ITEM:            CONSENT CALENDAR

 

8.         CONSIDER AUTHORIZATION OF MITIGATION FUNDS TO CONTRACT FOR

            ONE WATER RESOURCES ASSISTANT POSITION

 

Meeting Date:           June 16, 2003                         Budgeted: Yes           

Program/Line Item No.: Fisheries 2-4-2B

Staff Contact:             Cynthia Schmidlin                  Cost Estimate: $16,500

 

General Counsel Approval: N/A

Committee Recommendation:  The Administrative Committee reviewed this item on June 10, 2003 and recommended approval.

CEQA Compliance: N/A

 

 

SUMMARY:  The contract Water Resources Assistant position is designed to assist with the District’s fisheries and aquatic resources program, as well as assist staff in groundwater and surface water monitoring programs within the Water Resources Division.  Funding for this position is included in the 2003-2004 Fiscal Year (FY) budget. Authorization is requested to rehire a contract Water Resources Assistant, with that individual entering into an agreement with the District for up to 1000 hours of work between July 1, 2003 and June 30, 2004.

 

RECOMMENDATION:  Authorize the expenditure of funds to rehire a Water Resources Assistant to assist the fishery biologists and hydrologists with field and administrative tasks, for up to a total of 1000 hours during FY 2003-2004 at a salary of $13.77 per hour. The Administrative Committee considered this item at its June 10, 2003 meeting and voted 2 to 0 to recommend approval.

 

IMPACTS TO STAFF/RESOURCES: The budget for FY 2003-2004 includes funds to pay the part-time, contract Water Resources Assistant position for a maximum of 1000 hours.  Funds totaling $16,500 are included in the Fisheries Mitigation Program as line item 2-4-2B in the Summary of Project Expenditures section of the FY 2003-2004 Budget. A similar amount was budgeted during FY 2002-2003. The Board should note that other than an hourly wage, these employees receive no District benefits except for those required by law (e.g. workers compensation coverage.)

 

BACKGROUND:  The Water Resources Assistant position was created in December 1998 to assist staff in the Water Resources Division with field and administrative tasks, including  implementation of the smolt survival experiments at Los Padres Dam, rescuing of juvenile steelhead in the lower Carmel River,  surveying of steelhead spawning habitat, and monitoring of groundwater and surface water resources within the Monterey Peninsula Water Resources System. This position is needed to help ensure that tasks for the District’s Fisheries Mitigation Program are completed on schedule.

 

The duties of the Water Resources Assistant are listed in the job description attached as Exhibit 8-A. The Assistant works in the Water Resources Division and will be supervised by the Senior Fisheries Biologist.                                                  

 

 

 

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