DATE: May 6, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Water Utilities Department
TITLE: UPDATE TO THE CITY OF OCEANSIDE SALARY SCHEDULE FOR WATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT SUPERINTENDENT POSITION
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council approve and adopt the revised City of Oceanside Salary Schedule updating the pay range for Water and Wastewater Treatment Superintendent positions effective the pay period following ratification and adoption of this recommendation.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
The salary schedule presented for adoption reflects a change to the salary schedule increasing the pay range for the Water and Wastewater Treatment Superintendent positions (WTS & WWTS) in an effort to address the significant recruiting difficulty for the WTS position.
The WTS position in the Water Utilities Department leads and manages the City's two drinking water treatment plants. These two plants produce and supply all treated water to the City, saving the City about 10 million dollars ($10,000,000) a year when compared to the cost of purchasing already treated water. This position requires a T5 Water Treatment Operator certification issued by the State Water Resources Control Board ("the Board"), and serves as the Board mandated Chief Plant Operator (CPO) for our City's T5 treatment system. A T5 Water Treatment Operator certificate is the highest certification available for this position, and is needed due to the complicated nature of the City's water filtration plant operations. The role also involves serving as liaison between the City and the Board. The position communicates regularly with the Board regarding permit related changes and issues, is responsible for reviewing and signing monthly compliance reports and, is ultimately responsible for delivery of safe drinking water to the City.
The WTS position was created and approved by Council on June 4, 2025, due to the City's inability to hire a Chief Plant Operator - a po...
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