Citygate conducted an organizational review and budget stabilization assessment for the City of Angels, California, with the purpose of developing a strategic, goal-focused, sustainable budget strategy. The Work Plan addressed the following areas: steering committee participation, strategic goal setting, community and council participation, an organizational review, a budget stabilization study, an alternative analysis, and an implementation plan.

Citygate completed an organizational review of the Finance Department for the City of South Pasadena, California, including reviewing the Department’s operational functions and workflow processes and identifying strengths and areas of improvement within key management staff administrative functions and overall Departmental procedures and processes.

Citygate conducted an organizational review of the Public Works Department as part of a Citywide organizational review for the City of Delano, California. This study also included the following functional areas: Community Development, Finance, City Manager, Community Services, City Clerk, Administration/Human Resources, Information Technology, Police, and Community Correctional Facility. As part of this review, Citygate conducted web-based employee and citizen surveys to supplement findings and gain a comprehensive understanding of citizen perspectives regarding City services.

The City of Chula Vista retained Citygate to conduct an analysis of Fire Department overtime use, provide a model for forecasting the amount of overtime usage for budgeting purposes, assess the use of constant staffing versus overtime to fill vacancies, and make recommendations that might substantially and cost-effectively reduce the amount of overtime required to fill vacancies. Citygate also conducted a review of the proposed Advanced Life Support (Fire Paramedic) system in order to analyze the fiscal impact of the ALS program and determine whether it might impact the City General Fund and/or whether there are any other financial concerns for the sustainability of the program. Part of the analysis included recommendations for improving the revenue to expenditure balance.

Citygate provided fiscal and operational policy assistance for the City of Chula Vista’s Advanced Life Support (ALS) program changes. Citygate provided an independent review of the City’s methodology applied in calculating City costs to provide First Responder (FRALS) services to the City’s ambulance provider, determine whether the proposed reimbursement is equal to or less than the costs incurred with the provision of FRALS, and determine if the rates are fair market rates compared to similar County-exclusive operating areas.

Following the 2008 financial review, Citygate was selected in an ongoing project to analyze and update the development impact and related users’ fees of the City, which required revising a number of city planning, facility, and capital plans to support the establishment of the impact fees.

Citygate Associates conducted a Citywide organizational review for the City of Albany, California. The study provided a third-party review of the City’s organizational structure to identify potential cost savings, service improvements, and other efficiencies to improve the effectiveness of the City organization. In addition, the study provided strategies and options for providing services in a tighter fiscal environment over the long term. The following departments were included in the study: Fire Department, City Administrator’s Office, City Clerk’s Office, Finance and Administrative Services Department, Community Development Department, and Recreation and Community Services Department.

Citygate completed a two-phase study for the City of Vista’s Finance Department. Phase one included an organizational and process review of the Finance Department, including an evaluation of work processes, organizational arrangement, and staff/workload balance. Phase two included a review of the City’s MUNIS Software System to improve its functionality for the City.

Citygate conducted a review of the City of Vista’s existing financial condition, financial practices and strategies, staffing, and organizational arrangements and developed recommendations addressing each of the three principal areas of the Five-Year Financial Plan. This project included the following objectives: 1) assessing the City’s ability to continue providing the current level of municipal services over the next five years if the City continued its present staffing, organizational arrangement, and financial practices and strategies; 2) recommending any changes in staffing and organizational arrangements to improve the City’s financial ability to continue or enhance the present level of municipal services over the next five years; and 3) recommending any changes in financial practices or strategies that will improve the City’s financial ability to continue or enhance the present level of municipal services over the next five years.

Citygate conducted an operational review of the Finance Department for the City of Surprise, Arizona to evaluate the capacity of the Department to provide the financial management services necessary to meet the needs of the rapidly growing City. In conducting the operational review, Citygate analyzed the organizational structure, utilization of resources, processes, and customer service. The analysis of these elements included an assessment of the adequacy of reports and software, policies and procedures, the use of staff, expenditure and revenue recording and management, communications with other departments, how well finance system users were served, and how well the Department forecasts and proactively seeks solutions to problems.

Citygate first completed an operational review of the Finance Department and then worked with the City of Folsom’s City Manager and Finance Director to link and integrate the City’s Strategic Plan with the formulation of the operating budget. This project included working with Folsom’s line departments to identify their respective roles in the achievement of the City’s Strategic Plan; presenting those roles, projects, and goals in departmental budgets; and identifying performance indicators to measure accomplishment of each component of the Strategic Plan. The project also included developing and presenting training materials to the departments in how to implement this approach within the annual budget formulation process.