To: Board of Supervisors
From: Anna Roth, Health Services Director
Report Title: Cancel one (1) Web Producer position in the Health Services Department effective January 12, 2024, and Initiate the Lay-Off Process.
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
ADOPT Consent Resolution and Position Adjustment Resolution No, 26259 to cancel one (1) Web Producer position, and transfer employee in lieu of lay-off within the Health Services Department effective January 12, 2024, and activate the Tactical Employment Team program (TET) immediately, due to the implementation of the Department’s redesigned website effective December 14, 2023.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Upon approval, this action will have no increase to net County costs and will decrease department costs by $179,136 including $23,557 in pension costs.
BACKGROUND:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, priorities changed for Contra Costa Health (CCH) and there was a realization that our website no longer served the needs of the department’s audiences in the most effective way.
Much of the information the public wants from CCH is task-based, taking actions like booking an appointment. CCH has tried to meet this need for task-based health information by providing a lot of content and quick tasks for visitors. However, this reaped the unintended consequence of over-saturating the website which at times felt cluttered and confusing for external and internal clients and stakeholders. The digital communication of key information got lost for certain audience types as it tried to gain the attention of all audiences in the same way.
The Department endeavored to reorganize and slim down the website, elevating priority actions and public health information with clear layouts and more intuitive structures.
The Department obtained the expertise of the Granicus Experience Group and revitalized the Contra Costa Health Services website. The go-live date was December 14, 2023.
In the past, the department’s website was built and designed primarily from HTML coding, or Hypertext Markup Language, which was performed by the Web Producer. With the Department’s website redesign, moving forward, the website is now built from Content Management System (CMS) software. This has resulted in the elimination the operational and business needs for a Web Producer position.
The employee who occupied position #14549 prior to this cancelation action was successfully transferred in lieu of lay-off within the Department; however, they remain entitled to the Tactical Employment Team program (TET) or lay-off list processes under Personnel Management Regulation 614.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this is not approved, CCHS will have inaccurate staffing in the Community Education & Information (CEI) Division.
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
and for Special Districts, Agencies and Authorities Governed by the Board
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IN THE MATTER OF the action to cancel one Web Producer position and transfer employee in lieu of lay-off within the Health Services Department.
WHEREAS, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Contra Costa Health Services embarked on a large project to revitalize its public website with the intent to reorganize and slim down the website and improve visitors’ digital experience by easing access to public health information with clear layouts and more intuitive structures; and
WHEREAS, the Department transitioned to a fully redesigned website which is developed and maintained from a Content Management System (CMS) software and eliminated all reliance on Hypertext Markup Language, otherwise known as HTML coding; and
WHEREAS, the Communications, Education, and Information (CEI) Division of the Health Services Department no longer has an operational and business need for a Web Producer position; and
WHEREAS, the Health Services Department has issued a lay-off notice, successfully transferred the employee in lieu of lay-off within the Department, and has given notice to the affected employee of the Board's action; and
WHEREAS, to the extent that the subject of this Resolution is within the scope of representation pursuant to the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (Government Code Section, 3500 et seq.), the Department has offered to meet with the recognized employee organization upon request concerning this resolution.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Health Services Department has determined a Web Producer position is no longer operationally necessary to manage and maintain the new website and will cancel one Web Producer position #14549 in the Health Services Department.
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