HomeMy WebLinkAboutSpecial Council July 16 19981
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Special Council Meeting
July 16, 1998
The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. by Council Vice -Chair Marlene Dawson in
the Council Committee Room, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
Alen PrPCPnt-
Tom Brown
Connie Hoag
Kathy Sutter
L. Ward Nelson
Barbara Brenner
Absent:
Robert Imhof
1. DISCUSSION OF POSSIBLE EMERGENCY MARKET SALARY ADJUSTMENTS
FOR SELECT PUBLIC WORKS ENGINEERING PERSONNEL (AB98 -282)
Dave Wareing, Deputy Administrator, brought attention to the Council that there is stress
and strain to certain County employees. Whatcom County has been conservative in dealing with
contracts and wages. There have been tight financial times. The administration works diligently
with the employees' union, and others to control costs. The County has held a 100% levy rate
budget for the last several years. During the last year and the year before, administration worked
on labor negotiations and came to a resolution with unions that presented the County with
favorable contracts regarding costs. The problem now is that Whatcom County has fallen behind
in the labor market in providing market level job opportunities from a pay standpoint. The
County is losing highly skilled professional and technical employees in the open market. They
can go elsewhere and get jobs that pay more. The County is unable to attract candidates for
positions that have the skills and ability to fulfill the job requirements. They are losing skilled
employees and are unable to replace them with individuals of similar skill levels.
The administration came to Council, after doing a market study, with a proposal to make
an emergency market adjustment for the Engineering staff in the Public Works Department.
Karen Sterling - Goens, Administrative Services Department Human Resources Manager, and Jeff
Monsen, Public Works Director, will present information.
Sterling - Goens focused on the purpose of the meeting. It is not an overhaul of the salary
system. The County has had stable employment, under 9% turnover rate, and 40% of employees
employed longer than 10 years. The Engineering Division has had nine vacancies and a 30%
turnover rate. This issue is about retention and recruitment. The County receives 100 or more
applications for clerical positions and at least 20+ for technical positions. This is a significant
drop in the number of applicants and the quality of applicants.
Brown asked for the pay range for the engineering managers.
Special Council Meeting, 7/16/98, Page 1
I Sterling -Goens stated that she didn't have the current pay range at hand. Monsen stated
2 that the pay range survey did not include the engineering managers because there were no good
3 comparisons. The range is from $3,574 per month to $4,490 per month. Duties of the Design
4 and Construction Manager include implementation of the annual construction program,
5 supervision of designers, inspectors, and survey crews, decisions - making with contractors for
6 adjustments, and assists at times at a higher level. The three engineering managers, which are
7 the Special Projects Manager (including the flood program), the Road Construction Manager,
8 and the Traffic and Development Manager, oversee the specific program areas, supervise the
9 individuals working in the program areas, and make the day -to -day decisions.
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11 Hoag asked about the vacancy that came up in April and whether it was for the flood
12 position vacated by Lara McKinnon. Monsen stated that the two vacancies were for the Road
13 Construction section.
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15 Hoag questioned whether Lara McKinnon was employed at this level. Monsen stated
16 that she was.
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18 Hoag questioned whether her job had come up forbid. Monsen stated that they will be
19 conducting interviews in a few weeks. Sterling -Goens stated that the advertisement media
20 include the County and City websites, the Bellingham Herald, the Seattle -Times Sunday edition,
21 and a mailing list for the Engineering Technician III and the Special Projects position. They try
22 to go further to get a better pool of applications. Extra efforts included the newspapers from
23 Spokane, Washington and Portland, Oregon, and Alaska. Extra recruitment costs money but
24 they want the best chance to look at applicants.
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26 Human Resources looked at the market, including the average of seven counties in
27 addition to the City of Bellingham. Whatcom is below average. They recommended that the
28 positions be adjusted to meet the market, which doesn't even get to the level of the City of
29 Bellingham. In addition, they should make efforts to resurrect other engineering positions and
30 use skill enhancement for promoting within and recruit lower level college graduates. They need
31 to identify skills that they will need over the years. The administration needs the emergency
32 market adjustment as a final step.
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34 Nelson questioned whether there was an evaluation of employees when they leave.
35 Sterling -Goens stated that people are leaving for promotion and higher pay. It is a profession in
36 demand.
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38 Dawson questioned the statistics, which show that contracting out services would be a
39 higher cost. Monsen stated that, without filling the positions, there will be a reduction in what
40 Public Works can accomplish, whether in -house or contracted.
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42 Hoag questioned the three types of engineering managers. Monsen confirmed that they
43 were Road Design and Construction (which consists of the annual road program), Special
44 Projects (the flood program), and Traffic and Development.
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Special Council Meeting, 7/16/98, Page 2
I Hoag questioned whether the County was currently recruiting from colleges. Sterling -
2 Goens stated that the Engineering Technician II requires two years of experience. In the past,
3 they have been able to obtain applicants that have both the educational and experiential
4 requirements.
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6 Hoag questioned whether the reason that the administration isn't recruiting from colleges
7 is because there is not an opening for a person coming straight out of college. Sterling -Goens
8 stated that was correct. It takes time to train someone.
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10 Hoag suggested resurrecting that position and that they begin contacting colleges.
11 Monsen stated that he is in favor of trying to recruit by hiring engineering school students for
12 summer help jobs. That helps Public Works hire students for an Engineering Technician III and
13 Technician II positions. They can't bring a student straight out of school to the design program.
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15 Hoag questioned why the County doesn't use headhunters. Sterling -Goens responded
16 that the County can pay a search fee and costs, but if the County doesn't pay the wages, then
17 they can't keep them.
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19 Sutter questioned whether the comparison of contracting services and hiring staff in-
20 house was based on current salaries or what the administration would like them to be. Sterling -
21 Goens stated that they are based on what they should be. Monsen estimated high costs on in-
22 house staff and low costs on contracting costs.
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24 Sutter stated that where the County is most deficient, compared to others, is in the entry
25 level, which is almost twice as deficient as the higher positions. She questioned whether an
26 increase in the entry -level wage would increase the top levels. Sterling -Goens stated that the
27 recommendation gets the County to the average, not to the top end of the range. Their flexibility
28 at the entry is that they can employ someone at a higher step.
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30 Brown questioned the pay scales. The organizational chart of Public Works is difficult to
31 read. Monsen outlined the positions on the flow chart. The chart shows the distribution of the
32 full -time equivalent (FTE) employees rather than organizational structure.
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34 Brown asked about the Project Engineers' responsibilities and their place in the
35 Department. Brown described a position whose job duties include supervision of 15 -30 staff and
36 oversees multiple design and construction projects. Monsen stated that, in his Department, the
37 Assistant Director handles those duties. That position pays $4,230 per month at entry and
38 $5,315 at the top step.
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40 Brenner questioned how long the former employees held the nine positions that are
41 currently vacant. Sterling -Goens stated that the longevity is longer than two years. Monsen
42 stated that of the vacancies, two are non -union and seven are union.
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44 Hoag questioned of what the nine vacancies exactly consisted. Sterling -Goens stated that
45 she would provide that information.
Special Council Meeting, 7/16/98, Page 3
2 Hoag stated that there are four staff vacancies for the Flood Advisory Committee. Kris
3 Craker staffed the committee and left because of a school schedule, not pay. Andreas
4 Kammereck is going back to school and wanted more career advancement opportunity. Lara
5 McKinnon left for more money. Kammereck was asked if there was a morale problem, and he
6 said the morale problem is that the technicians are so close in pay to the professional engineers.
7 Hoag stated that other people and companies are doing something about similar problems. The
8 County should be increasing the professional engineering categories. A technician position
9 advertisement gave a wrong impression about the job. The County only received 4 applications.
10 The person that planned to take the job ended going up to Skagit County. They received 60
11 applications. Skagit pays their technicians less, but put a different title on the job and gave more
12 money. The flood program needs consistent people there. The positions need different titles and
13 better money. She didn't want to increase the technician pay. The position should be exempt.
14 She related her husband's experience at Puget Power regarding re- categorizing the positions.
15 Each technician had a specific responsibility. The County should do the same. The flood
16 employees should be separate from transportation workers. Flooding problems are more critical
17 to the County than road problems. Sterling -Goens stated that a concern would be about a
18 perceived inequity. There is no faster way to de- moralize people than to have a perceived
19 inequity. She distributed a recommendation summary that addressed inequity. They are
20 proposing a two -range adjustment for the professional engineers. That is where they need to be
21 in relation to the market.
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23 Brenner stated that she believed Whatcom County was lower in pay than Skagit County
24 for the comparable jobs. She didn't see where Skagit was paying technicians less. Sterling -
25 Goens stated that when they did the salary comparisons, they can't compare the titles. They
26 must compare the duties. Sharing applications with other jurisdictions is a good idea. The City
27 of Blaine and the Port of Bellingham are both recruiting engineering managers. The County is
28 going to be in hot water because the wages are much lower.
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30 Nelson requested audience questions.
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32 Brown questioned information handed out regarding ranges. Sterling -Goens stated that
33 she would provide that information.
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35 Brown stated that they approved a new engineering position to work on future road
36 designs for roads not in the six -year program. He questioned whether or not they are still there.
37 Monsen stated that the position was a new Design Engineer position approved in the 1998
38 budget. There is no engineer to design roads that are not in the six -year program.
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40 Hoag stated that she checked Skagit County because Whatcom County lost a qualified
41 candidate to them. The Skagit position was same duties, but had a different title and more
42 money. They should make the title different. Wareing stated that Whatcom may have the same
43 position listed under a different title somewhere else. From a technical standpoint, that still is an
44 increase in money.
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Special Council Meeting, 7/16/98, Page 4
I Hoag stated that the solution is not to raise all technician's wages, but to have the titles
2 and pay of the vacancies suit what a person is doing. There is only one position with the
3 incorrect title and pay. They should not increase the wages for all of the technicians.
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5 Nelson asked Hoag for qualifications for the Flood Planner in Skagit County. Hoag
6 stated that the duties were identical between Skagit and Whatcom counties.
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8 Wareing stated that Skagit paid a lesser wage for those positions whose duties were
9 comparable to similar Whatcom County positions. They are not trying to be deceptive, but they
10 are trying to show the difference between the wage levels of the different comparative counties.
11 Wareing stated that the administration is not misrepresenting facts. They are trying to
12 understand her point. If a person is going to an advanced position in another organization that
13 offers more money, then they are leaving for more money. The problem is the same for other
14 positions in the County. They are trying to recruit people to fill the positions, but people with
15 the required qualifications aren't coming to Whatcom County because the wages are lower.
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17 Hoag stated raising the technician pay will not solve the problem. The person should not
18 be put in at the technician level. They should make the position a Flood Planner and pay
19 accordingly. Wareing stated that the person left to do the same body of work for more money
20 and a different title.
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22 Brown stated that he did comparisons with the State. The State position of Project
23 Engineer top wage is $4,786. They do not have a retention problem for that position. The State
24 has a problem with lower entry -level recruitment because there is a limited number of applicants.
25 Instead of trying to raise the whole technician category, they should just look at one section.
26 The upper positions are paid equivalent to other areas. It is a scarcity of the entry -level
27 applicants. Monsen stated that his opinion is the reverse. He can see the significance of the
28 flood program, but there are also vacancies in road construction that they are not very hopeful to
29 fill. They are not trying to hire a Flood Planner; that position needed to perform other duties as
30 well.
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32 Brenner stated that the title implies something in an advertisement. The County will get
33 a certain amount of applicants depending on the title. She agreed with Hoag. They must look at
34 each vacancy specifically.
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36 (Clerk's Note: End of tape one, side B.)
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38 Brenner continued to state that she spent time talking to employees the first part of the
39 year. She heard that there is a morale problem, not a wage problem. Must separate out specific
40 jobs and evaluate titles and also improve morale.
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42 County Executive Pete Kremen stated that the administration wants to work with the
43 Council in a collaborative and cooperative manner. However, The Council is beginning to
44 micro - manage administration. The bottom line is that there are vacancies not only in
45 Engineering, but also in more skilled positions in other areas. Morale problems are precipitated
Special Council Meeting, 7/16/98, Page 5
I by low wages. When he assumed the position of County Executive, it was apparent then that
2 there was a morale problem in Engineering because of a discrepancy in pay with counterparts in
3 other departments. They are finding it difficult to find anyone to just apply for the positions.
4 There is a decline in the number of applicants because the County is below the average in both
5 entry and top level positions. That is the bottom line. Many applicants are ones passed over by
6 other entities and the private sector. They are asking the Council to come up with an equitable,
7 well thought out plan to rectify the problem.
9 Hoag stated that the top -level employees are off from the average. However, if that is not
10 where the County is experiencing vacancies, then there is not a need to address the wages. They
11 should not adjust salaries across the board without seeing where the problems are. She would
12 like to see specific vacancies that the County is having a problem with filling. She is not in favor
13 of increasing technician pay if it will cause further morale problems with the engineers.
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15 Wareing stated that one of the most important things that an organization can do to
16 recruit employees is to not lose the good employees that are already there. Therefore, retention
17 is one of the most important things to do. Also, they are trying not to cause rifts between the
18 technical and professional group. There is already a rift there because the engineers feel that
19 there isn't enough difference between the technicians and themselves.
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21 Hoag stated that the morale problem will be increased by increasing the technician wage.
22 They need to increase the wage of the people that are leaving so that a morale problem will not
23 exist.
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25 Wareing explained the possibility of increasing the engineers' wage and keeping the
26 technicians wage as it is.
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28 Monsen agreed that this will aid in hiring engineers, but it will not help with the morale
29 issue. The issues in engineering are not simply wage - related, but the ability to move in the
30 organization, develop skills, and/or be recognized. If a technician can't move up in the
31 organization, then they can ask and receive a different compensation at a different title, or they
32 must seek employment elsewhere. They have not been able to offer any movement inside to
33 recognize those individuals. There are a number of individuals looking for something elsewhere.
34 There are those that are vested in an organization because they want to see that vesting through,
35 but that will only carry to a point.
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37 Brenner stated that none of the employees that she talked to cited pay as a reason for the
38 morale problem. Also, she wanted to see comparisons to the average pay in Whatcom County.
39 She requested the Executive to define what the Council is doing that is micro - managing.
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41 Kremen stated that the Council has always requested that the administration come
42 forward with any information on an issue. They have always responded positively. The Council
43 has not reciprocated. Regarding morale, he has been told that Council members have made
44 disparaging remarks about County employees on more than one occasion. That has severely
45 impacted morale and the lack of faith on the part of the County employees that the County
Special Council Meeting, 7/16/98, Page 6
I Council is willing to fairly treat, recognize, and compensate County employees.
2
3 Brenner asked what the Council is doing that is considered micro managing. Kremen
4 explained that the Council is working with issues that are administrative, and that could be
5 crossing the line here. Kremen asked the Council to be willing to work in earnest for the good of
6 all and work in a positive manner.
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8 Imhof explained that the City of Seattle just hired an Information Services Manager for
9 $126,000 and the Mayor only gets $96,000. The County is competing in a technology age right
10 now and is losing.
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12 Dawson opened the public hearing.
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14 Ron Bronsema, Flood Control Zone District Advisory Committee Chair, explained that
15 the County will not have any flood staff. There is no staff available for the County to monitor
16 the flood levels and take care of other duties. A serious problem exits. He also explained that
17 Skagit County has been having serious flooding problems and they are hiring a lot of staff and
18 also hiring a flood manager at $75,000 a year. Whatcom County is not competitive. Someone
19 needs to be there. He urged the Council to come up with a higher pay scale to be able to hire
20 people. He questioned how they would do without a staff. The Flood Advisory Committee will
21 have to be the staff, and it is not really their responsibility.
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23 Marian Beddill, 3600 Seeley, Bellingham, proposed that the Council discuss possible
24 emergency adjustments for select Public Works activities and program positions. Also, the
25 County government must immediately abandon its attempt to become the major water
26 management entity for the geographic region of the County's watersheds, or salary adjustments
27 be made immediately to the three key positions for water management. Other policy and
28 management steps should be taken to fill the positions and to get the County in position to have
29 real action. They should bring aboard members who can bring about these changes and plans.
30 The overriding civic duty is to serve public safety. There is no staff to protect the public. The
31 Council should set policy, represent the public, and give the administration money and tell them
32 what the Council wants to do.
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34 Brenner moved to extend the meeting.
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36 Motion carried unanimously.
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38 Dan McShane, 1451 Grant Street, Bellingham, stated that he is a geologist. He had
39 looked at the job descriptions and the wage has to be increased in order to have the quality of
40 people needed for these positions. Whatcom County is going to suffer due to flooding. Retaining
41 people is also critical. It is not good enough the way it is.
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43 Bob Knutson, 6070 Saxon Road, Acme, stated that he is the Chairman of the AcmeNan
44 Zandt Sub -Flood Zone District Advisory Committee. They are helpless in Acme. The previous
45 County staff person knew the river well. Pay scales and job titles are important to people. If
Special Council Meeting, 7/16/98, Page 7
I they are going to be able to do anything, the County Council will have to realize that there are
2 many volunteers working hard, but no one to administrate.
3
4 Art Anderson, 5326 Williams Road, Everson, stated that he is vice -chair of the Flood
5 Advisory Committee. He gets 10 — 12 calls a week in his industry from employers looking for
6 qualified people, such as engineers, carpenters, and other trade people. The Advisory
7 Committee has done a lot of work since its inception in 1991 or 1992. He would not like to
8 disband what they have done because of a lack of staff. He questioned what would happen if
9 there is no staff and there was a flood and the public had to be told that the County doesn't have
10 staff. A decision needs to be made as to why these people are leaving, whether the cause is pay
11 or title. The Advisory Committee is a resource and would be happy to assist the Council in the
12 process.
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14 Fred Nowicke, 3341 Berg Road, Everson, stated that he is Chairman of the
15 Sumas/Everson/Nooksack Sub -Zone District Advisory Committee. They have volunteered
16 thousands of hours. Staff needs to be on board immediately. The dikes need to be finished.
17 There isn't even someone to write a permit.
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19 Brown questioned whether the Swift Creek project would be completed. Nowicke
20 explained that they need staff to help on it.
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22 Brenner questioned who was the flood manager that left. Nowicke stated that it was John
23 Matzinger.
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25 Dawson stated that adjustments need to be made. She was not comfortable setting a set
26 percentage across the board.
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28 Wareing explained that he talked with the engineers and their concerns are pay, the
29 possibility of advancement, and comparable wages on a relative scale. It is the responsibility of
30 administration to bring the issue to the Council and have the Council make a policy decision and
31 direct administration. It is administration's responsibility to implement the solutions that are
32 consistent with labor contracts, good Human Resources practices, and that will solve the
33 problem. They have the ability to solve the problem in the immediate term and deal with it
34 progressively in the future. They have the funding to deal with it. He distributed a draft of
35 Executive Order 98 -03.
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37 Sutter expressed concerns about why the County is losing people. She suggested a job
38 satisfaction survey with the employees to determine why they are unhappy with their jobs.
39 According to the paperwork submitted by administration, she didn't see an across the board
40 increase. It is an increase of the technician wages and the engineer wages. They need to work
41 off of the recommendations and begin making policy.
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43 Hoag stated that two of the vacancies are not on the chart of comparisons. It is difficult
44 to know if the people are in the range that they should be.
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Special Council Meeting, 7/16/98, Page 8
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Sterling -Goens explained that they had to be careful when making comparisons that they
are comparing like positions. If there wasn't a like position, it wasn't included on the
comparison chart.
Hoag questioned how long the vacancies have been open and whether the County was
having difficulty filling them.
(Clerk's Note: End of tape one, side B)
Sterling -Goens stated that she would provide that information.
Wareing explained that they are going through the second hiring process to fill some of
those positions.
Hoag questioned whether the County offers any compensation for continuing education.
Sterling -Goens stated that an engineer with a professional engineering license could take
advantage of being advanced to a senior design engineer. They are trying to build such a
program within the technicians. That will enable the County to recruit people and keep them.
That is an important component, but it is not formalized.
Hoag stated that there is a big discrepancy between the wage of the County's Special
Projects Manager and another county's wage for their flood manager. The flood positions need
to be adjusted and hired immediately. If the County had to pay a headhunter, then the money
would be well spent.
Wareing stated that headhunters focus only on top management professionals. They
would tell Whatcom County that the wage level is too low.
Hoag suggested that they raise the engineers' pay. She would like to speed up the
process to get someone hired. Headhunters don't focus solely on top management.
Sterling -Goens stated that they have good, effective recruitment techniques. They need
the tools to offer that wage. They are seeing increased response in the Internet. There are tools
that are not as costly. The have spent about $6,000 on advertising.
Hoag stated that the sooner the County can get someone hired, the sooner they can begin
to learn about the Nooksack River. Also, the County needs to look at re- organizing the
organizational structure.
Brown stated that has heard that the wages in the Land Use Division of the Planning
Department are more attractive then the road and flood planners. Monsen explained that part of
the issue is whether or not certain lead positions in Planning and Development have the same
level of responsibilities and job requirements as similar positions in Engineering. There is a
debate about reasonable equity.
Special Council Meeting, 7/16/98, Page 9
I Kremen explained that a Senior Land Use Planner retired a few weeks ago, and the four
2 finalists declined the position because of lack of pay. While there seems to be a feeling on the
3 part of the engineers that they are getting the short end of the stick in comparison to their
4 counterparts in Planning and Development Services, they are still finding it hard to replace
5 positions in Planning and Development as well.
6
7 Brown stated that item #2 on the Executive Order needed to be implemented. He agreed
8 that the flexibility needs to be addressed.
9
10 Imhof moved to approve the suggestions in the draft Executive Order #98 -03. It brings
11 the staff up to a comparable level in item #1. Item #2 gives flexibility to the management to do
12 what is needed. Item #3 brings up the management wages to a comparable level. The 11 %
13 adjustment is temporary until a review could be done. He hoped it would be brought back at
14 budget time.
15
16 Brenner agreed with the flexibility, but was concerned with the emergency 11 %
17 adjustment as outlined in item #3 in the draft Executive Order. The only way that would change
18 is for new hires. Once the 11 % is approved, it won't go away.
19
20 Imhof explained that the adjustment is only in place until a salary survey can be
21 completed and implemented for all un- represented positions or removed by executive order.
22
23 Brenner would like to see the emergency adjustment be made during budget time. She
24 could not support the order with item #3. They came to the meeting to look at specific issues.
25 Hiring the engineers to help with flooding is her priority. The adjustment needs to be handled
26 during the budget process. They need to pick out specifics and deal with them, not allow across
27 the board hiring increases.
28
29 Dawson stated that they should deal with specific positions that are below the market
30 level. Also, once a higher wage is approved, it is difficult to take it away.
31
32 Hoag explained that there is no money listed on the executive order. Wareing explained
33 that they have been given the ranges. This is just to fix an emergency situation for the time
34 being. If they pick- and - choose the positions, then they will create an unbalanced fix, which
35 would exacerbate the problem. Flood is not the only issue. They would create a downward
36 trend in the County's ability to do road projects in the future. That will cause major impacts in
37 1999.
38
39 Hoag moved to amend the draft Executive Order #98 -03 by removing all of the
40 technicians' wage adjustments in item #1. She asked for an explanation of item #2.
41
42 Imhof moved to table this to the next regular Council meeting. He wanted Council
43 Members to go through the documentation, get their questions on paper, forward them to
44 Wareing, and get them answered. They can make the decision at the next regular Council
45 meeting.
Special Council Meeting, 7/16/98, Page 10
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Motion failed 1 -4 with Dawson in favor and Nelson absent.
Brown questioned whether they could schedule another special meeting the following
Tuesday.
Kremen stated that administration would approve of a meeting the following Tuesday.
Dan Gibson, Senior Civil Deputy Prosecutor, stated that, from a procedural standpoint,
there was a motion to table. It sounded as if that motion was defeated. There is no discussion on
motions to table. That doesn't prevent anyone from presenting a new motion to table or a
motion to continue the meeting to a date certain.
Hoag stated that she would like to see all engineering managers receive the 11% range.
She proposed to delete the Assistant Director and the Director from the wage increase, at this
time, to address the crisis that is presented.
Hoag moved to increase the wage ranges for Engineer and Senior Engineer only as
outlined in item #1, remove item #2 until they receive more information, and give the wage
increase just to the engineering managers at this point in item #3.
Brown stated that the flexibility in item #2 is one of the greatest tools that they have and
should be included.
Sterling -Goens explained that an applicant who exceeds minimum qualifications can be
offered the job at greater than the entry step. The hiring steps listed in item #2 are the upper
limits of how much greater than entry an applicant could be hired without creating internal
equity issues. DOQ means "depending on qualifications."
Hoag stated that she would like to include item #2 in her motion to approve.
Brenner questioned the actual amount of money that would be allowed with item #2.
Sterling -Goens stated that it is not a big number. There is 1.9% between the steps.
Dawson called for the proposed amendments to be voted on separately.
Hoag withdrew her previous motion.
Hoag moved to amend item #1 in the draft Executive Order #98 -03 to delete the first four
positions listed for range adjustments, and retain the Engineer and Senior Engineer positions
with their proposed range adjustments.
Brenner moved a friendly amendment to include the Engineering Technician I without
any range adjustment.
Special Council Meeting, 7/16/98, Page 11
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Hoag stated that the friendly amendment was not necessary. The Order only addresses
range adjustments. Without the position listed in item #1, the position could still be created at its
current wage level. She declined the friendly amendment.
Motion carried 4 -0 with Imhof, Nelson, and Sutter absent.
Hoag moved on item #3 to approve the 11 % market adjustment for Engineering
Managers only and to delete the adjustment for the Assistant Directors and Director.
Brown questioned whether that amendment would bring any of the Engineering
Managers into a higher Range than their superiors. Wareing responded that it would crowd
them, but not surpass them.
Motion carried 4 -0 with Imhof, Nelson, and Sutter absent.
Motion to adopt the Executive Order #98 -03, with amendments, carried 4 -0 with Imhof,
Nelson, and Sutter absent.
Hoag requested that the organizational chart be reviewed and brought forward at the next
Council meeting.
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 6:20 p.m.
These minutes were approved on April 7 , 1999.
Jill Nixon, Recording Secretary
ATTEST:
Dana Brown - Davis, Council Clerk
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Marlene Dawson, Council Vice -Chair
Special Council Meeting, 7/16/98, Page 12