Subject:
Title
Pay Plan Adjustment to Address Positions that have High Vacancy Rates and/or High Turnover.
End
Fiscal Impact:
The non-general fund fiscal impact is $751,435.23 annually, includes compensation and benefits. There will be no impact to the general fund as any general fund adjustments will be funded through the elimination of long-term vacancies, reclassification of current vacancies, or through other recurring cost-saving measures, as approved by the County Manager. Any vacancies eliminated will not reduce service levels currently being provided.
Dept/Office:
County Manager’s Office
Requested Action:
Recommendation
It is requested that the Board of County Commissioners review and:
• Approve the proposed Pay Plan Adjustments;
• Direct staff to address internal alignment and internal equity issues, as needed, on a case by case basis; and
• Direct staff to implement the Pay Plan Adjustments with an effective date of July 23, 2022.
End
Summary Explanation and Background:
There are several different factors that have negatively impacted the County’s ability to recruit and retain many jobs within County government. The County’s vacancies have continued to increase over the past twenty-four months from 348 full and part time positions in April 2020 to 474 in March 2022 or by 36%. The overall Palm Bay, Melbourne, Titusville (MSA) Unemployment Rate has seen a reduction from 12.4% to 2.5% for that same period. This results in a tighter labor market with fewer candidates in the job market.
In November 2020, Florida Voters approved Constitutional Amendment 2 which provides for the gradual increase of Florida’s minimum wage from $10 in September 2021 to $15 in September 2026. The County will continue to adjust those employees impacted by the increase in Florida’s minimum wage at the beginning of each fiscal year. Approximately 27.8% (616) of our current employees are below the $15.00 rate of pay at this time. 361 positions (58.1%) that are included in this proposed Pay Plan Adjustment are below $15.00 per hour. This action would make progress towards meeting the future Florida Minimum Wage requirement while assisting in reducing current recruiting and retention deficiencies or an increase in future deficiencies.
The titles that are included in the proposed Pay Plan Adjustment account for those positions that: regularly appear on our vacancy listing, have been identified as hard to recruit for/hard to retain, and/or identified by a department as substantially similar to one of the titles previously mentioned. The titles that appear in the proposed Pay Plan Adjustment account for approximately 41% of our April 30, 2022 vacancies. If approved, this will impact 76 working titles, produce adjustments to 5 consolidated classes, create 5 new consolidated classes, and create 1 new pay grade, impacting 423 employees in 621 positions.
Departments have been tasked with identifying methods to fund these increases, either through the elimination of current vacancies while not impacting current levels of service or through other cost savings initiatives, such as reclassifying vacant positions to the lowest level position still able to perform operational objectives, or other recurring cost savings specifically approved by the County Manager.
Clerk to the Board Instructions: