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8.f)2) Resignation and Replacement of Office Assistant � � . Meeting Date: 05/17/2011 Agenda Item: �'s ,,� �� City Council Agenda Report City of Scandia 14727 209th St. North Scandia, MN 55073 (651) 433-2274 Action Requested: Receive the resignation of Office Assistant Donna Thordson, and authorize staff to take the necessary steps to hire a replacement. Deadline/Timeline: . Advertise position on City& LMC websites—May 18 • Advertise in local papers—May 25 & 26 • Deadline for applications—June 10 • Interviews—week of June 20-24 or June 27-30 • Council approval of new hire—July 12 • Earliest start date—July 13 Background: • Office Assistant Donna Thordson has submitted her resignation effective May 27,2011. Donna has worked for the City for four years. • The most important functions of this position are: ➢ Of�'cce coverage—answering phones and greeting visitors. The office is open to serve the public 30 hours per week. Currently, we have one person scheduled for 30 hours per week(Deputy Clerk Brenda Eklund),one person scheduled for 12 hours per week(Office Assistant Donna Thordson)and one person scheduled for 8 hours per week(Treasurer Colleen Firkus.) Donna&Colleen share a desk and do not have overlapping work hours. When only one person is available phones go unanswered or visitors wait. Tasks that require any concentrarion are difficult to accomplish. The current staffdoes a great job of flexing their work schedules to cover the office hours as best as possible,but without the Office Assistant position the level of service to the public would suffer significantly. It would likely be necessary to close the office at times when staff is not available. ➢ Segregation of duties—accounts payable. The Office Assistant processes accounts payable after the checks have been approvetl by the Council. This typically takes several hours the day after each monthly council meeting. It is not appropriate for the Deputy Clerk or Treasurer to do this work. We need to maintain separation of tasks as recommended by the city's auditors to reduce opportunities for fraud. ➢ Meeting packets. The Office Assistant provides most of the labor to produce packets for all Council and Planning Commission Page 1 of 3 OS/12/11 l � meetings,including preparing public and press packets and mailing documents to interested parties. Depending on the volume for a particular meeting, each packet can take 5 to 6 hours or more spread over several days, 3 times each month. The Deputy Clerk does not have time to absorb this task on a regular basis ➢ Filing system. One of Donna's biggest accomplishments has been to help design and implement a filing system and document retention schedule for the city. She's only just nearing the end of the initial set-up,after 4 years. Without this position it would be difficult to maintain the system. • For 2011, this position is budgeted at 12 hours per week at a pay rate of$12.86 per hour. There are no benefits (except the employer contribution to PERA.) The total annual cost of the position is about $9,200. • The pay range for the position has not been updated since it was set in 2007 at a midpoint of$11.69 per hour,with a range of$10.60(90%) to $12.78 (110%)per hour. Since that time,the city has adjusted pay rates by 3%,twice. For the draft job posting,the pay range has been adjusted by the same amount as other city pay rates,with a proposed midpoint of$12.40 with a range of$11.16 to $13.64 per hour. The actual pay rate of the new hire would be based upon their experience and skills. • In order to determine appropriate rates of pay based on the market, we have typically used the League of Minnesota Cities Local Government Salary and Benefits Survey. The proposed pay range was compared to the latest (1/1/11) data available from the survey, for the lowest paid,part-time office support position for smaller cities in the Metro and Central regions of the state. A limited number of positions (17) were found by the survey, with a median pay rate of of$13.80 per hour. This is higher than the proposed rate for the Office Assistant position. However, staff recommends that we use the proposed range. If we cannot attract qualified applicants we can re-evaluate the pay range at that time. Recommendation: This is an important support position for our small offce. We ha�e considered other options,such as increasing the hours of other staff,but this would not solve our issues of office coverage or segregation of duties. It would also be more costly. I recommend that the Council take the following actions: • Acknowledge the resignation of Office Assistant Donna Thordson effective May 27, 2011. • Authorize advertising for applications for the position of Office Assistant at the pay range of$11.16 to $13.64 per hour. • Determine whether the interview process will be delegated to staff or if Council/Human Resources Committee members wish to participate. Page 2 of 3 OS/12/11 Attachments/ • Resignation of Donna Thordson Materials provided: • Position Description, Office Assistant • Draft Job Posting, Office Assistant Contact(s): Prepared by: Anne Hurlburt, Administrator (office assistant hiring process) Page 3 of 3 OS/12/11 � a Donna M. Thordson 15316 244th Street N. Scandia, MN 55073 May 10, 2011 Anne Hurlburt City Administrator City of Scandia � Dear Anne, This is my official resignation from my position as Office Assistant effective May 27, 2011. Four years have flown by and I will miss working for the City of Scandia. Thank you for the opportunity to learn about city government. Donna M. Thordson tl th ord s on(�a,gm ai l.com 651-485-4538 Approved by City Council, March 20, 2007 City of Scandia, Minnesota POSITION DESCRIPTION TITLE: OFFICE ASSISTANT STATUS: Part-time (approximately 15 hours/week) regular position Normal working hours per personnel policy FLSA Non-Exempt REPORTS TO: City Administrator City Council PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: Provide a wide variety of office functions to support the Deputy Clerk, City Administrator, other staff and the City Council. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: 1. Receives visitors and answer the telephone, answering questions or directing individuals so as to provide them their needed information accurately and with minimum delay. 2. Provides clerical support using word processing and spreadsheet software to produce correspondence, reports and mailing lists; copies and distributes agenda packets for City Council and committees; processes and distributes mail. 3. Assist with maintaining and purging filing systems in accordance with records retention policy and Data Practices Act. 4. Assist with licensing functions and issuing of permits. 5. Perform other duties as assigned. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES: 1. Working knowledge of generally accepted office procedures and filing practices 2. Good skill level with personal computers and Microsoft Word and Excel spreadsheet software. Ability to learn and use other software as required. 3. Ability to develop and maintain general working knowledge of city services and functions. 4. Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with a wide variety of City personnel and the general public. 5. Ability to deal discreetly with confidential information. Page 1 of 2 Printed 4/22/2011 . y EXAMPLES OF PERFORMANCE CRITERIA: 1. Public contacts are courteous and businesslike and the information provided is accurate and timely. 2. Work produced is professional looking, accurate and error-free. 3. Requirements of state laws and local ordinances and policies are met. 4. Keeps supervisor informed of all significant matters he/she must know to perform his/her responsibilities effectively. MtNIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 1. High school diploma or equivalent education. 2. One year of skilled clerical or office support experience. 3. Valid driver's license and good driving record. SUPERVISION OF OTHERS: NONE Page 2 of 2 Printed 4/22/2011 �,�� - , ) ��" ,�-� �,.-�-, !--�.. ; �_, �� .��. .�'w ' .J SC�E��l`�T��A . OFFICE ASSISTANT The City of Scandia is accepting applications for a part-time (approx. 12 hrs/wk) Office Assistant. The position will perform a wide variety of office support functions including receiving visitors, answering telephone inquiries, using word processing and spreadsheet software to produce correspondence, reports and mailing lists, copying and distributing agenda packets for City Council and committees, processing mail, creating and maintaining filing systems and assisting with licensing and permitting. Minimum qualifications include: high school diploma or equivalent education, one year of skilled clerical or office support experience, valid driver's license and good driving record. Pay range is $11.16 to $13.64 per hour. City application required. For a copy of the application materials, contact the city at: 651 433-2274, or visit the city web site at www.ci.scandia.mn.us. Submit completed application packet to: City of Scandia, 14727 209th St. N., Scandia MN, 55073 by 4:00 p.m., Friday June 10, 2011. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER For publication in: Forest Lake Times, May 25, 2011 Country Messenger, May 26, 2011 City of Scandia Website Minnesota League of Cities Publications 14727 209'h St. N., Scandia, Minnesota 55073 Phone (651) 433-2274 Fax (651) 433-51 12 http://ww�n�.ci.scandia.mn.us