Sponsor: Human Resources
Title
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Designation of a Position to Unclassified Service in Accordance with the Personnel Act, Minnesota Statute 383A.286, Subdivision 3
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Recommendation
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Approve the designation of a classified position to the Deputy Director of Property Tax, Records and Elections Services position to unclassified services in accordance with the Personnel Act, Minnesota Statute 383A.286, Subdivision 3.
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Background and Rationale
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The Property Tax, Records and Election Services (PTRES) department has recently expanded to include the Recording and the Property Tax and Assessment Customer Service areas and will expand again in 2022 to include Vital Records. The department expansions and complexity of the new and existing subject matter necessitate a second deputy director of Property Tax, Records and Elections Services (deputy director - PTRES) to support the growing team and ensure county initiatives and priorities are represented throughout department policies and programs. Department responsibilities are highly complex with competing statutory timelines and includes the duties of several statutory offices - Auditor, Treasurer, Recorder and Examiner of Titles. Duties and responsibilities include:
• Property tax administration processes including auditing, calculating, billing, collecting and distributing property taxes for all governmental entities (county, cities, schools, special taxing districts) within the county.
• Elections and voter registration activities; contracts for election services with cities and schools.
• Forfeiture of property for non-payment of property tax and the administration, sale and use of tax forfeited property.
• Real estate document recording and indexing.
• Collection and reconciliation of over $1.8 billion in revenue from property taxes and other sources of revenue.
Both deputy director - PTRES positions will report to the director of PTRES and will function as members of the department management team. They will be responsible for ensuring statutory compliance, department operations, general department management and accountability of the statutory offices within the department. The duties of the position involve significant discretion and substantial involvement in the development, interpretation and implementation of department policy and procedures.
The addition of this position will strengthen the PTRES management team and better enable each department division to serve the residents of Ramsey County. The department divisions will be re-aligned by subject matter teams: Property Records, Civic Services and Property Tax Services. Each team will be led by a manager that possesses subject matter expertise and will receive direction from one of the two deputy directors. This allows the deputy directors and managers to focus on a specific subject area and implement programs and policies that are subject matter centric and driven by county priorities and initiatives. This division structure invites shared resources and strong internal supports, maximizing opportunities for staff growth and retention. Staff will receive focused support from leadership and work in an environment that naturally fosters collaboration due to aligning like-subject matter divisions. Service to Ramsey County residents will be optimized with this level of support.
Human Resources department conducted a review of the functions of this position and the job description, and a review of the applicable statute governing the creation of unclassified positions. The review concluded:
• The title deputy director - PTRES adequately describes the work of this position.
• Board action is required to designate an additional deputy director - PTRES as unclassified.
• This request will not require a change in the personnel complement or additional funding. A vacant supervisory position which is no longer utilized will be reclassified to the classification of deputy director - PTRES. This position will be filled through an open competitive hiring process.
• The Human Resources director certifies that this position meets the standards and criteria of the Personnel Act, Minnesota Statute 383A.286, Subd.3, to be placed in the unclassified service.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☒ Prosperity ☒ Opportunity ☒ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
A primary service delivery goal for the PTRES department is to serve all residents in a respectful, compassionate and high-quality manner that provides equitable outcomes, meets the needs of the county's residents and business owners in the assigned areas, and engages residents in pro-active service changes. An additional equally important goal is to promote a diverse, culturally competent and respectful workplace. This action seeks to strengthen the PTRES leadership team to ensure these goals are achieved throughout the department - not only in the policies, programs and services, but also reflected in the department’s workforce.
Community Participation Level and Impact
This action enables each department division to focus on providing effective, efficient and accessible operations for our residents. This includes leading continuous improvement efforts to change practices, policies and procedures to build better service delivery and ensure alignment with county priorities and initiatives.
☒ Inform ☐ Consult ☐ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower
Fiscal Impact
This action will not require a complement increase or budget adjustment for the department in 2021; funding from the vacant supervisory position is available; additional funds required are available through the proposed 2022-23 PTRES department budget.
County Manager Comments
No additional comments.
Last Previous Action
None.
Attachments
1. Study Summary - deputy director, PTRES
2. Organization Chart - PTRES