Travis County Commissioners Court
June 20, 2006
Item 7
7. A. Discuss and take appropriate action on fy '06 classification and compensation, job analysis project recommendations that affect finance job family, e.g. Titles, pay grades and flsa designations. B. Discuss and take appropriate action on the following fy '07 compensation recommendations: 1. Set-aside funding in fy '07 preliminary budget to fund slots that are below pay grade minimums (green-circled slots); 2. Set-aside funding in fy '07 preliminary budget to address compression issues for fy '06 job analysis project slots; 3. Authorization for the departments to submit fy '07 compression allocation plans to human resources in accordance with defined parameters for approval by Commissioners court; and 4. Set-aside general compensation allocation to provide departments with flexibility to address remaining compensation issues in accordance with Commissioners court approved defined parameters. The word set aside is prominent in b.
>> the court, the Commissioners court in Travis County has adopted a three year strategy to go through all jobs in Travis County and complete a market salary survey. This year we completed market salary surveys on general maintenance, skilled trades, medical, job family, administrative support and finance is the last one. That has been completed, I'm going to go ahead and turn it over to hr staff to go over the results of that particular survey.
>> >> [indiscernible]
>> human resources, todd osmond >> [indiscernible] were the leads on this particular project. As alicia recommended we are here today to recommend for your consideration and approval h.r.'s recommendations on the financial job family titles, pay grades as well as flsa designations. The methodology that we have used for this particular project is consistent with what you approved and directed us to use throughout all of our strategic compensation initiatives. We have indeed picked up information through the position analysis questionnaires, we have externally gone into the marketplace to examine both public and private sector salaries, we have examined these particular titles for internal equity within Travis County and we have also collaborated quite extensively with the departments of -- that are affected by these titles. We are finding that in general, the titles that are in the finance job family have moved right at a two pay grade increase. As alicia I think mentioned the job family was last looked at in years 2000-2001. So an average of a two pay grade increase is certainly not uncommon for -- for the length of time that has passed since we conducted the work. What we are recommending here, you have the detail presented to you on pages 20 through 27, we will highlight the recommendations and will be of course prepared to respond to any specific questions. Of course as alicia said this is the one job family, finance job family. There are 168 slots represented within the family. 20 departments throughout the county were affected. The study did yield a reduction in the number of titles from -- from a total of 34 to 24. There are upgrades in the titles which represented an effective some 152 slots. By the way, I'm on page 2 of your backup. There were five down grades and we always looked for the red lined employees or slots to go away. There were three as we started the project, zero as we ended the project. There were five positions that went from non-exempt to exempt status. And in this particular family a total of 51 green circled spots, which includes both other funds as well as general funds slots. You will see there that the estimated costs with dens total 137,000, $665. -- $137,665. We are recommending with your -- that you take action or consider our recommendations to improve the titles, pay grades and the flsa designations that are proposed.
>> I see the 136665. A few numbers below that that are higher numbers, what's the difference there?
>> that number includes the other funds with benefits, general funds as well as other funds.
>> okay.
>> we can go down and break them out. The absolute total of the 51 slots that would be green circled, other funds in general fund, 182,722. Typically we report out the general fund costs with benefits. Which is the 137,665. Okay. Not sure, judge, and court, if you would like to take that particular motion because taking that aside from item b would allow us to sort of bring closure to -- to all of the fy '06 projects that you have acted on and then move into the fy '07 compensation related issues that are represented in b 1 through 4.
>> is this the first time this is on the agenda?
>> the finance job family? Yes.
>> a, yes. It's new.
>> I'm accustomed to taking a full week to -- to mull over the recommendation.
>> okay.
>> that way I can tell my constituents that before I acted I was well informed.
>> okay.
>> linda, did we get all issues resolved with all of the different departments that have people on the finance -- the finance family.
>> when you say all issues, the recommendations that we are making today, it's our understanding that those issues have been resolved. I will add that removing two as we always do at the end of our projects, your actions on our recommendation on pay grades and titles, we move into the job description phase of our projects. We do have input from a number of entities on how we might pursue an input that they would provide in developing the qualifications for specific titles, that's the next phase of our entire work. We will --
>> I'm sorry, decide for money I'm sure that's still unresolved in terms of different people want different things related to compression issues, green circle, comp ratio whatever we want to do. But in terms of the mechanics everyone is in a good place.
>> Commissioner, that's the b part to this agenda item.
>> forget the b. Just the a. We have peace in the family.
>> yes.
>> you know a family member that -- >> [laughter] that's not at peace.
>> any time I see christian in the front row I'm making sure that we have -- we have asked for all input. Be happy, christian. He's happy. That's lovely. B. On may 9th we brought to you a discussion concerning the administrative support family. We presented the results of that family and if you turn to page 9 of your backup, and as I stated those are the -- the groups of jobs or families, job families that we have looked at in this last year and completed a market salary survey. At that time, we noticed that especially in the admin family if you look at the total green circle slot and what green circle slot means is just people that after they were reclassified to the appropriate classification and pay grade, the minimum of what they are earning is still below the minimum of their new classification. They are earning below. So 436 people in the admin support group would be earning below the minimum of their new classification. That's probably the -- the largest group that we have seen, so there was concern about how we deal with -- with that particular group. We also looked at compression and looked at just overall compensation issues. What we have brought to you today is some recommendations for approve of set aside funding in the fy preliminary budget to fund green circle slots meaning to fund to bring people to minimum of their new classification. The cost of that would be about 1.8 million and the number of people that you find there on page 9 would be 506 throughout those job families. The general maintenance, skill trades, medical admin and finance folks and you see the cost break down. We know how that -- how we ended up with -- with so many, or we have we suspected this for years.
>> it's been about five years from the admin support family. One, in the admin support family especially you have a changing environment of technical skills. Now the requirements for someone coming in as an accounting clerk or higher than they were five years ago, they are expected to have some excel knowledge -- knowledge of working with -- with the computers of data entry, those sorts of things. The other is that the market has just become more competitive in this area and in order to get someone to come and work for you with any of those computer skills you just need to pay more. So the market has changed the skills have changed and we haven't looked at it for a while.
>> so -- so the proposal that we have here is again just to bring the -- the 506, 506 people up to the minimum of the new pay grade and when I talk about the 1,835,867 that's for the general fund. If you look then you take in other funds and with benefits you have a total of -- of about 1.9 million. That would be our recommendation. The court also had asked us to do a survey of -- of the major departments and we had -- we had about 20 major departments, 17 of them responded, they wanted -- they said that -- that because the group was so large in some of the departments they would not have the funds themselves to -- to make the movements and bring people into the -- into the minimum of the new pay scale, so that we would need support from the court in terms of funding. Okay. The second item on here is to approve a set aside in -- in funding in the fy preliminary -- fy '07 preliminary budget to address compression issues. Linda wants to address that.
>> the department expressed significant concern over the compression as we just indicated there's a significant number of -- of flats needing adjustments on an average in the admin that was -- that was 3 to four pay grades and finances two pay grades so the compression is -- is where individual if we were to adjust them to the green circle, that the individuals that did not receive a green circle adjustment, then their salaries are becoming smaller and smaller and closer together. In a makes that position perhaps not equitable. You can have a system start to deteriorate. Low morale can start. Some of those issues that were expressed by the departments -- so the survey results from the departments express 100% of the results of the respondents of the departments say that they would like the court to set aside funding for compression. A very large number of --
>> [one moment please for change in captioners]
>> so if you told -- if you total both of those figures up, do you get compression plus -- $3 million total? For both of those? From -- from -- let me ask this question. And I know the source of funding -- you -- you are referring to the general fund, which -- which is good, but -- but is there -- has there been any other suggesting how else this -- be put on the table, that is to look at vacancies to exist that have not been filled within the departments. You know no elected officials, appointed officials, department heads, executive managers, that have vacancies within their particular shops to maybe look at -- at using some of that money to address green circle and also compression issues within the department. You are -- maybe explain that a little bit. P.b.o., rather. And how they were probably end up working because I think -- I think that -- that there is quite a few vacancies for the last -- for the last well for the last part of this year for instance. It has not been filled.
>> some of those vacancies, Commissioner Davis, have been expressed to us that --
>> have --
>> what now?
>> that they have expressed to us that the salaries are not at a level that they can even recruit and retain individuals to fill some of those positions. That goes back, of course, to the work that we have completed to bring the positions and titles to -- to market level so that the recruitment and retention would not be an issue at that point. Now, certainly pooesh or analysts that may be working with the department, that kind of information that could be sought. But our recommendation today is not -- is not due to the funding side.
>> I'm saying as far as -- I understand what you are saying. But as far as looking for another source of funds, other than -- other than what we are talking about here, I just think that -- that at the end of the day we need to look at other ways to funds some of this stuff. As far as -- I know you may go back, we may go back, I know we are talking about, as far as helping us out --
>> what we -- >> [multiple voices]
>> I'm sorry. .
>> but my concern was just putting on the table now that we may need to look at that. As far as -- as far as funds that may be available to help offset what we are doing here.
>> if you -- if you mess with that -- if the court wishes is -- an available source of funding. If you look at page 11, on the compression issues, we have had much discussion in terms of how to address this -- this issue and what we have developed is a plan of action. And then on page 12 this criteria for identifying slots at risk for compression. And we're looking at slots that -- that the classification job classification has been reviewed and upgraded only in fy '06. Slots must be filled. Slots must not be beyond midpoint. So midpoint would be the -- the cap. Slots -- slots must not be located between minimum and the first level of the pay grade. So when we took a look at that, the parameters in table e on that page would be what we would use as a guideline for distribution to the departments of -- of funding in these areas. If you had an employee that went up one pay grade, that would be 2%. If you had an employee that went up 3% that would be 3%. 4% for four pay grades and then the maximum of five for five pay grades to eight. We had very few that went up seven or eight pay grades, but for example deaf interpreters, one of those classifications. What the department has told us is that if we used a formula like this and then they would be able to -- to submit plans to hrmd, we would review them, bring them to the court. That's the way that we did it about three or four years ago, I think, when we had an allocation, the court wanted to address special compensation issues, that they provided parameters and guidelines to departments and then plans were submitted as to how the departments would use that money and whether the money was enough to address their particular problems and then the allocation was made. But the contribution of funding was not made until the plans were approved. So we have that proposal again before the court. We also derive from the survey to the departments that -- that the departments wanted to have a compensation allocation set aside to provide them some flexibility for -- for pay for performance and other issues, pay adjustments, that they may need to -- to take care of in their departments. So -- so in this plan we would have three buckets. One would be for green circle employees to bring people up to minimum. We -- very strongly recommend that as a first step. The second would be a bucket that would contain funding for compression with a plan submitted by the departments. The third would be your pbp bucket or funding for departments to -- to continue their performance based plan. At this point in time, what we have for the -- for our estimates for green circle and the compression is about 3 million. If we for example stayed with the same allocation, we did this year, for -- for compensation, which is about five percent, you could add another two million for a performance based pay for a total of five million. That is again what we put forward in terms of a plan where you can -- you can start then discussing the merits of -- of each of the programs.
>> and I have no objections. When you did come before the court last time, I know out of courtesy, the judge asked for about two or three weeks whatever it was at that time. I thought we were going to vote on it then as far as the set asides. I think the motion was made, but of course another judge wants to review it and look at it before we brought it back. So just out of courtesy, I recall that. But the compression deal was something that the departments, of course, had brought up during the discussion and I just want to make sure that -- that what we are doing, in this overall plan is something that we can -- we can go forward with and that's addressing the compression issues along with the green circle issues and of course the performance based pay, stuff like that. That's another category, maybe holly can even use that to offset some of this stuff, I don't really know how that's going to really end up, especially dealing with the departments. But I do know we want to go ahead and set aside for these particular job families in that regard and I don't know if everybody has had a chance to look at it enough to still feel comfortable as far as going forward. I know that I'm still ready to go forward with it. And -- but just -- judge, I know you had some specifics on that the last time this came up.
>> a couple of quick questions. One is are these recommendations in priority order?
>> yes. In terms of the green circle, that would be the one that we are saying we do need to fund that. You need to fix that.
>> okay. Have you been able to get with the planning and budget office and -- and identify a source of funding?
>> no, sir. I think they included about 2.5 or 2.5%. Which equates to about 2.5 million; is that correct? Christian? You could probably address that.
>> was that last recommendation --
>> >> [multiple voices]
>> the last recommendation for performance based pay was -- was intended to include all county employees.
>> yes.
>> yes, sir.
>> christian, talk to us.
>> the last time you received financial information from the planning and budget office was -- was in may. And you were -- we assumed an effective tax rate. And we had high low estimates. We had anywhere from -- from $2.6 million surplus to a $2.5 million deficit. At the effective tax rate and that was anywhere from -- from -- from two to 3% performance based pay and implementing any green circle and compression problems over multiple years.
>> [one moment please for change in captioners]
>> it would be helpful because the architecture of this is important, especially for departments who have extraordinarily diverse problems. Some departments really don't have a problem. Other departments have big problems. And they have solutions. Some have big problems and no solution. And it's a wide array. It's important to say at this point we know what the compensation resources are. It's not premature to say what the need is, and that's what you're being presented today eloquently and with the data. I think it is only fair to say that the need cannot be met within one year, within the resources that we have before us and the obligations. Some of these obligations you know very well, and they're multi-million-dollar obligations, whether it's inmate medical services, a new civil court, e.m.s. Interlocals, retirement costs. And those numbers are known. The accordion of compensation, where you want to draw it, I would urge you continue to deal with the architecture of this. The more we know how you want to land, do you want green circle to be the highest priority and is it all in one year or multiple years? Getting a sense of compression because there's good completion compression and bad compression. Those are good discussions.
>> do we know whether the departments that do not have problems in these different buckets will come to the court and say that they have gradually over the years taken their monetary allocation and dealt with their problems. And the problems in the big bucket areas have not?
>> one of the things that aggravates this particular issue in terms of having people that will end up below the minimum of their pay grade is the administrative support family. You just have such a large, over 500 employees, that I think it changes the landscape for how those departments tax, county clerk, district clerk, the three departments that I can think of, they have such a large group that it would be difficult for them to deal within their own resources and get the people up to minimum of pay grade.
>> so what are the other departments that are not identified in this report say the reason they're not there is they've dealt with their problems over the years? One is whether they'll make a claim and two is whether the claim would be valid.
>> I would challenge that it did not have the percentage of employees that some of the departments that I just mentioned fall below a green circle all at one time.
>> we are picking up a different message. Some departments will say this is unfair. Some departments will say thank you, you recognized my problem. Some departments have already said, I have no expectation that the need will be met, and some of those departments have been mentioned by alicia. Other departments have said, I am going to be extraordinarily con strained if you don't meet all of my needs. That's county government.
>> so we think, though, that the fax are that some departments had such a modest number of employees in the bucket categories that they were able to take their annual allocation for pdp across the board and deal with those issues. Others because of the sheer number of employees in those categories were not able to do so with the allocation. We think that's -- that's the fact.
>> and I think probably some of that, too, judge, is in terms of the diversity of the people within some of the departments, when you've got a tnr, you've got everybody from road and bridge crews to extremely high level engineers and managers and everything in between. So you've been able to attack many of those problems every single year somebody was being taken care of. But in something like the county clerk's office, the tax office, the district clerk's office, practically everybody's with a few exceptions at the very top, practically everybody is in the same administrative family. And while they have been appropriately applying their pbp and other things, they have market issues that now are beyond and they have no way because of the lack of diversity within their department to say, well, I'll take my entire allocation, the entire allocation is just not attacking what the problem is. It's not getting to the root of it. They don't have the diversity in the family.
>> well, my motion is going -- joe, I'm sorry.
>> go ahead.
>> I'd like to move approval of 7-b-1.
>> and source of funding?
>> well, the source of funding would be I guess to set aside as recommended by staff from the general fund and we'll set that aside.
>> how much would you like that to be?
>> well, one whatever the recommendation was on that, $1.8 million.
>> that's the problem, I think we need to -- we need to figure out what we can do based on available revenue and what we will do. And those are different issues now. In my view compensation probably would be at the top of the employees list tomorrow, but I've always felt that you don't make the decision, then invite employee comment on it. So I'm a little awkward. Normally if you -- when you pass a motion that spends money, we have tried to identify the source of funding at the time. This will require a little work. The preliminary budget figure really applies to the last recommendation that pdp and I guess to the extent that we want some sort of cola out of it as we've been doing annually, that too, but not to the other specific recommendations.
>> let me ask this question. What's different with the motion I made today and the motion that I made last time and got a second on it? What's different with what we're talking about here today, especially on 7-b-1? What's different? The point was we were to put a circle -- a set aside, just draw a circle around them of a certain amount of money to take care of a marketing situation for a family -- job family that has been just kind of left out for awhile here. And I made that motion last time. So my point is what has changed since I made that early motion, previous motion, as far as what you're presenting to us today, staff, and what you presented last time? Has there been a change? Can somebody answer that question for me?
>> I'm just not certain of the other motion. Do you know, john?
>> I think this is the first time you brought this family here, isn't it?
>> no. This is the administrative family.
>> oh, the admin we brought it in may.
>> I think one of the slight changes, Commissioner, is that we now have precision what the total amount is going to be, all funds with benefits. We didn't have the with benefits number. That is one thing. But we've also gotten a better sense of, well, if you do do that, what is the range of the compression issue? And applying some kind of a formulaic approach not going to comp a ratio which basically has everybody moving to the exact place where they used to be, which is the most expensive way and said that's a big number too. So we're finding out even though we want to corral the green circles, there's another problem looming that may be just as big and depending on who you are and whether you're dana or nelda, they're like green circled problem are my big problem, but it could be that other issues like the finance family could be for auditor, and it could be about market versus compression. I think everybody has a better perspective of what is the range of the problem and what it needs to be attached to.
>> I needed them to give me a perspective on the budget and what kind of impact do we have with the recommendation that we looked at as far as some of the vacancies, as far as the source of funding. As we set things aside and go through the preliminary budget process to set a circle around it. I don't understand -- I still don't understand what's really going on here now. You really have lost me because of the fact that the job family has been identified. We have looked at it. A motion came through to the Commissioners court at that time and to put a circle around this particular issue. And of course compression issues came up then and the judge wanted more time, two or three weeks or whatever it was, to look at it and bring it back, which is fine for anybody that requests the additional time. But the fact still remains that this particular job family has been kind of left out for awhile, and as we have addressed other job families as we've gone through the market survey and identified them, what's different? So it's just kind of overwhelming to me when we don't stay consistent. And I just think now we're getting a little inconsistent with the way we do business.
>> the motion died for lack of a second, but I still would like to -- for whatever this process is, I think this still needs to be addressed, this job family need to be addressed, along with the compression and also the green circle issues. So I'm just still wanting to do that. Thank you.
>> christian, when do you come back for work session next?
>> well, we were planning on July 6th at a work session; however, that work session was cancelled. And we are committed to come back to you on the following Tuesday to at least give you an idea of what will be in the preliminary budget. Should a decision be made by the court to predetermine what an amount will be, we will put it of course in the preliminary budget. What it however will inevitably, I believe, will crowd out other options.
>> but if the court wants to meet on July ofth, that's fine with me. July 6th. I of course will be on a much deserved, well earned vacation. >> [ applause ] but.
>> so will the Commissioner to your left.
>> but will make sure I get the highlights upon returning the following Monday.
>> we cancelled the sixth.
>> we can do it. I hate to say y'all could do the sixth, but we could do the sixth, but I'll be on vacation. >> [ laughter ]
>> we were planning on giving you a preview of what we believe will be in the preliminary budget within an eye lash because the preliminary budget will be filed nine days later. And we will have pretty much locked it down. We will lock down the preliminary budget probably by the first week in July because we will have finished all of our discussions with every single department by June 29th. We're engaging in those discussions right now. And this is simply a one-one building block that if you wish to predetermine we'll take it from there. However, there probably will not be the ability within the resources available at the effective tax rate to do what all of you I think want to do if it is at or near the effective tax rate and we have freedom to go near the effective tax rate, then we can balance the budget.
>> again, we will be provided an opportunity to exercise optimal creativity and innovation, etcetera. And look at this again when we have a full complement of the court, which again will be July 11th. Right? It boils down to money, and these are pretty big numbers, but it may be that we should substitute some of these numbers for some others, or it may be that we should rethink some of the other sort of flesh hold positions we've taken as to the budget. I'm flexible on all of it, but in the end it kind of boils down to what's the source of funding. So I'm of a mind to try to get this done. Things like every time we postponed it another year, it just gets that much worse anyway.
>> could I request one more piece of information for the court to have in the next couple of weeks? And that is that we have focused on the green circle issue related to this family, and I guess we would have it for finance as well. But there may still be some outstanding green circle issues in all of the departments that we basically said, do the best you can. And this is probably one of the few weeks that on our paf forms we did not have somebody coming out a green circle. I don't know if that's still that moose people have largely gotten there or if there are still some outstanding green circle issues, I'm thinking i.t. Has been bringing people out, I think the county attorney -- I think the county attorney has gotten most of his green circles taken care of, but I don't know if that's the case. So if we could just survey all of our green circles.
>> one thing about the green circle employees, especially in the family -- administrative family was something that we left pending from last time. And of course it has got in that direction pretty much this year, but in going through the market salary survey and everything like that, there was a lot of things that were put into that and it didn't make the cut because of the fact that the market survey had not really been completed. But it was in next line to get the attention of what we're bringing here today. And I just think it's a big disappointment I think for that to go as we go through this process and get some things funded and other employees, and then we leave others out. And green circles are very important issue here in this county. And I just think we need to look at this very closely and move forward on it, so I'd like to make that motion again when I think we can get the votes for it. Thank you.
>> is there a second?
>> not today.
>> anything else on this item today? (indiscernible).
>> thank you very much. And you do have our creative juices working.
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Last Modified:
Wednesday, June 21, 2006 12:13 PM