Confidential status is designated for classifications that regularly assist or act in a confidential capacity to persons who formulate, determine and effectuate management policies in employer-employee relations, and/or who regularly have access to confidential information concerning meeting and conferring matters between the City and employee organizations.  Classifications with the confidential designation receive a 3.5% salary differential, per the City’s salary resolution.

The need to reclassify the position responsible for processing the City’s payroll, from Accountant Confidential to Senior Accountant Confidential, was identified in a job study requested by the Director of Finance.  The need to establish the class of Office Assistant-Confidential was identified as the result re-allocating a vacant management position to create a clerical support position in the Human Resources Department.

A job study conducted by Human Resources at the request of the Finance Director determined that a position, currently classified as Confidential Accountant, has been performing duties and responsibilities that exceed the scope of work described in the current class specification.  These duties of the position include participating, planning, directing, and coordinating the activities associated with the administration of the City's payroll, including serving as the lead for professional and clerical staff processing the City's payroll.  It was determined that the Senior Accountant classification more accurately describes the scope and level of work and lead responsibility required of the position.

On the basis of the job study, the Confidential Accountant position is recommended to be reclassified to the level of Confidential Senior Accountant.  In addition, a subclass description of Senior Accountant: Payroll has been prepared to more appropriately recognize the scope of duties performed by the position and meet the Department's interest to more specifically describe the payroll duties.  The new sub-class specification is included as an attachment to this report.

The Office Assistant Confidential classification will be used to provide clerical support to the Human Resources Department.  As a result of recent budget reductions, Human Resources re-allocated a management position to create a clerical support position. All non-management employees in the Human Resources Department are designated as "confidential", due to the nature of the work performed.

Presently, Senior Accountant and Office Assistant are included only in Pay Plan Category B (Miscellaneous Classified Employees). Since the duties of the positions meet the criteria for confidential designation, it is necessary to establish comparable classifications in Pay Plan Category G (Confidential Employees).

There will be no impact to the fiscal budget, as the departments have planned for these classification changes, in the event the recommendations are approved.  The Finance Department will absorb the salary differential of the higher classification and confidential premium for Senior Accountant-Confidential in the existing operating budget.  The Human Resources Department re-allocated a vacant position to cover the cost of the Office Assistant-Confidential.   

Public contact was made through posting of the Council agenda on the City's official notice bulletin board, posting of the agenda and report on the City's web page, and the availability of the report in the Library and the City Clerk's Office.

1.      Amend the City's Classification Plan to include the classifications of Senior Accountant-Confidential and Office Assistant-Confidential, and incorporate these classes in the FY 2003-04 Salary Resolution.

2.      Do not amend the Classification and do not include these classifications in the FY 2003-04 Salary Resolution.

Adopt Alternative 1; amend the City's Classification Plan to include the classifications of Senior Accountant-Confidential and Office Assistant-Confidential and incorporate the classifications in the FY 2003-04 salary resolution.