AGENDA ITEM
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR
AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: CARLO TOMAINO
CITY MANAGER
BY: GABINO LUNA
ACTING DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS
PATRICIA AHUMADA
HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER
SUBJECT: RESOLUTION AMENDING THE CLASSIFICATION AND COMPENSATION PLAN
title
summary
Summary:
At the City Council meeting of February 24, 2026, staff received approval for all mid-year budget adjustment requests, which included the incorporation of a full-time Water Systems Supervisor position as part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-26 Operating Budget and the Public Works Department Personnel Summary. The addition of the full-time Water Systems Supervisor position is offset by reducing the number of Senior Water Systems Operators from three to two budgeted personnel. The adopted Water Rate Study incorporated the personnel change as part of the rate structure over the next five-year period. To formalize the approval, staff recommends the City Council adopt a resolution to amend the classification and classification plan. Staff would then proceed with the recruitment for the new position to fill in the current fiscal year. The proposed appropriation for this new classification is included as part of the mid-year budget adjustment; staff would subsequently include this position as part of the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Operating Budget.
Strategic Plan Goal(s):
Goal No. 5 High-Functioning Government: Strengthen internal communication, recruitment, retention, systems, and processes to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of City services.
recommendation
Recommendation:
Staff recommends the City Council:
1. Adopt a resolution, entitled:
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING THE CLASSIFICATION AND COMPENSATION PLAN TO INCLUDE A WATER SYSTEMS SUPERVISOR
2. Approve the proposed salary range for the Water Systems Supervisor.
3. Assign the Water Systems Supervisor position to the Signal Hill Employees’ Association (SHEA) bargaining unit.
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Fiscal Impact:
As part of the mid-year budget review, the City Council approved additional appropriations to support staff requests for personnel changes. The salary range outlined in this report is consistent with the projections presented at mid-year. Since the City Council recently approved the proposed adjustments, there is no fiscal impact associated with the approval of this item beyond what was presented to the City Council at the meeting of February 24, 2026.
Background:
In May 2025, the City Council adopted the Water Master Plan with updated water service rates, following all applicable legislative processes. These actions are essential to support ongoing operations, replace aging infrastructure, and ensure continued compliance with state and federal regulations. The Water Master Plan and Water Rate Study Report identified the need to incorporate the Water Systems Supervisor position in the operations projections to ensure the City’s water system retains highly trained and certified staff, keeps up with operational coverage demands, maintains compliance with current and future state and federal water quality, safety, environmental regulations and standards, and enhances existing programs.
In August 2025, Human Resources engaged the consulting firm Public Pay to conduct a compensation and organizational survey of agencies operating comparable water distribution and treatment systems. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the City’s current structure and identify opportunities to strengthen recruitment and retention within the Water Division. Based on the consultant’s findings and management’s operational assessment, staff concluded that adding a Water Systems Supervisor position would enhance oversight and efficiency within the division to provide quality water services to residents, while improving the City’s ability to attract and retain qualified personnel (Attachment A). The Water Rate Study considered the costs for this position and incorporated this into the proposed rate structure.
Analysis:
In conjunction with the mid-year review of the FY 2025-26 Operating Budget, City management evaluated departmental operations and staffing levels and developed recommendations aligned with adopted workplans and strategic priorities. As part of this process, management conducted a focused review of the Public Works Water Division’s organizational structure and service demands.
Public Pay conducted a comparative analysis of similarly sized agencies operating equivalent water distribution and treatment systems. The study included an evaluation of organizational structures and a compensation survey for the Water Systems Supervisor classification. Based on the salary survey findings, staff recommends establishing the following salary range for the Water Systems Supervisor position, in addition to the adoption of the new position:
|
|
Step A |
Step B |
Step C |
Step D |
Step E |
Step F |
|
Annual |
91629.00 |
96210.45 |
101020.97 |
106072.02 |
111375.62 |
116944.40 |
|
Monthly |
7635.75 |
8017.54 |
8418.41 |
8839.34 |
9281.30 |
9745.37 |
Staff further recommends assigning the position to the Signal Hill Employees’ Association (SHEA) bargaining unit. City representatives met and conferred with SHEA regarding the addition of this classification and reached an agreement on its inclusion in the unit (Attachment B).
Adjusted FTE Allocation for FY 2025-26:
The Personnel Summary includes the FTE count by department and is included in each year’s adopted operating budget. The inclusion of the Water Systems Supervisor position in the Enterprise Operations Budget Summary for FY 2025-26 will not result in an increase in total Full-Time Equivalent (FTE), as position quantities would be reallocated. To account for the addition of the Water Systems Supervisor position, the Senior Water Systems Operators FTE would be reduced from three to two budgeted personnel. The chart below denotes the reallocation of positions with a net zero impact in total FTE count:
|
Current Positions |
Current FTE |
Proposed FTE |
FTE Change |
|
Water Systems Superintendent |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Water Systems Supervisor |
0 |
1 |
+1 |
|
Senior Water Systems Operator |
3 |
2 |
-1 |
|
Water Systems Operator I |
2 |
2 |
0 |
|
Water Systems Operator II |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Water Utility Worker I |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Water Utility Worker II |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Water Account Specialist II |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Change |
|
|
0 |
The position is essential to ensure long-term, uninterrupted regulatory compliance within the department by providing dedicated oversight of water system operations, monitoring evolving state and federal regulatory requirements, and ensuring timely implementation of compliance measures. Establishing this role strengthens institutional knowledge, supports proactive planning, documentation, reporting and reduces reliance on reactive or overtime-driven responses. Over time, the position also promotes operational continuity, risk reduction and workforce stability, all of which are essential to maintaining consistent compliance and protecting public health.
Staff recommends adding the Water Systems Supervisor position to better position the City to continue meeting its overarching strategic plan goals, support employee development and promotional opportunities and attract talented candidates seeking long-term careers with Signal Hill. Staff prepared the attached resolution updating the City’s Classification and Compensation Plan to include the Water Systems Supervisor position (Attachment C).
Reviewed for Fiscal Impact:
_________________________
Siamlu Cox
Attachments:
A. Exhibit A - Water Systems Supervisor Class Spec 2026-1
B. SHEA Side Letter Agreement
C. Resolution Amending Class and Comp Plan