Citygate is currently conducting an independent staffing and development review study of the Community Development Department, the Public Works / Engineering Department, and the Department of Life Safety for the City of Hemet, CA. Citygate will provide recommendations on optimal staffing levels—as well as solutions to optimize the development review process by streamlining procedures, ensuring an orderly development process workflow, and enhancing the overall experience of City customers. Citygate’s analysis will be performed in support of the City’s three-pronged Economic Strategy focusing on Places, People, and Process. Through this analysis, Citygate will determine whether current resources align with community and City Council expectations, development review processes align with best practices, and resources are properly organized to carry out their defined responsibilities. Citygate will also develop an Implementation Plan to improve the departments’ processes and staffing and ensure the highest level of customer service.

As a follow-on engagement to our Citywide Staffing Review, Citygate is currently performing a Public Works Department Organizational Review for the City of Novato. For this review, Citygate will utilize internal and external stakeholder engagement to bolster an in-depth organizational analysis, provide performance benchmarks, and offer coaching and mentoring to Public Works personnel. Citygate is also conducting an Outsourcing Opportunities Review in parallel with this study.

As a follow-on engagement to our Citywide Staffing Review, Citygate is currently performing an Outsourcing Opportunities Review for the City to fulfill the City of Novato’s Strategic Plan requirement to “Authorize a study of potential outsourcing opportunities that would improve service delivery and reduce short- and long-term costs.” Citygate is also conducting a Public Works Department Organizational Review in parallel with this study.

Citygate conducted a Citywide staffing analysis for the City of Novato’s Administration (including the City Manager’s Office, IT, City Clerk, Economic Development, Homeless Services, Communications, and Sustainability); Community Development; Finance; Human Resources (including Risk Management); Parks, Recreation, and Community Services; Police; and Public Works departments. Through document reviews, questionnaires, interviews, and detailed analysis, Citygate evaluated whether the existing staffing and structure aligned with the City’s priorities, providing recommendations on staffing levels and organizational structure, including specific position counts per function, as needed.

Scope of work: A study to determine the appropriate level of staffing within the Ridgefield Public Works Department to meet its operational requirements and assist in the development of strategies that utilize staff resources in the most effective manner. The study includes a review of current operations, organizational structure, work schedules, workloads and service levels, and identifies the optimal staffing necessary to meet current needs. The study also defines critical issues facing the Department in the next five years while providing an analysis of the impacts related to anticipated issues.

Citygate performed an organizational review and analysis of Monterey County’s current homeless programs, funding, and coordination services. For this review, Citygate identified, evaluated, and recommended funding sources and budgeting structure for the Homeless Services function; identified and recommended organizational best practices, including comparisons with similar cities and counties; evaluated and recommended best practices for collaboration and coordination with various County departments, the Continuum of Care, local cities, school districts, businesses, and homeless service providers; and evaluated and recommended formal and informal organizational alignment, structure, and staffing for the Homeless Services function.

Citygate performed an operational and staffing review of the Public Works Department for the City of Brawley, California. This review provided the City with a roadmap of recommendations to improve the public works processes and assure the highest level of timeliness and customer service, particularly for the processing, conditioning, and approval of development projects and anticipated increases in workload due to future economic development opportunities. To provide this roadmap, Citygate examined the current organizational structure of the Public Works divisions and any potential reorganization for improved efficacy, evaluated service delivery, evaluated resources needed, reviewed the systems in use, assessed staffing functions and supervisory ratios, identified alternative service delivery methods, and identified any opportunities for outsourcing.

Citygate conducted a review of the Resource Management Agency (RMA) of Monterey County, California. The objective of the study was to review current conditions, analyze opportunities for organizational changes and process improvements that can further enhance customer service, evaluate future service demands, and develop a Strategic Action Plan with a prioritized implementation schedule. Included in this objective was an emphasis on assessing the adequacy and currency of underlying land use and related policies, the allocation and assignment of long-range planners versus current planners, and how the current situation and practices may compound difficulties in the backlog of application and permit processing, consistency, reliability, timeliness, and overall customer and stakeholder service delivery and satisfaction. Also included was an analysis of the functions included under the structure of the RMA to determine if there are too many or too few functions. Ultimately, this review resulted in Citygate’s recommendation to reorganize the RMA into separate Community Development and Public Works departments, in which Citygate provided strategies and detailed recommendations regarding organizational alignment, staffing, classifications, and business processes. Monterey County completed the reorganization within six months of Citygate’s Final Report delivery. Subsequent to the completion of the review, at the County’s request, Citygate reviewed and evaluated the RMA’s efforts implementing the recommendations from the final report. Additionally, Citygate assisted in onboarding new leadership and management staff.

As a subcontractor under Jacobs Engineering Group, Citygate assisted with the public outreach component of a regional surface water supply project for the Stanislaus Regional Water Authority (SRWA). The SRWA is a Joint Powers Authority that includes the California Cities of Ceres and Turlock. Because the groundwater that supplies the Cities’ drinking water becomes less reliable, in partnership with Turlock Irrigation District, the SRWA identified the Tuolumne River as a surface water supply that can be used in conjunction with the Cities’ groundwater systems to provide a long-term, reliable drinking water supply for both Cities. Jacobs was selected to complete the construction of the surface water treatment plant and transmission pipelines using the design-build approach. Jacobs selected Citygate Associates to provide strategic input related to public outreach services related to the construction. To provide these services, Citygate Senior Associate Dr. Nicholas Pinhey was retained to advise Jacobs on public outreach. Dr. Pinhey had served as a public works director for cities in the region and as the interim General Manager of the SRWA. His familiarity with the project and his past work with the SRWA partner cities enabled him to provide cost-effective solutions to meeting the public outreach needs for the construction of the major water transmission pipelines, while streamlining parts of the process.

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.