SUPPORTS ITEM NO. 4
CS&B AGENDA
FEBRUARY 20, 1997
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
December 4, 1996
C.C. File No. 1306-1
To: Vancouver City Council
From: City Clerk
Subject: Councillors' Secretariat Office - Receptionist Position
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT the temporary position of Councillors' Secretariat
Receptionist be established as a regular full-time position,
effective January 1, 1997, subject to job evaluation by the
Director of Human Resources.
B. THAT the costs associated with this position be funded from
within the existing City Clerk s Department Operating Budget.
CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS
In the normal course of events, I would recommend approval of this
position without hesitation. Service to Council and members of the
public has been improved. However, in the light of the $17.2
million Provincial funding reduction, the priority of this
expenditure relative to other services should be considered
carefully.
The City Manager RECOMMENDS Council defer this report pending
Council's decisions in response to the Provincial budget
reductions.
COUNCIL POLICY
On February 4, 1994, 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 established in
June 1995, be converted to a regular full-time position.
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 three or four 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 the Councillors' Secretariat.
The temporary position of Councillors' Receptionist was initially filled
on a trial basis at the end of June 1995, with funding provided from the
existing 1995 Operating Budget.
In December 1995, Council approved the extension of the temporary
position to December 30, 1996, with funding provided in the City Clerk's
Department 1996 Operating Budget.
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 co-ordinated by one staff person,
rather than be shared by the other three existing secretaries).
The current list of duties assigned to this position includes:
- Reception - telephone and in-person;
- Mail/fax processing;
- Arrangements for courier services;
- Co-ordinating and responding to Councillors' general invitations;
- Maintaining the Councillors' general invitation calender;
- Poll councillors' attendance at meetings;
- Maintain and arrange for office supplies and services;
- Assist with secretarial work overflow;
- Special projects.
The incumbent of this position is also identified as the first choice to
fill in for the secretaries (now referred to as Assistants to the
Councillors) during periods of pre-scheduled or unexpected absences.
Under these circumstances, temporary help assistance is arranged to
replace the Receptionist, when and if required.
The experience gained over the past year and one half has confirmed the
anticipated efficiencies gained in the Councillors' Secretariat and has
resulted in an increased level of support and service to individual
Councillors and the public. Specific improvements include:
- faster response time in dealing with requests from the public;
- secretaries have more time to respond to their individual
councillors' needs;
- secretaries are subject to fewer interruptions 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 Councillors' offices (i.e.,
receiving instructions, dictation, filing, etc.);
- periods of heavy workload and/or urgent tasks 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 position.)
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Funding has been provided in the 1995 and 1996 operating budgets of the
City Clerk's Office to fund this position (and related vacation relief)
on a temporary basis. The continuation of this funding beyond 1996 in
the department operating budget will provide sufficient funds for the
regular full-time position as recommended.
CONCLUSION
After one and one half years experience, it has been concluded that the
addition of a Receptionist Position to the Councillors' Secretariat has
improved the level of support provided to the Councillors and the
service to the public. Based on this experience, the City Clerk
recommends the position be established as a regular full-time position,
with funding provided at the same level as in the existing department
operating budget.
* * *