HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 25 - Designation of Authority in Absence of Appointed Officials; Salary and Benefits for Acting City Manager Human Resources
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Item # 25
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
May 7, 2024
TOPIC: Designation of Authority in Absence of Appointed Officials; Salary and Benefits
for Acting City Manager
AGENDA TITLE
Resolution Repealing Resolution 2017-016 and Designating the Officers and
Employees of the City Authorized to Exercise the Authority of the Appointed Officials in
Their Respective Absences and Designating Salary and Benefits for the Acting City
Manager After Service of More Than Thirty Days
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Approve a Resolution repealing Resolution No. 2017-016 and designating the officers
and employees authorized to exercise authority of the City Manager, City Attorney, and
City Clerk in their respective absence and designating salary and benefits for the Acting
City Manager after service of more than thirty days.
RESOLUTION NO. 2024-XXX entitled A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF
SANTA ANA REPEALING RESOLUTION 2017-016 AND DESIGNATING THE
OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES OF THE CITY AUTHORIZED TO EXERCISE
AUTHORITY OF THE APPOINTED OFFICIALS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE ABSENCES
AND DESIGNATING SALARY AND BENEFITS FOR THE ACTING CITY MANAGER
AFTER SERVICE OF MORE THAN THIRTY DAYS
GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: No
DISCUSSION
In 2005, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2005-051 identifying those City
officers authorized to act as the City Manager in the absence of the City Manager. In
May 2017, Resolution No. 2005-051 was repealed by Resolution No. 2017-016 which
updated the titles of the officers and employees authorized to act as the City Manager in
the absence of the City Manager. Resolution No. 2017-016 also provided that the
Acting City Manager would receive a salary of $1 more than the Police Chief and
the benefits specified in the Executive Management compensation and benefits
resolution after service of more than thirty (30) days.
Designation of Authority in Absence of Appointed Officials; Salary and Benefits for Acting
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May 7, 2024
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The proposed Resolution identifies those City officers and executives who are
authorized to serve as the Acting City Manager in the absence of a designation by the
current City Manager or the City Council. The Santa Ana City Charter provides that the
City Manager may designate a person to act in his or her position for a temporary period
and the City Council has authority to appoint an Acting City Manager. The succession
identified in the proposed Resolution will only apply when the City Manager has not
made an appointment or the City Manager has left the service of the City and the City
Council has not appointed an Acting or Interim City Manager. The succession remains
the same as that set forth in Resolution No. 2017-016 and is as follows:
(1) Assistant City Manager;
(2) Deputy City Manager;
(3) Chief of Police;
(4) Executive Director of Finance and Management Services; and
(5) Executive Director of Human Resources.
As for compensation and benefits for an Acting City Manager, the proposed Resolution
provides that any person serving more than 30 days in an acting capacity, without a
contract or specific approval of the City Manager, shall receive the pay and benefits
provided to the Executive Management official with the highest base salary plus one
($1) dollar. The Acting City Manager will not, however, receive any pay or benefits that
are specific to public safety officers. The pay and benefits are specified to be
retroactive to the 31st day of service.
Currently, there is no resolution authorizing any City employee to act as the City
Attorney or the City Clerk in the absence of a designation by the respective Appointed
Official or the City Council. The proposed Resolution identifies those City employees in
the City Attorney’s Office and also in the City Clerk’s Office who would be authorized to
serve as the Acting City Attorney or Acting City Clerk in the respective absence of the
City Attorney and City Clerk. The succession identified in the proposed Resolution
would apply when the City Attorney or City Clerk has not made an Acting appointment
or the City Attorney or City Clerk have left the service of the City and the City Council
has not appointed an Acting or Interim City Attorney or City Clerk. The succession
proposed for the City Attorney is: (1) Chief Assistant City Attorney; (2) Senior Assistant
City Attorney. The succession proposed for the City Clerk is the Assistant City Clerk.
The proposed Resolution specifies that, to the extent there is more than one City officer
or employee with the same title, the designated officer or employee would be the last
person designated as Acting by the Appointed Official and if no officer or employee
had been designated as Acting by the Appointed Official, the designation would go to
the officer or employee that had their current title for the longest amount of time.
Designation of Authority in Absence of Appointed Officials; Salary and Benefits for Acting
City Manager
May 7, 2024
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FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
EXHIBIT(S)
1. Resolution
Submitted By: Lori Schnaider, Acting Executive Director of Human Resources
Approved By: Alvaro Nuñez, Acting City Manager
Resolution No. 2024-XXX
Page 1 of 4
RESOLUTION NO. 2024-XXX
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SANTA ANA REPEALING RESOLUTION 2017-016 AND
DESIGNATING THE OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES OF THE
CITY AUTHORIZED TO EXERCISE THE AUTHORITY OF THE
APPOINTED OFFICIALS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE ABSENCES
AND DESIGNATING SALARY AND BENEFITS FOR THE
ACTING CITY MANAGER AFTER SERVICE OF MORE THAN
THIRTY DAYS
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA AS
FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby finds, det ermines and
declares as follows:
A. By Resolution 2017-016, the City Council deputized certain city officers with
the power to act as City Manager under certain circumstances.
B. With the addition of officers of the City with the same title, the City Council
finds it necessary and advisable to repeal Resolution 2017-016; to clarify the
designation of officers of the City authorized to exercise the authority of the
City Manager in the City Manager’s absence; and modify the rules for
compensating an Acting City Manager serving for more than 30 days.
C. Currently, there is no succession resolution for the City Attorney or City Clerk
in the event of their absence. The City Council finds it necessary and
advisable to deputize certain City employees, in the offices of the City
Attorney and City Clerk, with the power to act as City Attorney and City Clerk
under certain circumstances.
D. This Resolution references “Appointed Official(s)” which means for purposes
of this Resolution, the City Manager, City Attorney and City Clerk.
Section 2. Resolution 2017-016 is hereby repealed and shall have no further
force or effect. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the repeal of said Resolution shall have no
effect upon any action taken by any city officer pursuant thereto prior to the effective date of
this Resolution.
Section 3. In the absence of a written designation by the City Manager in
accordance with Section 503 of the Santa Ana City Charter or designation by the City
Council, the following officers of the City, in the order designated, are deputized to exercise
any and all authority granted to the office of the City Manager by the charter and
Resolution No. 2024-XXX
Page 2 of 4
ordinances of the City of Santa Ana, by any resolution or agreement approved by the City
Council of the City of Santa Ana, or by any other legal authority:
(1) Assistant City Manager
(2) Deputy City Manager
(3) Chief of Police
(4) Executive Director of Finance and Management Services
(5) Executive Director of Human Resources
Each officer on the above list shall be considered senior to th e officers following
such officer on the above list for purposes of this Resolution. For purposes of this
Resolution, the term "City Manager" shall include any officer designated as "Acting City
Manager" by the City Council. Nothing herein shall limit or restrict the City Council from
designating an acting, interim or permanent City Manager.
Section 4. In the absence of a written designation by the City Attorney or
designation by the City Council, the following employees of the City Attorney’s office, in the
order designated, are deputized to exercise any and all authority granted to the office of the
City Attorney by the charter and ordinances of the City of Santa Ana, by any resolution or
agreement approved by the City Council of the City of Santa Ana, o r by any other legal
authority:
(1) Chief Assistant City Attorney1
(2) Senior Assistant City Attorney2
Each employee on the above list shall be considered senior to the employees
following such employee on the above list for purposes of this Resolution. For purposes of
this Resolution, the term "City Attorney" shall include any officer designated as "Acting City
Attorney" by the City Council. Nothing herein shall limit or restrict the City Council from
designating an acting, interim or permanent City Attorney.
Section 5. In the absence of a written designation by the City Clerk or designation
by the City Council, the Assistant City Clerk is deputized to exercise any and all authority
granted to the office of the City Clerk by the charter and ordinances of the City of Santa
Ana, by any resolution or agreement approved by the City Council of the City of Santa Ana,
or by any other legal authority.
For purposes of this Resolution, the term "City Clerk" shall include any officer
designated as "Acting City Clerk" by the City Council. Nothing herein shall limit or restrict
the City Council from designating an acting, interim or permanent City Clerk.
Section 6. In the event there is more than one city official or city employee with
the same title, the first city official or employee to be deputized pursuant to this Resolution
shall be the city official or employee that was last designated in writing in the acting role by
1 The title of Chief Assistant City Attorney includes Chief Assistant City Attorney-Employee Relations.
2 The title of Senior Assistant City Attorney includes Senior Assistant City Attorney-Employee Relations.
Resolution No. 2024-XXX
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the Appointed Official. In the event that none of the city officials or city employees had
previously been designated in an acting role, then the deputized city official or employee
that has held their title the longest will be deputized first.
Section 7. Any person designated as the Acting City Manager either by the City
Manager in accordance with Santa Ana City Charter Section 503 or by operation of this
Resolution, and who served for more than thirty (30) days, shall as of the 31st day of
service, receive the same base salary and benefits provided to the highest paid member of
the unrepresented Executive Management classification as set forth in the Basic
Compensation and Benefit Plan for Classes of Employment Designated as Unrepresented
Executive Management plus one dollar ($1.00); provided, however, that the Acting City
Manager shall not receive any benefits specific to law enforcement or public safety officers.
The compensation and benefits provided for herein shall be retroactive to the 31st day of
service. The City Council may by agreement approved by a majority vote of the Council
provide for different compensation, benefits and conditions of employment for an Acting
City Manager.
Section 8. Any person designated as the Acting City Attorney either by the City
Attorney in writing or by operation of this Resolution, and who served for more than thirty
(30) days, shall receive the compensation set forth in their bargaining unit ’s Memorandum
of Understanding with the City for an acting position designated as Executive Management.
Section 9. Any person designated as the Acting City Clerk either by the City Clerk
in writing or by operation of this Resolution, and who served for more than thirty (30) days,
shall receive the compensation set forth in their bargaining unit’s Memorandum of
Understanding with the City for an acting position designated as Executive Management.
Section 10. The authority granted by sections 3-5 of this Resolution shall only be
exercised by the officers or employees designated therein and only in accordance with the
following standards:
(a) The authority shall be exercised only in the absence of the Appointed Official;
and
(b) The authority shall be exercised only as to matters which cannot reasonably be
postponed until the return of the Appointed Official or as to minor and routine
matters.
Section 11. No action by an officer or employee designated in sections 3-5 of this
Resolution pursuant to the authority granted therein shall be invalid by reason of
noncompliance with the standards set forth in section s 7-9 of this Resolution. However, the
Appointed Official shall have the same authority to rescind such action as if such action had
been taken by the Appointed Official in the first instance.
Section 12. Nothing in this Resolution shall be construed to limit the existing
authority of the Appointed Officials to delegate matters for action by subordinate officers or
Resolution No. 2024-XXX
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employees or to designate subordinate officers or employees to act as his or her
representative on any matter.
Section 13. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption by the
City Council, and the City Clerk shall attest to and certify the vote adopting this Resolution.
ADOPTED this ____ day of May 2024.
_______________________
Valerie Amezcua
Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Sonia R. Carvalho, City Attorney
________________________
AYES: Councilmembers: ________________________________________
NOES: Councilmembers:
ABSENT: Councilmembers:
ABSTAIN: Councilmembers:
CERTIFICATE OF ATTESTATION AND ORIGINALITY
I, Jennifer L. Hall, City Clerk, do hereby attest to and certify the attached Resolution No.
2024-XXX to be the original resolution adopted by the City Council of the City of Santa Ana
on May __, 2024.
Date: ________________ ____________________________________
Jennifer L. Hall
City Clerk
City of Santa Ana