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Council approves exception to CalPERS waiting period to rehire retired deputy public works director to finish DIF update
Summary
Vacaville council authorized a temporary rehiring exception under CalPERS rules so retired Deputy Public Works Director Gwen Owens can return as a retired annuitant to complete the city development impact fee (DIF) update; council approved a resolution permitting up to 4–6 months at approximately $102.71 per hour paid from salary savings.
Vacaville City Council on Jan. 14 adopted a resolution permitting a CalPERS exception to the 180-day waiting period so retired annuitant Gwen Owens can be rehired temporarily to finish the city’s development impact fee (DIF) update.
Sandy Hess, the city’s employee relations manager, told the council CalPERS allows agencies to waive the 180-day waiting period in limited circumstances when the retiree possesses special skills needed for a critical, limited-duration project and when the agency’s governing body approves the exception. Hess said Owens retired in December after more than eight years as deputy director of public works and that Owens is a licensed professional engineer who led much of the DIF work. Hess said the city proposed bringing Owens back about 20 hours a week for roughly four to six months to assure continuity and completion of the DIF work.
Hess said the rehired rate would be the same hourly rate Owens had when she retired — $102.71 per hour — with no benefits, and costs would be covered from salary savings. Brian McClain, public works director, said staff expects to complete the DIF first draft and return to council in the spring with the update.
Council members supported the resolution. Councilmember Roussel praised Owens’ institutional knowledge and technical expertise and said he would support the hire to assure continuity. Councilmember Wiley asked whether the city expected to fill the deputy director position sooner than four to six months; McClain said interviews were scheduled and the timeframe was conservative.
Action taken: council voted to approve the resolution to permit the CalPERS waiting-period exception and rehiring of Gwen Owens as a retired annuitant. The amount and duration presented to council: approximately $102.71 per hour, 20 hours per week, four to six months, funded from salary savings; the resolution authorizes the city to proceed under CalPERS special-rule authority for retired annuitants.
No additional funds were requested at the Jan. 14 meeting; staff will manage the cost from existing salary savings and return to council with the DIF update as planned.
