Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, May 07, 2019
Discussion
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER RESOLUTION 19-098, APPROVING AN APPOINTMENT TO THE POSITION OF CITY MANAGER (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
Attached for the City Council’s review is a contract between the City and Sharon Landers for the position of City Manager. The contract was prepared by the City Attorney’s office and is attached to the resolution in Exhibit No. 1.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
ADOPT Resolution 19-098 approving the City Manager Employment Agreement and AUTHORIZE the Mayor to execute a contract with Ms. Sharon Landers.
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III. ALTERNATIVES
TAKE any other action the Council deems appropriate.
IV. BACKGROUND
The previous City Manager, Mr. Ken Farfsing, retired from the City on December 24, 2018. Prior to Mr. Farfsing’s appointment, the City of Carson experienced instability with the City Manager position in the prior five years, with six individuals serving either as City Manager or Interim City Manager. Since December 2018, the City has had two Acting City Managers, the Director of Community Development and the Assistant City Manager - Economic Development.
A City Manager Executive Search was initiated in July 2018 to identify the next City Manager for Carson. Ms. Landers was identified by CPS-HR Consulting, an Executive Search Firm retained to conduct the City Manager search. The City Council unanimously directed Staff to extend an offer and negotiate a contract with Ms. Landers. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree at State University of New York at Stony Brook, with a double major in computer science and psychology, and earned her Juris Doctorate degree at Albany Law School, Union University in New York. She is a strategic thinker with strong communication and interpersonal skills. She prides herself on being highly ethical and believes in fostering a culture of learning, transparency and trust. She has in-depth experience in economic development, transportation, finance and management and strong skills in intergovernmental, business and community relationship building.
She served as Assistant City Manager for the City of Irvine for over 12 years. Her accomplishments in Irvine include modernizing city services, enhancing online access to businesses and residents, overseeing several complex, large-scale capital project and winning two settlements with the State during the wind-down of redevelopment that enable the City’s Successor Agency to receive $292 million and to keep 35 acres worth over $120 million. While Assistant City Manager in Irvine, she served for just over a year as the Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Orange County Great Park, working directly with the 9-member Board of Directors. Prior to her work in Irvine, she served as the Assistant Executive Director of the San Jose Redevelopment Agency, California’s largest redevelopment agency with a $1 billion, 5-year Capital Improvement Program; and was second in command for two large transportation organizations - the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) and the New Jersey Department of Transportation - both of which had significant capital programs that served as economic development tools for their respective regions.
The employment contract is for an undefined term and can be terminated by either party with 30-day notification. If the contract is terminated without cause, within the first two years, the employee would receive 12 months’ severance. If the contract is terminated without cause any year thereafter, the employee would receive 9 months’ severance. If the contract is terminated for cause, no severance is paid. She will receive the same benefits as the other Unrepresented Management Employees. Additionally, she will receive a $600 monthly auto allowance. She will be enrolled in PERS as a Classic member, 2% at 55, which requires the employee to make the entire employee payment to PERS (7% of pay).
The City Council has established the compensation amount considering the above factors and has set Ms. Lander’s base salary at $265,000 annually. On the first 3 anniversaries of her employment, she will receive a guaranteed 3% COLA. The salary will be divided between the General Fund ($225,250) and the CRA ($39,750). This represents a $25,000 base salary increase over the former City Manager. Approximately 15% of Ms. Lander’s time will be allocated to various CRA activities and will not be charged to the General Fund. A copy of the employment contact is included with this staff report.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
Funds for this employment contract were included in the FY 2019/20 budget in account nos. 01-50-010-001 and 55-70-010-001.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Resolution 19-098, A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Carson, California, Approving City Manager Employment Agreement (and Exhibit “A”- Employee Contract with form Severance Agreement) (pgs. 4-31)
2. Resolution 18-170, A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Carson, California, Establishing the Salary and Benefits for Unclassified Management Employees (pgs. 32-63)
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Prepared by: Faye Moseley, Director of Human Resources & Risk Management