City of Fortuna
1 Photo:
Fortuna
Chamber of
Commerce
Staff Listening Campaign Report
Fortuna Staff Interviews – By the Numbers
1 • 19 staff interviewed (23% of full-time staff)
• All departments represented
• Field staff, office staff, new hires, veterans
• Conducted by management peers (not consultants)
• 100% confidential (building trust)
• Community interviews, teen and Spanish speaking focus groups, only recently completed and a report will be brought back later. • We also have a volunteer group working with local businesses to better understand their needs and the state of economic development.
Staff Strengths
• "We improvised during the earthquake when we had no plan. We make it work.“
• Staff resilience is high: “all step up and meet the challenge. • "Public Works is part of public safety... It's what makes civilization possible.“ • “If we stay stagnant, we’re going backwards...Everything’s at stake.” • “Come back everyday because the work is a positive impact on our community.”
• "We're like extended family. We do it for the people we work with.”
• “The people I see making it happen [are] the City staff.” • “Problem is our people will not say no, they will keep grinding.”
● 34-hour work week (morale boost)
“34-hour work week helped with balance.”
● Strong teamwork
“Crew is the best thing...trust each other.”
● New CM leadership
“Right now, leadership is doing
things...leadership moving in right direction.”
● Strategic Planning Process
“...bringing the workers together to create a
vision”
What’s Working What’s at Risk
● Pay = #1 retention issue
“[Lack of] Retention kills you, like it kills you.”
● Fortuna as a “stepping stone”
“Always comes down to money.”
● Loss of institutional knowledge
“...nothing gets done without personnel...Have to
prioritize our people, short and long-term cost of that, toll on employee and agency when a 15-year employee
leaves.”
● Maintenance crisis (unfunded projects)
“Like park acquisition, can’t maintain even if acquisition is grant funded and staff are not considered when
[apply for] grants.”
The Tension
3 A Long-Term Tool – Annual Employee Survey
• An employee survey was shared with City employees. The survey was open from Oct. 14 to Nov. 3. All survey responses are anonymous. • Will help monitor what’s working and what’s at risk.
• Feedback helps to improve workplace culture, communication, and opportunities for growth.
• Employee survey data is a metric for tracking employee retention and job satisfaction
• Survey results are an attachment to the staff report.
What Staff Need
Maintenance Crisis: Projects (especially grant-funded park acquisitions) are approved without budgeting for fully burdened maintenance costs and staffing.
Examples:
Does this help with employee retention?
Does this generate sustainable revenue?
Does this include a fully burdened cost analysis?
Does this honor staff’s work and dedication?
What Staff Need
Leaders who allow staff to do their jobs, while supporting their professional growth (e.g., training, tools) and clear confident guidance, accomplished through a clear, institutionalized vision and sense of purpose. Currently lack of a "north star".
Explore streamlining the development review approval
process "cleaner" and more streamlined to attract tax
revenue – the current process is "jumbled, ad hoc," and too burdensome.
The Path Forward
1 • Today → February: Staff participated in a workshop and are working on a shared purpose, values, decision-
making criteria, long-term cost accountability and
improvement to the development review process – to be
included in the strategic framework
• Future budget request estimated at $55,000 to $70,000 (GPU set-aside) to continue Phase 2 of this work which
will include:
• Community Listening Campaign Report • January → March: Community workshops to gather input on Strategic and General Plan priorities
• 2026: Draft strategic plan reflecting both staff operations needs and community vision; release of General Plan
update RFP to utilize feedback received
How Council Can Help Now
Support:
• developing a shared purpose of the City
• developing shared values of the City
• staff developing decision-making criteria and using in in future decisions • staff developing long-term cost accounting for new projects requiring fully burdened cost analysis
• exploration of streamlining the development review process • continuation of investment in the strategic and general plan updates In Conclusion
Thank you City
Council for
authorizing this
process!