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Agenda Item 23.

City Council Meeting

Meeting Date:	02/15/2022
FROM:	Bill Gallardo

Subject:

Amendment to the Position Allocation List - Add a Part-time Code Enforcement Officer Position

RECOMMENDATION

Staff recommends that the City Council take the following actions:

Approve a Resolution amending the Position Allocation List to add a Part-time Code Enforcement Officer position in the Building & Safety Division; and
Appropriate $20,778 to amend the City's General Fund (110) Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2021-22.

BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION

The Code Enforcement Section of the Building and Safety Division is responsible for enforcing the City's Codes and Ordinances with the goal to protect the health, safety, and welfare of Brea’s residents, visitors, and businesses. The Code Enforcement Section works to preserve neighborhoods by seeking to maintain the high established standards, property values and community aesthetics Brea has historically been known for. Code Enforcement Officers play a fundamental role in ensuring a high quality of life throughout the community.

Code Enforcement in the City of Brea has historically been predominantly reactive. Typically, any member of the community would report municipal code violations or unsafe conditions in the City. Code Enforcement staff then acts to address and resolve code violations by responding to these complaints. As Brea continues to experience steady growth in population and businesses, a more active role in neighborhood enhancement has been requested. The 2021 Development Committee requested staff analyze the benefits and costs of adding a part-time Code Enforcement Officer or Neighborhood Enhancement Officer position to the Community Development Department to conduct a more "proactive" enforcement of the City's codes and ordinances. The Development Committee proposed that a working title of Neighborhood Enhancement Officer be used to reflect the work being performed.

Proactive code enforcement consists of routine inspections with an objective of code compliance to the City's municipal zoning and building codes. An Officer would work collaboratively with residents or business owners to obtain voluntary compliance ensuring the City's standards are properly maintained. The Officer would continue to respond to complaints or concerns received by the Community.

The addition of a part-time Code Enforcement Officer would be housed in the Community Development Department specifically in the Building & Safety Division. The position would be supervised by the Senior Building Inspector and report to the Building & Safety Manager. Previously, the City had 1.0 FTE Code Enforcement Officer. The position was vacated in 2010 and through attrition was not refilled for cost savings purposes. Currently, the Building & Safety Division has two in-house Building Inspectors that have been cross-trained to serve as Code Enforcement Officers when the need arises. The primary role of the Building Inspector is to ensure the safety of new development, however, with the new part-time Code Enforcement Officer position, a proactive and more focused neighborhood enhancement program can be implemented citywide.

Moving to a proactive neighborhood enforcement program does not change the underlying goal of educating our residents and businesses on property maintenance standards in an effort to obtain voluntary compliance. With the added position, staff would have additional resources to proactively reach out to our residential and commercial community.

The current and proposed staff levels for the Building & Safety Division are as follows and shown as full-time equivalents (FTEs):

	Current Allocation	Proposed Allocation
Deputy Director/Building & Safety Manager	1.000	1.000
Senior Building Inspector	1.000	1.000
Building Inspector	1.000	1.000
Plan Checker	1.000	1.000
Code Enforcement Officer	0.000	0.725
Permit Technician	0.725	0.725
Administrative Clerk I/II	2.725	2.725
Total	7.450	8.175

COMMISSION/COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

At its meeting on February 8, 2022, the Finance Committee recommended the City Council discuss this item during study session.

FISCAL IMPACT/SUMMARY

The addition of a new part-time Code Enforcement Officer position starting at mid-range is projected at $62,636 for salaries, benefits and operating costs. This is based upon 1,508 annual hours or 29 hours per week. For the remainder of FY 21-22, the cost is projected at $17,684. There are additional one-time costs of $3,094 which include a new cell phone, iPad, and workstation setup. Staff will be utilizing a vehicle in the City's existing fleet to minimize the costs for this request.

The fiscal impact to the City’s General Fund (110) for the remainder of this fiscal year is estimated to be $20,778 which includes three (3) months of personnel and ongoing operating costs as well as the one time initial costs. The ongoing personnel and operating costs which typically increase annually will need to be programmed in future budgets.

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:

William Gallardo, City Manager
Prepared by: Gabriel Linares, Deputy Director and Building & Safety Manager
Concurrence: Jason Killebrew, Community Development Director

Attachments
I. Resolution