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Home My WebLink About2005-10-25; City Council; 18322; Street Tree Zone & Park Maintenance BudgetG & LANDSCAPING DISTRICT #I (TREE FUND - 1605023) MTG. 10/25/05 AND PARK MAINTENANCE (0015020) BUDGETS IEPT. PW/GS ELIMINATING TWO POSITIONS APPROVED FOR PARK MAINTENANCE FTE FROM THE TREE FUND TO PARK MAINTENANCE Current Full-Time Employees (budgeted) Proposed Adjustments (net) Revised Full-Time emdovee counts RECOMMENDED ACTION: Adopt Resolution No. 2005-31 9 realigning the Street Tree Zone in Street Lighting & Landscaping District #1 (Tree Fund - 1605023) and Park Maintenance (001 5020) budgets eliminating two positions approved for Park Maintenance pending completion of new park sites and reassigning 2.25 FTE from the Tree Fund to Park Maintenance. Parks Trees Total 31.30 5.70 37.00 31 55 3.45 35.00 0.25 (2.25) (2.00) ITEM EXPLANATION: The service plan initiative adopted by Public Works encourages staff to look at the way services are provided and explore opportunities to reduce costs while still maintaining top quality service. A couple of options that have been explored by proposals brought to the Service Plan committee looked at ideas to contract out school field maintenance previously provided by Park Maintenance staff and to perform Block-Pruning in the Tree Fund. The School Field Maintenance Program was initially tested on three school fields, and with the success of that program it has recently been expanded to cover the four remaining fields. As a result of the reduced manpower requirements we are proposing to eliminate one position from the Park Maintenance budget to help offset the costs for this new program. Additionally, the Tree Fund recently implemented a block-pruning program that would systematically schedule all trees in the City to be trimmed on an established cycle that currently stands at 4.5 years. Prior to implementation of this service plan idea, pruning was done on more of a reactive mode based on visual inspections and citizen calls. Implementation of the block-pruning program increased the total number of tree sites addressed from 1,600 per year to over 2,500. Initial implementation of this program has occurred with the work being accomplished by existing staff. Public Works is currently proposing to realign responsibilities for the block-pruning program by transferring one tree crew (2.25 employees) from the Tree Fund to the Park Maintenance General Fund budget. Tree trimming services previously provided by this crew to the Tree Fund will now be provided through a contract for service. The employees transferred to the Park Maintenance Department will provide both tree trimming and park maintenance services at various park sites throughout the City, avoiding the need to hire one employee previously approved by Council to serve new parks. An additional savings will occur by reclassifying a park maintenance worker 1/11 position to a maintenance aide position within the Trail Maintenance Budget. The service plan initiative was originally designed to explore better ways of doing business as the City moved towards build-out. The hope was that innovative ideas could generate cost effective solutions to get more work done with less resources. As three new Park Sites are scheduled to come on-line over the next year, initial staffing estimates called for the addition of four FTE. With the proposed adjustments, we are only recommending to add two of the previously approved positions. I Page 2 The proposed realignment of the two programs will result in an anticipated savings in the Tree Fund budget of $90,461 in the remaining eight months of FY 2006, with an anticipated full-year savings of $1 35,691. This full-year decrease to the Tree Fund will more closely align revenues generated from projected assessments. In addition, there will be no net increase to the General Fund appropriation. However, this will be accomplished by the elimination of two of the four previously approved positions for the new park sites and by identifying additional savings within the Park Maintenance budget of approximately $28,000 throughout the year in order to maintain the budget at previously approved levels. While these adjustments will have an impact on the way work programs are completed and will require administration and inspection of contract services, it is anticipated that we should be able to maintain existing service levels. Contracting work for these two services should allow for greater flexibility in the future in determining service levels for these programs, i.e. service levels could be redefined without impacting staffing levels In brief, there will be an overall reduction of 2.0 staff with some of the resulting workload being completed by contract services. The Tree Fund is expected to save $90,461 during the remainder of FY 2006, and realize full-year savings of $135,691 in FY 2007. There will be no impact on the General Fund. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The above item does not require environmental review, as section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines does not define continuing administrative or maintenance activities as a project. FISCAL IMPACT: The budget for the Tree Fund would be reduced by $90,461 during FY 2006, representing 8 months of savings under the revised work plan. In FY 2007 it is anticipated that $135,691 will be reduced from the Tree Fund allocation. There would be no impact to the General Fund as the budget for Park Maintenance would remain at previously appropriated levels. EXHIBITS: 1. Resolution No. 2005-31 9 Realigning the Street Tree Zone in Street Lighting & Landscaping District #1 (Tree Fund - 1605023) and Park Maintenance (0015020) budgets eliminating two positions approved for Park Maintenance pending completion of new park sites and reassigning 2.25 FTE from the Tree Fund to Park Maintenance. DEPARTMENT CONTACT: Jeff Schwartz, 760-602-7502, jschw@ci.carlsbad.ca.us 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 RESOLUTION NO. 2005-319 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA, REALIGNING THE STREET TREE ZONE IN STREET LIGHTING & LANDSCAPING DISTRICT #1 BUDGETS ELIMINATING TWO POSITIONS APPROVED FOR PARK MAINTENANCE PENDING COMPLETION OF NEW PARK SITES AND REASSIGNING 2.25 FTE FROM THE TREE FUND TO PARK MAINTENANCE. (TREE FUND - 1605023) AND PARK MAINTENANCE (0015020) WHEREAS, the City of Carlsbad Public Works Department has established staffing leve.,; for their various division; and WHEREAS, the City of Carlsbad adopted the existing staffing levels as part of the FY 2006 budget adoption; and WHEREAS, the City of Carlsbad Public Works Department is desirous of moving 2.25 FTE from the Tree Fund to Park Maintenance, eliminating 2.0 FTE from Park Maintenance and reclassifying a park maintenance worker 1/11 position to a maintenance aide position in Trails Maintenance; and WHERAS, the City of Carlsbad Public Works Department is desirous of decreasing the budget to the Tree Fund by $90,461 in FY 2006, with a full-year reduction equal to $135,691: and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Carlsbad, California, as follows: 1. That the above recitations are true and correct. VI ‘I/ ‘I/ I// ‘/I ‘I1 111 VI I// VI ‘I/ 3 I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 2. The City Council approves the overall reduction in staffing levels of the Public Works Department including the transfer of 2.25 FTE from the Tree Fund to Park Maintenance, the elimination of 2.0 FTE from Park Maintenance, the reclassification of a park maintenance worker 1/11 position to a maintenance aide position in the Trail Maintenance budget, and the reduction of the Street Fund budget by $90,461 in FY 2006, and a full-year reduction equal to $135,691. PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the Carlsbad City Council held on the 25th day of October , 2005 by the following vote, to wit: AYES: Council Members Lewis, chin, Packard, Sigafoose ATTEST Y