TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Linda A. Nemeroff, District Secretary
SUBJECT: Exception to Board Policy 244 - Temporary Employee Staffing Policy
ACTION ITEM
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider approving the appointment of retired employee Doreen Mathews to the position of Administrative Specialist, certify that the position is critically needed, and grant an exception to Board Policy 244 - Temporary Employee Staffing, to allow Ms. Mathews, who retired on September 1, 2019, to temporarily return to work in the District Secretary’s Office.
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - High-Performing Workforce
If approved by the Board, this action will provide the Board of Directors and District Secretary’s Office with an additional layer of administrative support during the District Secretary’s planned leave of absence in early 2020.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
Ms. Mathews will work part-time, approximately 15 to 30 hours a week, and will earn a salary comparable to the salary she was earning at the time of her retirement. The position is fully budgeted for the fiscal year so no extra funding is required.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
As the Board is aware, the District Secretary plans to be on leave from her duties in early 2020. During this time, the Assistant District Secretary and a temporary Executive Assistant will be the only staff in the office.
When Ms. Mathews retired from the District, she held the position of Administrative Specialist and efforts to fill the resulting vacancy have been stagnant. The District Secretary is hopeful that recruitment efforts to fill the position will be more fruitful after the first of the year. Given Ms. Mathews understanding and knowledge of the District Secretary’s Office, her longevity in her former position, and her experience as a former city clerk, it is being requested that she be allowed to temporarily return to work to assist during the expected staffing shortage. In returning to the District Secretary’s Office, Ms. Mathews will fill a critical need in providing necessary support to the Board of Directors and the Assistant District Secretary by aiding in the planning and preparation of Board meetings as well as reviewing staff reports and other documents requiring processing in the District Secretary’s Office. Ms. Mathews will also provide training to existing staff and will assume some of the duties of the Assistant District Secretary.
Under the Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA), a retiree may be considered for a temporary work assignment, but must satisfy a 180-day waiting period before beginning a temporary work assignment. Because Ms. Mathews is needed to return to work before the 180-day waiting period is over, the appointment must be approved by the governing body of the employer in a public meeting. In granting this waiver, the Board would also be granting a waiver of Board Policy 244, which has rules similar to PEPRA.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
Allowing Ms. Mathews to return to work in the District Secretary’s Office would provide an added layer of administrative support that will help the office stay current with its existing workload and would provide redundancy when other staff in the office are sick or need to take time off work. There are no disadvantages to the course of action recommended in this report.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
The only other alternative that was considered was to fill the vacancy created when Ms. Mathews retired; however, those efforts have not produced any fruit and there is little time left to fill the position and train new staff.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
Board Policy 244 - Temporary Employee Staffing
ATTACHMENTS:
None
Prepared by:
Linda A. Nemeroff, District Secretary
In Collaboration with:
Emily Cruz, Senior Human Resources Administrator
Approved/Reviewed by:
Denise C. Standridge, General Counsel
Michael A. Hursh, General Manager
Claudia L. Allen, Chief Financial Officer
Chris Andrichak, Director of Management and Budget
Nathaniel Kramer, Acting Executive Director of Human Resources
Hugo Wildmann, Retirement System Manager