DATE: March 26, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Development Services Department
TITLE: MODIFY AN EXISTING LICENSED LAND SURVEYOR POSITION TO CITY LAND SURVEYOR AND ELIMINATE AN ASSOCIATE ENGINEER POSITION
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council approve the modification of an existing authorized full-time benefitted Licensed Land Surveyor position to a full-time benefited City Land Surveyor position in the Development Services Department, eliminate one Associate Engineer position and use the salary savings to support the modification of the surveying position, effective immediately.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
The Development Services Department has one existing authorized Licensed Land Surveyor position in the Engineering Division’s Land Development section. The position is responsible for a number of survey-related items including, but not limited to:
• Providing field survey services in support of various City projects and programs;
• Reviewing parcel maps, final maps, Encroachment Removal Agreements, lot mergers, easement dedications/vacations, right-of-way dedications/vacations, and Certificates of Compliance;
• Reviewing Building Division submittals that require verification of easements and rights-of-way information;
• Reviewing entitlement projects for accuracy of provided survey information;
• Maintaining the City’s Survey Control Network;
• Verifying various property line determinations for City Attorney’s Office, Property Management, and Risk Management staff;
• Monitoring and maintaining the City’s Survey Benchmark System;
• Overseeing the monument preservation program (existing Capital Improvement Program Project);
• Assisting the general public, developers, design firms, utilities and contractors with survey-related questions and providing survey information including record maps, street centerline ties/notes and other survey related documentation; and,
• Signing maps and processing documents for official recording with the County Recorder’s Office
The Licensed Land Surveyor position was vacated in June 2023 when the incumbent left the City for a higher paying opportunity in a similar field. A recruitment process was initiated to fill the vacancy; however, it was very challenging to find an experienced applicant at the salary offered. Staff has concluded that the City’s salary range for the Licensed Land Surveyor position is unable to compete with higher salary ranges in the private sector for similar positions. The proposed City Land Surveyor position would offer a higher salary than the existing Licensed Land Surveyor position while expanding the scope of surveying services that would be covered by the modified position.
The California Subdivision Map Act requires a local agency to designate a person responsible for all surveying work completed within that agency, including review of Maps, legal descriptions, and other land-related documents. With the Licensed Land Surveyor position vacant for the last 21 months, the Development Services Department has relied on its on-call consulting firm to fulfill this legal requirement by completing technical aspects of the position. Currently, the City relies on on-call consultant surveying support services in the amount of $250,000 to cover limited surveying services. In comparison, the fully burdened rate of the proposed position is $191,500. Since the vacancy that occurred in June 2023, the City has spent $407,408 for limited consultant surveying services as previously noted.
The Development Services Department requests the City Council approve the modification of the existing authorized full-time benefitted Licensed Land Surveyor position to a full-time benefited City Land Surveyor position. An in-house City Land Surveyor would be responsible for handling the surveying process from start to finish. The position would also take on important duties that have been postponed since the Licensed Land Surveyor position was vacated such as maintaining the City’s Survey Control Network, overseeing the monument preservation program, and signing maps and processing documents for official recording with the County Recorder’s Office. Approval of the modified Licensed Land Surveyor position would have additional benefits to the department and the City.
To accommodate the higher-salary differential between the Licensed Land Surveyor and City Land Surveyor positions, staff would fund the position by combining one existing authorized vacant full-time Associate Engineer position and the existing authorized vacant full-time Licensed Land Surveyor position.
FISCAL IMPACT
The estimated fully burdened annual cost of the proposed City Land Surveyor at step B is $191,500, which is approximately $43,700 higher than the current Licensed Land Surveyor. However, with the elimination of the Associate Engineer position, sufficient funds will be available for this change. Savings from the elimination of the Associate Engineer position will be under account 425010101.
|
FY 2025-26 |
Amount |
|
Recommended: City Land Surveyor |
$191,500 |
|
Reclass: Licensed Land Surveyor |
(147,800) |
|
Eliminate: Associate Engineer PCN EN03DS04 |
(189,000) |
|
Estimated Savings |
$145,300 |
COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE REPORT
Does not apply.
CITY ATTORNEY’S ANALYSIS
Does not apply.
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Prepared by: Brian K. Thomas, City Engineer
Reviewed by: Darlene Nicandro, Development Services Director
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager