For the third time since December 2014, San Marino city staff will begin looking for a Parks and Public Works Director/City Engineer.
The San Marino City Council awarded a contract on Wednesday, Feb. 10 to an outside firm to help with the search. A recruiter at VCA Code Staffing Solutions, a recruitment firm that specializes in city engineer searches, asked if the city of San Marino would retain their services, said San Marino City Manager John Schaefer.
Since VCA has an ongoing relationship with the city, it offered to do the recruitment for $13,000.
The city reached out to two other firms, but both bids were higher. Randstad Engineering and the Avery Group both proposed 20 percent of the first year’s salary for the position, which would amount to $23,755.20. This is industry standard, Schaefer said.
VCA has access to a wide variety of engineers, which the city did not have access to in the first two searches. The firm guarantees the person they find will be successful for a year. If not, they will find a second person to fill the position. San Marino is somewhat unique in salary ranges and pension issues, Schaefer said.
“We’re going to have to find someone special,” he said. “They have access to these people.”
Recruitment was originally done internally, with fliers and postings in professional publications. The first recruitment effort began in December, 2014 and ended Jan. 22, 2015. Seven applicants were interviewed, and three moved on to a second interview. However, none were a good fit, said Lucy Garcia, assistant city manager.
The second recruitment effort began on May 27, 2015. The announcement read “open until filled,” but just one applicant applied through July, 2015. That application was not sufficient to establish an open, competitive list, she said.
City staff decided it would be best to take a break from recruitment and revisit the matter later.
“Hopefully this third round will yield applicants,” Garcia said.
City Council had budgeted for Administrative Recruitments, but there were not sufficient funds. It voted to move $13,000 of salary savings from the vacant Parks and Public Works position into the Administrative Recruitments budget to cover the cost.
In addition to her other duties in Human Resources and as Assistant City Manager, Garcia has filled in as city engineer for four years. The new position of Parks and Public Works Director/City Engineer position was created in December of 2014 to help streamline the Assistant City Manager position.
The job description as Parks and Public Works Director includes directing and supervising crews engaged in the repair and maintenance of street, sidewalk, sewer, public buildings and city vehicles; supervising capital construction projects, assisting in the formulation of plans for repair and construction of landscapes areas.
As for city engineer, some of the job responsibilities include leading all of the city’s engineering services, advising administrative officials and department heads on engineering matters and providing engineering support and plan checks to the Planning and Building Department.
