be validated each month. DISCUSSION: During our monthly meeting, we discussed this issue. During this discussion you suggested that maybe we make this a full-time position to get better applicants. Currently this is a part time position with .725 FTE. The budgeted amount for FY23 is $38,092. If the new person would come in at the NA48A rate of $18.60, then the total would be $45,474. With becoming full-time we would have the additional expenses of life and health Insurance. This would increase the total estimated expenses to $58,561. The position would not be filled until sometime in August so the total would be approximately $53,528. This number does include a projected step increase six months after starting. With the additional .275 FTE and insurance cost, the difference would be $15,436. In FY 2022, the Emergency Communications Center has experienced a savings from vacant positions in the part time and full-time positions. The overtime budget was exceeded due to vacant positions. $76,000 of salary savings is allocated to cover this overage. Unanticipated leaves, such as parental leave, sick leave payouts, and vacation payoffs account for another $32,000 of vacancy savings. There is a balance of approximately $58,000 of full-time and part-time funds in the Communication Centers budget. In FY 2023 there will be additional cost savings, due to the fact that there will be four full time public safety dispatcher openings starting the fiscal year. We are currently three down and with the additional one recommended in FY 2023, it will be four. Since we do not have enough part time employees that have completed the training, several of these positions will be open for several months. CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION: This position will not start until sometime in August so there may be some additional savings as well. Funds could be carried over from FY2023 to help manage the cost of making the position full time. The department is struggling to get many applicants for the part time clerical position, so making the position full time hopefully will bring a larger and more diverse pool of applicants. Budget Impact: The personnel budget would have to be increased approximately $15,436 to cover the additional cost for insurance and additional hours. ACTION REQUESTED: Respectfully request your approval and recommendation to the City Council that the .725 FTE for the clerical position be changed to 1.0 FTE and make the position Full Time.