ITEM: CONSENT CALENDAR

3. CONSIDER AUTHORIZATION OF CONSERVATION FUNDS TO HIRE TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES FOR RECORDS REORGANIZATION

Meeting Date: October 30, 2003 Budgeted: Yes

Program/Line Item No.: Water Demand Management 4-1-4

Staff Contact: Stephanie Pintar Cost Estimate: $16,000

General Counsel Approval: N/A

Committee Recommendation: The Administrative Committee reviewed this item on October 14, 2003 and recommended approval. The Water Demand Committee recommended approval.

CEQA Compliance: N/A

SUMMARY: Water Demand Division records must be reorganized as part of the water permit process revision. In addition to computer files, records are currently filed physically under various headings such as address, parcel number, permit number, and inspection date. It has been determined that all transaction records and other data relating to a property should be reorganized by Assessor’s Parcel Number. This effort will require the physical reorganization of over 100,000 documents. Two temporary employees, one with experience in file reorganization, and both with excellent detail orientation, need to be hired for the anticipated period of 12 weeks.

RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the expenditure of funds to hire two filing specialists from a temporary employment agency for a 12-week period to reorganize the Water Demand Division’s physical files. The temporary agency would be paid from $15.00 to $16.00 per hour for each employee, based upon experience. This would cover the employee’s hourly wage and agency expenses, including payroll taxes and workers compensation. The Administrative Committee considered this item on October 14, 2003, and recommended approval on a vote of 3 to 0. The Water Demand Committee reviewed this item on October 10, 2003 and recommended approval.

IMPACT ON STAFF AND RESOURCES: Funds totaling $150,000 are included in the Water Demand Management Program as line item 4-1-4 in the Summary of Project Expenditures section of the FY 2003-2004 Budget. The cost of two file specialists from a temporary agency would amount to approximately $16,000.

BACKGROUND: Revision of the Water Demand Permit Process has been determined to be a prime strategic goal for the Water Demand Division. This project involves reorganization of database and physical file records of properties within District boundaries. The two temporary agency employees will work in the Water Demand Division and will be supervised by the Water Demand Manager. Current workload within the Water Demand Division makes it necessary to hire temporary staff to carry out this effort.

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