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2013-08-07 Regular Meeting RECEIVED Personnel Advisory Board Minutes Regular Meeting MAR 6 2014 August 7, 2013 BOROUGH KODIAK,E OFF ALASKA 1.� The Personnel Advisory Board regular meeting of August 7, 2013 was called to order by PAB Vice-Chair Curt Law at 5:47 p.m. in the Kodiak Island Borough Conference Room. ROLL CALL Board Members Present Board Members Absent Lindsey Howell Lynn Bash Curt Law Brenda Zawacki Perry Page Board members Bash and Zawacki were excused due to illness. A quorum was established. Staff Present Bud Cassidy, Borough Manager Lauri Whiddon, HR Officer/Executive Assistant Karl Shod, Finance Director Others Present Marilyn Ordal Jeff Johnson Alan Torres Dora Cross Joe Levesque Bill Roberts Sharon Blakeslee Bob Pederson Woody Koning ACCEPTANCE OF AGENDA The agenda was approved as submitted. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes of the May 15, 2013 meeting were approved as submitted. WELCOME OF BOARD MEMBERS AND GUESTS Vice-Chair Cud Law welcomed board members and guests. CITIZENS' COMMENTS (Limited to 3 minutes) Marilyn Ordal commented on the proposed Salary Schedule, Class Titles and Pay Ranges. She pointed out that with the new salary schedule, the probationary increase is a 2.5% step increase from Step A to Step B, and that could be confusing because the Borough doesn't always hire at a Step A. She also commented that some employees receive longevity pay at 5%, 10%, and 15% on top of their base pay, and that it would be difficult to decipher the pay with the new Salary Schedule and to show the auditors. She added that the new job Personnel Advisory Flaunt Page 1 of 4 August 7.2013 classification titles ale confusing because there are many positions with the same classification title, but with different DBM ratings. 8fiaron Blakeslee thanked the Board members for serving, and commented on the need to °------meet4ore 'regularly,..and the need to have a process in place to correct inequities in the system. She also commented on the proposed new Class Titles, wondering why they have difference pay ranges, and how we propose to avoid confusion. Alan Torres commented that the Board should hear public comments before voting, and he commented about the new ratings to the Baler II and Baler Supervisor positions. Dora Cross concurred with the comments made by Ms. Ordal and Ms. Blakeslee. She also encouraged education for the employees on the purpose of the Personnel Advisory Board, stating that in talking to other employees about the PAB meeting, some feel that this is a meeting for non-union employees and that the works of the Board do not affect union employees - that their involvement in the meeting would not be of benefit to them. ITEMS OF BUSINESS Curt Law stated that at the last PAB meeting, the Board moved to adopt Resolution No FY2013-01 urging the Assembly to accept the Fox Lawson and Associates report on the classification and compensation study conducted for the Kodiak Island Borough. He stated that the Assembly has accepted the study and has included the funding in the FY2014 Budget. He added that under the KIB Personnel Manual, the Board reviews proposed changes to the manual. Page moved to adopt Resolution No. FY2014-01. Discussion followed by members of the public and the Board. Law said that he had concerns that appear to be concerns echoed by the employees in attendance at the meeting. He asked who was involved with updating the Salary Schedule, Class Titles and Pay Ranges. Manager Cassidy responded that the classification titles and pay ranges were based on the recommendations by Fox Lawson as a result of their study utilizing the DBM method of salary range placement. Discussion followed about the broad description of the new class specifications (job descriptions), which are "industry standard". Law asked what staff's comments are with regard to the employee comments about payroll and longevity. Manager Cassidy responded that understands the need for payroll to have a form that assists in calculating the pay for an employee who has longevity pay over his/her base pay, and discussion followed on what we could do to accommodate that and ensure that we are in compliance with our auditors. There was discussion about the first step increase on the new scale being 2.5% and the other step increases being 3.5%, and an explanation of the mathematical challenge presented by the new Salary Schedule. Law suggested that due to apparent confusion by staff about the study, staff should meet with employees to go over any questions that they may have about the new items from the Fox Lawson study and then come back before the PAB. Manager Cassidy concurred with the Personnel Advisory Board Page 2 of 4 August 7.2013 recommendation, and will schedule meetings to respond to any questions. The Board concurred and said they would be available to meet at a later date to vote on a recommendation. Discussion followed and Law suggested that the next meeting be postponed for a month to allow management time to brief staff. PAGE moved to amend the motion to postpone discussion on Resolution FY2014-01 to August 28, 2013. ROLL CALL VOTE ON MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY a) Citizens' Comments Sharon Blakeslee said she appreciated the Board listening to concerns, but said that what she didn't hear from the Board was what they might have concerns with that they needed clarification on, adding that it would be a shame to come back again in August and not have all of the information that the Board needs to make a recommendation. She agreed that overall this is a good system. Alan Torres commented on the observation that there is a lot of confusion among staff, clarifying that there were just a few specific items that needed to be looked at and tweaked, and that overall he really likes the new system. He echoed an earlier comment about change, stating that you are never going to have everyone in complete agreement. Woody Koning agreed and stated that he really likes the new system and that it will allow management to manage in a fair and measurable way. He also agreed that the couple of items that were brought up at this meeting should be looked at and can be easily fixed. He thanked the Board for taking on this project. Dora Cross thanked the Board for meeting, listening, and taking comments under advisement, adding that once the process is tweaked, it will all be for the better. Karl Short commented that Kenai Peninsula Borough did the same study and is adopting it for the non-union members, but will have to wait a year before possibly adopting it for the union members due to the fact that they had just finished their negotiations for the year. He also mentioned that Unalaska is taking a little more time, because they have four separate unions. He added that the Borough has already begun negotiations and the union is considering if it is something they will adopt or if they will wait for next negotiating period. b) Manager Manager Cassidy said that he had a staff report that was part of the agenda packet and was to be a part of tonight's presentation, but will make it part of the next meeting. He added that the board has agreed to meet on a quarterly basis and every effort will be made to do so. Lindsey Howell added and Manager Cassidy agreed that special meetings can be scheduled in addition to quarterly meetings. Personnel Advisory Board Page 3 of August 7.2013 c) Board Members' Comments Lindsey Howell said that as a Board member, the documents contained in a packet may appear to be straightforward, however, without being an employee and knowing all of the details, input from employees is appreciated to help the board make informed decisions. Perry Page said that he agreed with comments made by Alan Torres and Woody Koning, and feels that this new process is an improvement over the outdated one currently in place, adding that he is for the new process with the exception of ironing out a couple of differences which have been brought forward tonight. He referenced Alan's comment about voting without citizen's comment and said that Jeff Johnson was present at the last meeting and did speak. Curt Law said that we are all getting closer to what we are looking for, but the most important thing is that everyone is aware of the process and that questions are answered. He encouraged the need to attend the meetings if there are additional comments or questions. He added that board members are not paid, but are volunteers and rely on the materials that are provided by staff, and take the business of serving on the board seriously. He added that he thinks we are on the right track. ADJOURNMENT a) Next Meeting Curt Law stated that the next meeting of the board is scheduled for August 28, 2013 and members will be contacted in advance to check on their availability. b) Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 6:32 p.m. • -r ectfully submitted: uri Whiddon, Secretary C Law, ai & Da a pproved Personnel Advisory Board Page 4 or 4 August 7,'_013