Additional General Fund Reserve Contribution and Frozen Positions Copyrighted
October 15, 2018
City of Dubuque Action Items # 6.
ITEM TITLE: Additional General Fund Reserve Contribution and Frozen
Positions
SUMMARY: City Manager recommending approval of an additional
contribution to the general fund reserve in Fiscal Year
2019 and funding all frozen positions effective January 1 ,
2019, with exception of the Parks Division maintenance
worker which will be funded March 1, 2019.
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receiveand File;Approve
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
MVM Memo City Manager Memo
Staff Memo Staff Memo
Dubuque
THE CITY OF �
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2009•2012•2013•2019
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Frozen Positions and Additional General Fund Reserve Contribution
DATE: October 8, 2018
Budget Director Jennifer Larson recommends City Council approval of an additional
$650,000 contribution to the general fund reserve in Fiscal Year 2019. This contribution
is in addition to the $1,050,000 contribution to the General Fund Reserve that is already
budgeted in FY 2019.
It is recommended that an additional $650,000 is added to the general fund reserve in
Fiscal Year 2019 in order to reach and sustain a general fund balance that is above 20
percent of general fund and debt service fund revenues in Fiscal Year 2019. In Fiscal
Year 2017, the City had projected reaching this consistent and sustainable 20% reserve
level in Fiscal Year 2022. Now this 20% level will be reached in Fiscal Year 2019, three
years ahead of schedule. Moody's Investor Service recommends a factor of 20 percent
for "AA" rated cities. The City of Dubuque's current bond rating is Aa3.
In addition, Budget Director Jennifer Larson recommends City Council approval of
funding frozen positions effective January 1, 2019. The hiring freeze is budgeted to end
during Fiscal Year 2019. The actual fiscal results of Fiscal Year 2018 in the General
Fund allow for the opportunity to unfreeze most positions on January 1, 2019 at an
additional cost of $123,214. The Parks Division Maintenance Worker position would
remain frozen until an analysis of contracted work has been completed. Fiscal Year
2018 department savings will be used to fund the Fiscal Year 2019 additional cost.
The positions unfrozen on January 1, 2019 include the part-time Management Intern
and full-time Secretary in the City Manager's Office, full-time Traffic Engineer in the
Engineering Department, the full-time Community Engagement Coordinator and the full-
time Strategic Workforce Equity Coordinator in the Human Rights Department, the full-
time Help Desk Technical Support position in Information Services, the two full-time
Assistant Horticulturalist positions in Parks, and the full-time Records Clerk position in
the Police Department.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
1 j t.11��'GL+'t tf t� ,
Mic ael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:jml
Attachment
cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Jennifer Larson, Budget Director
Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director
Marie Ware, Leisure Services Manager
Gus Psihoyos, City Engineer
2
Dubuque
THE CITY OF �
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TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Jennifer Larson, Budget Director
SUBJECT: Frozen Positions and Additional General Fund Reserve Contribution
DATE: October 8, 2018
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memorandum is to make a recommendation to fund most of the frozen
positions effective January 1 , 2019 and to make an additional contribution to the general
fund reserve.
BACKGROUND
The actual fiscal results of Fiscal Year 2018 were positive for the General Fund. The
highlights of Fiscal Year 2018 results for the General Fund revenue sources are as follows:
Gas & Electric Franchise Fees $4,552,625 $4,546,168 ($6,457) -0.10%
Local Option Sales Tax $4,498,428 $4,687,495 $189,067 +4.20%
Airport $3,356,153 $3,527,347 $171,194 +5.10%
Hotel/Motel Tax $2,229,336 $2,276,763 $47,427 +2.10%
Engineering Leases $2,195,493 $2,243,642 $48,149 +2.20%
DRA Distribution $1,553,123 $1,980,651 $427,528 +27.50%
Fire Ambulance Fees $1,330,337 $1,168,229 ($162,108) -12.20%
Building Services Permits $667,180 $684,168 $16,988 +2.50%
Police Claims/Fines $572,949 $671,793 $98,844 +17.20%
Riverboat Related Tax $305,702 $341,750 $36,048 +11.80%
Recreation Fees $299,108 $385,549 $86,441 +28.g0%
Housing Rental Licenses $291,342 $173,105 ($118,237) -40.60%
Investment Earnings $245,097 $399,379 $154,282 +62.90%
Slot Machine Taxes $211,666 $236,964 $25,298 +11.90%
Parks Camping Fees $75,218 $94,976 $19,758 +26.30%
Public Works $69,137 $95,098 $25,961 +37.50%
M&CReplacementTax $47,836 $79,796 $31,960 +66.80%
Paramutual Tax $20,592 $35,951 $15,359 +74.60%
Total $22,521,322 $23,628,824 $1,107,502 +4.92%
The City maintains a general fund reserve, or working balance, to allow for unforeseen
expenses that may occur. After all planned expenditures and an additional $1 ,050,000
was added to general fund balance in FY 2018, the City will have a general fund reserve of
23.41 °k ($16,460,491) as computed by the methodology used by Moody's Investors
Service (accrual).
DISCUSSION
The hiring freeze is budgeted to end during Fiscal Year 2019. The actual fiscal results of
Fiscal Year 2018 in the General Fund allow for the opportunity to unfreeze most positions
on January 1 , 2019 at an additional cost of$123,214. The Parks Division Maintenance
worker position would remain frozen until an analysis of contracted work has been
completed. The positions and dates unfrozen included in the adopted date as compared to
the revised date are as follows:
City Manager's Management Intern Part-Time 5/1/2019 1/1/2019 $12,847 0.60
OFfice
City Manager's Secretary Full-Time 5/1/2019 1/1/2019 $23,418 1.00
OFfice
Engineering Traffic Engineer Full-Time 3/1/2019 1/1/2019 $15,040 1.00
Human Rights Community Engagement Full-Time 3/1/2019 1/1/2019 $13,739 1.00
Coordinator
Human Rights Strategic Workforce Full-Time 3/1/2019 1/1/2019 $13,739 1.00
Equity Coordinator
Information Services Help Desk Technical Full-Time 5/1/2019 1/1/2019 $21,243 1.00
Support
Parks Assistant Horticulturalist Full-Time 3/1/2019 1/1/2019 $11,594 1.00
Parks Maintenance Worker Full-Time 3/1/2019 3/1/2019 $0 1.00
Parks/Public Works Assistant Horticulturalist Full-Time 3/1/2019 1/1/2019 $11,594 1.00
Police Records Clerk Full-Time 1/1/2019 1/1/2019 $0 1.00
Total Fiscal Year 2019 $123,214 9.60
Fiscal Year 2018 department savings will be used to fund the Fiscal Year 2019 additional
cost. The Fiscal Year 2018 results for departments with frozen positions is as follows:
City Manager's Office $152,405 $36,265 $116,140
Engineering $292,268 $15,040 $277,228
Human Rights $43,042 $27,478 $15,564
Information Services $66,141 $21,243 $44,898
Parks $108,498 $23,188 $85,310
Police $160,866 $0 $160,866
Total $823,220 $123,214 $700,006
2
The full-time secretary position in the City Manager's Office will lessen the burden on
existing support staff as well as the Assistant City Managers and department managers in
the office that have had to perform their own clerical work. Specific tasks that this position
will help with are the congressional staff visit, spring Chamber Fly-in, America's River III
fundraising campaign, legislative dinner, calendaring, typing, correspondence, filing, travel
arrangements, handouts for presentations, accounts payable, P-card reconciliations for the
City Manager's Office, and goal setting arrangements and documents for department
managers and City Council. Funding the frozen secretary position will result in a reduction
of overtime from $10,000 per year to $3,400 per year.
The part-time ICMA intern in the City Manager's Office will be assisting the Assistant City
Managers with their workload and will be assisting with the application for the All-America
City award.
The full-time Traffic Engineer in the engineering department will be assisting with design of
traffic related roadway projects such as roundabouts and intersection improvements;
assisting with traffic signal design and engineering functions related to operations and
maintenance of existing traffic signals; assisting with design of Intelligent Traffic System
projects such as fiber optics and security cameras; reviewing temporary traffic control
plans for city projects and right-of-way permits; reviewing traffic issues related to submitted
site plans; administering city-wide pavement marking program; and administering city-wide
street sign program. By filling the Traffic Engineer position, approximately $2,250 of
overtime will be eliminated in Fiscal Year 2019 and $4,500 will be eliminated in Fiscal Year
2020.
The full-time Community Engagement Coordinator in the Human Rights department will
bring a level of skill and expertise to the work of community engagement with the
understanding that ultimate responsibility for outcomes will be shared across departments
and the community. The Community Engagement Coordinator would allocate their work
time roughly equally across three core areas around resident participation in community
and government which includes individual learning opportunities for staff, partner
organizations, and residents; institutional work within the City organization and with partner
organizations related to equitable and inclusive community engagement policies and
practices; and systemic work across sectors to advance equitable and inclusive community
engagement. While the specific activities within each of these three areas may change in
any given year, the focus on all three areas will be ongoing and long-term (Attachment I).
The full-time Strategic Workforce Equity Coordinator (previously the Training and
Workforce Development Coordinator) will bring a level of skill and expertise to workforce
equity efforts with the understanding that responsibility for outcomes will be shared across
departments and the community. The Coordinator would allocate their work time roughly
equally across three core areas which includes individual learning opportunities for staff
and partners; institutional work within the City organization and with partner organizations
related to equitable and inclusive workforce recruitment and retention policies and
practices; and systemic work across sectors to advance equitable and inclusive economic
3
prosperity in our community. While the specific activities within each of these three areas
may change in any given year, the focus on all three areas will be ongoing and long-term
(Attachment II).
The full-time Help Desk Technical Support position will provide full-time helpdesk and
direct user assistance in the Information Services Department. Currently these duties are
spread amongst the staff and in some cases not being done. Some of the duties of this
position would include "Call Taker" activities — both online and on the phone to end-user
questions and issues; scripting, report writing and troubleshooting assistance for permitting
and code enforcement technology (Accela); report writing and support for WebQA;
assistance with extracting data and populating performance indicators in Socrata; testing
of updates and changes to the Socrata Open Data and Financial, Budget and Performance
portals before they are released to the public; facilitates staff training on Office 365,
SharePoint and Socrata; creates documentation; and back-up to Lead Application/Network
Analyst on Legacy (Financial, Utility Billing, Payroll) Applications Support.
The two full-time Assistant Horticulturalist position in the Parks Division will help in the
heavily landscaped areas such as the Highway 20 corridor and Grandview Avenue. With
very limited staff hours to actively maintain these areas, the landscape has declined and
has not been meeting the standards of the Leisure Services Department or the City.
Seasonal employees and Maintenance workers do not have the skill set of an Assistant
Horticulturist. Seasonal employees also do not have the training and certifications
necessary for landscape maintenance. Such expertise is needed when maintaining such
highly visible spaces and corridors. Winter is the best time to fill these positions. It allows
for a good transition while most horticulture related items outdoors are dormant. Training
can be implemented, and the new staff can become familiar with Park Division and the
numerous areas of responsibility throughout the winter months and be fully prepared as
spring rolls around. Greenhouse operations are in full swing after the first of the year.
These staff will also be able to help with snow removal efforts during the winter months.
With more staff comes less time to complete the Park Division snow removal duties. This
could potentially decrease the amount of overtime that would be paid to current staff to
complete the snow removal duties in a timely manner (Attachment III).
The estimated unrestricted general fund reserve balance as of June 30, 2018 is
$16,460,491 on an accrual basis, which is estimated to be 23.41°k of general fund and
debt service fund revenues. It is expected that $2,675,000 of the general fund balance will
be spent during Fiscal Year 2019 due to projects that were not completed in Fiscal Year
2018. It is recommended that an additional $650,000 be added to the general fund reserve
in Fiscal Year 2019 in order to reach and sustain a general fund balance that is above 20
percent of general fund and debt service fund revenues in Fiscal Year 2019. In Fiscal Year
2017, the City had projected reaching this consistent and sustainable 20°k reserve level in
Fiscal Year 2022. Now it is projected this 20°k level will be reached in Fiscal Year 2019,
three years ahead of schedule. Moody's Investor Service recommends a factor of 20
percent for "AA" rated cities and the City continues to work towards that number on a
sustainable basis. These balances will be refined when the June 30, 2018 audited
Certified Annual Financial Report is completed in December 2018.
4
RECOMMENDATION
I respectfully recommend that the frozen positions be funded with a start date of January 1 ,
2019 with the exception of the Parks Maintenance Worker. In addition, I respectfully
recommend that an additional general fund contribution of$650,000 be made in Fiscal
Year 2019 to allow the City to reach and sustain a 20°k general fund reserve by June 30,
2019.
Attachments
JML
5
ATTACHMENTI
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TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director
DATE: January 29, 2018
RE: Recommendation Regarding Community Engagement Coordinator
Position
This purpose of this memo is to provide you with a set of recommendations regarding
the future of the Community Engagement Coordinator (CEC) position. The position is
currently vacant and frozen and is included in the current budget recommendations to
be filled March 1, 2019. This makes it an ideal time to evaluate the position and its
future.
Background
The CEC position was a new position established within the Human Rights Department
in 2012. The first and only person to hold this position in our organization was Nikola
Pavelic, who held the position from July of 2012 through September of 2016. On
October 24, 2016, the Community Engagement Core Team (CE Team) provided you
with a memo and an Evaluation Report containing details related to the position and
accomplishments. In preparation for this year's budget season and the writing of this
memo, the CE Team revisited the October 26 recommendations. The position is
recommended to be filled on March 1, 2019.
During the period when the position was filled, Nikola worked with City staff to
strengthen the organization's infrastructure around community engagement by
developing shared terminology, creating guidelines around community engagement,
and producing a toolkit for staff to use in planning community engagement events. The
CEC also collaborated in the Inclusive Dubuque equity profile process, designed and
implemented the City Life program, and supported staff in developing a variety of
project specific community engagement plans.
These intentional engagement efforts resulted in:
• 1,930 community members being engaged over a two-year period as a result of
the coordinator and staff working together on project specific community
engagement plans;
. increased numbers of community members involved in the following areas:
service improvements, community needs assessments, City budget, City Council
goals, and ordinance considerations;
. very high reviews of the engagement activities from participants, on average;
. participation rates that were roughly representative of community demographics,
with a slight overrepresentation amongst those with higher degrees of formal
education;
. 100 diverse graduates of the City Life program, with alumni participating on
boards and commissions, taking on volunteer roles, and attending public input
sessions. Alumni feedback included things like:
o "Being new to Dubuque, City Life informed me on things I didn't even
know I needed to know. I am knowledgeable on how to be an active part
of my community."
o "Although on a citizen of Dubuque that role actually holds significant
importance with local government. These are viewpoints and opinions
the government finds valuable."
o "I feel like there are more opportunities out there for people to get
involved. The roles within local government are more clearly defined."
As resident expectations of government continue to change, and the community
continues to grow, it will become increasingly important that we are able to equitably
and inclusively engage residents as partners in governance and building community.
This makes it imperative that we continue to develop staff skills and infrastructure to
engage residents of all backgrounds in our efforts.
On January 3, 2018, the Community Engagement Team provided a draft set of
recommendations to you for your review and comment. The remainder of this memo
lays out the one to three-year work plan for the position and is what I plan to utilize as
part of my budget presentation to the City Council.
Discussion and Recommendation
The Community Engagement Coordinator (CEC) would be placed in the Human Rights
Department to work as a team with the Equity Outreach Coordinator (EOC) and the
Strategic Workforce Equity Coordinator (SWEC), if this latter position is unfrozen. All
three positions would be focused on collaborating with other City Departments and with
the community to create a viable, livable, and equitable community, with each person
bringing a slightly different lens to the work of the team. The CEC would be focused on
engaging residents as partners with government through a variety of avenues, the
SWEC would be focused on workforce, and the EOC would be focused on communities
within the larger community who are often overlooked.
The Strateqic Structure for the Position
While the person will bring a level of skill and expertise to the work, responsibility for
outcomes will be shared across departments and the community. The CEC would
2
allocate their work time roughly equally across three core areas around resident
participation in community and government:
. individual learning opportunities for staff, partner organizations, and residents;
. institutional work within the City organization and with partner organizations
related to equitable and inclusive community engagement policies and practices;
and
. systemic work across sectors to advance equitable and inclusive community
engagement.
While the specific activities within each of these three areas may change in any given
year, the focus on all three areas will be ongoing and long-term.
One to Three Year Work Plan
Policy and Practice Changes (Institutional)
. Facilitate CE Team to:
o Annually gather and apply an equity lens to organization-wide disaggregated
data from the resident survey (once implemented).
o Quarterly apply an equity lens to community engagement data collected
through the internal self-assessments completed by departments.
o Use the data to recommend strategies that are focused on advancing
equitable and inclusive community engagement in City government
opportunities.
• The first strategy to be developed will focus on revising City Life to
focus more specifically on ways residents can be engaged as part of
governance.
• The second strategy to be developed will focus on identifying a pilot
collaborative project to advance equity and inclusion through
community engagement.
. Serve on Equity Core Team to support development of department level-equity
plans.
. Serve on the Cash Out Team and collaborate with:
o external institutions implementing community engagement as part of their
contractual requirement to advance equity and inclusion in their programs and
services; and
o residents utilizing City grant funds so that they are advancing equity and
inclusion in their neighborhoods or community groups as they implement their
projects.
Program Implementation (Institutional)
. City Life — Revised with a "residents as partners in governance" focus to include the
following topics:
o Opportunities to serve on a board or commission (with City Clerk)
o Opportunities to participate in council goal setting and the budgeting process
(with Assistant City Manager and Budget Director)
3
o Opportunities to participate in neighborhood associations or other
neighborhood-scale leadership opportunities (with Neighborhood
Development Specialist)
o Opportunities to volunteer with City government (i.e., auxiliary police) and with
government partners (i.e., partner organizations with volunteer opportunities
who are working on core quality of life initiatives like Grade Level Reading —
St. Mark's or Dream Center, for example)
. Assist in the implementation of a strategically selected pilot program to advance
equity and inclusion through community engagement.
Learning Opportunities (Individual):
. Serve on Intercultural Facilitators Team to:
o Develop and implement additional equity and inclusion workshops for City
staff related to:
• equitable and inclusive workplace cultures
• equitable and inclusive customer/resident service
• equitable and inclusive community engagement
. Identify and schedule departments to present Equity FYIs at Leadership Team that
demonstrate department level tactics and techniques to advance equity and
inclusion in their departmenYs community engagement activities.
. Collaborate with Inclusive Dubuque Peer Learning Council to offer workshops on
advancing equity and inclusion through community engagement.
Cross-Sectorinitiatives (Systemic)
. Maintain active and engaged participation in Inclusive Dubuque, including serving on
working groups as opportunities to engage the public arise.
Budget Impact
Funds for this position are already in the budget on a recurring basis. I do have some
concern that finding someone who has such a broad range of skills and experience,
along with sufficient emotional resilience, is likely to require a higher starting salary. If
we are unable to afford a higher salary, we will need to keep expectations reasonable to
account for the learning curve and the current culture of the organization.
Action Requested
The action requested is that you approve revision and filling of the CEC position, that it
be placed in the Human Rights Department, and that it maintain a focus on three levels
simultaneously: 1) individual learning opportunities; 2) institutional policy, practice, and
program changes; and 3) systemic partnerships.
cc: Community Engagement Core Team Members: Teri Goodmann, Cori Burbach,
Jerelyn O'Connor, Dan Kroger, Angie Johnson, Taj Suleyman
4
ATTACHMENTII
THE CTTY OF DU� b�q�
DUB E i�'�i
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Masterpiece on the Mississippi Zoa,.Zo,Z.Zo„
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director
DATE: January 24, 2018
RE: Recommendation Regarding Future of Training and Workforce
Development Coordinator Position
This purpose of this memo is to provide you with a set of recommendations regarding
the future of the Training and Workforce Development Coordinator (Coordinator)
position. The position is currently vacant and frozen and is included in the current
budget recommendations to be filled March 1, 2019. This makes it an ideal time to
evaluate the position and its future.
Background
The Coordinator position was a new position originally established within the Personnel
Department in 2009 and moved to the Human Rights Department in 2012. The first and
only person to hold this position in our organization was Andre Lessears, who held the
position from March of 2009 through February of 2016. When Andre left the position to
pursue opportunities in Ohio in 2016, the position was frozen and has remained unfilled
since that time. It is recommended to be filled on March 1, 2019.
During the period when the position was filled, Andre focused on adjusting recruitment
policies and practices, coaching managers to interrupt implicit bias during the hiring
process, developing and implementing training activities, and developing and
implementing an orientation program for new staff.
Intentional recruitment efforts for vacant positions have resulted in 14 of 27 Department
Managers who are female and 2 who are African American. In addition, between 2007
and 2016:
• female staff on leadership team increased from 12 to 37
• staff of color on leadership team increased from 0 to 8
• employees of color increased from 14 to 65
• female employees increased from 323 to 351
As our workforce ages and community demographics continue to change, it will become
increasingly important that we are operating in equitable and inclusive ways in order to
recruit and retain a skilled workforce, both within the City organization and throughout
the community.
. Between 1990 and 2015, populations of color in Dubuque increased from 2°k to
10°k.
. Moreover, our residents are increasingly from out of state, with 27.6°k of our
residents in 2015 born in a state other than lowa and an additional 3.2°k foreign
born.
. Nearly 2°k of our residents in 2015 spoke English less than very well.
. Even more dramatic are the numbers related to our future workforce, as 20°k of
the youth in the Dubuque Community School District in the 2015-16 school year
were students of color, as compared to 3°k in 1991-1992.
All indications on both a state and national level are that these demographics are going
to continue to shift, making it imperative that we continue to develop staff skills to
recruit, retain, and serve people of all backgrounds. In addition:
. The City Council has called out equity and inclusion in their City Council Vision
statement.
. City staff need support in planning and implementing ongoing efforts to create an
equitable and inclusive workplace.
. City staff have begun to adjust and enhance their processes and filling the
position would reinforce that the work they have put in and the changes they
have made are important and valued.
. Advancing equity and inclusion is a core responsibility of government in a
pluralistic democracy and having a dedicated position would increase our
capacity to act effectively on this core responsibility by setting an example with
our own workforce.
On January 3, 2018, the Recruitment and Retention Team provided a draft set of
recommendation to you for your review and comment. On January 23, 2018, we all met
as a group to further discuss the recommendations and to clarify a draft work plan for
the person filling the position in the event that it is approved by Council. The remainder
of this memo lays out the one to three year work plan for the position and is what I plan
to utilize as part of my budget presentation to the City Council.
Discussion and Recommendation
As discussed in our earlier memo, the Recruitment and Retention Team recommends
that the title for the position be changed to Strategic Workforce Equity Coordinator
(SWEC) and that the person in this position be placed in the Human Rights Department.
This will allow the Coordinator to work as a team with the Equity Outreach Coordinator
(EOC) and the Community Engagement Coordinator (CEC), if this latter position is
unfrozen. All three positions would be focused on collaborating with other City
Departments and with the community to advance equity and inclusion, with each person
bringing a slightly different lens to the work of the team. The Coordinator would be
2
focused on workforce, the EOC would be focused on communities within the larger
community who are often overlooked, and the CEC would be focused on engaging
residents as partners in advancing equity and inclusion in Dubuque.
The Strateqic Structure for the Position
While the person will bring a level of skill and expertise to the work, responsibility for
outcomes will be shared across departments and the community. The Coordinator
would allocate their work time roughly equally across three core areas:
. individual learning opportunities for staff and partners;
. institutional work within the City organization and with partner organizations
related to equitable and inclusive workforce recruitment and retention policies
and practices; and
. systemic work across sectors to advance equitable and inclusive economic
prosperity in our community.
While the specific activities within each of these three areas may change in any given
year, the focus on all three areas will be ongoing and long-term.
One to Three Year Work Plan
Policy and Practice Changes (Institutional)
. Facilitate Recruitment and Retention Team to:
o Annually gather and apply an equity lens to organization-wide disaggregated
workforce data on applicants, hires, promotions, resignations, and
retirements.
o Quarterly apply an equity lens to recruitment and retention data collected
through the internal self-assessments completed by departments.
o Use the data to recommend strategies that are focused on advancing
equitable economic opportunity for members of communities that are
underrepresented in our City workforce.
• The first strategy to be developed will focus on increasing the pool of
diverse, qualified applicants for City positions.
• The second strategy to be developed will focus on employee retention
and engagement through employee resource groups.
. Serve on Equity Core Team to support development of department-level equity
plans.
. Serve on the Equity Communication Team to communicate tips on creating an
equitable and inclusive workplace culture and to tell the story of what is being
accomplished and addressed in terms of advancing workforce equity and inclusion.
. Collaborate with external institutions implementing equity and inclusion plans in their
workplaces, actively encouraging disaggregation of data in order to identify potential
areas of intervention.
Program Implementation (Institutional)
3
. Assist in the implementation of a strategy to increase the pool of diverse, qualified
applicants for City positions.
. Assist in implementation of a strategy to engage and retain employees through
employee resource groups.
. Coordinate an orientation program for new employees and for newly promoted
employees that will be built around organization-wide values including but not limited
to Manager/Council form of Government, Management Philosophy, Government
operations (e.g., budget process, technology use), and Advancing equity and
inclusion in City operations. Individual topics would be facilitated by relevant City
staff.
Learning Opportunities (Individual)
. Serve on Intercultural Facilitators Team to:
o Develop and implement an orientation workshop for new employees and for
newly promoted employees on equity and inclusion.
o Develop and implement additional equity and inclusion workshops for City
staff related to:
• equitable and inclusive workplace cultures
• equitable and inclusive customer/resident service
• equitable and inclusive community engagement
. Identify and schedule departments to present Equity FYIs at Leadership Team that
demonstrate department level tactics and techniques to advance equity and
inclusion in their departmenYs recruitment and retention efforts.
. Collaborate with Inclusive Dubuque Peer Learning Council to offer workshops on
advancing equity and inclusion in the workplace.
Cross-Sectorinitiatives (Systemic)
. Maintain active and engaged participation in Inclusive Dubuque, including serving on
the Economic Opportunity Working Group.
Budget Impact
Funds for this position are already in the budget on a recurring basis. I do have some
concern that finding someone who has such a broad range of skills and experience,
along with sufficient emotional resilience, is likely to require a higher starting salary. If
we are unable to afford a higher salary, we will need to keep expectations reasonable to
account for the learning curve and the current culture of the organization.
Action Requested
The action requested is that you approve revision and filling of the TWDC position
(renamed), that it be placed in the Human Rights Department, and that it maintain a
focus on three levels simultaneously: 1) individual learning opportunities; 2) institutional
policy, practice, and program changes; and 3) systemic partnerships.
4
cc: Recruitment & Retention Team Members: Taj Suleyman, Cori Burbach, Randy
Peck, Mark Dalsing, Maurice Jones, Marie Ware, Renee Tyler, Rick Steines, John
Klostermann, Susan Henricks
5
ATTACHMENT III
THE CITY OF Dubuque
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2013 2017
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Marie L. Ware, Leisure Services Manager
SUBJECT: Request to Fill Frozen 2 Assistant Horticulturist Positions
DATE: September 25, 2018
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memorandum is to request to fill the frozen two (2) Assistant
Horticulturist positions in the Park Division on January 1, 2019.
BACKGROUND
In the spring of 2015 (2) Assistant Horticulturist positions were frozen. This includes
one full-time position and 1 shared position with the Public Works Department. The
positions were scheduled to be unfrozen in March of 2019. Due to savings in the Fiscal
Year 2018 budget, staff is requesting to fill the two full time frozen positions earlier. A
current civil service list exists for this position so the hiring process could start
immediately.
DISCUSSION
Since the positions have been frozen, Park Division staff have had to do the same
responsibilities with less. The largest impacted areas have been the areas that are
heavily landscaped areas such as the Highway 20 corridor and Grandview Avenue.
With very limited staff hours to actively maintain these areas, the landscape has
declined and has not been meeting the standards of the Leisure Services Department
or the City.
Changes have been implemented since 2015, however we have found it is important to
have experts in the field doing the work. Seasonal employees and Maintenanceworkers
do not have the skill set of an Assistant Horticulturist. Seasonal employees also do not
have the training and certifications necessary for landscape maintenance. Such
expertise is needed when maintaining such highly visible spaces and corridors.
Winter is the best time to fill these positions. It allows for a good transition while most
horticulture related items outdoors are dormant. Training can be implemented and the
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new staff can become familiar with Park Division and the numerous areas of
responsibility throughout the winter months and be fully prepared as spring rolls around.
Greenhouse operations are in full swing after the first of the year.
These staff will also be able to help with snow removal efforts during the winter months.
With more staff comes less time to complete the Park Division snow removal duties.
This could potentially decrease the amount of overtime that would be paid to current
staff to complete the snow removal duties in a timely manner.
Starting new full time employees in March has its challenges as originally approved. It
is one of the busiest times of the year as the greenhouse is full of plants that are getting
ready to go out in April. There would not be as much opportunity for training and
familiarization as most likely they would not start until late April or May which is truly the
busiest time of the season due to the one time seasonal duties such as planting and
bed/planter preparation. Weed control also starts during the beginning of this busy
season and if not done right you play catch up or never catch up with the weeds all
year.
As the Park Division system continues to grow, more landscaped areas continue to be
added. Assistant Horticulturists are essential in maintaining these landscaped areas.
Dubuque is well known for our flowers and landscape and it creates such a sense of
pride in our community. The photos of our community used extensively by GDDC,
Travel Dubuque and more showcase the beautiful landscapes maintained by Assistant
Horticulturalists.
BUDGETIMPACT
If the positions were filled on January 1 , 2019 the estimated cost for the (2) Assistant
Horticulturists would be $34,565.00. The funds would come from savings in the general
fund during Fiscal Year 2018 through a budget amendment.
RECOMMENDATION
I respectfully request and recommend that the (2) Assistant Horticulturist positions in the
park Division be unfrozen early based on the facts above.
ACTION REQUESTED
I respectfully request approval to begin recruitment from the current civil service list for
the (2) frozen Assistant Horticulturist positions.
Prepared by Steve Fehsal, Park Division Manager
cc: Budget Director, Jenny Larson
John Klostermann, Public Works Director
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