CC SR 20210302 G - Restore Associate Engineer Position (Traffic Engineer)
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 03/02/2021
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Consent Calendar
AGENDA TITLE:
Consideration and possible action to restore the Public Works Associate Engineer
(Traffic Engineer) classification.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Restore the Associate Engineer (Traffic Engineer) classification for FY 2020-21;
and,
(2) Restore the full-time Associate Engineer (Traffic Engineer) benefits and salaries
to the Public Works Department budget.
FISCAL IMPACT: The fiscal impact for FY 2020-21 is $45,200. Budget savings from
vacant positions will cover the cost. No additional appropriation is
needed.
Amount Budgeted: $1,866,800
Additional Appropriation: None
Account Number(s): Various salary and benefit accounts
ORIGINATED BY: Karina Bañales, Deputy City Manager
REVIEWED BY: Same as Below
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
BACKGROUND:
The City employs approximately 150 employees, or 74 full-time equivalent (FTE)
positions and 76 part-time positions. During the June 2, 2020 City Council meeting, 68
FTE positions were approved, and six full-time vacant positions were frozen for Fiscal
Year 2020/21. The six frozen positions included a Staff Assistant, Permit Technician,
Assistant Planner, Associate Engineer, Senior Engineer, and Executive Assistant.
Of the six frozen positions, at this time, Staff requests the City Council consider
restoring the Associate Engineer (Traffic Engineer) classification to the Public Works
Department.
Recently, the City has experienced an uptick on traffic engineering needs. Many of the
City’s capital projects, City Council goals, Traffic Safety Committee projects and high-
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priority issues have a transportation/traffic engineering component. Among these
projects are Western Avenue congestion mitigation, citywide speeding complaints,
Preserve parking traffic impacts, and intersection improvement projects. To ensure
these projects are completed, an in-house transportation/traffic engineer is needed to
properly scope these projects and review the work product of consultants developing
reports and designs.
If reinstated, this position will be factored into the budget process for FY2021/22.
CONCLUSION
Cost savings exist as a the majority of the projected personnel savings are a
combination of unspent budget from vacant full-time and part-time positions that were
not filled during the year, savings from delayed recruitments due to the Stay-at-Home
Order, and savings from park closures and the cancellation of special events.
Restoring this position would not require additional funding or appropriation of funds.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to the Staff recommendation, the following alternative actions are available
for the City Council’s consideration:
1. Do not restore the Associate Engineer (Traffic Engineer) classification and
consider deferring traffic-related projects to a time when adequate staffing is
available.
2. Take other action, as deemed appropriate.
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