Admin Services

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.

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 staffing and operations review for the Town of Windsor Administrative Services Department. Citygate will conduct a comprehensive review of the Town’s Administrative Services Department and assess the effectiveness of current functions, policies, procedures, operations, and staffing. Based on the study’s findings, Citygate will identify recommendations to enhance staffing, operations, and effectiveness of the Department.

Scope of work: operational review for the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) Finance/Administration Department. This review included assessment of current operational structure, staff duties, and responsibilities and analysis of operational and fiscal policies, procedures, and practices—with attention to operational functions, workflow processes, and use of technology and automation in performance of operational responsibilities. Citygate offered comparison to best practices and made recommendations in accordance with the findings of this review.

Citygate will assist Salt Lake City in evaluating the implementation of the building service process review completed by Citygate. This will also entail an analysis of the Building Services division’s performance measurement and management system. Citygate is also providing “on-call” auditing services for the City to assess performance, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop specific recommendations for action in the programs or functions selected by the City.

As part of a Master Services Agreement with the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), wherein Citygate was recently retained to provide seven as-needed organizational service level assessments of operations for OCFA’s major cost centers, Citygate performed a service level assessment of the OCFA Business Services functions. This assessment ascertained the efficiency and effectiveness of leadership and personnel operations and ensured compliance with policies/procedures, best practices, and regulatory agency requirements. The other six assessments part of the Master Services Agreement were for the Emergency Command Center, the Executive Leadership Team and Human Resources functions, the Emergency Medical Services Department, Field Deployment services, Fleet Services Division, and the Community Risk Reduction Department.

Citygate assisted NuStar Energy’s Western Region with a project to determine any needs the terminals have in terms of leadership, operational support, customer service, communication, and culture shaping. Citygate then facilitated a workshop with the regional support team to prioritize the services to be delivered to the terminals and clarify the roles and responsibilities needed to provide the desired services.

Citygate administered MERIT profiles to Executive and Administrative Teams, trained and presented personal survey results, and provided personal coaching sessions for NuStar staff.

Citygate completed a Citywide management audit for the City of Pinole, California. The project was conducted at the initiative of the City Council and emphasized the establishment of performance measures for each Department and division of the City, including Public Works, Community Development, Planning, Building, Redevelopment, Administration, Finance, Personnel, Police, Fire, and Sewer Treatment. Citygate also formulated recommendations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the City. Included in the project was the evaluation of the City’s financial stability and measures to improve the health and vigor of the City’s finances. As part of this analysis, Citygate also reviewed the adequacy of the City’s cost-recovery methodology.

Citygate completed a study of staffing levels and classifications and the budgeting methodology the Department of Developmental Services used to fund the State’s 21 Regional Centers (RCs). For this large, multi-faceted, and in-depth study of Regional Center operations, budgets, workload, and mandates, Citygate combined qualitative and quantitative data elements emanating from multiple sources, such as the RCs, state agencies, vendors, consumers and families, associations, and other stakeholders. Citygate evaluated system mandates in California and researched best practices nationwide. Locally, RCs serve as case studies of best practices and minimum standards that will define the functions and tasks each Regional Center must carry out to meet State and federal mandates. The analysis of how RCs meet their mandates, combined with other analyses, will result in the development of a new staffing model to provide funding for the core activities and necessary administrative support of the 21 RCs.