06/22/1992 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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taining the status quo until it is possible to distinguish policy effective- e ness from program efficiency. The council should address policy effective- ness, he said, and leave program efficiency within the Manager's purview. Mr. Gleason argued for maintaining a market-based compensation policy due to its value in collective bargaining. The council discussed the criteria to be used by the City in selecting public and private sector agencies to survey. Mr. Gleason explained that the size of the recruitment area depends on the position being recruited; for example, to recruit black police officers, the City must look outside the local area. Ms. Norris explained that the geographical area of recruitment is expanded for two reasons: to achieve a sufficiently large pool of qualified applicants, and to achieve sufficient diversity in that pool. She said that criteria can include social issues; for example, the City currently lacks enough Spanish-speaking police officers. Mr. Gleason stated that the Federal government requires the City to be able to demonstrate that its work force reflects the ethnic composition of the commu- nity. In effect, the City must seek a balance in order to avoid vulnerability to lawsuits from either minorities or whites claiming bias in City employment policies. Mr. Green stated that City leaders appeared to favor a policy on diversity in hiring that sought only the minimum necessary compliance with the law. Mr. Gleason responded that the numbers of minorities in the City's work force e already exceed Federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) standards in many job categories; in others, the City is aggressively recruiting minorities in the belief that the community's composition will become more racially and ethnically diverse in the future. In response to Mr. Boles' suggestion that the City's objectives be reflected in the written criteria, he stated that in order to avoid lawsuit, the City's policy must not dictate favoring or exclud- ing any group. Ms. Norris suggested rewriting the criterion to state that the geographical area used by the City in selecting public and private sector agencies to sur- vey should assist the City in meeting its affirmative action goals. Mr. Boles suggested adding that the area should contain applicants who will provide optimum service for the City's changing, diverse population. The council agreed with both suggestions. Mr. Boles stated that the City currently sets entry-level wages at 25 percent below the final rate paid to the employee after years of service. He proposed that entry-level compensation be reduced to 35 percent below the market median for that position, so that an employee must work two more years than at present before reaching the highest rate of compensation. Ms. Norris replied that that would be a matter for negotiation with the City's unions. Mr. Gleason stated that the City's current employment situation is relatively satisfactory, and may not require serious modifications. ~ e MINUTES--City Council Work Session June 22, 1992 Page 3 5:30 p.m.