Vancouver City Council |
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: June 9, 2003
Author/Local: T. Schinbein/ 717-2682;G. August 717-3177
RTS No. 03465
CC File No. 1376
Meeting Date: July 8, 2003
TO:
Vancouver City Council
FROM:
Chief Constable
SUBJECT:
Vancouver Police Board Civilian Staffing Requirement
RECOMMENDATION
THAT Council endorse the Vancouver Police Board's decision of April 23, 2003 that increased Position #50014460 - Executive Assistant to the Vancouver Police Board from .8 FTE to 1.0 FTE, with no additional budget increase required.
CHIEF CONSTABLE'S COMMENTS
I concur fully with the comments regarding the increase. The position has taken on considerable complexity, further coordinating duties of increased committee work and additional time as a "public spokesperson" for the Police Board on quite a variety of issues.
COUNCIL POLICY
It is Council policy that changes in service levels either expansions or reductions, be approved by Council. This includes the creation and deletion of regular positions and the allocation of funding from revenues or taxation.
PURPOSE/SUMMARY:
The purpose of this report is to request Vancouver City Council to endorse the Vancouver Police Board's decision to increase the current .8 (28hrs/wk) FTE Executive Assistant position to 1 (35 hrs/wk) F.T.E. No request for additional funding is requested.
BACKGROUND:
At their April 23, 2003 Vancouver Police Board CLOSED In-Camera meeting, the following motions were carried:
"1. THAT the Vancouver Police Board direct that the Board Executive Assistant position be made full-time (1 FTE position), from its current .8 status.
2. THAT May 1, 2003 has been established as the effective date for the full-time status."
DISCUSSION:
The volume of work and the development of new Committees pertaining to the responsibilities of the Vancouver Police Board has significantly increased over the last few years. Related policy, research and governance work has also increased. Since the Board's Executive Assistant is responsible for managing the broad scope of work required of the Board, it is no longer possible to do this within a 28 hour per week time frame. Over the past few years the extra work required has been delivered through the overtime mechanism.
As per the Police Act, the Vancouver Police Board is established as the employer of all Vancouver Police Department staff and are responsible for determining the appropriate level of staffing resources required to fulfill their mandate. However, funding for staffing is determined by Vancouver City Council and, as a result, any changes to the VPD's full-time complement are therefore subject to Council approval.
PERSONNEL IMPLICATIONS
This is an existing Exempt position currently at .8 FTE status. As a part-time employee, this position was eligible for all related exempt employee benefits except for EDO (Earned Days Off) and 1 extra week holiday leave. Full-time status will now provide these benefits.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The incremental cost for this position is $10,520 annually and will be offset by the reduction in overtime costs in the VPB budget. Overtime costs for this position in 2002 were approaching $10,000 annually and would have continued to grow with the increasing responsibility and workload. It was more cost effective and more efficient to increase the position to full-time status.
CONCLUSION
This request for this particular position is an evolution reflecting the growth and responsibility of the Vancouver Police Department and the Vancouver Police Board itself. Without the practical establishment of a full time position, the Board will have unnecessary overtime payroll costs for the foreseeable future.
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