2014-07-16 Regular Meeting PERSONNEL ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES
Regular Meeting
July 16, 2014
The Personnel Advisory Board regular meeting of July 16, 2014 was called to order by
PAB Chair Curt Law at 5:36 p.m. in the Kodiak Island Borough Conference Room.
ROLL CALL
Board Members Present Board Members Absent
Lynn Bash Brenda Zawacki
Lindsey Howell
Tom Lacey
Curt Law
Board member Zawacki was excused. A quorum was established.
Staff Present
Bud Cassidy, Borough Manager
Lauri Whiddon, HR Officer/Executive Assistant
Others Present
Karl Short Sharon Blakeslee Alan Torres
Paul VanDyke Jeanne Miller Bob Pederson
WELCOME OF BOARD MEMBERS AND GUESTS
Chair Curt Law welcomed board members, staff and guests, and reminded guests to sign
the attendance log.
ACCEPTANCE OF AGENDA
The agenda was approved as submitted.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes of the March 5, 2014 meeting were approved as submitted.
CITIZENS' COMMENTS (Iimited to three minutes per speaker)
No citizens' comments.
ITEMS OF BUSINESS
Classification & Compensation Plan Implementation Update
Manager Cassidy gave a brief presentation on the progress of the implementation of the
classification/compensation plan. He also mentioned that the Borough had recently
changed health insurance plans that will realize savings for the Borough and employees.
The Manager responded to questions from the Board as follows:
• The new health insurance plan is comparable to the previous plan;
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• Fox Lawson will handle the first appeals, if any, to be used as a Iearning process
for staff, and Borough staff would handle appeals once trained;
• The appeals process applies to non-union employees at this point because it has
been approved by the Assembly, but not yet approved by the union;
• We will most likely utilize the time-frame suggested by FLA on their sample
appeal form;
• Reviews of job descriptions can be done in departments by using the process
already in place;
• From a management standpoint, there are a number of department heads who
would Iike to restructure their departments, however, until the
classification/compensation plan is approved, any changes for union positions will
remain on hold;
• The draft appeal form was provided to the Union Business Representative;
• Department Heads are a key part of the process of achieving the goals and
objectives of their departments and the Borough, and are very much a part of
updating job descriptions in their department;
• The Assembly has made the determination through adoption of the Ordinance
that the Manager makes the final determination in the approval of job
descriptions, as part of his/her responsibilities in his/her role in personnel
management; the Manager works for the Assembly and this system is not a system
that should pit the PAB against the Manager;
• Clarification of the duties of the Board;
• The appeal form addresses classification, to ensure that the type and level of work
has been assigned to the most appropriate classification;
• While the boilerplate of the FLA appeal form is good, it will be used to develop a
Kodiak Island Borough version of the form;
• The PAB does not get involved with the union meetings;
• There are incentives to having the plan approved: there a number of positions that
are below market and this plan brings those positions up to market— it is a matter
of fairness that all positions be paid at market rate; there is a 3 1/2% increase
between steps on the new scale as opposed to 2 1/2%.
• We are currently operating with two salary schedules and will continue to do so if
the plan is not approved by the union.
CITIZENS' COMMENTS
Paul VanDyke spoke in favor of progressing with the implementation of the
classification /compensation plan for all Borough employees, adding that the delay is
hampering progress.
Sharon Blakeslee commented on the role of the PAB in the process of reviewing current
and new positions; and the appeal form.
MANAGER'S COMMENTS
Manager Cassidy said that currently things are not absolutely clear because it is new, but
he added that we will work through the process as we continue to implement the plan.
With regard to restructuring departments, things have been on hold for over a year to a
year and a half now. He mentioned that the Board represents everyone - union or non-
union, adding that job descriptions are approved by the PAB. He added that it is
management's effort to treat all Borough employees the same under the same rules so that
payroll or HR is easier to administer. The Manager added that this process allows for
positions to be reviewed, and with the old process eliminated, those positions are stuck
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where they are, with not much flexibility, but added that it is for union members to
decide.
Manager Cassidy said that the Assembly approved the Board's recommendation
unanimously, setting policy with that approval, and we have moved forward with
implementation.
BOARD MEMIBERS' COMMENTS
Lynn Bash said that she has studied the plan, it is a huge project and study affecting so
many lives and people, and after thirty years, participating in and completing the study, it
is a wonderful step in the right direction. She added that whether union, non-union or
management, everyone wants the same thing — equality — and if everyone has that in
mind, she said that the process may have a few bumps along the way, but it should go
along just fine.
Lindsey Howell agreed with Lynn Bash adding that she agrees that there are a lot of
opportunities for the Board to be involved. She added that while she joined the Board
toward the end of the process, she commended staff for the way things were handled and
is pleased that it went through.
Tom Lacey stated that some employees are concerned about the unknown, that maybe
some of their questions were not being answered, but that it sounds like some things are
being addressed and worked out.
Curt Law stated that he is pleased to see that this is moving forward, that employees are
coming to meetings and expressing their comments and concerns showing that the Board
is not working in a vacuum. He thanked the Board and staff for their hard work.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will be tentatively scheduled for October 15, 2014.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted: }
a ri Whiddon, Secretary Curt Law, Chair
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