13.C.
City Council Draft Agenda
- Meeting Date:
- 11/19/2019
TITLE:
Consideration and Adoption of Resolution No. 2019-54: A resolution of the Flagstaff City Council, approving an intergovernmental agreement between the Summit Fire and Medical District; the Highlands Fire District; and the City of Flagstaff for joint hiring and promotional processes.
STAFF RECOMMENDED ACTION:
1) Read Resolution No. 2019-54 by title only
2) City Clerk reads Resolution No. 2019-54 by title only (if approved above)
3) Adopt Resolution No. 2019-54
2) City Clerk reads Resolution No. 2019-54 by title only (if approved above)
3) Adopt Resolution No. 2019-54
Executive Summary:
The parties to this agreement wish to expand interagency cooperation to include hiring new firefighters and conducting promotional exams. Hiring and promoting processes can be taxing and labor intensive, especially conducting hiring processes for new firefighters. The IGA allows for greater efficiency for the parties and a standardization of processes among the partners to improve results towards hiring and promoting the best candidates while maintaining our shared desire to be non-discriminatory and equal opportunity employers.
Financial Impact:
None
Policy Impact:
No identified policy impacts from this IGA.
Connection to Council Goal, Regional Plan:
City Council Goals 2017-2019
- Personnel: Attract and retain quality staff.
- Social Justice: Advance Social Justice in our community.
- Strategic priority #1: Provide exceptional service.
- Strategic priority #4: Work in partnership to enhance a safe and livable community.
- Goal PF.I. Work across all government operations and services to prepare for the impacts of natural and human caused hazards.
- Goal PF.3. Provide high-quality emergency response and public safety services including law enforcement, fire, medical, and ambulance transport service.
Has There Been Previous Council Decision on This:
While not specific to human resource processes, the City Council has entered into several collaborative opportunities to the benefit of public and firefighter safety.
- December 2015 City entered into an IGA with the Summit Fire and Medical District for management services.
- December 2017 City extended the 2015 IGA with Summit Fire Medical District for management services.
- June 2018 City entered into a mutual aid agreement with seven regional fire departments.
- September 2018 City entered into a 5-year IGA for expanded functional consolidation with the Summit Fire and Medical District.
Community Involvement:
The intent of the IGA is to work collaboratively with our partners to conduct hiring and promotional processes that yield the best results in the most efficient manner possible.
Hiring.
As demonstrated by Addendum B of the IGA, firefighter hiring and selection is a multi-faceted and arduous process both in terms of process requirements and impacts to the applicants. The opportunity to share resources and streamline the process is an efficiency to each participant organization and to the actual applicants. When fire departments engaged in this IGA participate in hiring, there is one physical agility test, not multiple. There will be one peer interview not multiple. The Greater Flagstaff Region's goal in this IGA is to attract and hire the best candidates and keep them in our region.
Promotions.
The IGA further describes a mechanism in Addendum E by which the participants may choose to cooperate in promotional assessment centers. Assessment Centers are a reliable method for the promotion of skilled and management positions based upon demonstrated skills and using outside and unbiased observers with the required backgrounds to participate in the assessment. As such, there are expenses to the conduct of this type of promotional process that benefits from interagency collaboration. The results of the collaboration are improved standardization of knowledge, skills and abilities used in determination of promotional lists and reduced costs and efforts to achieve them.
Participation in shared hiring and promotional processes is elective on a case by case basis.
Hiring.
As demonstrated by Addendum B of the IGA, firefighter hiring and selection is a multi-faceted and arduous process both in terms of process requirements and impacts to the applicants. The opportunity to share resources and streamline the process is an efficiency to each participant organization and to the actual applicants. When fire departments engaged in this IGA participate in hiring, there is one physical agility test, not multiple. There will be one peer interview not multiple. The Greater Flagstaff Region's goal in this IGA is to attract and hire the best candidates and keep them in our region.
Promotions.
The IGA further describes a mechanism in Addendum E by which the participants may choose to cooperate in promotional assessment centers. Assessment Centers are a reliable method for the promotion of skilled and management positions based upon demonstrated skills and using outside and unbiased observers with the required backgrounds to participate in the assessment. As such, there are expenses to the conduct of this type of promotional process that benefits from interagency collaboration. The results of the collaboration are improved standardization of knowledge, skills and abilities used in determination of promotional lists and reduced costs and efforts to achieve them.
Participation in shared hiring and promotional processes is elective on a case by case basis.