Title
Resolution to Increase Community Services Authorized Staffing Level (FY20 $55,296.00) (8 Votes Required)
Memorandum
The City of Ann Arbor’s Community Services Area is requesting the approval of one additional full time equivalent (FTE) in the FY20 budget to accommodate the growing demand for energy and sustainability-related services within our rental, building development, and homeowner communities.
Budget/Fiscal Impact: This position would be paid for with the City’s Office of Sustainability and Innovations covering 50% of the salary and 50% from the Construction Fund. This position will not require any additional resources from the General Fund. It is estimated that this position would be filled for 7 months during FY20 and that the total cost would be $55,296.00 in FY20. The total cost of this position for FY21 is estimated to be $105,092.00. The Construction Fund will require a budget appropriation in the amount of $27,648.00 to cover their 50% share of this positon in FY20.
Community Services administers the City’s Building, Rental, and Inspection Services. This includes the City’s rental housing inspection work, which involves working directly with landlords to ensure all rental units within the City are safe for tenants. Over the last several years, interest has grown in integrating sustainability-related initiatives into the City’s rental housing and other building-related services. Specifically, the City has identified a need to work directly with landlords, tenants, and developers to support their efforts to become more sustainable.
One initial activity to help advance sustainability within the rental community is the creation of a new Green Rental Efficiency program at the City. This program has been outlined in the Office of Sustainability and Innovations 5-year work plan and would help ensure that all rental units in Ann Arbor are both safe and efficient. Creating this program will necessitate extensive engagement with many in the rental and building community (i.e., landlords, tenants, contractors, builders and leasing agents), within the broader community, and within City government.
Community Services and the Office of Sustainability and Innovations are committed to seeing this program created in a way that is responsive to Council’s stated sustainability priorities while also respecting the needs and abilities of our rental and building community. Currently, neither Community Services nor the Office of Sustainability and Innovations has a full-time equivalent position vacant that could be used to fill this need. The departments are collaborating to propose a new FTE which would be titled a Community Engagement Specialist, which works jointly between Community Services and the Office of Sustainability and Innovations.
In addition to providing the capacity needed to launch this new program and provide outreach and engagement with landlord, tenant, and other rental stakeholders, this position will help institutionalize sustainability within the City. More specifically, by having someone within Community Services that understands the City’s Building, Rental, and Inspection Services, as well as sustainability, we will be helping to ensure that sustainability-related ideas and thinking continue to permeate the entire culture in Community Services.
Given emerging community interest in the Green Rental and Building Efficiency program and the City’s continued overall commitment to sustainability, a decision was made to request this FTE so that we could immediately begin working on this program so that it can be created and ready to support community stakeholders in as timely a manner as possible.
Staff
Prepared by: Derek Delacourt, Community Services Administrator
Prepared by: Missy Stults, Sustainability and Innovations Manager
Reviewed by: Tom Crawford, Chief Financial Officer
Approved by: Howard S. Lazarus, City Administrator
Body
Whereas, The City of Ann Arbor has a goal to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions 25% by the year 2025 (from a 2000 baseline level);
Whereas, The Ann Arbor City Council has asked for staff to find ways to embed sustainability into Service Areas outside the Office of Sustainability and Innovations to help institutionalize sustainability-related thinking and activities across the organization;
Whereas, Community Services already operates Building, Rental, and Inspection Services, including a rental safety program that ensures all rental units are code compliant for habitation;
Whereas, There has been growing interest amongst members of the rental and building community to integrate more sustainability and climate friendly practices into their operations;
Whereas, The Office of Sustainability and Innovations has created a five-year work plan which explicitly calls out the need to create a Green Rental Building Efficiency program;
Whereas, Community Services and the Office of Sustainability is recommending hiring an additional FTE to create and administer the Green Rental and Building Efficiency program;
Whereas, The Office of Sustainability has funding available in their FY20 budget for their 50% share of this position through savings created by vacancies and salary savings;
Whereas, The Office of Sustainability has funding available in the anticipated FY21 budget for their 50% share of this position;
RESOLVED, That City Council authorize the addition of 1 FTE for Community Services, to take effect as soon as possible; and
RESOLVED, That City Council appropriate $27,648.00 from the Construction Fund fund balance to the Construction Fund for Community Services portion of this position in FY20 and that the funds be made available without regard to fiscal year.
As Amended and Approved by Ann Arbor City Council on October 21, 2019