HomeMy Public PortalAbout12) 10C - Code Enforcement_staff reportAGENDA
ITEM 10.C.
MANAGEMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT
MEMORANDUM
DATE: November 4, 2020
TO: The Honorable City Council
FROM: Bryan Cook, City Manager
SUBJECT: CITY CODE ENFORCEMENT RESOURCES
RECOMMENDATION:
The City Council is recommended to provide direction on how to proceed with the City’s
Code Enforcement Division resources.
BACKGROUND:
1. In May 29, 2020, the position of Building and Code Inspector I became vacant.
2. On June 29, 2020, City Council approved Resolution No. 20-5479 adopting the City’s
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 (“FY2021”) budget which did not include funding for several
vacant positions including the Building and Code Inspector I.
3. At the City Council meeting of September 15, 2020, the service of code enforcement
activity was discussed.
ANALYSIS:
Due to the fiscal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, during the development and in the
adoption of the FY2021 municipal budget, several vacant positions were not funded. The
following positions were not funded in the FY2021 budget:
• Building and Code Inspector I – Community Development Department
• Community Development Director – Community Development Department*
• Intern, Part-Time – Management Services Department
• Office Assistant I, Part-Time – Community Development Department
*On October 20, 2020, City Council approved the budget adjustment for the Community
Development Director and defunded the Planning Manager position.
City Council
November 4, 2020
Page 2 of 3
Additional vacancies in this current fiscal year have occurred and plans to fill the positions
are on hold until after the results of the mid-year budget review in January/February 2021.
This approach of evaluating all positions during the mid-year budget discussion will allow
for a comprehensive approach to understanding the fiscal impact of the backfilling vacant
positions. Since the beginning of the current FY2021, there have been five additional
full-time positions that have been voluntarily vacated, impacting Management Services
and Parks and Recreation.
These vacancies provide short-term salary savings and allow the City some additional
flexibility to manage its budgets more cautiously as the orders from the Los Angeles
County Public Department of Health continue to restrict business operations that affect
City revenues. But, this is only a temporary measure. In the interim, job functions have
temporarily shifted, and some employees will be working an acting capacity to fill the gap.
In a prior City Council meeting, the level of code enforcement performed at the City was
discussed. Comparing the year-to-date code enforcement activities, from January 2019
to September 2019 with two Building and Code Inspector positions, the City opened 1,316
cases and closed or abated 1,310 cases. From January 2020 to September 2020, the
City opened 814 cases and has closed or abated 798 cases with only one Building and
Code Inspector position as of May 29, 2020.
Comparing the previous year records to this year from April to September 2019, 788
cases were opened and 822 closed, as compared to April to September 2020, where 417
cases were opened, and 435 cases were closed. This is to be expected since during
this time frame staffing in Code Enforcement went from two to one employee.
Should City Council in the interim want to increase the level of code enforcement in the
City, one option available on a temporary basis, while the City monitors its financial
condition, would be to acquire short-term code enforcement services from the City’s
current building and safety contractor Transtech Engineers, Inc. The estimated cost for
a 15-week period at 30 hours per week is $29,250 and requires additional appropriation
from the General Fund. This would require some additional training and a transition
period but would enable some temporary resources.
Another option is to recruit and hire for a full-time position under the current classification
of Building and Code Inspector I that is estimated to be an additional appropriation of
$49,350 from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021. However, the classification of Building
and Code Inspector I needs to be reviewed as the City has faced challenges with its
previous incumbents in completing the requirements of the position. Staff would like to
return with a potential revision to this classification at the same time as the Mid-year
budget review in early 2021.
It is recommended that the City Council provide direction to staff to address the code
enforcement service level at the City.
City Council
November 4, 2020
Page 3 of 3
CITY STRATEGIC GOALS:
Actions contained in this report align with the City’s strategic goal of Good Governance.
FISCAL IMPACT :
The fiscal impact to the FY2021 budget is an additional appropriation from the General
Fund for each option:
a. Temporary Code Enforcement Services at $29,250; or
b. Full-Time Building and Code Inspector I at $49,350