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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-07-25 EV Board Agenda and Packet MaterialsA. Call to Order - 6:00 PM B. Disclosures C. Changes to the Agenda D. Public Comments on Non-agenda Items Falling within the Purview and Jurisdiction of the Board THE ECONOMIC VITALITY BOARD OF BOZEMAN, MONTANA EVB AGENDA Wednesday, May 7, 2025 General information about the Economic Vitality Board is available in our Laserfiche repository. If you are interested in commenting in writing on items on the agenda please send an email to comments@bozeman.net or by visiting the Public Comment Page prior to 12:00pm on the day of the meeting. At the direction of the City Commission, anonymous public comments are not distributed to the Board or staff. Public comments will also be accepted in-person and through Video Conference during the appropriate agenda items. As always, the meeting will be streamed through the Commission's video page and available in the City on cable channel 190. For more information please contact Brit Fontenot, bfontenot@bozeman.net This meeting will be held both in-person and also using an online videoconferencing system. You can join this meeting: Via Video Conference: Click the Register link, enter the required information, and click submit. Click Join Now to enter the meeting. Via Phone: This is for listening only if you cannot watch the stream, channel 190, or attend in- person United States Toll +1 253 205 0468 Access code: 984 4147 6350 This is the time to comment on any non-agenda matter falling within the scope of the Economic Vitality Board. There will also be time in conjunction with each agenda item for public comment relating to that item but you may only speak once per topic. Please note, the Board cannot take action on any item which does not appear on the agenda. All persons addressing the Board shall speak in a civil and courteous manner and members of the audience shall be respectful of others. Please state your name, and state whether you are a resident of the city or a property owner within the city in an audible tone of voice for the record and limit your comments to three minutes. General public comments to the Board can be found in their Laserfiche repository folder. 1 E. Special Presentations E.1 Safety Training(Officer Sanders) F. FYI/Discussion F.1 Equal Pay Report(Norby) G. Adjournment This board generally meets the first Wednesday of the month from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. City Board meetings are open to all members of the public. If you have a disability and require assistance, please contact the ADA Coordinator, David Arnado, at 406.582.3232. 2 Memorandum REPORT TO:Economic Vitality Board FROM:Jesse DiTommaso, Economic Development Coordinator Brit Fontenot, Economic Development Director SUBJECT:Safety Training MEETING DATE:May 7, 2025 AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Administration RECOMMENDATION:Learn procedure for emergencies in the City Commission Room. STRATEGIC PLAN:3.1 Public Safety: Support high quality public safety programs, emergency preparedness, facilities, and leadership. BACKGROUND:The Bozeman Police Department will review emergency procedures for the Board. UNRESOLVED ISSUES:None. ALTERNATIVES:None. FISCAL EFFECTS:None. Report compiled on: April 28, 2025 3 Memorandum REPORT TO:Economic Vitality Board FROM:Cassandra Tozer, Human Resources Director SUBJECT:Equal Pay Report MEETING DATE:May 7, 2025 AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Administration RECOMMENDATION:N/A STRATEGIC PLAN:7.2 Employee Excellence: Recruit, retain and value a diverse, well-trained, qualified and motivated team capable of delivering superior performance. Be accountable and expect accountability from others. Make demonstrated use of good judgement a part of the evaluation process for promotions. BACKGROUND: In 2015, the Bozeman City Commission passed Resolution 4601, Equal Pay for Equal Work, which committed that the City of Bozeman would work to collect data, identify best practices, evaluate employment practices against the “Thrive Index”, and commemorate Equal Pay Day annually. Additionally, in 2020, the City Commission passed Resolution 5169, Adopting Gender Pay Equity Practices, which, in addition to the commitments established in 2015, made a commitment that the City would work toward a goal of establishing a standard of equal pay for comparable worth in its job classifications and pay schedules. Annually, the Human Resources Department presents a report on the City's progress towards equal pay. UNRESOLVED ISSUES:None ALTERNATIVES:N/A FISCAL EFFECTS:N/A Attachments: Equal Pay Report 2025.pdf Report compiled on: April 7, 2025 4 To: Chuck Winn, City Manager From: Cassandra Tozer, Human Resources Director Date: April 7, 2025 Re: City of Bozeman Equal Pay Progress Report In 2015, the Bozeman City Commission passed Resolution 4601, Equal Pay for Equal Work, which committed that the City of Bozeman (“City”) would work to collect data, identify best practices, evaluate employment practices against the “Thrive Index”, and commemorate Equal Pay Day annually. This year’s national Equal Pay Day was March 25, marking how far into 2025 women had to work, on average, to earn what men made in 2024. Unfortunately, this is step backwards from last year’s Equal Pay Day of March 12. Following Resolution 4601, the City Commission passed Resolution 5169 in 2020, Adopting Gender Pay Equity Practices, which, in addition to the commitments established in 2015, made a commitment that the City would work toward a goal of establishing a standard of equal pay for comparable worth in its job classifications and pay schedules. Since the adoption of Resolutions 4601 and 5169, the City’s Human Resources Department continues to analyze wage and benefit data and review, develop, and implement policies and procedures to ensure we are adhering to best practices and remaining competitive in the labor market. This year’s report shows that overall, the City continues efforts to reduce the gender pay gap. Note all City data presented in this report includes regular, full-time employees as of December 31, 2024, and is obtained through the City’s Human Resources Department. This report includes the following: A. Policies and Procedures Impacting Gender Pay Equity B. City Employee Earnings, by Gender and Education, Compared with National Earnings C. City Full-Time Employees, by Gender & Department D. City Full-Time Employees, Top 25% Earnings details E. City Full-Time Employees, Bottom 25% Earnings details F. Historic Applicant and Employee Data Tracked for Specific Positions Appendix A: City of Bozeman Thrive Index assessment A. Policies and Procedures Impacting Gender Pay Equity Establishing Pay for Positions Pay for City positions (i.e. a brand-new position or reclassification of an existing position) is established either through the collective bargaining process, or through the City’s Pay Committee based on recommendations from the Human Resources Department (or a combination of the two). Regardless of the avenue used, the City aims to balance internal equity with competitiveness in the labor market by giving consideration to both market comparisons and a position’s comparable worth in the organization. In addition to periodic market analysis, the City evaluates pay for positions using objective job-related factors, helping to reduce the potential for bias based on other factors such as gender. By using a “classification method”, positions are evaluated based on key compensable factors and then grouped into a predefined pay grade within the classification system. Positions are evaluated on the following key compensable factors: 5 • Minimum level of education, training, and/or certifications required; • Minimum number of years of relevant experience required; • Level of responsibility (supervisory, budgetary, decision-making authority, etc.); and, • Working conditions Grouping like positions into the same, or similar, pay bands using the above factors helps to promote internal equity and allows the City to adjust pay bands based on market analysis, as appropriate. For example, many of the City’s “Program Manager”-type of positions are classed within the same pay band based on these positions having similar minimum education and years of experience requirements, similar levels of responsibility, and similar working conditions. It is important to note that actual pay rates for individuals in these positions will vary within the established pay band based on the individual’s qualifications and tenure with the City, however, the positions are valued equally. Pay rates for all City positions continue to be publicly available through the City’s website or through the Human Resources Department. Pay Upon Hire The City has robust, objective procedures in place for determining pay upon hire. Candidates for non- represented and MFPE-represented positions are offered a rate of pay within the applicable pay band for the position based on their relevant education, training, and years of experience. For example, for a position that requires a Bachelor’s degree and two years of relevant experience, a candidate who possesses a Bachelor’s degree and has two years of relevant experience will be offered “step A” (entry-level pay) for that position. Under this process, two people may be hired for positions within the same pay band, but they may be compensated at different starting rates based on their qualifications. Approving these pay rates is the responsibility of the City’s Pay Committee, which consists of the City Manager, Assistant City Manager, and Human Resources Director, who are all blind to gender and other personally identifiable information when evaluating starting pay rates. Similarly, firefighter candidates are offered a rate between “Probationary” and “Firefighter 4th Year” on the applicable pay table based on their education, training and certifications, and relevant experience, using a weighted tool that assigns points to each qualification. This means that two firefighters with the same level of education, the same number of applicable certifications, and the same number of years of relevant experience, will be hired at the exact same rate of pay. Police officer candidates are offered a rate between “year 0” and “year 10” on the applicable pay table determined solely by their number of years of law enforcement experience, and are eligible for an additional two percent for possession of a Bachelor’s degree, in accordance with their collective bargaining agreement. This means that two police officer candidates each with two years of law enforcement experience would both be hired at the exact same base rate. Teamsters-represented positions are hired at the singular pay rate for the position as set forth in their collective bargaining agreement. Using the objective factors described above to determine starting pay eliminates the potential for gender and other non-job-related factors to be considered. 6 Pay Increases Annual salary adjustments are based on market-driven data and applied in accordance with applicable collective bargaining agreements for represented positions and in accordance with the City’s Employee Handbook for non-represented positions. In addition to any applicable salary adjustments, non-represented and MFPE-represented employees are eligible for a merit step increase within their applicable pay band based on a successful performance evaluation. Police, fire, and Teamsters-represented employees receive automatic wage increases based on their years of service, whether through a negotiated increase to base wages, or longevity pay, as established in their collective bargaining agreements. Continuing Efforts The City continues efforts to positively impact the recruitment and retention of females in the workplace. We continue to offer paid parental leave to employees, both male and female, totaling 8,973 hours in 2024. This is a staggering increase from 2023, when 3,938 hours of paid parental leave were utilized. Despite continuing increases in healthcare costs, the City continues to offer a health insurance plan option providing family coverage at no cost to the employee. B. City Employee Earnings, by Gender and Education, Compared with National Earnings According to the 2023 United States Census Bureau estimates (most recent data), on a national scale, women earned between 69% and 72%, depending on education level, of what men earned with the same education level. While there is little change between City of Bozeman data between 2023 and 2024, it is worth noting that the City continues to perform significantly better, at most education levels, than estimates at a national- level. While still much higher than national-level estimates for 2024, City data shows a very small decrease from 2023 to 2024 in median earnings for women as a percentage of men at each education level. It should be noted that education level is only one of the key compensable factors the City uses in determining pay for positions. 7 C. Full-Time City Employees, by Gender and Department As of December 31, 2024, the City employed 449 full-time employees, of which, approximately 30% were female. Shown below is the distribution of employees by gender across all City departments in 2024 and the gender distribution City-wide since 2019. The gender distribution across departments remained consistent between 2023 and 2024, with some minor fluctuations in various departments. Departments Female Male Total % Female City Manager 6 10 16 37.5% Community Development 12 21 33 36.4% Economic Development 2 2 4 50.0% Finance 11 4 15 73.3% Fire 4 47 51 7.8% HR 6 0 6 100.0% IT 0 9 9 0.0% Legal 12 2 14 85.7% Library 17 3 20 85.0% Municipal Court 8 2 10 80.0% Parks & Recreation 14 27 41 34.1% Police 17 62 79 21.5% Strategic Services 7 10 17 41.2% Transportation & Engineering 12 60 72 16.7% Utilities 6 56 62 9.7% Total 134 315 449 29.8% 2024 Employee Numbers by Gender 8 D. City Full-Time Employees, Top 25% Earnings Details The information below shows the characteristics of the City’s top 25% of full-time employee wage earners. The percentage of females in the top 25% remained relatively consistent from 2023 to 2024, still a positive trend since 2019. Education levels of the top 25% of earners has also remained relatively consistent with 2023, continuing to show the top 25% of earners in the City are highly educated, with 66% of these earners possessing a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Among the top 25% of earners in 2024, there were small reductions in the number of non-represented positions and Local 613 IAFF positions. Data also shows almost a 10% increase in the number of BPPA positions among the top 25% of earners. 9 E. City Full-Time Employees, Bottom 25% Earnings Details The information below shows the characteristics of the City’s bottom 25% of full-time employee wage earners. At 41% in 2024, the percentage of women in this category remains relatively consistent with 2023. Education levels of the bottom 25% of earners has also remained relatively consistent compared with 2023. Additionally, union representation of the bottom 25% of earners has remained relatively consistent compared with 2023, with small increases in the Teamsters and MFPE groups and decreases in the BPPA and non-represented groups. 10 F. Historic Applicant and Employee Data Tracked for Specific Positions The Bozeman Police Department, like other agencies nation-wide, continues to experience a decrease in the overall number of applications received for police officer positions. In 2024, the Police Department received 266 applications for police officer positions, of which just over 13% were female, similar to 2023. In 2024, the BPD had nine of its 27 females on staff employed as sworn police officers. The Bozeman Fire Department received 144 applications for firefighter positions in 2024, of which 7% were female, up only slightly from 2023. The Fire Department has retained the three female firefighters currently on staff and has recently hired one more as part of the most recent 2025 recruitment. The number of females in police officer, firefighter, and Teamsters-represented positions (Transportation & Engineering/Utilities/Parks/Facilities) continues to show a positive upward trend. 11 Appendix A: City of Bozeman Thrive Index Assessment CITY OF BOZEMAN AND THE THRIVE INDEX Adequate wages and benefits City of Bozeman Comment Are part-time workers paid the same (per hour, including benefits) as full-time workers performing the same or similar tasks? Yes Differences exist between represented part-time and non- represented part-time employees. Are most part-time workers guaranteed a minimum number of hours per week? If not, are there ways they could be? Yes Are workers who remain on the job for a specified period of time eligible for a pay increase? Yes Are workers who remain on the job for a specified period of time eligible for paid sick leave for themselves or to care for a family member? Yes When job-skill demands or responsibilities increase, are wages adjusted upward? Yes The City works to ensure employees are working within their class specifications. Reclassifications/promotions are the avenue for pay increases and department heads request those during the annual staffing plan and budget process. Reclassifications/promotions may also occur outside of the staffing plan and budget process when appropriate. Are workers paid for their entire scheduled shift, even if business is slow? Sometimes Non-exempt employees are paid for the hours they work. Shifts are not typically cut short, but if there is an urgent need to close a facility, employees would not be paid for the closure. In this type of circumstance, the City would make a reasonable effort to look for work in other departments/facilities for the affected employee(s). This rarely happens. 12 Are hourly wages higher for nonstandard shifts, such as nights or weekends? Sometimes Employees are eligible for “shift premiums” and other types of additional compensation such as “call-out pay”, in accordance with their applicable collective bargaining agreement. Opportunities for Upward Mobility Do low-wage workers have opportunities for on-the-job or cross-task training or outside educational opportunities that can lead to upward mobility? Yes Can schedules accommodate workers’ pursuit of educational opportunities? Sometimes The City makes every effort to accommodate employees’ requests for time off and/or modified schedules in order to support educational opportunities. When the education is considered relevant and/or necessary for the employee’s position, the employee may be allowed paid time to study, etc. Based on the need to efficiently and safely operate City business, not every request can be granted every time. When skill demands or job responsibilities increase, is training provided for newly assigned tasks? Yes Can workers cross-train in different areas to increase their flexibility and value to the company (recognizing that outsourcing of some functional areas or other factors may prohibit this)? Yes Are there opportunities for upward mobility within the company that do not require geographic relocation? Yes Support for personal and family needs Can worker breaks be scheduled to accommodate the need for phone calls at pre-specified times for working caregivers? Yes Are occasional calls for urgent matters allowable? Can children or caregivers call an employee at work when necessary? Yes Are workers who remain on the job for a specified period of time eligible during their regular work hours to care for their health or a family member’s without losing pay Yes 13 (e.g., able to leave for an hour or two for a trip to the doctor)? Can personal time be taken in small increments of an hour or two (for doctor’s appointments, parent-teacher conferences, educational opportunities, etc.)? Yes Do you offer paid or unpaid maternity or paternity leave for workers? Is the length of this leave negotiable? Yes Work scheduling, predictability, and flexibility Is there a systematic way for workers to communicate their preferences for hours and schedules? If not, could some such system be implemented? Yes Does the shift/hours scheduling system take account of workers’ constraints and preferences? Yes Are work schedules announced more than a day or two in advance? Can workers trade shifts with colleagues when time conflicts develop (allow “shift-swapping”)? Yes If workers are asked to stay beyond the end of scheduled shifts to finish assignments or for administrative procedures, are they given advance notice of when this may be required? Yes Does the measured workload take into account the quality or difficulty of tasks along with simpler measures of the number of customers, clients, or patients? Yes Autonomy, respect, and trust Are workers protected from “no-fault” absence or tardiness policies (ones that lead to disciplinary actions or dismissal, even for excused absences)? Yes Are workers allowed or encouraged to contribute ideas to better organize or improve their work teams or work areas? Yes Can workers occasionally make personal phone calls? Yes 14