Folsom City Council Meeting
Additional Information
Transmittal
MEETING DATE: 9/23/2025
AGENDA SECTION: New Business
STAFF REPORT TITLE Resolution No. 11463- A Resolution Approving General Fund Cost Saving Measures for Fiscal Year 2025-26 and Beyond FROM: City Manager's Office
Staff is providing the attached additional information for the above-referenced agenda item.
Instructions to staff: Deliver original and 30 stapled/double-sided copies to the City Clerk's Department; City Clerk's Department will distribute via email and hardcopy to City Council, City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk.
Updated: Jan 2025
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2025 12:21:46 PM
To: Sarah Aquino <[email protected]>; Justin Raithel < [email protected]>; Mike Kozlowski <[email protected]>; Barbara Leary < [email protected]>; Anna Rohrbough <[email protected]>
Cc: Christa Freemantle <[email protected]>
Subject: Concern Regarding the Elimination of Key IT and GIS Positions You don't often get email from [email protected]. Learn why this is important CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
To: City of Folsom Council Members
Subject: Concern Regarding the Elimination of Key IT and GIS Positions Dear Council Members,
I am writing to express concern regarding the recent recommendation to remove the IT Manager, Process Improvement Specialist, GIS Specialist, and GIS Technician positions within the City of Folsom. These roles are not only essential to the city's daily operations, but they also serve multiple functions that extend far beyond their primary titles—-functions that save the city significant costs annually by reducing the need for additional personnel.
My staff and I were never interviewed or given the opportunity to list and highlight the numerous benefits we provide to the city, its departments, and the public. We provide a large swath of experience and knowledge.
I, the IT Manager, have been with the city for 29 years and was one of 2 people who put the first network in the city, along with a modern phone system. Over the years, that network has morphed and grown into the large interwoven tapestry and nervous system we know today. The IT Manager role is a working manager who not only fulfills traditional leadership responsibilities, such as strategic planning, vendor management, and oversight of technology infrastructure, but also actively performs duties typically assigned to IT Analyst staff.
This includes implementing new software solutions, software programming, and hardware installations. Due to the small size of our IT staff, the IT Manager's hands-on contributions are critical to maintaining operational continuity and avoiding costly outsourcing. These additional responsibilities do not preclude the normal management duties expected of the role but rather enhance the value and efficiency of the position.
Additionally, we do not have an IT director, so I effectively perform both roles along with all the duties previously listed, again, resulting in immediate cost savings and efficiencies.
The Process Improvement Specialist serves in a multifaceted capacity. In addition to identifying and implementing workflow efficiencies across departments, this role includes training staff on various software platforms, performing light application programming, and co-leading the implementation and support of Microsoft Teams and other high-value software. She provides ongoing troubleshooting and user training to ensure staff can effectively utilize these tools. Importantly, she also serves as the City's ADA Coordinator, a role that involves identifying and resolving accessibility issues and ensuring compliance with ADA standards- an essential responsibility that directly impacts our community.
The GIS Specialist and GIS Technicians support a wide range of departments, including Planning, Public Works, Community Development, EWR, Asset Management, and Emergency Services, by maintaining and analyzing geospatial data. Their work enables informed decision-making, supports emergency response planning, emergency staff response, field crew work tasks (sewer, wastewater, etc), public interactions through GIS portals for consumption, and facilitates infrastructure development. These roles are deeply integrated into city operations and provide services that would otherwise require separate personnel or external contractors, resulting in increased costs and reduced efficiency.
These positions are not singular in scope; they are dynamic, cross-functional roles that provide immense value to the city. Their removal risks not only operational inefficiencies but also increased reliance on external consultants, loss of institutional knowledge, and higher long-term costs.
The Staff Report states cost savings, but does little to paint the whole picture. The industry contracted rate for any of our (IT) positions is currently 160.00 - 210.00 dollars per hour, depending on the discipline. Let's delve into that further; 160.00 per hour times 2080 hours per year would equate to 332,800. None of our packages exceeds this number. Let's remember this is for one contractor, for one discipline, now multiply that by 6 or 7 to do the same duties we are currently doing. The staff report does not account for the crossover job functions that my staff and I perform on a daily basis, being jacks of all trades, and wearing multiple hats. So, it is very apparent that the city is getting exceptional value for its money.
Additionally, eliminating the mentioned positions with no true cost savings, contractors being more expensive, and no foresight into how large an impact it would be on the city by eliminating these in-house positions would leave the city in a very precarious position, akin to removing the pilots and flight crews from a plane in mid- flight.
I respectfully urge the Council to reconsider this recommendation and recognize the strategic importance of retaining these positions. Their contributions are foundational to the city's ability to operate efficiently and cost- effectively.
Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration.
Sincerely,
Efrem Richardson
efrem @richardsons.me
916-529-8883