ITEM:		DISCUSSION ITEM
24.	PROVIDE GUIDANCE TO GENERAL MANAGER REGARDING PROPOSED REORGANIZATION OF DISTRICT
Meeting Date:			June 17, 2019	Budgeted:	Yes
From:			David J. Stoldt,	Program/	Salary & Benefits
			General Manager	Line Item No.:
Prepared By:			Suresh Prasad	Cost Estimate:	Variable based on timing
General Counsel Approval: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: This action does not constitute a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines section 15378.

SUMMARY: With the retirement of Joe Oliver in 2016, it was an opportunity to act on the General Manager’s long-stated goal to restructure the District organization to more closely align with its internal financial budget and reporting structure. The District’s expenses and revenues are allocated among three cost centers: Water Supply, Conservation, and Mitigation as shown on the second page of Exhibit 24-A attached. At that time, for a variety of reasons, the reorganization did not occur and the District has operated with one less division, certain Water Resources Division functions were combined with Planning and Engineering Division, and the Fisheries unit reported directly to the General Manager. With the retirement of the District’s Planning & Engineering Manager/District Engineer, Larry Hampson, after 28 years of service, it is once again time to fill management positions, look at realignment of the organization, and to identify potential positions that may need to be funded and filled in the ensuing FY 2019-20.

In addition to filling the two division management positions internally pursuant to today’s Board agenda items 26 and 27, there are three additional positions that the General Manager is asking the Board to authorize and fund, but not fill for a minimum of six months or longer until personnel utilization can be reviewed, workloads examined, and needs of the District assessed. The positions will not be filled without presentation of the job description and salary level to the Board, and receipt of authorization of the Board to search and hire a candidate. The proposed positions are:

· Senior Water Resource Engineer: This position was approved, but left open as of June 2016 (See Exhibit 24-A). It was instead filled as the Water Resource Engineer position. In the future, the senior position may be filled internally and the Water Resources Engineer filled with a junior-level person hired via search, or if desirable to hire more senior-level capabilities, the position would be filled from outside. The decision should be made during the fiscal year.

· Accounting/Contract Specialist: This position would manage the posting, distribution, and review of Requests for Proposals/Qualifications, issue the contracts, coordinate tracking of payments, change orders, and schedule. It is expected that this position will take on the reporting and filings required for grant management in the IRWM, State Coastal Conservancy, US Bureau of Reclamation, and other grand reimbursement settings. However, the District recently refilled the vacant Accounting/Office Specialist position, so it is possible some of these duties may be capable of being assigned to that position. Further, the District will need to assess the likelihood of additional construction projects and grant funded projects for the near future before committing to fill this position. The decision should be made during the fiscal year.

· Assistant Fisheries Biologist: At its January 24, 2018 meeting the Board authorized application to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) under a grant program for projects that restore, enhance, or protect anadromous salmonid habitat in the coastal watersheds of California. The District did not receive the grant, but has instead included self-funding a Life Cycle Monitoring Station (LCMS) comprised of a fish counting weir, expansion of surveys, more tagging, and initiating monitoring of emigrating smolts. To do so, a lower-level fisheries biologist is needed. This will also set the foundation for succession planning in the fisheries area. This program is an integral part of meeting the requirements under the District’s federal permit and commitments made under the extension of the Cease and Desist Order.

RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the Board provide guidance to management staff about the proposed structural reorganization and proposed additional staff positions.

BACKGROUND: The June 2016 organization chart shows 4 divisions, each with a manager reporting to the General Manager. There were 31 positions, but at the time 5 were not funded. Of those 26 actual employees, 9 retired or left for positions elsewhere. At the time, groundwater activities were separate from water supply planning activities. Riparian habitat activities were separate from fisheries activities. Clearly, the time was ripe to think about functional needs, reorganization, outsourcing, succession planning, and replacement. Several actions were taken since this time three years ago:

Administrative Services Division

· GIS Specialist – Left to take new job; Outsourced

· Human Resources Analyst – Retired; Outsourced

· Accountant – Left to take new job; Filled internally with Accounting/Office Specialist

· Office Services Supervisor – Converted to Senior Office Specialist with no supervisory duties

· Office Specialist I/II – Left to take new job; Converted to Accounting/Office Specialist; Filled with higher-skilled new hire; That person moved into Accountant role; New person starts 7/1/19

Planning and Engineering Division

· With retirement of Joe Oliver, the hydrology and hydrography positions were assigned to report to the Senior Hydrologist and moved from the Water Resources Division to Planning and Engineering.

· Hydrology Technician added to support more senior-level staff in gaging, groundwater monitoring, and ASR operations.

· Name of division changed to “Water Resources and Engineering”

· River Maintenance positions assigned to report to the Riparian Projects Coordinator; both positions retired; job descriptions re-written to have higher skill level; positions refilled.

· Senior Water Resources Engineer – Converted to Water Resources Engineer and position filled

· Project Manager – Position deleted; Responsibility for Water Distribution System (WDS) permits shifted from Planning and Engineering to Water Demand Division

Water Resources Division

· See changes under Planning and Engineering, above

· Fisheries group did not report to a Division Manager, rather direct report to General Manager

· Fisheries and Riparian Habitat remained in two separate sections of the District organization

Water Demand Division

· Conservation Representative II – Positions upgraded to Conservation Analyst; New duties for WDS permits added; More training and other responsibilities added.

· Conservation Representative I – One left the District; Refilled

· Conservation Technician – Retired; Refilled

General Manager

· Community Relations Liaison – Resigned in 2012; Unfilled and outsourced since 2013; Position eliminated and will remain outsourced

Today, the June 2019 organization chart shows 3 divisions and the fisheries unit, each reporting to the General Manager. There are 25 filled positions, plus 2 outsourced functions. However, the fisheries and riparian habitat functions remain in separate locations.

The proposed reorganization returns to 4 divisions, but will be more closely aligned to our financial cost centers:

Organizational Division	Financial Cost Center
Water Resources Division	Water Supply
Environmental Resources Division	Mitigation
Water Demand Division	Conservation
Administrative Services Division	Allocated across other divisions

All water supply activities will then be in one division and all river mitigation activities in one division. Two new Division Managers will be promoted internally. Three new positions authorized and funded in budget, but not filled.

EXHIBIT

24-A Past, Current, and Proposed Organization Charts

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