SR 05:167 - Laserfiche WebLink

In 2004-05, the Sr. Office Assistant position left vacant in the Human Resources Department was replaced with an Assistant to the City Manager position and was funded half-time in the City Manager Department and half-time in the Human Resources Department. In 2005-06 this position will be fully funded in the City Manager Department. c. Status of Limited Term Positions For several years, the City has employed limited term employees in Development Services, which includes the Departments of Planning and Public Works. These employees are limited to five years of employment with the City. At one time, the City employed as many as 17 positions, but now has only two. The limited term Assistant Planner position was reclassified to a limited term Associate Planner position, and funded in 2005-06 to be dedicated to the General Plan. This position is not funded in 2006-07. The only other limited term position is in the Traffic Engineering Division. This position was added full-time in 1999-00 and reduced to three-quarter time in 2002-03. The position assists with Federal grants and traffic administration duties. Although this position is shown in both 2005-06 and 2006-07, the actual extension beyond June 30, 2006 will be contingent upon a number of factors, including workload, and a determination made by the Department Head with concurrence of the City Manager. d. Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) In good times, the City enjoyed very reduced (even 0%) contribution rates for many years. We continued to budget at the normal level and used the difference to fund the long-term liability of other employee costs such as workers' compensation, and retiree's medical, as well as making additional contributions to the CIP. We are facing significant increases in PERS rates, due primarily to consecutive investment losses in its portfolio in 2000-01 and 2001-02, and underperformance in the following year. PERS benefit increases also contributed to increases in annual normal rates in the range of 3-4%. Normal rates are the rates we would expect to pay on average over the long term provided PERS meets its average 7.75% earnings goal. There are reports almost daily of the significant problems local and state agencies are having in ftmding these sudden PERS increases. Many agencies took advantage of the long period of lower interest rates to balance their budgets, and they are now little prepared to pay even small rate increases let alone these higher rates. Because Pleasanton assumed the rate reductions were temporary and continued to budget for their costs, these large increases have been somewhat mitigated. Of course the portfolio losses have been large and happened very b47