For City Council Meeting January 28, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Mike Milhiser, Interim City Manager
FROM: Shama Curian, Director of Human Resources and Risk Management
Title
Approve the Reclassification of the Accounting Technician Position to Buyer Within the Purchasing Division of the Finance Department.
Body
SUMMARY
It is recommended that the City Council approve the reclassification of the vacant Accounting Technician position to Buyer within the Purchasing Division of the Finance Department.
RCEA agreed with the recommended classification change.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
A recent vacancy within the position of Accounting Technician in the Purchasing Division provided an opportunity to reevaluate if this classification was appropriately classified given the job duties that were being performed. Currently, this position participates in a full range of office administrative activities attributable and specific to purchasing, including but not limited to: performing purchasing functions including reviewing a wide range of purchase requisitions, researching vendors and pricing, preparing bid specifications, issuing bid requests and reviewing quotations, creating purchase orders and verifying availability of funds. However, a review of the Accounting Technician class spec determined that the jobs duties assigned thereunder were specific to technical accounting work involved in the preparation of payroll, accounting, and other financial documents. Difficulty in recruitment efforts to hire a qualified candidate for the Purchasing Division with the classification of Accounting Technician has proven that this position was not accurately classified.
In reviewing the City’s current classification plan in tandem with similar situated agencies for industry standards and comparable salary, it was determined that the classification of Buyer would be the most efficient and effective means to carry out the workflow and administrative functions within the Division. The City currently has the classification of Buyer set at range 2500, monthly salary of $4,440 - $5,950 and the Accounting Technician classification at range 3100 has a monthly salary of $5,149 - $6,901. A review of market trends for similar situated positions that conducted duties specific to purchasing yielded the following results:
|
AGENCY |
CLASSIFICATION |
MONTHLY MIN. |
MONTHLY MAX. |
|
City of Rialto |
Buyer |
$ 4,440.00 |
$ 5,950.00 |
|
City of Colton |
Purchasing Technician |
$ 4,318.88 |
$ 5,249.64 |
|
City of Fontana |
Buyer l |
$ 4,596.80 |
$ 5,591.74 |
|
City of Redlands |
Purchasing Clerk |
$ 4,157.00 |
$ 5,308.50 |
|
City of Ontario |
Purchasing Assistant |
$ 5,376.80 |
$ 6,529.47 |
|
City of Pomona |
Purchasing Assistant |
$ 4,492.00 |
$ 5,456.00 |
|
|
Median Monthly |
$ 4,492.00 |
$ 5,456.00 |
|
|
Average Monthly |
$ 4,588.30 |
$ 5,627.07 |
The City is appropriately placed within the market industry for this position.
RCEA agreed with the recommended classification change.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The request is not a Project as defined by Section 15378 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
This action is consistent with Guiding Principle 3A in the General Plan:
Our City government will lead by example, and will operate in an open, transparent, and responsible manner that meets the needs of the citizens and is a good place to do business.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney has reviewed and supports this staff report.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Operating Budget
The recommended action does not authorize any additional positions, as one existing, budgeted, and vacant position of Accounting Technician will be updated to Buyer. This update will result in a cost savings of $12,631 in total salary (salary and compensation) for the remainder of the fiscal year.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council approve the reclassification of Accounting Technician to Buyer at Range 2500 in the Purchasing Division which is commensurate with the paraprofessional duties to be undertaken by this position.