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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-10-14 CCC Minutes Open Session-approvedCOUNTY OF KAUAI Minutes of Meeting OPEN SESSION Board /Committee: I COST CONTROL COMMISSION Meeting Date March 10, 2014 Location Mo'ikeha Building — Liquor Conference Room Start of Meeting: 1:39 p.m. End of Meeting: 2:54 p.m. Present Chair Arryl Kaneshiro; Members: Dirk Apao, Lawrence Chaffin Jr., Sandi Sterker Also present: Deputy County Attorney Mona Clark; Board & Commissions Office Staff. Support Clerk Mercedes Youn; Administrator Paula Morikami; Administrative Aide Teresa Tamura; Acting Director Department of Personnel Services Thomas Takatsuki; and Transportation Executive Celia Mahikoa. Excused Commissioners Joanne Nakashima, Glen Takenouchi and Laurie Yoshida Absent SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Call To Order Chair Kaneshiro called the meeting to order at 1:39 p.m. with four (4) members present to ascertain a quorum. Approval of Regular Open Session Minutes of February 10, 2014. Commissioner Sterker moved to approve the Minutes minutes as circulated. Commissioner Apao seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0 Business CCC 2014 -05 Memorandum dated February 10, 2014 from Chair Agyl Kaneshiro, requesting the presence of Department of Personnel Services Acting Director Thomas Takatsuki, to provide an update on the transition of the Human Resources Department. The Commission was provided with information reflecting the current structure of the Department of Personnel Services. Mr. Takatsuki stated that the transition is an on -going process that has been going on for about a year and half. He stated originally, DPS had a total of eight (8) employees that comprised the Department of Personnel Services but since the reorganization and centralization of HR functions, the de artment went from eight to sixteen (16) employees of which fifteen (15) Cost Control Commission Regular Open Session March 10, 2014 Page 2 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION positions are filled with the exception of the HR Specialist I (Labor Relations) position which is dollar funded. Mr. Takatsuki stated that based on a study that was conducted by the Human Resources Taskforce, the organization was divided into four (4) sections but in the interim slight modifications had to be made to the organization because they could not find qualified individuals to fill certain level positions. As a result, the private secretary now has to oversee the HR's clerk's positions because they could not find a HR Specialist I for the administrative services section. In addition, the only other position that was moved out of administrative services section was the Personnel Manager Specialist which handles the benefits program, enrollment and hiring. Commissioner Sterker asked if some of the positions were filled with employees that also performed personnel functions in their respective departments. Mr. Takatsuki replied yes, the Personnel Management Specialist I; HR Specialist 11; and HR Manager II were positions already in DPS. The HR Specialist I position came from the Department of Parks and Recreation; HR Manager II and Equipment Operator Trainer came from the Department of Public Works. The only other positions that were recruited from the outside was Personnel Management Specialist I; HR Manager II; and HR Specialist 11. Commissioner Chaffin asked by combining the divisions it seem to him that it created another position compared to just having two separate positions. Cost Control Commission Regular Open Session March 10, 2014 Page 3 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Mr. Takatsuki explained originally, the organization was made up of three separate sections to serve the three major functions relating to recruitment and exam; classification and pay; and labor relations. Eventually, they were able to combine the various other functions being performed by the other departments such as workman's compensation and training under the umbrella of the Department of Personnel Services. He stated due to the reorganization there was a need for a supervisory positions to oversee of the following three divisions HR Manager II (Recruitment & Exam); HR Manager R (Labor Relations & Classification); and HR Manager II (Health & Safety /Employee Relations). Mr. Takatsuki explained starting in July, the Department of Finance payroll section will be moving into HR in which they will be overseeing the benefits positions. Commissioner Sterker asked if the move would create a new division in organization to which Mr. Takatsuki replied yes, the problem now, is finding adequate space to house the employees. Commissioner Sterker asked whether the issue was addressed during time when the restructuring was being proposed and if there is a five year plan in place. Mr. Takatsuki stated the space plan is an on -going issue to the point where they were they were thinking about converting the Liquor Conference Room into office space, but the Liquor Department was not willing to give up their conference which now brings the question of where to put the new payroll division. Cost Control Commission Regular Open Session March 10, 2014 Page 4 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Commissioner Sterker asked about the paper work involving payroll. Mr. Takatsuki explained everything that has to do with payroll functions will become part of HR including the equipment which again, brings the question of finding space to accommodate the equipment. Mr. Takatsuki stated the goal is to provide training for the departments and agencies on various procedures and responsibilities relating to HR functions including the recruitment process and giving exams. In regard to issues relating to labor relations, grievance handling, training, benefits, workers comp they hoping to address these issues in the third and fourth. Second quarter was a bit challenging for DPS because it was during the budget session and everything was placed on the back burner. Hopefully by December he would be able to report that they have met with the departments and agencies and have clarified what each department is responsible for and what HR responsibilities are. Commissioner Sterker asked if there were changes to the orientation process for the new employees. Mr. Takatsuki stated it is known that the County needed a new orientation process because the old process lacked consistency and uniformity. Today, with the Mayor's approval there is a new employee orientation process in place that now involves union participation. Commissioner Sterker asked if it includes current employees who might not have gone through such an extensive orientation process. Mr. Takatsuki explained currently, the orientation is only given to the new employees but if an employee were leave the County and return the orientation would be provided to them but only if they choose to. He further explained if any department needs assistance DPS can provide them with the information or they can go to the County's SharePoint website to get the information on Cost Control Commission Regular Open Session March 10, 2014 Page 5 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION different program benefits including policy and procedures. Commissioner Chaffin asked if the new employees are compensated during the orientation process to which Mr. Takatsuki replied yes, in addition HR has centralized the recruitment process which now, all of the recruitment goes through DPS whether it's open recruitment, intra/inter or as they call it, competitive recruitment. Commissioner Sterker stated the last time, the Commission was aware of a number of lawsuits, she asked if there were had new lawsuits filed. Mr. Takatsuki replied there are a lot of issues relating to EOC complaints that are currently active that will not go away anytime soon but DPS have taken steps to try to minimize these issues. Commissioner Sterker asked if it helps to communicate than go through a lawsuit which is one of the reasons, the Commission was so interested in having a Human Resources Department rather than just a Personnel Department in the County. Mr. Takatsuki stated the key in preventing lawsuits is communication which is an issue DPS has been working on. Mr. Takatsuki explained another other issue he wanted to touch upon is the information that is currently in the County's payroll system and the County's AS400 system. He stated that DPS had been working closely with the Department of Finance to implement a software system (HRIS) that would manage all quantitative aspects of human resources and payroll. He shared with the Commission that their efforts went down the tube, but are now trying to resurrect the program by assigning staff to work with IT Department to push the system forward. Cost Control Commission Regular Open Session March 10, 2014 Page 6 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Chair Kaneshiro asked if his department has felt the difference since the consolidation. Mr. Takatsuki replied the changes have been positive however, the issue is with the recommendation because it calls for an individual to be specialized in a specialized area in HR which he felt was negative. He explained DPS does not have the luxury of a big staff to do just one function so, in order to overcome that especially when it came to labor relations, he had certain staff members trained on negotiations to help alleviate some of the responsibilities off of him because dealing with seven (7) different bargaining units can be quite overwhelming. Commissioner Sterker asked whether the transition was difficult, good or, just okay. Mr. Takatsuki replied it was okay, there are certain areas that are now up to the level of providing quantity, quality and timeliness service to the County employees. Commissioner Apao stated that considering all of the work that has been done so far which is still on -going he wanted to express his appreciation to Mr. Takatsuki for being instrumental in the restructuring of DPS. Mr. Takatsuki stated that for him the change was not a problem but for others it proved to be challenging because they are set in their ways. At 2:07 p.m. Mr. Takatsuki left the meeting. Commissioner Sterker moved to receive item CCC 2014 -05. Commissioner Chaffin seconded Chair Kaneshiro called for a motion to receive item CCC 2014 -05 for the the motion. Motion carried 4:0 record CCC 2014 -06 Memorandum dated February 11, 2014 from Chair Arryl Kaneshiro requesting the presence of Transportation Executive Celia Mahikoa, to discuss overtime expenditures, expansion of the bus routes and how it would financially pact the County. Cost Control Commission Regular Open Session March 10, 2014 Page 7 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Chair Kaneshiro called for a motion to receive item CCC 2014 -06 for the Commissioner Sterker moved to receive item record. CCC 2014 -06 for the record. Commissioner Chaffin seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0 Ms. Mahikoa stated that their mission is to provide the best accessible transportation for the people of Kauai. Although there are many factors that came in to play cause the department to over expend in overtime, she wants the Commission to know that their goal is to lessen the amount of impact to the public despite of these factors. She explained one of the major factors that contributes to overtime is people calling in sick and although they have a pool of on -call drivers there are times when the drivers are not available and they are forced to call in a full -time driver who had already covered an eight hour shift and pay them overtime. Chair Kaneshiro asked if their on -call drivers were being compensated j ust for being on -call. Ms. Mahikoa replied no, the on -call drivers are paid by the hour. She named two factors that contribute to overtime, one of which is drivers who are out on extended medical leave; the other is the vacancy of two clerk dispatchers. She explained the clerk dispatchers are important because they hold down the fort between of 4 a.m. till 12:30 a.m. since vacancy, the existing staff had to step -up to cover those hours. Another factor was the delay in vehicle purchases that resulted in their mechanics having to spend extra time servicing the buses that went way beyond their service lives. But since the arrival of the twenty new buses, they anticipate the overtime for the mechanics to come down significantly. Holiday hours in itself is a major contributor to overtime which accounts to $40,000 a year in overtime expense. Cost Control Commission Regular Open Session March 10, 2014 Page 8 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Ms. Mahikoa provided the Commission with a brief explanation on the requirements to qualifying for paratransit pick -up including the amount of passengers the bus can accommodate. Due to a recording malfunction, the minutes will only reflect the motions that were made. CCC 2014 -07 Memorandum dated February 11, 2014 from Chair AM I Commissioner Sterker moved to receive item Kaneshiro to Director of Finance Steven Hunt, requesting a detailed update CCC 2014 -07 for the record. Commissioner on the changes to the real property taxes, its benefits and the drawbacks it Apao seconded the motion. has on the Real Tax Department, tax pavers, and the General Fund Motion carried 4:0 (a) Communication dated February 18, 2014 from Director of Finance Commissioner Sterker moved to receive the Steven Hunt to Chair Arryl Kaneshiro, responding to a request for communication dated 2/18/14 for the record. an update of changes that were made to the County of Kauai real Commissioner Apao seconded the motion. property tax system. Motion carried 4:0 Announcements Next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 14, 2014 in the Liquor Conference Room Adjournment Chair Kaneshiro called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Sterker moved to adjourn. Commissioner Apao seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0 At 2:54 p.m. the adjourned. Submitted by: Mercedes Youn, Staff Support Clerk (x) Approved as circulated on April 14, 2014. ( ) Approved as amended. See minutes of meeting. Reviewed and Approved by: Arryl Kaneshiro, Chair