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Home My WebLink AboutRESO 9501Resolution No. 9501 Resolution Approving Interim Appointment of James Lightbody to ChiefTransportation Official Position (Gov't. Code section 21221(h)) The Council of the City of Palo Alto RESOLVES as follows: SECTION 1. Findings and Declarations: (a) In compliance with Government Code section 21221(h) the Palo Alto City Council must approve the appointment of a retiree to fill a vacant position on an interim basis during a recruitment to permanently fill the vacant position. (b) The City's Chief Transportation Official has been vacant since February 6, 2015 and the City currently has an open recruitment to fill the vacancy, which is a high-level manager position in the Department of Planning and Community Environment, responsible for coordinating and implementing all of the City's transportation projects. (c) The City has hired an executive recruiter to recruit qualified candidates for the Chief Transportation Official position and anticipates permanently filling the position on or before August 31, 2015. (d) James Lightbody retired from Valley Transportation Authority in the position of Deputy Director for Planning & Development, effective on or around January 31, 2005 and is available to serve in the position of Chief Transportation Official on an interim basis until the City finds a qualified candidate to permanently fill the vacancy. (e) Mr. Lightbody has special skills necessary to perform the duties of the ChiefTransportation Official because he has more than forty years of experience working on a variety of public transit projects throughout the state of California, including over thirty years at the Valley Transportation Authority ("VTA") and serving as its Deputy Director of Planning and Development. (f) CaiPERS rules provide that the compensation paid to retirees cannot be less than the minimum nor exceed the maximum monthly base salary paid to other employees performing comparable duties, divided by 173.333 to equal the hourly rate . . (g) The maximum base monthly salary for the position of Chief Transportation Official is $13,956.80 and the hourly equivalent is $80.52, and the minimum base monthly salary for this position is $9,304.53 and the hourly equivalent is $53.68. SECTION 2. The entire employment document between Mr. Lightbody has been reviewed by this body and is attached to this Resolution as Exhibit A. Mr. Lightbody's employment shall be limited to 960 hours per fiscal year. The hourly rate paid to James Lightbody will be eighty dollars and fifty two cents ($80.52). James Lightbody has not and will not receive any other benefit, incentive, compensation in lieu of benefit or other form of compensation in addition to this hourly pay rate. SECTION 3. The City Council hereby appoints James Lightbody for a single interim appointment to the vacant position of Chief Transportation Official for the City of Palo Alto pursuant to Government Code section 21221(h), effective February 24, 2015 and ending on or before August 31, 2015. SECTION 4. The Palo Alto City Council finds that this single interim appointment is necessary · to fill the vacant position of Chief Transportation Official for the City of Palo Alto because the division requires leadership to prioritize work, respond to community questions and requests related to transportation needs and projects, ensure continued momentum in the community engagement and planning work related to bicycle boulevards and manage all staff and consultants working on that project, and monitor ongoing CIP projects in the Transportation Division to ensure that they stay on schedule and budget. The Department of Planning and Community Environment currently has other vacancies at the management level and therefore has neither available nor qualified existing staff to fill this role on a temporary basis. SECTION 5. The Council finds that this is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act and, therefore, no environmental impact assessment is necessary. INTRODUCED AN.D PASSED: March 9, 2015 AYES: BERMAN, BURT, DUBOIS, FILSETH, SCHARFF, SCHMID, WOLBACH NOES: ABSENT: HOLMAN, KNISS ABSTENTIONS: ~~ City Clerk Mayor APPROVED AS TO FORM: tr::6:fq APPROVED: February 10, 2015 Via email (lightbody@yahoo.com) Mr. James Lightbody AciTY oF WPALO ALT~ RE: Letter Agreement Confirming Interim ChiefTransportation Official Appointment Dear Jim: As you discussed with the Planning Director, due to vacancies in the City of Palo Alto's key position of Chief Transportation Official ("CTO") and other management positions in the Planning and Community Environment Department, as well as important ongoing projects in the Transportation Division, the City has a temporary need for someone to serve as an Interim Chief Transportation Official during the recruitment to permanently fill the CTO vacancy. Specific responsibilities and current projects for the CTO include but are not limited to prioritizing work within the Transportation Division, responding to community questions and requests related to transportation needs and projects, ensuring continued momentum in the community engagement and planning work related to bicycle boulevards and managing all staff and consultants working on that project, and monitoring ongoing CIP projects in the Transportation Division to ensure that they stay on schedule and budget. Based on your extensive skills and over 40 years of experience with a variety oftransportation projects and issues at VTA, we believe you are uniquely qualified to fill this role on an interim basis. The City would like you to work twenty five (25) to thirty (30) hours per week beginning on February 24, 2015. The City has hired an executive recruiter to help fill the vacancy, and your interim assignment will continue for the duration of that recruitment but end no later than August 31, 2015. Your rate of pay will be $80.52 per hour, consistent with the City's published hourly maximum rate for the Chief Transportation Official. You will not be eligible for any other benefits, incentives, compensation in lieu of benefits, or other forms of compensation. Please be aware that CaiPERS enforces strict rules related to working after retirement. Because this is an interim appointment to a vacant position for the duration of the recruitment, the City Council will be approving the appointment by resolution at a public meeting. As a CaiPERS retiree, work for all PERS agencies is limited to 960 hours per fiscal year. You have informed us that you have not worked for any other PERS agencies in the current fiscal year and that you have not received any unemployment insurance payments in the past twelve months for previous retired annuitant work with any CaiPERS employer. You agree that your work for Palo Alto will be your priority, that you will keep the City informed on the number of hours you are working for other PERS agencies, and that you will indemnify and hold harmless the City from any and all claims, allegations or other actions related to your compliance with PERS rules for retired annuitants. For a discussion of other CaiPERS rules related to work by retired annuitants, you may want to review the CaiPERS publication "A Guide to CaiPERS Employment After Retirement," available online at http://www.calpers.ca.gov/eip- docs/about/pubs/member/employment-after-retire.pdf. Please contact CaiPERS or the City immediately if you have any questions or concerns to discuss related to your work for the City. If the terms of this letter agreement are satisfactory to you, please sign below indicating your agreement. Thank you again for agreeing to assist the City. Sincerely, /sf Melissa C. Tronquet Employee Relations Manager Agreed: James Lightbody Date •