TO: Chair and Housing Authority Commissioners
THROUGH: Keith Stahley, Executive Director
FROM: Nicole Utz, Housing Administrator
Kristin Retherford, Community Planning and Development Director
Krishna Namburi, Enterprise Services Director
SUBJECT:
title
Adding new positions to the current budget and creation of a new job classification and pay range.
Ward(s): All Wards
Commissioners(s): All Commissioners
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
Result Area(s): Good Governance
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SUMMARY:
summary
To improve staffing levels within the Salem Housing Authority (SHA) Property Management Team, it is recommended to add four new positions to the current budget and create a new job classification and pay range to use for filling vacant and existing positions. Adding new positions will improve the operational and strategic efforts of the agency, as well as ensure daily operations are met and consistent customer service levels are provided to the residents within the communities that Salem Housing Authority owns and operates. Creation of a new job classification and pay range will improve overall response times and vacant unit turn over work related to adding nearly 142 additional units of supportive housing to our portfolio since 2020. The additional positions will create additional career growth opportunities at SHA and improve succession plans for key positions.
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ISSUE:
Shall Salem Housing Authority approve the addition of four new positions to the current SHA budget and creation of a new job classification and pay range effective February 26, 2024.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Approve the addition of four new positions to the current SHA budget and creation of a new job classification and pay range effective February 26, 2024.
body
FACTS AND FINDINGS:
SHA recently completed Sequoia Crossings, which is an additional 60 units of Permanent Supportive Housing that is now being leased to residents. The addition of Sequoia Crossings within the same year as opening the doors to Yaquina Hall has stretched the Property Management team’s capacity to provide the best possible customer service to our residents. An organizational assessment for the addition to our portfolio was completed based on best practices for Property Management and Maintenance, and the conclusion is that four additional staff are needed. Results of the assessment found that current staffing levels are not adequate and will not properly support the level of preventative maintenance and finance operations necessary to run a portfolio of 789 units. SHA continues to face significant challenges in retaining staff due to the rising work volume, challenges in the types of work performed in housing services, and the additional staff is necessary to balance workloads, provide adequate back up coverage when needed for extended or protected leaves, and increase our overall effectiveness.
SHA employs 53 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff; this includes the Mechanical team which is comprised of one Maintenance Mechanic and six lead mechanics for over 789 units of housing. The agency’s staffing level has not increased in property management following the addition of 142 new units to the SHA portfolio since 2020, yet the demand for services has increased dramatically. This has caused a disproportionate level of staff to the needs of the property management, finance and maintenance department and services required to perform to meet regulatory restrictions of the property. This has had significant impact on staff coverage ratios and burn-out in this industry.
Based on the organizational assessment of position needs and market compensation, the following new positions are recommended to be added to the current SHA budget:
1. 1 FTE position - Facility Maintenance Tech 1 SHA job class and pay range: $28.64 - $34.99 per hour (lead maintenance mechanic/ property management)
2. 1 FTE position - Maintenance Mechanic SHA job class and pay range: $23.62 - $28.89 per hour (mechanic/ property management)
3. 1 FTE position - Accounting Assistant (new) job class and pay range: $24.68 - $30.11 per hour (Accounts receivable/ finance)
4. 1 FTE position - Staff Assistant SHA job class and pay range: $23.62 - $28.89 per hour (Property Management)
Adding a lead mechanic and mechanic position to the organizational structure will improve daily operations and preventative maintenance oversight to SHA’s permanent supportive housing portfolio. Addition of the accounting assistant (new classification for SHA, currently used by the City of Salem) will allow the agency to split the accounts payable and accounts receivable functions and cross train staff for coverage. This will allow greater oversight into our property management receivables to ensure rent payments, housing assistance payments and various other receivables are entered into financial software timely and accurately for investment partner financial reporting deadlines. Addition of the staff assistant to property management will support the property management coordinator by addressing ongoing daily needs at permanent supportive housing locations. This will ensure daily coverage between the three locations to ensure additional resident services are being addressed timely, ensure support is onsite for delivery or retrieval of paperwork, work orders are entered timely, rent is collected and entered daily which in turn will support the mechanic team, finance team and the property manager for the permanent supportive housing portfolio by assisting with housing projects and program service levels, and performing the work to achieve goals, and identify priorities for each site.
Funding for the new positions and use of an established job classification and pay range are available through the various grant programs, central office fees, Property Management revenue from Sequoia Crossings, Yaquina Hall, Redwood Crossings, and unobligated Capitol Fund Program for the remainder of this fiscal year. The costs for the new positions, use of a new job classification and pay range are estimated to have a fiscal impact of approximately $201,622 for the remainder of the federal fiscal year.
BACKGROUND:
Krishna Namburi
Enterprise Services Director
Attachments:
1. None.