ITEM:		CONSENT CALENDAR
2.	CONSIDER EXPENDITURE OF BUDGETED FUNDS TO CONTRACT FOR LIMITED-TERM FIELD POSITIONS
Meeting Date:			June 20, 2011	Budgeted:	Included in Proposed FY 2011-2012 Budget
From:			Darby Fuerst, General Manager	Program/ Line Item No.:	Riparian Mitigations 2-1-3 C/ Aquatic Resources Fisheries 2-3-2 B & C
Prepared By:			Cynthia Schmidlin	Cost Estimate:	Up to $48,800
General Counsel Review: N/A
Committee Recommendation: The Administrative Committee reviewed this item on June 13, 2011 and recommended approval.
CEQA Compliance: N/A

SUMMARY: The District has funded limited-term positions to assist District staff in the completion of field activities for many years. The schedules for these positions are part-time and largely seasonal in nature. Funding for these positions is included in the 2011-2012 Fiscal Year (FY) proposed budget.

Authorization is requested to hire one limited-term Field Biology Assistant, for up to 999 hours, during FY 2011-2012. The incumbent of this position will complete riparian habitat mitigation tasks, assist in a variety of Carmel River resources monitoring activities, and provide general project support to Planning and Engineering and Water Resources Division staff. Duties include creating Geographical Information Systems (GIS) maps for public presentations and analysis of trends in the riparian corridor related to groundwater extraction.

Authorization is also requested to hire two part-time limited-term Water Resources Assistants. One of the Water Resources Assistants will work up to 999 hours during FY 2011-2012. This position will assist with the District’s fisheries and aquatic resources program, as well as assist staff in groundwater and surface water monitoring programs. A second Water Resources Assistant would be hired for up to 240 hours of general field work from November to early January. This position would relieve the Associate Fisheries Biologists of some of their lower level duties for a 9-week period, and allow them to concentrate on completing portions of the annual Mitigation and Monitoring Report in a timely manner.

Additionally, authorization is requested to hire one or two part-time limited-term Fisheries Aides for up to a total of 960 of work during FY 2011-2012. These individuals will assist staff in the intensive rescues of steelhead juveniles, smolts and adults in the lower Carmel River that take place during the summer season, as well as performing other fisheries tasks required to prepare for rescues. They may also assist in the release of reared fish from the Sleepy Hollow Steelhead Rearing Facility later in the year.

RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the expenditure of funds to hire one limited-term Field Biology Assistant and one limited-term Water Resources Assistants for up to 999 hours of work, between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012. Also, authorize expenditure of funds to hire one limited-term Water Resources Assistant for up to 240 hours in the same period of time. The Field Biology Assistant would be paid $17.34 per hour. The Water Resources Assistants would be paid at an hourly wage of $14.75. Authorize funds to hire one or two Fisheries Aides for up to 960 hours total between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012, at an hourly wage of $13.75.

IMPACTS TO STAFF/RESOURCES: The proposed budget for FY 2011-2012 includes funds to pay for these limited-term field positions. They are listed in the Project Expenditures section, under the Riparian Mitigation Program and Aquatic Resources Fisheries Program. The total amount budgeted is $56,200. It is proposed that the current Field Biology Assistant be offered a new contract with the same hourly rate of pay. New limited-term employees would be hired for the Water Resources Assistant and Fisheries Aide positions. They would be paid at the same hourly rate offered new employees in their positions during the current fiscal year.

BACKGROUND:

A. Field Biology Assistant: Since the summer of 1992, the District has hired Field Biology Assistants to conduct biological monitoring tasks for riparian mitigation projects. In addition to assisting with vegetation monitoring tasks, these limited-term employees support staff in all aspects of the irrigation and erosion protection programs. More recently, the Field Biology Assistants have also provided general project support to Planning and Engineering and Water Resources Division staff. This includes assisting in the grant application process by creating maps and tracking trends in the riparian corridor using GIS, as well as monitoring depth to groundwater. It is important that this position is continued through FY 201-2012. The cumulative impact of shifting their duties to other District staff, or not being done at all, would limit the District’s ability to acquire grants, obtain permits for river activities, analyze and report District data related to riparian monitoring, pursue ordinance violations along the Carmel River, and conduct outreach work with the public and other agencies and organizations. Limiting these tasks would adversely impact the scope and quality of work required by the District’s Mitigation Program. The duties of the Field Biology Assistant are listed in the job description attached as Exhibit 2-A. This employee will work in the Planning and Engineering Division and be supervised by the Riparian Projects Coordinator.

B. Water Resources Assistants: This job classification was created in December 1998 to assist staff in the Water Resources Division with field and administrative tasks, including rescuing of juvenile steelhead in the lower Carmel River, surveying of steelhead spawning habitat, and monitoring of groundwater and surface water resources within the Monterey Peninsula Water Resource System. It is needed to help ensure that tasks for the District’s Fisheries Mitigation Program are completed on schedule. Water Resources Assistants have been instrumental in getting data on groundwater level and quality entered into the District’s databases and reducing the data for analysis and report presentation. They have also been integral in conducting the California Stream Bioassessment Procedure (CSBP), developed by the California Department of Fish and Game as a rapid bioassessment protocol and method to track overall stream health. Without the assistance of limited-term help, the ability to conduct these tasks would be severely impacted. Additionally, the Water Resources Assistants will support regular staff with the well permitting registration and reporting program, hydrologic field activities, and lagoon water quality monitoring. The duties of the Water Resources Assistants are listed in the job description attached as Exhibit 2-B. These employees will work in the Water Resources Division and be supervised by the Senior Fisheries Biologist.

C. Fisheries Aides: During the past ten years, District staff has initiated rescues when streamflow receded below ten cubic feet per second at Highway One. This has occurred anytime between April 1 and September 3. Rescues of steelhead are anticipated to begin this year in July. The District will be rescuing and transporting three groups of steelhead, including smolts, kelts (spawned-out adults) and juveniles. The smolts and kelts will be transported downstream to the lagoon or ocean, while juveniles will be transported upstream to the Sleepy Hollow Steelhead Rearing Facility or permanent habitats above the Narrows. As rescues have begun earlier than in recent years, additional help will be needed to successfully perform this critical function. If staff attempted to conduct rescues with fewer workers, more fish would be lost because a smaller crew cannot effectively keep up with the number needing rescue and cannot work fast enough to keep up with the retreating river front. Shifting staff to rescues would compromise the maintenance and operations schedule at the Sleepy Hollow Steelhead Rearing Facility. It would also increase the risk of on-the-job injuries for people working too strenuously as they attempt to complete two critical jobs in the same period of time. The duties of the Fisheries Aides are listed in the job description attached as Exhibit 2-C. The incumbent of this position will work in the Water Resources Division and be supervised by the Senior Fisheries Biologist.

EXHIBITS

2-A Field Biology Assistant Job Description

2-B Water Resources Assistant Job Description

2-C Fisheries Aide Job Description

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