Title
Chief Administrative Office recommending the Board approve and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 129-2022 increasing the base salaries of all County classifications, excluding the Board of Supervisors classification, by two percent, effective the first full pay period following adoption.
FUNDING: Various, countywide impact.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
Over the past year, the Board of Supervisors has brought almost all County classifications to the median (+/- 1%) of the County's approved benchmark organizations in an effort to recruit and retain qualified employees. In addition, the Board has approved two percent increases for many of the bargaining units that will take effect in January or July of 2023.
Despite this significant investment in County employees, the County continues to struggle with recruiting and retaining employees. As of mid-July 2022, the County had a vacancy of rate of 15%; almost 300 vacant full-time equivalent allocations. Some departments struggle more with filling positions due to a competitive labor market that impacts some classifications more than others. In mid-July, the Health and Human Services Agency had an overall vacancy rate of 19%, with a vacancy rate of 25% in the Behavioral Health and Public Health Divisions and 33% in the Community Services Division. The Department of Transportation had a vacancy rate of 18.5% in mid-July. These challenges in recruiting and retaining employees negatively impact the performance of County departments, who often are providing mandated services despite staffing shortages.
Other counties are experiencing the same recruitment and retention challenges. In June and July 2022, the Placer County Board of Supervisors approved an increase to base salaries of 4% in July 2022, 4% in July 2023, and 4% in July 2024 for the Placer Public Employees Organization (PPEO), the exclusively recognized organization representing approximately 1,900 employees of Placer County. In addition, increases o...
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