A Classification Compliance Audit Report on the Parks and Wildlife Department
January 2012
Report Number 12-704
Overall Conclusion
The Parks and Wildlife Department (Department) appropriately classified within the State's Position Classification Plan 445 (83.3 percent) of the 534 positions that auditors tested. The positions tested were classified within the Clerk, Customer Service Representative, Fish and Wildlife Technician, and Natural Resources Specialist job classification series. The Department has taken appropriate action to address the 89 positions that were misclassified and reported that it will spend approximately $95,898 annually to properly classify those positions. Specifically:
- The Department will spend approximately $95,898 annually to properly classify 73 positions.
- The Department took action to properly classify the remaining 16 positions identified as misclassified. There was no cost associated with those reclassifications.
The Department took action to appropriately classify positions identified as misclassified.
The 534 positions audited covered two occupational categories and four job classification series. To address the 89 employee positions that were misclassified, the Department chose to:
- Reclassify 87 positions into different job classification series (see Table 2 in the report for additional details).
- Reclassify 2 positions within the same job classification series but at a higher salary group (see Table 3 in the report for additional details).
The Department will spend approximately $95,898 annually to properly classify 73 positions.
The Department reported that, as a result of reclassifications, 73 positions will receive annual salary increases ranging from $109 to $11,944, with an average annual increase of $1,314. The Department reclassified the remaining 16 misclassified positions without changing the salaries for those positions. No employees will receive a reduction in salary as a result of the reclassifications.
The Department does not review positions on an annual basis as required by statute.
The Department has a policy and procedures to review its classification of positions, and its practice is to determine proper classification of positions when new positions are created, during State Auditor's Office classification compliance audits, when hiring managers have concerns and conflicts with other divisions, and when it identifies problematic positions. Texas Government Code, Section 654.0155, requires agencies to ensure that each position is properly classified by performing annual reviews of individual job assignments. Reviewing each position annually would help the Department ensure that positions are classified accurately and that employee salaries align with their actual responsibilities.