ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: December 5, 1995
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: City Clerk
SUBJECT: Councillors' Secretariat Office - Temporary Staffing
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT the temporary position of Councillors' Secretariat
Receptionist be extended to December 30, 1996.
B. THAT the additional funding required for the temporary Coun-
cillors' Secretariat Receptionist position in 1996 ($35,000)
be approved and provided in the City Clerk's 1996 Operating
Budget.
C. THAT the requirement of a permanent Councillors' Secretariat
Receptionist be reviewed and reported to Council before the
end of 1996.
MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The City Manager RECOMMENDS approval of A, B and C, noting that
this position will be filled on a temporary basis. Establishing
the Receptionist as a permanent position beyond the end of 1996
will be subject to further review and the outcome of the City
Clerk's customer service process improvement project.
COUNCIL POLICY
On February 4, 1992, Council resolved that departments and boards be
instructed that any recommendations for increased staff or enhanced
programs be accompanied by recommendations for matching cost decreases
or related revenue increases in non-tax revenue subject to Council
discretion.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to recommend to Council that the
temporary position of Councillors' Secretariat Receptionist, first
introduced in June 1995, be extended to the end of 1996.
BACKGROUND
In the Spring of 1995, City Council held a series of workshops with
staff, during which the level of support and services provided the
Councillors was reviewed. The City Clerk was requested to consider
how additional support could be provided by the Councillors'
Secretariat, in order to respond to the additional demands being
placed on the Councillors.
At that time, the Councillors' Secretariat consisted of three
permanent secretaries. Each secretary was assigned responsibility to
perform secretarial and other related duties for 3 or 4 Councillors.
In addition, all three secretaries were expected to respond to the
needs of each of the ten Councillors, if and when required.
Flexibility was required in order to adjust and/or reallocate current
tasks in response to immediate and changing demands. The three
secretaries also shared responsibility for reception and mail handling
duties, which tended to disrupt other tasks being performed.
In order to respond to Council's request, arrangements were made for
an additional support position to be added to Councillors'
Secretariat. The temporary position of Councillors' Secretariat
Receptionist was initially filled, on a trial basis, at the end of
June, 1995, with funding provided from the existing 1995 Operating
Budget, as approved by the City Manager.
DISCUSSION
The Receptionist position, as now established, provides general
assistance to the Secretariat, primarily in the areas of reception and
mail processing duties, and other tasks for which efficiencies can be
gained through consolidated and/or co-ordinated effort (i.e., duties
which may be readily assigned to or coordinated by one staff person,
rather than be shared by the three existing secretaries). The current
list of duties assigned to this position includes:
- Reception - telephone and in person
- Mail/fax processing
- Arrangement of courier services
- Maintaining the Councillors' general invitation
calendar
- Co-ordinating and responding to invitations
- Poll Councillors' attendance at meetings
- Maintain and arrange for office supplies and services
- Assist secretarial work overflow
- Special projects
This position is also identified as the first choice to fill in for
the Secretaries to the Councillors during periods of pre-scheduled or
unexpected absences. Under these circumstances, temporary help
assistance will be arranged to replace the Receptionist, when and if
required.
The experience gained over the past five months has illustrated the
addition of the Receptionist position has improved the efficiencies of
the Secretariats' Office and resulted in increased support for the
individual Councillors. Specific improvements include:
- secretaries have more time to respond to their individual
Councillors' needs;
- secretaries are less interrupted, and are therefore better able
to concentrate on other duties;
- secretaries are freer to leave their desks in order to respond
to tasks which require time spent in the Councillor's offices
(i.e., receiving instructions, dictation, filing, etc.);
- periods of heavy workload can be assisted by the receptionist;
and
- the receptionist is readily available to fill in for a
secretary during periods of absence. (Temporary help is more
readily available to fill the Receptionist position, rather than
the Secretary to the Councillor positions.)
The City Clerk recommends that this position be continued, on a
temporary basis, to the remainder of the current Council term (i.e.,
to the end of 1996). It is also recommended the position be reviewed
and reported to Council before the end of 1996, to consider if the
position should be made permanent.
Funding required to extend this position to the end of 1996 is
$35,000, including the costs of salary, fringe benefits and vacation
relief. It is recommended this funding be added to the City Clerk's
Department 1996 operating budget for one year only. The source of
funding the position beyond 1996, if required, will be reported to
Council at the time the position is reviewed before the end of 1996.
It is anticipated the on-going funding to establish this as a
permanent position will be identified through the City Clerk's
customer service process improvement project.
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