City Council

* (2u_ I t COUNC I L AG NDA ITEM# ],'E.,4 *,Ua7--ri- 7-zB_70 {*" COUNC I L MEMO LI45 -70 iul i r i$70 TO Mayor and City Council July 23, 1970 4rr*--"-u.U FROM: C i ty Manager SU BJECT: Reclassification of Fire Department Company Officers Presently there are ll8 Company Officers wi thin the Fi re Department. These positions are classified in the fol lowing manner: 51 Captains and 87 t-ieutenants. Company 0fficers are those officers, i rrespective of whether Lieutenant or Captain, who are assigned a crew who operates a piece of equipment on an assigned shift. ln other words, the situation exists whereby Station No. 12 is assigned an engine company (pumper) and four men are supervised by a Captain in comparison to Station 23, which is assigned the same equipment and number of men, supervised by a Lieutenant. This situation exists within the remaining l2 two and three company stations. Review of this situation was undertaken several months ago. Contacts with such cities as Tulsa, Phoenix, Sacramento, St. Louis, San Jose, Little Rock, Minneapolis,Omaha, St. Paul and Kansas City, Missouri, revealed that they do not have the rank of Lieutenant. These reviews by the fire department, concurred in by the Personnel Department, substantiate the request of the Fire Chief that the rank of Lieutenant be deleted from the fi re department classi fications. The paramount reasons for this request are: l. El imination of dupl ications of responsibi I ities within the ranks of Lieutenant and Captain. 2. The more effective uti I ization of existing Company Officers. The results of the deletion of the rank of Lieutenant within the fire department does not effect the existing number of budget positions. This simply results in reclassification of existing positions. No additional funds would be required in the approved budget by reason of the present overlapping of salary ranges and the present salary levels of those now classified as Lieutenants. Present salary ranges show that the overlap in ranges is such that the highest paid driver, should he be promoted to captain, would receive the normal one step pay increase and would be in the present authorized salary range of Captain. VJith exi st ing pay ranges, a survey of the fire department budget indicates that there would be no budget effect of the el imination of the rank of Lieutenant until January I, 1973. At that time the present Lieutenants would have two remaining steps in the present Captains pay range, whereas they would be frozen at the top step of the present Lieutenantrs range. t page 2 Council Memo Ll45-70 Therefore, it is the administratiorls recommendation that the rank of Lieutenant be deleted from account 48 of the fire department budget and that the budgeted positions in the rank of Captain be increased from 51 to 138. lt is recommended that these proposed reclassifications be effective August l, 1970. espectfu I I y ubm i tted, D H dlan City nage r RESOLUTION WHEREAS, the Fire Chief has requested a review of the classification of Lieutenants within his departrnent in regard to elirnination of duplication of responsibilities within the ranks of Captain and Lieutenant and for the rnore effective utilization of existing Cornpany officers, and WHEREAS, the Personnel Director has cornpleted reviews of existing classifications, and WHEREAS, the Adrninistrative Staff has reviewed this request along with the Personnel Director and the :Finance Director and concur in recommending reclassification of existing positions and deletion of the classification of Lieutenant, and WHEREAS, the City Council has the sole authority and responsibility to approve adjustrnents to the present classification plan, and WHEREAS, this action is deerned to be in the best interest of the City in that it would provide better and rnore effective services to the public; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the personnel actions requested in the attached cornrnunication are approved and the City Manager is directed to process necessary action. ADOPTED and APPROVED this .#u^yof 1970. € MAY ATTEST: CITY CL APPROVED as to forrn and legality this gary 970. AS NICIP ELOR 4* Tur Department Dl-vision A,etivity Nr:mber PUBLIC SAFBTT FIru FIGHTING A8 Actual Adopted Estimated Proposed Charecter Classification E: