Title
Declaration of Critical Need to Hire an Extra Help Program Specialist Position and Authorization to Hire a Retired Annuitant to that Position
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FileID
File ID: 2026-00356
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Location
Location: District 4
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Adopt a Resolution: 1) certifying the critical need to hire an extra help classification of Program Specialist on or after January 20, 2026, as extra help; 2) waiving the 180-day waiting period for initiating post-retirement employment; and 3) authorizing the City Manager or designee to appoint Lucinda Willcox as a retired annuitant into the Program Specialist classification.
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Contact
Contact: Matt Eierman, Director, (916) 808-5849, meierman@cityofsacramento.org, Department of Public Works
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Presenter
Presenter: Matt Eierman, Director, (916) 808-5849, meierman@cityofsacramento.org, Department of Public Works
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-City Resolution
3-CalPERS Resolution
4-Appointment Letter
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: Assembly Bill 340, the Public Employee Pension Reform Act of 2013 also known as PEPRA, was signed into law on September 12, 2012, and went into effect on January 1, 2013. PEPRA created Government Code Section 7522.56 which requires public agency retirees to wait 180 days after retirement before returning to work for a public agency. This waiting period can be waived should the City Council certify the critical need to fill a specific position. The Government Code allows a retired annuitant to fill such a position where the employee has specific experience and skills necessary to perform the functions of the position for a limited time.
With nearly 29 years of experience, Lucinda Willcox provides critical leadership, continuity, and institutional expertise at a pivotal moment for the once-in-a-generation I Street Bridge Replacement Project, particularly as the City has recently transitioned to a revised and more complex financing model to ensure the project is fully funded and construction can begin in May 2026.
This recent shift in financing approach, driven by funding timing, cash-flow constraints, and risk mitigation, requires immediate and sustained technical oversight to finalize interagency agreements, secure loan terms, and align local, state, and federal funding sources. Ms. Willcox’s deep and unique institutional knowledge and long-standing involvement since the project’s inception will be instrumental in navigating these changes and maintaining project momentum across multiple funding cycles, agency partners, and evolving financial requirements.
Ms. Willcox led the coordination, negotiation, and execution of the complex funding and financing framework necessary to deliver the $300+ million I Street Bridge Replacement Project, a highly technical, multi-agency effort involving the City, Caltrans, regional partners, and federal funding programs. Her responsibilities included oversight of funding eligibility and compliance, reimbursement structures, cash-flow sequencing, and the precise alignment of construction expenditures with approved and available funding sources. These functions have become even more critical as the City advances a revised financing strategy designed to lock in funding certainty and protect the May 2026 construction start.
The City now faces an immediate and time-sensitive need to finalize these updated funding and financing agreements. Any delay in completing this work would directly jeopardize the project schedule, expose the City to cost escalation, disrupt cash-flow assumptions, and increase fiscal risk, potentially threatening the project’s overall feasibility and the ability to begin construction as planned in Spring 2026.
In parallel with finalizing the financing structure, Ms. Willcox established and maintained the project’s financial management framework, including internal controls, reporting protocols, reimbursement tracking, interagency payment coordination, and audit readiness throughout construction. These fiscal oversight functions are essential to safeguarding the City’s financial interests and ensuring compliance with state and federal funding requirements, particularly under the revised financing model now being implemented.
Ms. Willcox’s continued involvement is therefore critical to stabilizing the new financing approach, mitigating financial risk, and ensuring the City can successfully transition from funding strategy to construction execution. Retaining her services preserves institutional knowledge at a moment when the project is most financially vulnerable and schedule-sensitive. Without this continuity, the City would face heightened risk of funding disruptions, schedule delays, and cost escalation that could undermine the ability to commence construction in May 2026.
It is important to clearly distinguish Ms. Willcox’s former role from the proposed assignment. In her prior position as Assistant Director, Ms. Willcox held executive-level responsibility for Public Works operations, including department-wide management, staff supervision, budget authority, and operational decision-making across eight divisions.
The proposed retired annuitant assignment is materially different and narrowly scoped. It is limited to providing technical and strategic expertise related solely to bridge financing and associated funding mechanisms within a defined project context. The role does not include departmental management, supervision of employees, or authority to make policy or operational decisions. Instead, it focuses on discrete, time-bound deliverables necessary to finalize and stabilize the I Street Bridge financing framework.
This distinction confirms that the retired annuitant role is not a continuation of prior employment, but a temporary and limited engagement to address a highly specialized expertise gap tied to an urgent and defined infrastructure financing need. Staff expects Ms. Willcox’s tenure to be limited to approximately six (6) to twelve (12) months, concluding once bridge financing is secured, executed, and stabilized.
Ms. Willcox’s extensive knowledge of state and federal transportation funding eligibility, particularly Caltrans and FHWA requirements, uniquely positions her to work with Caltrans, the Sacramento Transportation Authority (STA), and regional partners to complete the remaining interagency agreements. She has served for years as the City’s primary liaison with STA and SACOG, relationships that are central to the revised financing strategy now underway.
While the City is actively recruiting a new Assistant Director to assume these responsibilities in the future, Ms. Willcox’s retirement coincided with a critical inflection point for the I Street Bridge project. At the time of her retirement, she was actively advancing several essential financing actions that must now be brought to completion:
• Negotiating the loan agreement with STA under the revised financing model
• Developing a strategy to manage and sequence local funds to match federal funding without compromising other City CIP commitments
• Structuring agreements between the City of Sacramento and the City of West Sacramento to allocate local match contributions and debt-service obligations associated with the STA loan
• Developing contingency financing plans to address potential high bids and ensure the project can be awarded without delay
At more than $300 million, the I Street Bridge Replacement Project is by far the largest transportation capital project the City has ever undertaken. The recent shift in financing strategy makes continuity of expertise not just beneficial, but essential to ensuring funding certainty and achieving the planned May 2026 construction start.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: The City Council may waive the 180-day waiting period for retired annuitants. per California Government Code 7522.56.
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: Not applicable.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations:
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): This action is not a project that is subject to CEQA because it is an organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. (CEQA Guidelines §15378(b)(5)).
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Sustainability
Sustainability: Not applicable.
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Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: The City Council may waive the 180-day waiting period for retired annuitants when there is a critical need.
Ms. Willcox’s long background on the I Street Bridge Replacement Project, along with her extensive background and experience in coordination and understanding of federal, state, regional, and local transportation funds, knowledge of processes and connections with related state, regional and local agencies, and understanding of City budgeting and financial processes and agreements, make it necessary to retain her services.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: Most of the costs for the position will be covered directly through the I Street Bridge Replacement Project (T15136000). There is sufficient funding available to support the costs of this position. Any non-project related costs, which are anticipated to be limited, can be absorbed within Public Works Department’s operating budget. Sufficient funding is available in the services and supplies budget of the Department of Public Works’ Fiscal Year (FY) 2025/26 Approved Operating Budget to cover the approximate $20,000 expense. Funding in future fiscal years for non-project related costs is subject to availability of funding in the adopted budgets for the respective fiscal years.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
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