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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-03-10 Council Appointed Officers Committee Summary Minutes Council Appointed Officers Committee SUMMARY MINUTES Page 1 of 4 Special Meeting March 10, 2021 Chair DuBois called the meeting to order in virtual teleconference at 6:49 P.M. Present: DuBois, Filseth, Kou Absent: Oral Communications None. Agenda Items 1. Discussion and Direction Regarding the Recruitment for the City Clerk Position. Rumi Portillo, Human Resources Director, reported there was sufficient time for a typical executive recruitment process. Typically, three months elapsed between announcement and placement. A recruitment for City Clerk was last held in 2015, when Ms. Minor was hired. The Council Appointed Officers (CAO) Committee selected an executive recruiter, who conducted an extensive recruitment. The City Clerk's salary was negotiated with the candidate once an offer was extended. The benefits package offered to unrepresented management was also offered to the City Clerk. The CAO Committee reviewed the City Clerk's performance annually and renegotiation of the City Clerk's contract may occur at that time. Currently, all unrepresented managers and Ms. Minor were participating in an unpaid furlough. In addition, a salary freeze was in effect for the current fiscal year. The City usually hired an outside consultant to conduct a market study for all CAO positions, but a study was not performed in 2020. The City of Mountain View recently hired a clerk from the City of Campbell for the position of City Clerk. Bobbie Peckham was the recruiter for the City when Ms. Minor was hired and for the City of Mountain View's last two recruitments. The City of Milpitas utilized internal recruiters to hire a clerk from the City of Malibu for City Clerk. Fees for recruiters usually ranged from $20,000 to $30,000. The agency was responsible for recruitment costs. The recruiter usually met with the CAO Committee and candidates. With the pandemic, meetings were held virtually, which reduced costs. The agency usually paid travel and hotel costs for candidates who traveled to the SUMMARY MINUTES Page 2 of 4 Sp. Council Appointed Officer’s Committee Meeting Summary Minutes 03/10/2021 area for interviews. The CAO Committee could utilize internal recruiters or an executive recruiter. Staff contacted Ms. Peckham who was willing to accept the recruitment. Council Member Kou asked if the Human Resources (HR) Department was able to handle the recruitment. Ms. Portillo answered yes, but internal recruiters needed to identify potential candidates. An executive recruiter had relationships with the industry that generated candidates. Chair Dubois asked if there were journals or websites in which California City Clerks participated. Ms. Portillo replied yes. The City Clerk professional association was very robust in California. Chair DuBois asked if the association posted job announcements. Ms. Portillo believed they did, but she needed to confirm that. Government jobs were also posted to a central website, and most workers were aware of the website. Council Member Kou noted the magazine of the League of Cities contained position announcements. Ms. Portillo advised that internal recruiters used several sources regularly. Irene Silipin, Human Resources Senior Management Analyst, confirmed that the City Clerk Association had a job board. Chair DuBois recalled that Ms. Peckham provided several good candidates. Council Member Filseth concurred. Ms. Portillo shared Ms. Peckham's comment that the City was known for placing a heavy workload on the City Clerk. Therefore, sourcing candidates was going to be difficult. Chair DuBois asked if Ms. Peckham had compensation information. Ms. Portillo responded yes. Chair DuBois indicated the prior recruitment brochure was good, but a few points needed updating. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 3 of 4 Sp. Council Appointed Officer’s Committee Meeting Summary Minutes 03/10/2021 Council Member Filseth asked if there was an internal candidate. Ms. Portillo understood that members of the City Clerk Staff were not likely to apply because of the job intensity and hours. Chair DuBois asked if the amount of the external contract was a function of the salary. Ms. Portillo related that it was typically a flat rate of approximately $27,000. Internal recruiters were accustomed to working with executive recruiters to reduce costs. Chair DuBois requested a potential timeline for hiring a candidate. Ms. Portillo felt a contract could be in place in approximately two weeks. MOTION: Chair DuBois moved, seconded by Council Member Filseth to recommend the City Council: A. Direct Staff to engage Peckham & McKinney for the recruitment of City Clerk, to begin as soon as practical; B. Authorize the executive recruitment contract with fees up to $27k and expenses not to exceed $10k, for a total of $37k to be funded from a contingency or reserve; C. Conduct the recruitment virtually, without a requirement for on-site services; and D. Advertise the salary as “DOQ” (Depends on Qualifications) and schedule a closed session to provide parameters to the executive recruiter for salary negotiations. Council Member Kou suggested travel to in-person meetings was not necessary. Ms. Portillo felt $10,000 for expenses was an overstatement. MOTION PASSED: 3-0 Chair DuBois stated Staff was going to notify the Council of the decision. He suggested next steps included a meeting of the CAO Committee and the recruiter from Ms. Peckham's firm. Ms. Portillo explained that salary discussions during the recruitment process for an appointed position were public until a candidate was selected and SUMMARY MINUTES Page 4 of 4 Sp. Council Appointed Officer’s Committee Meeting Summary Minutes 03/10/2021 negotiations began. The CAO Committee was expected to give direction to the executive recruiter to negotiate an employment agreement. A member of the CAO Committee was allowed to conduct the contract negotiations or direct Staff to conduct the negotiations. Chair DuBois asked if interviews were public. Ms. Portillo was not sure. Chair DuBois requested the rationale for advertising a salary range rather than a specific amount. Ms. Portillo indicated a range was not known at the current time. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 7:14 P.M.