ITEM:		CONSENT CALENDAR
5.	AUTHORIZE FUNDS TO CONTRACT FOR LIMITED-TERM FIELD POSITIONS DURING FY 2019-2010
Meeting Date:			June 17, 2019	Budgeted:	Yes
From:			David J. Stoldt, General Manager	Program/	Aquatic Resources Fisheries
				Line Item No.:	2-3-1 J, 2-3-2 B, C, F; 2-3-4 E, F
Prepared By:			Suresh Prasad	Cost Estimate:	Up to $99,320
General Counsel Approval: N/A
Committee Recommendation: The Administrative Committee reviewed this item on June 10, 2018 and recommended approval
CEQA Compliance: This action does not constitute a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15378.

SUMMARY: The District has funded limited-term positions to assist District staff in the completion of field activities for many years. These positions are not on the District organization chart and these incumbents are not included in the District bargaining units. The schedules for these positions are part-time and largely seasonal in nature. Contracts are for six-month periods of time or less. However, limited-term employees may be offered subsequent contracts up to a total of 1,000 hours per year. Funding for these positions is included in the proposed 2019-2020 Fiscal Year (FY) budget.

Authorization is requested to hire several part-time limited-term Water Resources Assistants for a total of 2,293 hours. The hours will be used for summer-fall juvenile fish rescues, fall population sampling, Sleepy Hollow Steelhead Rearing Facility operations and weekend coverage, spring smolt rescues [if needed in 2020], and winter adult steelhead weir operations [new additional work]. These positions are essential to staff crews led by permanent staff, as well as to prevent the accrual of excessive compensatory time and overtime for higher level regular full-time positions. The Water Resources Assistants would be paid $15.75 to $16.00 per hour and cost up to $36,120.

Authorization is also requested to hire several part-time limited-term Fisheries Aides for up to a total of 3,763 hours of work during FY 2019-2020. These individuals will assist staff with basic labor tasks in the intensive rescues of steelhead juveniles and smolts in the lower Carmel River, as well as fall population sampling, spring smolt rescues [if needed in 2020], and winter adult steelhead weir operations [new additional work]. The Fisheries Aides would be paid $14.75 to $15.00 per hour and cost up to $55,500.

Lastly, authorization is requested to hire a weekend Fish Rescue Crew Leader for up to a total of 64 -128 hours, which is necessary in dryer Water Year Types when the river dries back fast enough to require rescues to occur up to seven days a week. This biologist must be deemed qualified to lead a crew handling steelhead and avoiding contact with and take of red-legged frogs by three agencies; the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Currently the three Fisheries Program staff are the only such qualified personnel in the county, and the Fish Rescue Crew Leader will need to be contracted from a consulting firm in Santa Cruz or the Bay-Area. We are budgeting up to $7,700 for this position if needed, with the hourly rate to be determined after receiving bids from qualified consulting firms.

RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the expenditure of funds to hire several limited-term Water Resources Assistants for up to a total of 2,293 hours of work; several Fisheries Aides for up to 3,763 hours of work; and one Fish Rescue Crew Leader for up to a total of 128 hours of work, between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020. The approval of this item is contingent upon the adoption of FY 2019-2020 budget by the Board.

IMPACTS TO STAFF/RESOURCES: The total cost of the limited-term contracts described above would not exceed $99,320, $19,200 of which won’t be utilized unless it is a Dry or Critically Dry Water Year Type [~25% probability], and $7,700 won’t be utilized unless there is a rapid dry back of the lower river requiring weekend fish rescues. It should also be noted that limited-term employees receive no District benefits. In addition to their hourly wages, additional costs to the District are limited to legally mandated payroll taxes and workers compensation insurance premiums. The FY 2019-2010 budget includes $99,320 for these limited-term field positions. They are listed in the Project Expenditures section, under the Aquatic Resources Fisheries and Hydrologic Programs.

BACKGROUND:

A. Water Resources Assistants: This job classification was created in December 1998 to assist staff in the Water Resources Division with field and administrative tasks, including rescuing of juvenile steelhead in the lower Carmel River, surveying of steelhead populations and spawning habitat, and monitoring of groundwater and surface water resources within the Monterey Peninsula Water Resource System. It is needed to help ensure that tasks for the District’s Fisheries Mitigation Program are completed on schedule. They have also been integral in conducting the California Stream Bioassessment Procedure (CSBP), developed by the Department of Fish and Game as a rapid bioassessment protocol and method to track overall stream health. Without the assistance of limited-term help, the ability to conduct these tasks would be compromised. Additionally, the Water Resources Assistants will support regular staff with lagoon water quality monitoring, well production and groundwater quality historical data compilation, and grant projects. These employees will work in the Water Resources Division and be supervised by the Senior Fisheries Biologist.

C. Fisheries Aides: Over the past two decades, District staff has initiated rescues when streamflow receded below ten cubic feet per second at Highway One. This has occurred anytime between March and September. The District will be rescuing and transporting three groups of steelhead, including smolts, kelts (spawned-out adults) and juveniles. The smolts and kelts will be transported downstream to the lagoon or ocean, while juveniles will be transported upstream to permanent habitats above the Narrows. Additional help is needed to successfully perform this critical function. If staff attempted to conduct rescues with fewer workers, more fish would be lost because a smaller crew cannot effectively keep up with the number needing rescue and cannot work fast enough to keep up with the retreating river front. It would also increase the risk of on-the-job injuries for people working too strenuously as they attempt to complete two critical jobs in the same period of time. The incumbents of this position will work in the Water Resources Division and be supervised by the Senior Fisheries Biologist.

EXHIBIT

None

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