Agenda Packets - 2016/05/09 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Item No: 07G Meeting Date: May 9, 2016 Type of Business: Council Business Administrator Review: ____ City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Honorable Mayor and City Council From: Desaree Crane, Assistant City Administrator Item Title/Subject: Resolution 8576 Approving the Hire of Brian Dickenson as Engineering/GIS Intern in the Public Works Department Background: At the February 8, 2016, City Council Meeting, the City Council approved a revised job description and authorized Staff to advertise for an Engineering/GIS Intern (Resolution 8519 attached). The Engineering/GIS Intern is a temporary, part-time position geared toward current or recent college students in a related field. This employment arrangement allows PW to obtain skilled help at a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-time, regular employee. Hourly rate for this position is $11.75/hour. The position is fully funded by the Water and Sanitary Sewer Enterprise Funds and has no impact on the General Fund. Discussion: Staff revised the job description by adding proficiency in ArcView (GIS software solution that allows you to visualize, manage, and analyze your GIS data), and change the status to a seasonal internship (part-time). According to the Affordable Healthcare Act, there are provisions that require employers to offer health insurance to seasonal employees who work 120 calendar days or more during the year. It further requires that the seasonal employee who is hired to work for 120 calendar days and worked an average of 30 hours per week to be offered insurance on the 90th day of his or her employment, and would be eligible for health insurance benefits for 30 days. In addition to the obvious administrative nightmare and cost associated with insuring an employee for 30 days, this provision can also subject employers to obligations under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) upon termination of the employee’s employment, thereby creating even more burdens to the employer. The City received six (6) applications, and attempted to interview all six (6). However, two (2) withdrew their application for consideration because they accepted an internship with another City/company, and the other applicant did not return the City’s calls. The City interviewed three (3) candidates. The interview panel consisted of Public Works Director Brian Erickson, Engineering/IS Technician Jim Hess, and me. It was the consensus of the panel to recommend Brian Dickenson to the position of Engineering/GIS Intern.