Fiscal/Budget

Citygate is currently conducting a comprehensive Operational and Organizational Assessment of the Public Works and Engineering Departments for the City of Dixon, CA. The assessment will include an analysis of existing conditions related to organization, staffing, resource allocation, technology, and budgetary and funding elements of the departments to ensure the City can meet current and future service demands. Citygate will identify opportunities to improve efficiency, customer service, collaboration, and organizational effectiveness; and will provide practical recommendations for an optimal organizational structure and leadership model—including support related to the recruitment of a new Director of Public Works. Citygate’s final report will also provide a prioritized implementation roadmap to guide the successful execution of the study’s recommendations.

Citygate was retained to conduct a review of the Verdugo Fire Communications Center’s cost-allocation structure and policies for the City of Glendale, CA. For this engagement, Citygate analyzed the cost-to-expense apportionment framework and needed policies related to operating and capital expenses before preparing a cost-sharing model update.

Citygate assisted the Cities of Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach with a review of Redondo Beach’s costs to offer contract fire services to Hermosa Beach. After thorough review of relevant documents and data, Citygate built operational and technical fiscal models before conducting briefings with stakeholders and submitting final project materials and exhibits related to Citygate’s key findings and recommendations.

Citygate prepared a staffing and equipment analysis to provide fiscal impact understanding to the Town of Ross should it choose to staff a fire station permanently rather than solely maintain its current contracted services as part of the Ross Valley Paramedic Authority (RVPA), which provides ambulance and paramedic services to the entire Ross Valley area of Marin County. Citygate provides a cost model for personnel, annual maintenance and operating expenses, capital equipment, and fire apparatus for the Town’s decision-making processes going forward.

Citygate is currently performing a Finance Department Operational Review and Budget Stabilization Update to Citygate’s prior organizational review and budget stabilization project for the City of Sonora. Citygate’s review will focus on specific recommendations and cost priorities identified previously as part of the prior study in 2023. Citygate will seek stakeholder input to determine the status of the recommendations and assess actual implementation costs, and will review the applicable updated fiscal (and related) documents, policies, and procedures implemented after the previous study’s conclusion to provide targeted updates to key findings and recommendations.

Citygate provided financial consulting assistance to Harper & Burns on behalf of the City of Norco. For this financial analysis regarding Silverlakes operations and Frontier development, Citygate conducted a thorough financial review and analysis of Balboa Management relative to their operation of the Silverlakes Equestrian and Sports Park. Citygate also provided ongoing professional consultation as needed for the development of the Frontier project to ensure compliance with all City approvals and applicable State planning and housing requirements.

Citygate is currently conducting a Feasibility Study and Financial Analysis for the Marin County Local Agency Formation Commission (Marin LAFCo) regarding the possible annexation of the City of Belvedere by the Tiburon Fire Protection District. The study will comprehensively review the existing contractual relationship, historical costs, revenues, and services provided, and recommend the basis for an efficient and sustainable annexation—with the goal to determine the most appropriate financial relationship between the District and the City, balancing the need to allocate costs equitably with the City’s and District’s ability to sustainably fund the cost of the services provided.

Citygate partnered with Design Workshop to assist the Truckee-Donner Recreation & Park District in development of a comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan. The combined Citygate and Design Workshop Project Team evaluated existing recreation services, parks, and facilities; identified and prioritized unmet recreation and park needs in the community; developed goals and achievable strategies; and detailed funding strategies to achieve District growth including fees, grants, sponsorships, and tax/bond initiatives.

Citygate is currently providing audit and analysis services for the City of Jurupa Valley to ensure the fees associated with its contract with the Riverside County Animal Services Department can be validated. Citygate’s assessment will help the City determine whether the County’s current service delivery policies and practices are aligned with the reimbursement approach for its contract with the City and provide understanding as to whether the County’s methodology meets industry standards. Citygate will provide a high-level cost analysis of animal services field operations and sheltering practices to assist the City in determining the cost efficacy of the services received and determine whether current service delivery policies align with the contract fee structure.

Citygate is currently performing a Service Delivery Study of City departments for the City of El Cerrito to provide strategic guidance related to the provision of services given limited financial resources. Citygate will evaluate current conditions, analyze opportunities for organizational changes and process improvements that can further enhance service to customers and stakeholders, evaluate future service demands, and develop a Strategic Action Plan with a prioritized implementation schedule of recommendations and options for how to adjust services and operations to ensure long-term fiscal sustainability. For each department, Citygate will comprehensively evaluate organizational structure; staffing and skillsets; policies, processes, and procedures; workload data and projections; budgets and revenue sources; and opportunities for the utilization of new technologies to improve organizational efficiency. Citygate will also evaluate future service demands and associated staffing levels and funding to outline a variety of cost reduction strategies within both present and future scenarios to align service delivery goals with available resources, developing service delivery performance measures and benchmarks to measure progress.