Submitted By
Kira Tchang, Assistant Village Manager/HR Director
Reviewed By
A.M. Zayyad
Agenda Item Title
Title
A Motion to Approve Staff’s Recommendation to Overhire Police Officer, Community Service Officer and Firefighter/Paramedic Positions in Fiscal Year 2023
End
Overview
Overview
Staff is seeking approval to hire new police officers, community service officers, and firefighter/paramedic positions when there is a pending retirement/resignation of an employee or another long-term employee disability where said employee is not expected to return to work for an extended time resulting in overtime expenditures to fill the “vacancy” when minimum staffing levels in public safety positions require. Additionally, staff is seeking approval for the overhire of Community Service Officers pending results of the Village’s alternative calls for service analysis and any impacts to non-sworn police positions. This program was first approved in FY17 and annually thereafter by the Village Board through FY21. Staff is seeking to continue in FY23.
Body
Staff Recommendation
Adopt the motion.
Fiscal Impact
None. The overhire of positions would be permitted only if the cost of doing so would be covered in the existing budget appropriation and/or reduce overtime costs.
Background
The Village has experienced a number of instances, particularly in the Police and Fire Departments, where it has knowledge of staffing changes such as a pending retirement/resignation necessitating hiring and cross-training a replacement employee prior to the departure of the existing employee or backfilling a position for an employee on long-term disability where the employee is not expected to return for an extended period of time. Given the 24/7/365 work schedules of police officers, community service officers (CSO) and firefighters/paramedics are necessary to maintain staffing levels to provide proper coverage and as a result, overtime can be significant when there is an extended vacancy in an authorized position.
Prior to July 2017, the Village did not have a method to address these types of issues. In the two scenarios above, we would have to wait until the pending retirement or separation occurs to fill the position and would not be able to fill the position vacated by an employee on extended leave. The result is overtime wages at a minimum of 1.5 times the hourly rate. Since 2017, the Village Board authorized the use of overhire for both police officers and firefighters/paramedics, and in 2020 CSOs, who are civilian, uniformed members of the Police Department were also included.
The use of an “Overhire” program allows for the hiring of a police officer or firefighter/paramedic and assumes that a department experiences several position vacancies during a fiscal year and that the salary and fringe benefit savings from these vacancies will offset the cost of the overhire personnel. The overhire personnel, in turn, ensures that the department will not be forced to limit operations because of staffing shortages and can better control overtime expenditures.
For FY23, by motion, the Village Board is asked to authorize the continuation of the F717 Overhire program to accelerate the filling of vacant sworn police officer and firefighter/paramedic positions and the civilian Community Service Officer position by initiating the hiring process in advance of actual pending vacancies.
Generally, the following circumstances would warrant consideration of an overhire request:
• Knowledge of a pending vacancy where it is desirable to recruit and hire a replacement employee such that there is no reduction in staffing and service levels; and
• Backfilling for an injured employee where the employee is not expected to return for an extended period of time, if ever.
Under all circumstances, approval of an overhire position is based upon the assumed permanent vacancy of an existing position in the near future. Positions will only be authorized following a review of the necessity for filling the position immediately as an overhire.
Approval of an overhire position is conditioned on the availability of adequate budget authority to guarantee the additional position will not exceed the authorized annual budget.
Alternatives
The alternative to this recommendation could be to delay action to gain additional information.
Previous Board Action
On July 17, 2017, the Village Board approved a motion to accept staff’s recommendation to Overhire Police Officer and Firefighter/Paramedic positions in FY17.
On December 11, 2017, the Village Board approved a motion to accept staff’s recommendation to Overhire Police Officer and Firefighter/Paramedic positions in FY18.
On January 28, 2019, the Village Board approved a motion to accept staff’s recommendation to Overhire Police Officer and Firefighter/Paramedic positions in FY19.
On December 2, 2019, the Village Board approved a motion to accept staff’s recommendation to Overhire Police Officers, CSOs and Firefighter/Paramedic positions in FY20.
On December 2, 2019, the Village Board approved a motion to accept staff’s recommendation to Overhire Police Officers, CSOs and Firefighter/Paramedic positions in FY21.
The program was temporarily discontinued in FY22.
Citizen Advisory Commission Action
N/A.
Anticipated Future Actions/Commitments
Subject to the effectiveness in FY23, re-authorization for FY24 may be requested.
Intergovernmental Cooperation Opportunities
None at this time.