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Parks Department Span of Control

Management Study

Report No. 2000-08

Harriet Richardson, CPA, CIA, Principal Management Auditor
Maura Sullivan, Management Auditor Intern

Introduction
Study Objectives
General Conclusions
Findings and Recommendations:

Finding 1 - From 1993 to 2000, the average span of control in the parks department is estimated to have decreased from 5.19 to 4.56 while total staffing decreased by 128.68 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, and from 1993 to 1998, salary expenses decreased by $541,929. However, the likelihood that FTEs for extra help staff were overstated in 1993 means that the span of control may have remained fairly constant from 1993 to 2000.
Finding 2 - The number of administrative and support FTEs increased by 70% while the number of service and program FTEs decreased by 32% from 1993 to 2000. Moreover, salary expenses for administration and support almost doubled from 1993 to 1998 while decreasing 14% for services and programs.

INTRODUCTION

The management study of the Parks Department span of control was requested by the Metropolitan King County Council as a result of council concerns that staffing reductions occurred among line staff, particularly parks maintenance staff, while the number of managerial and administrative staff increased.

STUDY OBJECTIVE

The objectives of this study were to compare the organizational structure of the Parks Department from 1993 to 1998 to determine:

what staffing changes were made and how those changes impacted the span of control in the Parks Department, and
whether the ratio of administrative and support staff to service and program staff has changed and the reasons for such changes, if any.

GENERAL CONCLUSIONS

The general study conclusions were that from 1993 to 2000, the number of organizational layers increased due to the reorganization of Parks from a division to a department and, based on available data, that the span of control has either decreased or remained fairly constant. Additionally, the number of overhead positions (i.e., administrative and support) has increased due to the addition of two new sections, while the number of program and service positions has decreased due to the transfer of facilities to incorporated cities.

FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Finding 1. From 1993 to 2000, the average span of control in the parks department is estimated to have decreased from 5.19 to 4.56 while total staffing decreased by 128.68 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, and from 1993 to 1998, salary expenses decreased by $541,929. However, the likelihood that FTEs for extra help staff were overstated in 1993 means that the span of control may have remained fairly constant from 1993 to 2000.

Audit staff found that the number of organizational layers increased from six to seven from 1993 to 2000 due to reorganization of the Parks Division into a department. Additionally, the department’s average span of control is estimated to have decreased from 5.19 employees per manager, supervisor, or lead in 1993 to 4.56 in 2000. However, due to uncertainty regarding the actual number of extra help FTEs available in 1993 and the likelihood that extra help FTEs were overstated in that year, the span of control may have remained fairly constant, from an estimated 4.54 in 1993 to 4.56 in 2000.

Audit staff also found that total staffing decreased over 20%, from 531.2 FTEs in 1993 to 424.37 FTEs in 1998, excluding volunteers, while salary expenses decreased only 4%, from $12.8 million in 1993 to $12.25 million in 1998. Staffing decreased an additional 5.4%, from 424.37 FTEs in 1998 to 402.52 FTEs in 2000. Although total staffing decreased, the number of permanent FTEs increased, primarily due to implementation of the settlement agreement of the Logan/Knox lawsuit which required the county to convert certain temporary and part-time positions to permanent FTEs.

The primary cause of the low span of control is the high number of lead staff in the department. Additionally, if the overall span of control did in fact decrease, one reason is a large decrease in nonmanagement employees, especially extra help FTEs, combined with a smaller, disproportionate decrease in management FTEs.

The study recommended that the executive review the organizational structure of the Parks Department to identify areas where organizational layers can be eliminated as well as management positions that can be eliminated or converted to nonmanagement positions, and then initiate negotiations with the appropriate labor unions to implement those organizational changes that will impact represented employees.

Finding 2. The number of administrative and support FTEs increased by 70% while the number of service and program FTEs decreased by 32% from 1993 to 2000. Moreover, salary expenses for administration and support almost doubled from 1993 to 1998 while decreasing 14% for services and programs.

Audit staff found that the number of overhead staff increased over 70%, from 39 FTEs in 1993 to 66.37 FTEs in 2000, while service and program staff decreased almost 32%, from 492.2 FTEs in 1993 to 402.52 FTEs in 2000.

Many of the overhead staffing increases were due to the reorganization of the Parks Division into a department, but some resulted from establishing the Marketing and Community Outreach Section and the Program Development and Land Management Section. Although overhead staffing increased 55% from 1993 to 1998, overhead salary expenses increased over 96%, from $1.14 million to $2.24 million during that same time, primarily due to the addition and reclassification of positions resulting from these organizational changes.

The reduction in service and program FTEs resulted from a combination of the transfer of facilities (e.g., parks and pools) to incorporated cities and the loss of numerous extra help FTEs due to implementation of the settlement agreement for the Logan/Knox settlement agreement.

Although audit staff did not review the tasks performed by Parks Department staff to determine whether the ratio of overhead to service and program staff was appropriate, we did find instances where increases in overhead staff may have offset the loss of service and program staff. One example of this is in the Marketing Section where the focus of employees’ work has been to increase the amount of sponsors and pro bono work received by the department as well as the number of volunteers working for the department. These all indirectly increase the number of service and program FTEs in the department.

The study recommended that the executive review the organizational structure of the Parks Department to determine if there are areas where overhead FTEs can be eliminated or converted to service/program FTEs in order to reduce the percentage of administrative and support costs.

Updated: 07/22/02

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