Submitted By
Steve Drazner, CFO
Agenda Item Title
Title
Review and Recommend Amendment to the Finance Department Organizational Chart
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Overview
Overview
There are a total of three (3) FTE account clerks in the Finance Department, one (1) Account Clerk III position and two (2) Account Clerk II positions. There are currently two (2) vacancies among these three (3) positions. When vacancies occur, staff uses this opportunity to evaluate efficiencies and staffing levels.
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Anticipated Future Actions/Commitments
Recommendation
Subject to consensus of the Committee, a recommendation will be made to the Village Board for review and approval.
Body
Report
The current SEIU Collective Bargaining Unit has three classifications for account clerks, Account Clerk I (Grade 2), Account Clerk II (Grade 3), and Account Clerk III (Grade 6). In the Finance Department there are two (2) Account Clerk II FTE positions and one (1) Account Clerk III FTE positions (FTE is defined as a full time equivalent).
Historically, the Finance Department has had two Account Clerk II positions which performed water billing and accounts payable duties and one Account Clerk III (this job title was previously Records Coordinator however in the most recent SEIU collective bargaining agreement the title was updated and approved by the Village Board via the new CBA). All three positions are in the Service Employees International Union Local 73 (SEIU). The Account Clerk III position was left vacant in December when the incumbent accepted a private sector position. Effective February 1, 2019, one of the employees in an Account Clerk II positions retired and the second employee in the Account Clerk II position, after a competitive recruitment process, was promoted to the vacant Account Clerk III position. This has resulted in both Account II positions vacant.
With both vacancies at the Account Clerk II level happening concurrently the current delivery of customer service, both externally and internally, has been assessed to identify areas for efficiency and improvement. The conclusion of this review is a recommendation that the job duties could be performed by 2 FTES, if both were classified at the Account Clerk III level which improves cross training with a broader range of duties and required skills and thus allow the Village to provide more effective, efficient customer service. Both Account Clerk III positions would back each other up on all duties and tasks and plan time off to ensure staffing of all functions at all times. These redundancies would ensure that the previous customer frustrations experienced through gaps in services when the Account Clerk III was on lunch or on vacation would be minimized.
Functions of the Account Clerk III position would include utility billing, front line customer service, meeting room reservations, specials events, records retention, real estate transfer tax transactions, accounts payable processing and accounts receivable processing, and various other clerical duties. Previously these functions had been split between the Account Clerk II, who performed utility billing, accounts payable processing and accounts receivable processing, and the Account Clerk III who performed the balance of the duties. Both positions provided frontline customer service.
Under the existing structure in the Finance Department, both Account Clerk II positions are budgeted in the Water & Sewer Fund. Eliminating one of these positions would save this Fund approximately $54,000 consisting of base salary of $36,000 (beginning/new hire Grade 3 step) plus estimated benefits (assuming family health coverage) of $31,000 for a total cost of $67,000 less an estimated $13,000 in higher cost offsets which entail upgrading the second Account Clerk II (Grade 3) position to an Account Clerk III (Grade6). The net savings from the recommended restructuring is therefore estimated at $67,000 savings less $13,000 offsets, or $54,000.
Alternatives
Make no change to the current Finance Department organizational chart and hire for the two vacant Account Clerk II positions.