La Mesa City Council
March 22, 2022

LA MESA CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA

A Special Meeting via Teleconference

Date: March 22, 2022, 5:00 p.m.

Location: City Council Chambers, 8130 Allison Avenue
La Mesa, California
Elected
Officials:

Mayor Mark Arapostathis
Vice Mayor Jack Shu
Councilmember Bill Baber
Councilmember Laura Lothian
Councilmember Colin Parent
City Treasurer Eldon Vogt
Staff: City Manager Greg Humora
City Attorney Glenn Sabine
City Clerk Megan Wiegelman
This meeting is being conducted utilizing teleconferencing and electronic means consistent with Government Code Section 54953, as amended by Assembly Bill 361, in relation to the COVID-19 State of Emergency and recommended social distancing measures. The City Council meeting may be viewed live using the following Zoom Webinar options:

The public may view the meeting live using the following remote options:

Teleconference Meeting Webinar
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84788657951
Telephone (Audio only)
(669) 900-6833 or (253) 215-8782 Webinar ID: 847 8865 7951 Copy and paste the webinar link into your internet browser if the webinar link does not work directly from the agenda.

PUBLIC COMMENTS
Live Public Comments: To provide oral public comments during the meeting, join the Zoom meeting by computer, mobile phone, or dial in number. On Zoom video conference by computer or mobile phone, use the “Raise Hand” feature. This will notify the moderator that you wish to speak during a specific item on the agenda or during non-agenda Public Comment. Members of the public will not be shown on video but will be able to speak when called upon. If joining the meeting using the Zoom dial-in number, you may raise your hand by pressing *9. Comments will be limited to three (3) minutes. No further comments will be entertained after the Mayor closes public comment. •
eComments: eComments are available once an agenda is published. Locate the meeting in "upcoming meetings" and click the comment bubble icon. Click on the item you wish to comment on. eComments can be submitted when the agenda is published and until 2 hours prior to the meeting. eComments are limited to 500 words. eComments may be viewed by the City Council and members of the public following the close of the eComment submission period (2 hours prior to the meeting). Email your comment to [email protected] if you have difficulty submitting an eComment. eComments will not be read aloud as a regular meeting item; however any member of the Council or member of the public may do so during their respective comment time. •
Agenda reports for items on this agenda are available for public review at the City Clerk's Office, 8130 Allison Avenue, during normal business hours.

Materials related to an item on this agenda submitted to the Council after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection in the City Clerk’s Office, 8130 Allison Avenue, during normal business hours.

ACCESSIBILITY: The City of La Mesa encourages the participation of disabled individuals in the services, activities and programs provided by the City. Individuals with disabilities, who require reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the City Council meetings, should contact the City’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator, Rida Freeman, Director of Administrative Services, 48 hours prior to the meeting at 619.667.1175, fax 619.667.1163, or [email protected].

Hearing assisted devices are available for the hearing impaired. A City staff member is available to provide these devices upon entry to City Council meetings, commission meetings or public hearings held in the City Council Chambers. A photo i.d. or signature will be required to secure a device for the meeting.

Pages

1. CALL TO ORDER

1.1. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

2. PUBLIC COMMENTS
NOTE: In accordance with state law, an item not scheduled on the agenda may be brought forward by the general public for comment; however, the City Council will not be able to discuss or take any action on the item at this meeting.

If appropriate, the item will be referred to Staff or placed on a future agenda.

3. SPECIAL MEETING

3.1. STUDY SESSION TO REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE FINANCIAL

FORECAST
4 Staff Reference: Ms. Royales

3.2. 2021 PERFORMANCE MEASURES 17
Staff Reference: Mr. Tomaino

4. ADJOURNMENT

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�_S_A _____________ ,N_T_E-RO_F_F_I
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DATE: March 22, 2022
TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
FROM: Greg Humora, City Manager
SUBJECT: City Council Financial Forecast Study Session
Each year, the City Council conducts a Financial Forecast Study Session. The Financial Forecast provides a projection of future revenues and expenditures for a 10 year period.

The Financial Forecast is one of the ways in which the City monitors its fiscal health to maintain a balanced operating budget.

The Performance Measures provide an overview of efforts to accomplish and measure key objectives by each department. This year, staff updated the Performance Measures with new measurements and performance outcomes. This document, along with the Targets for Action, will be updated as part of the forthcoming strategic planning process.

Staff has attached the Financial Forecast and Performance Measures for the City Council's information.

Staff looks forward to discussing these important topics.

Attachment:

A. Financial Forecast

REVISED

2022 CITY COUNCIL FINANCIAL

FORECAST STUDY SESSION

GENERAL FUND FINANCIAL

FORECAST
2022-2033

REVISED

INTRODUCTION
We introduce a ten year financial forecast for the years 2022-2033. The City prepares a ten year forecast in order to evaluate the City’s fiscal condition and to guide policy and programmatic conditions. The development of a financial forecast as part of the budget process is identified as a best practice by the Government Officers Finance Association (GFOA). GFOA recognized a financial forecast as a “fiscal management tool that presents estimated information based on past, current, and projected financial conditions. This will help identify future revenue and expenditure trends that may have an immediate or long-term influence on government policies, strategic goals, or community services.”
Included in this report is the base forecast prepared using the most current information available at the time.

FINANCIAL FORECAST BACKGROUND
The General Fund Financial Forecast is a tool that focuses attention on the longer-term impacts of policy decisions on the City’s primary operating fund. The General Fund is the City’s largest fund and provides funding for the majority of the day-to-day services of the City to its residents. The “forecast” is not intended to be a prediction of a particular outcome but rather to be used as a model to test reasonable scenarios the City could expect in the coming years. These scenarios are intended to assist in setting realistic expectations in matching revenues with programs and projects that will meet Council objectives.

The Forecast Model is a spreadsheet-based model that projects the City’s current mix of revenues and expenditures through the upcoming budget year and then ten years into the future. The forecasting model uses a variety of information and techniques, including historical trend analysis, projections from local and regional sources, and various economic data. The Financial Forecast builds off the actual prior fiscal years’ revenues, expenditures, and ending reserves, projects the estimated 2022 revenues, expenditures, and ending reserves, and incorporates known factors (such as the increase in pension costs) into the 2033 projections. Revenues, expenditures, and ending reserves are then projected using the base assumptions as detailed below.

2022-2033 General Fund Financial Forecast

GENERAL FORECASTING ASSUMPTIONS
The Financial Forecast assumptions are based on the most current information available. Revenue assumptions are generally moderate with particular attention given to the top three revenues that represent approximately 75 percent of total revenues.

Expenditure assumptions are based on maintaining current service levels while containing cost increases where possible. The Forecast assumes the continuation of Council adopted fee cost recovery policies and the sunset of Prop L in FY29.

BASE REVENUE ASSUMPTIONS

PROPERTY TAX
Property tax has traditionally been the General Fund’s most stable and consistent revenue and accounts for roughly 29 percent of the total General Fund revenues.

Property tax valuations are always a year behind as we collect annual taxes in our current year based on values of the previous year. In recent years, property assessed values have increased between 5.0 to 7.5 percent each year with the current 2020-2021 tax year increasing 3.7 percent, on par with the countywide increase of 3.7 percent over

2022-2033 General Fund Financial Forecast

the same tax year. Our consultant, HdL Coren & Cone forecasts the expected 2022/23 assessed values will have a 3 percent growth over the previous year. Sales are expected to slow due to an assumed interest rate increase by the Federal Reserve that will increase mortgage rates. In 2021, sale prices have risen as the number of sales declined due to lack of inventory. The median detached single family residential home in La Mesa from January through September 2021 was $766,225 which represents an 18 percent increase over 2020 median home prices. We factored in a 3 percent growth assumption through FY33.

BASE SALES TAX
Fiscal year ending 2021 saw one of the largest gains in sales tax in the last five years as revenues increased 6.9 percent over FY20. Revenues matched property tax at 29 percent of total General Fund revenues. The reopening of businesses caused a significant uptake in spending as shoppers had more expendable income. We don’t expect this to continue as the economy shifts from pandemic to endemic. Base Sales Tax is also the most volatile and economically sensitive revenue source. Consumers are spending more on non-taxable items such as services, social networking, and education and less on traditionally taxable items. Further contributing to the issue is that sales are increasingly shifting from traditional brick-and-mortar stores to online sales transactions and distributed via the County Pool. The 2018 South Dakota v. Wayfair

2022-2033 General Fund Financial Forecast

decision further increased the tax revenues collected and allocated to local agencies through the County Pool. The City’s overall share of the County Pool increased dramatically during the pandemic as these allocations were based on increases in brick and mortar spending. A recent change in the allocation of County Pool sales tax will decrease the overall share allocated to the city. Calculations are based on a formula determined by the State Board of Equalization (BOE). Previously, under the “County Pool” system, the tax is reported by the taxpayer to the countywide pool of use and distributed to each jurisdiction in that county on a pro-rata share of taxable sales. The BOE changed the allocation to give the tax first to the jurisdiction where it was sent from and then allocate .5 percent of said transaction to the County Pool along with use tax, and any add-on transaction tax. We also expect that with increasing inflation to see a shift in overall spending. These factors may have a flat or negative impact on future sales tax. Our assumptions on sale tax increases for FY24-FY33 are 1.25 percent per year.

2022-2033 General Fund Financial Forecast

PROPOSITION L SALES TAX
In November 2008, the voters of La Mesa approved the ¾ cent (0.75%) Proposition L transactions and use tax (commonly referred to as a sales tax) which became effective on April 1, 2009. The City began receiving payments from the State Board of Equalization in fourth quarter 2009.

Since 2009, Prop L Sales Tax revenue growth has consistently followed the Base Sales Tax growth trends and has been received at 68 to 71 percent of the Base Sales Tax receipts. Prop L tax revenues now account for roughly 20 percent of the total General Fund revenues. The annual increase in projected Prop L sales tax revenue is tied to assumptions of sales tax revenue minus the County Pool allocation. Taxes received from Prop L are based on sales within the city limits. Proposition L is set to sunset in Fiscal Year 2029, when the City will receive the remaining three quarters (roughly $8 million) of tax revenues and then absent any further action by the City Council and voters, cease receiving any revenues. The forecast assumes the same factors as the Base Sales Tax through Fiscal Year 2028, before tapering off to zero in subsequent years.

2022-2033 General Fund Financial Forecast

ALL OTHER REVENUES
All other revenues combined constitute roughly 20 percent of total General Fund Revenues. The largest components of all other revenues include Other Taxes, Licenses & Permits, and Service Charges. Other sources include Property Tax (Tax Increment), Revenue from Other Governmental Agencies, and Use of Money & Property.

Other taxes contributed $5.8 million, with cannabis tax coming in at $1.8 million over budget. At the end of FY21, the city had eight (8) fully operational dispensaries. The city collects a 4 percent cannabis tax on a quarterly basis on all cannabis related sales with the exception of medicinal sales. The Finance team will continue to monitor Cannabis tax to determine if revenue fluctuations are due to the pandemic and additional future forecasting needs to be revised. For forecasting purposes, all other taxes are assumed to be fairly flat over the forecast period.

Licenses and Permits represent roughly 4 percent of total General Fund revenues and are very sensitive to fluctuations in economic conditions. We began collecting business license fees at the start of the fiscal year after waiving them for FY20. Construction and home improvements remain strong and permits continued to increase in revenue.

Licenses and Permits are assumed to remain fairly consistent between $1.5 million and $1.8 million through 2032.

Revenue from other agencies comprises roughly 2 percent of total General Fund revenues. Ongoing revenues from other agencies include reimbursements for costs related to the Heartland Fire JPA consolidation and funding to cover expenses incurred as a result of public safety realignment (AB109 R3 public safety realignment funds).

The AB109 R3 public safety realignment funds and reimbursement for costs related to the Heartland JPA are now ongoing revenues and included in the future years forecast.

Service Charges represent roughly 5 percent of total General Fund revenues.

Community Services activities increased 2 percent as facilities were allowed to open for services. Engineering, zoning, and other inspection fees decreased 37 percent as projects were delayed due to product and shipping delays.

Use of Money & Property includes revenue to be received from the long-term land use lease at Briercrest Park. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2021, the City began receiving ongoing revenues of approximately $415,000 per year as ground rent and park maintenance revenues to help offset the cost of maintaining Briercrest Park. These revenues will be received annually throughout the 55-year agreement. Additional revenue sources are rents of buildings owned by the City and interest earned in LAIF and other investments.

Revenues increase in FY23 due to a one-time payment from EDCO of $3 million and the reallocation of lost revenue from ARPA funding.

2022-2033 General Fund Financial Forecast

BASE EXPENDITURE ASSUMPTIONS
When developing the expenditure assumptions, as with the revenue assumptions, historical data, projections from outside sources, and economic trends are all considered. Salaries and fringe benefits comprise the majority of General Fund expenditures at roughly 80 percent. Due to an unexpected 23.1 percent rate of return in FY21, our underfunded valuation with CalPERS has been reduced. Our payment for FY23 has been reduced and is now expected to remain flat for two years before decreasing. We are currently working with CalPERS on reducing future costs by utilizing our 115 Trust Account to offset future payments.

Staffing levels are assumed to remain constant. Negotiated increases with the fire and police as well as merit increases are considered in the salary assumptions for future years beyond Fiscal Year 2023. Fringe benefits include retirement contributions for the normal cost and unfunded liability, contributions to the Section 115 Pension Trust Fund, health insurance contributions, workers’ compensation, social security, and other types of benefits. Fringe benefits not related to pension are assumed to increase slightly with increases tied to merit increases or inflation. Pension benefits are projected to increase due to the lowering of the discount rate by CalPERS and are discussed below.

Materials, Services & Supplies, Personal Expenses, and Capital Equipment are anticipated to increase slightly over 2022-2023 levels due to inflationary numbers.

Normal operations are expected to resume into the 2022-23 fiscal year with increases in cost due to inflation.

2022-2033 General Fund Financial Forecast

CALPERS RETIREMENT COSTS AND OTHER BENEFITS
As noted earlier, the fastest growing category of the General Fund’s expenditures continues to be fringe benefits, specifically pension costs. CalPERS earned a 23.1 percent rate of return in FY21. Due to rules of return, this caused an automatic reduction of the discount rate to 6.8 percent. Based on the most recent CalPERS projections and the anticipated impacts of the recent changes including the reduced discount rate and fixed unfunded liability contributions, pension costs are projected to increase roughly 8 percent each year, down from previous projections of 10 percent.

The City currently has 256 CalPERS enrolled employees, of which 115 are in the California Public Employee’s Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) and 141 are Classic members. PEPRA employees make up 45 percent of the enrolled members, increasing annually as classic service members retire. All newly eligible CalPERS employees are automatically enrolled in PEPRA effective January 2013.

Beginning in Fiscal Year 2016, the City Council approved the establishment of a Section 115 Pension Trust Account and authorized an initial contribution of $1.5 million.

Additional one time contributions were authorized in 2017 ($600,000) and 2019 ($3 million). Ongoing contributions of approximately $250,000 to $350,000 each fiscal year through 2032 are included in forecast. City Council approved these contributions with the expectation that these would offset future unfunded liability contributions beginning in FY2025-2026 when the current increases are expected to peak. Due to the higher than normal rate of return in FY21, the peak we expected in FY26 has been lowered and we will be peaking instead in FY23 and then remain flat for the next three years before tapering off. The Section 115 Pension Trust Fund has a current balance of $8.1 million on January 31, 2022. Staff recommends use of $1 million in Section 115 funds beginning in FY23 to aid in payment of the unfunded liability portion of the pension then continuing similar $1 million annual payments for the next five years to save on future underfunded pension payments. Also reflected as an offset to the City’s pension costs are negotiated cost-sharing agreements with City employees. These cost sharing agreements were agreed upon by the City and the employees in 2018 and updated in 2022 that provide the City an annual savings of just over $350,000 in City pension costs.

2022-2033 General Fund Financial Forecast

City contributions to health insurance are the second largest segment of Fringe Benefits. Historically, these costs would have been increasing due to the increase in employee premium costs. Beginning in 2016, these costs reverted to a fixed cost as part of the 2014-2016 MOU’s and any increases are negotiated as part of the bargaining process. Worker’s Compensation insurance rates are approximately $1.1 million each year. The City’s contribution to its Other Post-employment Benefits is expected to increase approximately 2.5 percent for the next two fiscal years. All other fringe benefits are assumed to remain constant through the forecast period.

ALL OTHER NON-PERSONNEL OPERATING COSTS
Other non-personnel operating costs include personal expenses such as memberships, training, conferences, and uniform/boot allowance as well as material, services, and supplies needed to maintain the city. Most materials, services & supplies are assumed to increase 3 percent due to inflation. Consistent with prior years’ forecasts, exceptions to these assumptions are in Communications and Technology Maintenance, Maintenance of Buildings & Grounds, Contributions to Other Agencies, Equipment Replacement Expense, and all Utilities, including gas, electric and water. Increases in maintenance of buildings and grounds are estimated to increase 4 percent throughout the forecast period in order to maintain and replace as needed the City’s public spaces.

Communications and technology maintenance are anticipated to increase 5 percent in 2023-2024 and 3 percent through the end of the forecast period in order to maintain and operate the city’s increasing technologies. Increases in Equipment Replacement Fund Expense are necessary to maintain the city’s replacement of equipment, vehicles and technology. Increases in Utilities, specifically electric and water usage are assumed to increase 3 percent through 2024 as the City works to implement energy and water savings devices as outlined in the Climate Action Plan.

2022-2033 General Fund Financial Forecast

GENERAL FUND RESERVES
Reserves at the end of FY21 are 67 percent of expenditures. Better than expected sales tax and cannabis tax revenues and efforts to limit expenditures due to the pandemic attribute to this additional savings.

The 2033 General Fund Forecast estimates ending reserves for June 30, 2022 at 62 percent. Reserves start to rapidly decline when Prop L sunsets in 2029.

The City Council’s current reserve policies are to establish a “Rainy Day Reserve” of 15 percent of budgeted expenditures and a “Cash Flow Reserve” of 25 percent of budgeted expenditures.
2031-2032 GENERAL FUND FORECAST
The current forecast extends the view to 2032-2033, four years beyond the sunset of Proposition L. Based on revenue and expenditure projections, expenditures will exceed revenues in fiscal years 24-26, requiring the use of reserves to “balance the budget”.

Revenues exceed expenditures in FY27 and FY28, and are flat in FY29. However, this all changes in 2029-2030 with the sunset of Proposition L and the elimination of more than $11 million annually in General Fund Revenues.

2022-2033 General Fund Financial Forecast

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�_S_A _____________ ,N_T_E-RO_F_F_I
C_E_M_E_M_O_
DATE: March 22, 2022
TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
FROM: Greg Humora, City Manager
SUBJECT: City Council Financial Forecast Study Session
Each year, the City Council conducts a Financial Forecast Study Session. The Financial Forecast provides a projection of future revenues and expenditures for a 10 year period.

The Financial Forecast is one of the ways in which the City monitors its fiscal health to maintain a balanced operating budget.

The Performance Measures provide an overview of efforts to accomplish and measure key objectives by each department. This year, staff updated the Performance Measures with new measurements and performance outcomes. This document, along with the Targets for Action, will be updated as part of the forthcoming strategic planning process.

Staff has attached the Financial Forecast and Performance Measures for the City Council's information.

Staff looks forward to discussing these important topics.

Attachment:

A. Performance Measures

2021 PERFORMANCE MEASURES

A TTA CHM E NT A

CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE
2021

PERFORMANCE MEASURES
• City Clerk – Type of Records being Requested by
the Public and Staff and Records Currently
Available in the City’s Document Imaging System
(Laserfiche)
• City Manager – Communication with Public
• Human Resources – Recruitment Activity
• Risk Management – Liability Claims Activity
• Risk Management – Workers Compensation
Activity
• Information Technology – Work Order
Turnaround

City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measures Review
City Clerk Department
Division: City Clerk
Goal: Provide responsive and timely services to the general public, business, and staff requesting copies of public records.

Objective: Respond to public record requests within a 10-day period 95% of the time. Increase the number of records available electronically by 10% annually.

Performance Measure: Total number of public record requests responded to within a 10-day period and the total records available through the City’s document imaging system.

Performance Outcome: Increasing the number of available digital records through Laserfiche increases responsiveness and reduces the
amount of staff time needed to provide records.

Graphed Data: 2021
*Other records included claims, GIS, employee salaries, various finance records, etc. 0 0
10 9 2 7 0
16 71
12 2 4
19 5 1 2
19 6 0 2 1
66 4
184
12 72
39 2
8 1 6 0 0 0
0 20
40 60
80 100
120
140
160
180
200
Agenda (Board and…
Agenda (City Council)
As-Built Records
Bid(s)
Business License
Campaign Disclosure…
Certificate of Insurance
Certificate of Occupancy
Code Violations…
Complaint (Code,…
Conditional Use PermitConditional Use Permit…
Contract/Agreement
Deed
Easement
Election Records
Emails
Fire Incident Report
Minutes (Board and…
Minutes (City Council)
Ordinances
Other
Outstanding…
Permit (Building,…
Planning Records
Police Record
Project Plans
Public Comments (City…
Purchasing Records
Request for Proposal
Resolutions (City Council)
Resolutions (Non-City…
Staff Report (Board and…

NUMBER OF PRA REQUESTS
Staff Report (City Council)

RECORD TYPE
2021 PUBLIC RECORDS ACT (PRA) REQUESTS BY

RECORD TYPE

1 Data Analysis:

The City Clerk’s Office facilitates an efficient and timely response to Public Records Act (PRA) requests. These requests are monitored by the City Clerk Department to ensure adherence to the policy. Although the PRA states public records are open to inspection at all times during normal business hours, the City must respond to requests for records within 10 days.

In 2021, the City Clerk Department processed 500 PRA requests and completed ninety six percent (96%) of the PRA requests within the 10-day period. The remaining four percent (4%) of the requests were completed following a request for an extension. The most common reasons for a request for an extension were because of the need to: (1) search for, collect, and appropriately examine a voluminous amount of separate and distinct records demanded in a single request; and (2) consult with another agency having substantial interest in the request (such as a state agency), or among two or more components of the local agency with substantial interest in the request.

Over the past couple of years, the number of requests increased significantly and the type of records being requested has changed. In the past, the majority of requests were for copies of documents such as minutes, resolutions, and agendas which are all retained by the City Clerk Department and available in the City’s document imaging system (Laserfiche). The most commonly requested records have changed over the past few years. Requests for conditional use permits, building records, code enforcement records, and correspondence records have not only increased but have expanded in scope. Many of the requested records are retained by departments other than the City Clerk Department and are not available in Laserfiche. The City Clerk Department must reach out to and work with the other departments to obtain records not retained by the City Clerk Department and are not available in Laserfiche. PRA requests for records that are not available in Laserfiche often require more staff time and may result in a longer processing time.

In 2012, the City Clerk Department worked with Gladwell Governmental Services, Inc. to update the City’s retention schedule and records management process. During this time, Gladwell Governmental Services, Inc. created Laserfiche input plans for each department. The input plans focused exclusively on records with a permanent retention.

The majority of PRA requests are for non-permanent records such as permits and contracts. To better serve the public and staff, the department input plans need to be updated to include the most commonly requested documents in each department. The City’s Retention Schedule will need to be inputted into Laserfiche to avoid records being retained for longer than their retention period and quickly exceeding the storage capacity.

The above chart reflects the type of records being requested by members of the public through PRA requests. The most common requests were for permits (building, grading, solar, tenant improvements, etc.), police records (arrest reports, disciplinary records, citations, investigatory records, collision reports, use of force records, etc.), code violations (residential, building, fire, etc.), and project plans. The majority of the records most commonly requested by the public are not available in Laserfiche. The City Clerk Department has been uploading City Council approved agreements and contracts, but many old agreements and contracts and recent ones that do not go to City Council for

2 approval are not available in Laserfiche. The majority of the requests from City staff were for agreements and contracts, City Council resolutions, and agenda reports. All of the City Council resolutions are available in Laserfiche; agenda reports from 2008 to present are also available in Laserfiche.

The availability of electronic documents throughout the City and the Laserfiche document imaging system shortens time for retrieval and delivery of documents. Due to multiple factors including an increased use of the internet, COVID-19, and an electronic PRA request form, almost all requests for information and documents are being submitted electronically. These requests for public records are also asking for the documents to be provided in an electronic format. The total number of PRA requests has increased over the last couple of years which is likely in large part due to the ease of submitting and receiving PRA requests electronically.

From the data collected and evaluated, the majority of internal requests are for research, information, and copies of staff reports and resolutions, which are easily accessible through Laserfiche. The external requests are generally for copies of permits (building, grading, solar, tenant improvements, etc.), various police records, code enforcement documents, agreements and contracts, and project plans, most of which are not currently available on Laserfiche, and thus, take more time to process.

Providing information in an easily accessible way to employees and the public through the Laserfiche document imaging system is an on-going project in the City Clerk Department. Documents retained by the City Clerk Department that are currently available in Laserfiche and are being scanned on an on-going basis include deeds, liens, easements, staff reports, agendas, minutes, resolutions, ordinances, and contracts that are approved by Council.

The City Clerk Department completed the Laserfiche retention schedule project in which the retention schedules for the record types in Laserfiche were inputted into the system.

When uploading non-permanent records into Laserfiche, staff is able to select the retention period and then run a report to determine which records may be destroyed pursuant to the City’s Retention Schedule. This will help prevent non-permanent records from being retained longer than necessary and insufficient storage capacity.

Use of the imaging system allows staff to conduct research and quickly identify and access archived documents. The City Clerk Department will work with the other departments to update their Laserfiche input plan and will continue to work with them to input their department records into Laserfiche. With more records available in Laserfiche, the accessibility to information for both the public and staff will improve and the processing time for PRA requests will shorten.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Actions To Be Taken: To work with the other departments to update their input plans and input their records into Laserfiche.

Continue to work with ECS to input the City’s Retention Schedule into Laserfiche.

3 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measures Review
City Manager’s Office
Division: City Manager’s Office (Communications)
Goal: Promote an environment of transparency and open dialogue with the community.

Objective: Increase the number of engagements across City social media platforms and visits to the City website by 5% each year.

Performance Measure: Social media and website statistics.

Performance Outcome: Increase in overall resident satisfaction with the City’s communication efforts in the 2023 Community Survey.

Graphed Data:

Data Analysis:
0 50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
Top Webpage Views in 2021

4 The table above shows the top visited webpages on the City’s website in 2021. The City’s website was redesigned in 2019 to provide easier navigation and access to City services and information. The aquatics webpage was popular in 2021 as users of the Municipal Pool located at 5100 Memorial Drive continue to take advantage of the various swim lessons and classes offered. During the ongoing pandemic, in 2021 County restrictions and pool protocols implemented by the Community Services Department regarding how swimming lessons and swimming lanes are reserved on the aquatics webpage resulted in significantly increased views. In addition, in the past year the department amplified municipal pool messaging on social media and refreshed information on the aquatics page more frequently, which contributed to increased popularity and usage of the pool and views of the page.

Other pages that received significant views in 2021 are the staff directory, Police Department, job opportunities, and Building Division webpages. The job opportunities page became easier for users to find with the website redesign and the staff directory, Police Department, and Building Division pages are historically popular pages accessed by the public.

Graphed Data:

Data Analysis:

In 2021, the City Council approved the 2021-2023 Community Engagement Plan that identified specific programs with the goal of enhancing community engagement, 0 5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
45000
2018
2019
2020
2021
Facebook Reaches by Year
bar

5 providing more ways for the City to reach residents, and promoting the business community. The plan included the hiring of a full-time Communications Manager position to coordinate website updates, newsletters, social media communications, marketing campaigns, media engagement, press releases, and implement the 2021- 2023 Community Engagement Plan. The Communications Manager was onboarded in December 2021.

Currently, the City has 3,800 followers on Facebook, 4,069 followers on Twitter, and 3,102 followers on Instagram. This represents a 21% increase in followers on Facebook, 6% increase in followers on Twitter, and a 19% increase in followers on Instagram from 2020. Future reporting will continue to include data on the number of followers for each platform for tracking purposes. In 2021, monthly cross-departmental communications meetings were implemented to better share information between departments, improve individual department social media messaging, and provide more meaningful City news and information to residents.

The graph above shows the number of reaches by year for the City’s Facebook posts.

Facebook reaches are a good metric in determining social media user’s interest in specific content and the size of the online conversation about them. Calendar year 2020 experienced an average of about 18,000 reaches per month compared to 13,000 per month in 2021. The onset of the pandemic in the months of April, May, and June of 2020 and the City’s extensive messaging to residents during that time explains this increase. The steady increase in reaches in the last three months of 2021 can be attributed to the implementation of the departmental communications meetings, onboarding of the Communications Manager, and overall coordinated efforts to increase meaningful content on Facebook.

Graphed Data:
0 500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
2018
2019
2020
2021
Facebook Live Council Meeting Views by

6 Data Analysis:

Facebook Live has become a popular platform for La Mesa residents to participate in local government and view archived and live Council meetings. The graph above shows the number of live and non-live viewings of City Council meetings per month (by year). The City began live streaming meetings in 2018 and saw a steady increase in the number of viewings through 2020. The high number of meeting views in 2020 can be attributed to the onset of the pandemic and the civil unrest that occurred in 2020.

The total number of views in 2021 was 9,010; comparable to the 9,671 total views experienced in 2019.

Graphed Data:

Data Analysis:

Similar to Facebook, Twitter experienced a high number of total impressions in 2020 due to the pandemic and civil unrest. In 2021, the City transitioned from utilizing consultant services to support social media messaging to conducting reoccurring crossdepartmental communications meetings to coordinate messaging in-house in accordance with the 2021-2023 Community Engagement Plan. The City’s use of Twitter as a platform for community messaging increased over the last two years when compared to the previous two years. In 2020 and 2021, there were an average of 25,755 impressions each year from City posts. In 2018 and 2019, the average was 18,200.
0 20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
Twitter Impressions by Year
2018 2019 2020 2021

7 Graphed Data:

Data Analysis:
2019 represents the first full year the City used Instagram as a social media platform.

Since its inception, Instagram impressions generated from City messaging has trended similarly to Facebook and Twitter.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Actions To Be Taken: Continue to monitor public engagement and compare prior years’ data in future Performance Measure reviews.

Potentially expand analysis to utilize additional metrics with the addition of the Communications Manager position.

Review resident satisfaction levels in the 2023 Community Survey.
0 20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
160000
Instagram Impressions by Year
2019 2020 2021

8 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measures Review
City Manager’s Office
Division: Human Resources
Goal: Conduct recruitments for all City departments to fill vacant positions.

Objective: Fill all open recruitments opened within any given year.

Performance Measure: Recruitment Activity
Performance Outcome: Maintain stable City operations by recruiting qualified and motivated employees.

Graphed Data: Number of calendar days to develop and accomplish a full recruitment cycle from the posted job opening date through the date that the top eligible candidates are presented to the hiring manager. Additionally, the graph reflects the number of recruitments initiated, graphed by month.

Note: Recruitment activity within Human Resources fluctuates throughout the calendar year. Positions become vacant for a variety of reasons (internal promotions, new positions, retirements, etc.)
Full cycle recruitment timelines increased in recent years due to the pandemic impacts, HR staffing levels, and the extraordinary competitive environment where candidates are expecting employers to offer higher wages, increased
benefits, remote work, more flexible schedules, and work-life balance options.

Additionally, for consideration, recruitment and selection are only one of the many facets of HR. The Human Resources
team is also responsible for, and must divide their time and efforts to administrate multiple programs and activities; each with competing priorities.

These programs include benefits administration,
negotiations, employer-employee relations, classification and compensation, employee leave of absence administration, investigations, employee complaints of harassment,
discrimination and retaliation, new hire on-boarding,
disciplinary and performance management matters,
retirement administration, and training and development, etc.

9 Within the performance period 1/1/21-12/31/21:

Applications Received 2,435
^ all applications are reviewed to assess minimum qualifications New Requisitions Generated 46
^ this does not include continuously posted positions with on-going recruitment activity cycles Requisition Approvals Obtained 136
^ job posting activity requires requisition approvals before any posting can be released Job Openings Posted 41
^ this is merely the first step in the recruitment cycle La Mesa Employees Promoted 13
Data Analysis:

The City’s Human Resources Division experienced an 87% increase in recruitments; with 41 new recruitments in 2021. There are multiple factors that contribute to the increased number of recruitments in any given year such as internal promotions, the addition of new positions, a competitive job market, employee retirements and seasonal opportunities. For the last quarter of 2021, the Department experienced a significant adjustment in HR team staffing. In the previous cycle (2020) for a 12-month reporting period, the City processed 23 recruitments with a full staff.

In the current 12-month reporting period, the goal of recruitment processes not to exceed 90-120 days was met at nearly 100%. The reporting totals above include continuous recruitments that do not have specific filing deadlines. 0 20
40 60
80 100
120
140

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
1 0 0
4 4
12 0
8 2 2 2 3
87 113
72 121
32 62
38 25
46 Human Resources Recruitment Activity
January 2021 - December 2021
Positions Opened Days to Fill

10 Successful recruitments completed during the last twelve months that met the target goal include the following 19 positions:

POSITION DAYS
Customer Service/Finance Assistant 8
Deputy Fire Marshal 11
Mechanic 15
Maintenance Worker III (Parks) 18
Maintenance Worker I/II (Building) 25
Administrative Coordinator (Finance) 28
Lead Lifeguard 30
Information Technology Specialist I 31
Fire Captain 38
Deputy City Clerk 57
Police Sergeant 60
Administrative Office Assistant 64
Maintenance Lead Worker (Streets) 77
Sr. Mgmt. Analyst (HR) 77
Maintenance Lead Worker (Parks) 87
Police Lieutenant 91
Fire Inspector I 102
Maintenance Worker III (Parks) 110
Code Compliance Officer I/II 113
There were only 7 recruitments that exceeded the target goal of 120 days.

POSITION DAYS
Communications Manager 134
Homeless Outreach Specialist 145
Police Dispatcher (Entry Level &
Experienced) 154
Clerical Assistant - Transportation 164
Homeless Outreach Technician 173
CSO - part time 181
Police Property Officer II 184
The following positions are not yet filled or canceled:

POSITION
Maintenance Lead Worker (Wastewater)
Administrative Analyst (Finance)
Assistant/Associate Engineer
Building Inspector I/II
Maintenance Worker I/II (Streets)
Police Officer - Lateral
Community Services Officer
Planning Intern/Student
Accountant I/II

11 Recruitments may be delayed due to various reasons.
• Administration of multiple and complex testing components such as written exams, scenario-based performance evaluations, and multiple days of interviews.
• COVID-19 precautionary measures and limitations contributed to the delays in coordinating the candidate evaluations and assessments. • The coordination of remote interviews involved additional communications and technical support.
• Remote work and limited staff availability due to the pandemic also impacted the task of securing qualified raters to sit on oral interview panels. • With an above-average number of vacancies within agencies across the county, attracting a qualified applicant pool to apply, was extremely challenging. Some recruitments were delayed due to so few qualified candidates. The high volume of vacancies among public agencies in the region creates increased competition for the same candidates. Experiencing a reduction in qualified applicants delays filling vacancies timely.
• The competitive environment also increases the chances of a candidate participating in multiple agency recruitments; who then withdrawal and accept other job offers; leaving us to restart the process with remaining applicants.

Each job vacancy is not merely a job description posted as an advertised opening. Each vacancy triggers multiple steps that include:

Next Review Date: January 2023
Actions To Be Taken: Continue to execute full-cycle recruitments (from job posting to hire); moving quality candidates forward in the process as timely as possible, to assist departments in filling vacancies.

12 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measures Review
City Manager’s Office
Division: Risk Management
Goal: Provide risk management services to the City.

Objective: Defend claims against the City and settle claims within the City’s Self-Insured Retention (SIR) of $50,000 per claim.

Performance Measure: Liability payments made within the City’s SIR amount and reserve amounts.

Performance Outcome: Reduced liability payments and insurance costs.

13 Data Analysis: (Jan. 2020 through Dec. 2021)
In 2020, the City received 24 new claims, reopened 1 claim, and closed 27 claims. In 2021, 28 new claims were received and 29 closed, leaving 23 open claims at the end of the two-year period. Although the number of open liability claims remains stable, the potential costs are expected to increase significantly in 2022. This is generally attributable to increasing claim expenses, including use of claim adjusters and legal fees, and more specifically to several pending litigated claims related to the civil unrest in May 2020. There were 14 litigated claims open at the end of 2020, and 7 of 13 open litigated claims open at the end of 2021 are related to civil unrest.

Looking at the policy year (PY) which includes claims that originated in that specific year, for PY 2020 (07/01/201-19 – 06/30/2020) the average breakdown of total claim costs was 18% indemnity (actual payout to claimant) and 81% other expenses, including legal fees; payments for PY 2021 (07/01/2020 – 06/30/2021) claims were split at 98% indemnity and 2% other expenses. This is reflective of the increasing costs, especially legal fees, for the civil unrest claims originating in PY 2020. Litigated claims are generally more complex in nature and will take longer to resolve. Claims originating in PY 2021 incurred minimal expenses and the majority of payments were made directly to the claimants.

Monthly claim payments dropped in 2021, with a slight spike in November due to a claim settlement. The steep increase in April 2020 was due to a storm drain failure.

The majority of payments remained within the City’s Self-Insured Retention (SIR) of $50,000 per claim. Average monthly payments were $22,821 in 2020 and $13,270 in 2021. With trial dates for some of the pending litigated civil unrest claims set for the later part of 2022, and as forecast by PERMA, future trending for payments is expected to move upward.

14 A greater number of claims received in 2021 were related to incidents involving publiclyowned property (e.g., trip/fall, sewer, tire/vehicle damage from street conditions, damage from trees), followed by Police-related issues (e.g., civil unrest, property damage/loss, false detention/arrest). In addition, multiple code enforcement claims were made by a single claimant who had an ongoing dispute with a neighbor.

Estimated per-claim reserves vary depending on the type and scope of the claim, and the total reserve amount is based on the anticipated combined cost of all open claims.

When a claim is closed, any estimated funds that were unused are deducted from the reserve amounts. Total reserves for open claims increased substantially in 2021, while estimated reserves within the City’s $50,000 SIR decreased.

Reserve amounts are set by claim adjusters who estimate the potential cost for each claim. The blue line in the chart on the previous page indicates the total reserves set by PERMA for all open claims. The green line in the chart indicates the portion of the total reserves for all claims that fall within the City’s $50,000 SIR per claim. There are currently several open claims, most related to civil unrest, that already have or are projected to exceed the City’s SIR. Reserve estimates have not yet been set for some of the civil unrest claims, as initial fact-finding is still in process. Amounts over $50,000 per claim are paid by PERMA, up to $1,000,000. Excess coverage is available, if needed.

Risk Management seeks restitution from the responsible parties when City property is damaged (light poles, guardrails, vehicles, etc.).

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to aggressively defend claims against the City and pursue recovery of damages to City property.

15 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measures Review
City Manager’s Office
Division: Risk Management
Goal: Process Workers’ Compensation claims.

Objective: To process, fund, and settle claims cost-effectively.

Performance Measure: Workers’ Compensation Payments by Month.

Performance Outcome: Reduced Workers’ Compensation claims over time.

16 Data Analysis: (Jan. 2020 – Dec. 2021)
Employees are encouraged to report workplace injuries as soon as possible so that they can receive timely and appropriate care, and return to work as soon as safely possible.

The average number of days for an employee to report a work-related injury dropped from 57 days to 14 days over the past 2 years. The average number of days for claim paperwork to be completed and sent to the City’s workers compensation claims administrator decreased from 13 days to 8 days over the same period.

The City received 38 new claims in 2020, 7 claims were re-opened as a result of care required due to previous injuries, and 45 claims were closed. In 2021, 37 new claims were received, 4 claims were re-opened as a result of care required due to previous injuries, and 42 claims were closed, leaving 82 open claims at the end of the two-year period. The number of workers’ compensation claims has remained relatively stable each year; however, the cumulative costs of open and settled claims continues to rise.

The cumulative costs can be attributed to both the dollar amount of some recent claims as well as increasing claim expenses, such as medication, physical therapy and other treatments, and surgery-related costs. The total number of days that employees were away from work due to industrial injuries was 595 days in 2020 and 1,831 days in 2021.

The number of days employees are away from work depends on the employee’s recovery time and the physician’s determination on how long an employee must be away from work. The total number of days employees worked modified duty was 167 in 2020 and 52 in 2021.

The number of litigated claims increased from 7 at the beginning of 2020 to 16 at the end of 2021 (4 employees have multiple claims for various injuries). Higher dollar lumpsum settlement payments (over $5,000) totaling over $175,000 in 2020 and over $81,000 in 2021, as well as settlement payments that are divided over time and paid biweekly, also contribute to rising claim costs.

Monthly claim payments continue within a generally consistent range, with an uncharacteristic spike during April – August 2021. During this period, a specific case required extensive specialized medical care due to his worsening condition. Sadly, he passed away and all of his remaining medical-related costs were required to be resolved. Average monthly payments increased from $124,032 in 2020 to $156,822 in 2021. For the most part, payments were within the City’s self-insured retention (SIR) of $250,000 per claim. As evidenced by the number and valuation of open claims and as forecast by PERMA, future trending is expected to continue upward.

A greater number of claims are generated by public works and safety personnel, due to the nature of their work. Estimated reserves remain relatively steady, based on the anticipated total cost of existing and new claims. The City is responsible for making claim payments upfront, and receives a quarterly reimbursement from PERMA for excess payments over the City’s $250,000 SIR. These reimbursements totaled $333,974 for 2020 and $304,957 for 2021. In addition, occasional reimbursements are received from other insurance carriers for specific claims that have a subrogation attached (some of the injury is apportioned to another party, such as a City contractor or equipment manufacturer).

17 Reserve amounts are set by claim adjusters who estimate the potential cost for each claim. The blue line in the chart on the previous page indicates the total reserves set by CorVel for all open claims. The City’s reserves are limited to $250,000 per claim. The green line in the chart indicates the portion of the total reserves that fall within the City’s $250,000 SIR per claim. Amounts over $250,000 per claim are paid by PERMA, up to $500,000. Excess coverage is available, if needed.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Reactivate regularly scheduled safety committee meetings and continue to schedule relevant and effective safety
training. Consider coordinating certain activities with the wellness committee.

18 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
City Manager’s Office
Division: Information Technology
Goal: Provide high-quality and efficient Information Technology services
Objective: Reduce the average turnaround days for IT related requests.

Performance Measure: Work Order turnaround time by Work Order Type.

Performance Outcome: Maintain stable City operations by ensuring hardware equipment, licenses, and software is available for continuous use by staff.

Graphed Data:

Data Analysis:

Data shows work order turnaround times by work order type in calendar days.

Compared to the last reporting period, Tech Support ticket volume decreased by 13% (465 work orders in 2021 vs 534 work orders in 2020), however, turnaround average time (measured in days) increased by 451% (average of 42.95 days in 2021 vs. 7.79 days in 2020). Although Service Request tickets decreased by 1% compared to the

42.95 41.73

16.77 0
5 10
15 20
25 30
35 40
45 50
Tech Support
465 Total
Service Request
533 Total
Repair
3 Total
DAYS
Jan. 2021 - Dec. 2021
2021 Average Turnaround Days

19 previous reporting period (533 work orders in 2021 vs. 538 work orders in 2020), average turnaround time increased by 286% this reporting period (average of 41.73 days in 2021 vs.10.80 days in 2020). Repair tickets increased by 50% (3 work orders in 2021 vs. 2 work orders in 2020.) with a 132% decrease in turnaround time. (Average of

16.77 days in 2021 vs. 38.25 days in 2020). Major impacts to increased average turnaround time to Tech Support and Service Request Work Orders was due to 6 months of staffing shortage in IT (2 employees in 2021, 4 employees in 2022).

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Create workflow for faster ticket assignment based on category and location. Purchase dedicated monitors to run Track-it dashboards for constant department monitoring.

20 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
2021

PERFORMANCE MEASURES
• Planning Application Activity
• Tentative Maps
• Photovoltaic Permit Applications
• Building Complaint Response
• Code Compliance Cases
• Code Compliance Categories
• Unauthorized Marijuana Dispensary Cases
• Days to Compliance
• Administrative Citations

City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measures Review
Community Development Department
Division: Planning Division
Goal: Provide planning review of permit applications for various residential and nonresidential uses; approve permits for all applications deemed complete.

Objective: Continue tracking the number of applications and turnaround time for review.

Performance Measure: 2021 Planning Activity
Performance Outcome: Ensure sufficient staff resources to accommodate workload associated with planning application types.

Graphed Data:

21 Data Analysis:

Discretionary planning applications submitted in 2021 are illustrated on the map above by type and location. The City accepted 47 projects consisting of 55 individual planning reviews including 11 residential projects, 11 commercial projects, and 17 cannabisrelated projects. Development activity in 2021 was spread throughout the City, with some concentration of applications in the Downtown Village area. Development activity has been relatively steady for several years in La Mesa, and has remained so through the pandemic.

Evolving state regulations including SB 9 that aggressively encourage new housing development, particularly affordable housing, will continue to stimulate interest in residential development with ADU and SB 9 infill in residential neighborhoods and higher density development along transportation corridors, much of which will be entitled under streamlined review. Cannabis-related submittals and reviews are expected to continue to remain steady into the future.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to track project application data to monitor the volume of development activity and where in the City
development activity is occurring.

22 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Community Development Department
Division: Planning Division
Performance Measure: 2020 Planning applications by type Purpose of the Measure: Understand trends in the current planning case load Graphed Data:

23 Data Analysis:

The 49 projects submitted in 2021 represent 55 individual review requests, a slight decrease from activity in 2020. New development is largely captured in the site plan review and design review categories. The most numerous review types in 2021 were site development plan reviews, design reviews, and cannabis business reviews.

Given the need for new housing statewide, a steady volume of infill residential development is expected to continue. Based on the inventory of available sites, residential and mixed-use projects will consist primarily of infill ranging from 20 to 100 units. A high percentage of those will include affordable housing as a means to take advantage of attractive density bonus and related incentives offered by state and local regulations.

Commercial retail growth is not expected to be brisk, with property owners more likely to continue favoring dining and entertainment uses and improvements to existing facilities.

Activity in the downtown village is expected to remain strong, as that neighborhood continues to be a popular regional destination.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to track application activity to monitor trends in development activity.

24 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Community Development Department
Division: Planning Division
Performance Measure: Planning applications by month, quarter, and year.

Purpose of the Measure: To illustrate seasonal fluctuations in planning application activity.

Graphed Data:

Data Analysis:

In calendar year 2021, February and May were the busiest months in terms of submitted applications, with 11 and 10 received, respectively. This data is consistent with historical trends for these months. This trend of somewhat greater activity in the winter and spring may be indicative of projects preparing for spring and summer construction activity.

25 Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to monitor seasonal trends in application activity.

26 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Community Development Department
Division: Planning Division
Performance Measure: 2020 Tentative Maps processed
Purpose of the Measure: To understand trends in tentative map submittals.

Graphed Data:

Data Analysis:

Subdivision activity has been slow in La Mesa for many years with little available vacant land and a preference of housing builders for multifamily projects in the City. Two small tentative parcel map applications for residential subdivisions were received in 2021.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to track Tentative Map submittals to understand the long-range development climate.

27 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Community Development Department
Division: Planning Division
Performance Measure: 2021 Photovoltaic permit applications Purpose of the Measure: To understand trends in demand for solar panel installations.

Graphed Data:

Data Analysis:

Demand for solar photovoltaic systems rose slightly in 2021 due, in part, to the extension of a popular federal tax credit program through 2024. Code requirements requiring new dwelling units to be 50% more energy efficient will keep demand for solar energy strong.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to track photovoltaic application activity to monitor demand for solar panel installations.
348
450
565
469 493
0 100
200
300
400
500
600
Number of Photovoltaic Permit Applications
by Year

28 2021 Tally
CANNABIS (17)
6 Adult Use Co-location
8 Change of Ownership
2 Substantial Conformance Review
2 Amendment to approved CUP
18 total
Compared to 17 applications in 2020
COMMERCIAL (11)
1 New Commercial:
16,000 sf addition to Costco
4,110 sf retail bank building (Chase)
4,864 sf retail bank building (Union)
Increase tonnage and add scalehouse to EDCO
1 church
1 charter school
2 Tenant Improvements:
8301 La Mesa Blvd (village)
Charcoal House
1 outdoor dining / sidewalk cafes (village)
1 performance entertainment
Compared to 1 in 2019
1 wireless facility modification
0 Sign program amendment
0 ABC license app
Hospital/Medical
Addition to hospital rehab center
0 Parking Structures/Lots

29 RESIDENTIAL (11)
Apartments
64 units (incl. affordable – 4757 Palm)
Mixed Use
None
Townhomes/TTM
None
1 PRD
Modification to an approved PRD
2 TPM
2 lots – Dale Ave
2 lots – Alto Dr
1 variance for new SFR
1 grading review for new SFR
2 Historic landmark nominations
(compared to three in 2020)
0 certificates of nonconforming use
3 boundary adjustments
2 commercial / 1 residential
Compared to 1 in 2020
2 special permits
1 commercial / 1 residential
Compared to 1 in 2020
1 certificate of compliance
Sewer service agreement/Annexation
None
Totals
Residential: 11
Commercial: 12
Institutional: 3
Cannabis: 18
Policy: 3

30 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Community Development Department
Division: Building
Goal: Respond to concerns regarding potential building and housing violations.

Objective: Contact property owners to arrange an inspection within 7 days from the date of a complaint; issue a compliance letter or correction notice within 14-days from the date the
complaint is filed.

Performance Measure: Number of property owners contacted within 7 days and the number of notices of compliance letters or correction
notices issued within 14-days.

Performance Outcome: Reduce potential health and safety issues that affect the community.

Graphed data:
1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter
Series1 87.5% 92.9% 80.0% 85.7%
Series2 87.5% 100.0% 80.0% 100.0%
Notice
Contact

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%
100.0%
120.0% Percent
Series1: Contact within 7 Days Series 2: Letter sent within 14 Days Performance Measures 2021

31 Data Analysis:

The data reflects responses to complaints slightly below targets response for inspections and contact. This reflects changes caused by COVID19 protocols. Staff has been increasing its effectiveness in the fourth quarter when it comes to contact and delivery of notices or violation notices.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: The supervisor will work with staff to increase responsiveness and contact while being mindful of
required safety protocols.

32 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Community Development Department
Division: Planning Division
Goal: Address reported Code Compliance cases and take
appropriate enforcement action to protect public health and safety.

Objective: Respond to all code compliance cases reported.

Performance Measure: Number of Code Compliance cases processed annually.

Performance Outcome: Enforcement of the municipal code to address health and safety violations, and protect the aesthetic character of the community.

Graphed Data:

Data Analysis:

The total number of Code Compliance complaints initiated in 2021 decreased from 2020, continuing a downward trend over the past five years. Providing complainants with clarification of what actually constitutes a zoning violation (versus allowed activity or a complaint that would be more appropriately investigated by another City department) improved Code Compliance efficiency by driving down total caseload.

33 Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to track Code Compliance case volume to monitor work load.

34 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Community Development Department
Division: Planning Division
Performance Measure: Code Compliance violations
Purpose of the Measure: Understand which categories generate Code Compliance complaints and activity.

Graphed Data:

Data Analysis:
2021 experienced a slight decrease over the previous year in most violation categories.

Notable exceptions include increases in violations related to fences and construction without permits.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to track code complaints by category to monitor trends in types of complaints.

35 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Community Development Department
Division: Planning Division
Performance Measure: Unauthorized cannabis businesses
Purpose of the Measure: Track the number of cases involving unauthorized cannabis businesses in the City on a yearly basis.

Graphed Data:

Data Analysis:

There were no complaints regarding unauthorized cannabis businesses in 2021. Robust enforcement efforts in prior years coupled with substantial advances in processing and licensing legitimate, authorized cannabis businesses has yielded significant results in this area.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to track code complaints regarding authorized and unauthorized marijuana dispensaries, cultivation, and
manufacturing.

36 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Community Development Department
Division: Planning Division
Performance Measure: Length of time between receipt of a complaint and closure of a case
Purpose of the Measure: Determine the amount of time it takes to process a complaint through to voluntary compliance.

Graphed Data:

Data Analysis:

In 2021, 61% of all cases took less than 30 days to resolve, and 73% of all cases were brought into compliance within 45 days. The number of cases exceeding 45 days to achieve compliance increased to 27% in 2021. The retirement of the prior Code Compliance Officer and onboarding of a new Officer resulted in some minor delays in reaching compliance for some cases. Lengthier times to compliance typically involve cases where a building permit is required, which are kept open until the permit is final,

37 and chronic cases such as those involving hoarding and persistent property maintenance neglect.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to track days to compliance to monitor and evaluate the voluntary compliance process.

38 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Community Development Department
Division: Planning Division
Performance Measure: Administrative Citations
Purpose of the Measure: Number of Administrative Citations issued for repeat violators each year.

Graphed Data:

Data Analysis:

In 2021, 24 Administrative Citations were issued. Most of the citations issued related to efforts to close several long-term intransigent violations and resulted in improved compliance.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to track Administrative Citations during the next year to monitor workload and trends pertaining to the
issuance thereof.

39 COMMUNITY SERVICES
2021

PERFORMANCE MEASURES
• Aquatics Drop-In Swim Revenue & Division Participation • Athletic Field and Light Use Revenue
• Recreation Instructional & Adult Enrichment Program
Participation
• Dollar Value of Annual Volunteer Hours
• Facility Rental Revenue

City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Community Services Department
DIVISION: Aquatics
Goal: Encourage community participation in recreational swim programs.

Objective: Increase the number of drop-in participants and swim revenue by 5% each year.

Performance Measure: Number of participants in the drop-in swim program.

Performance Outcome: Increased number of participants in the drop-In swim program.

Graphed Data:
$0
$5,000
$10,000
$15,000
$20,000
2018 2019 2020 2021
Aquatics Drop-In Swim Revenue

40 Data Analysis:

In 2021, the Aquatics Division continued to offer all programs that were held prior to the COVID-19 pandemic while abiding by Health Order guidance. Despite staffing shortages, illnesses and isolations, and the threat of chemical shortages, Aquatics staff offered a varied schedule of adult lap swim, family public swim, group and private swim classes, youth swim and water polo teams, adult water exercise and learn to swim classes.

A comprehensive schedule of group swim lessons was offered throughout twenty sessions that included 221 classes for participants ranging from six months to fourteen years of age. Private swim lessons resumed for the first time since the March 2020 with 70 lessons offered throughout the summer and fall seasons. In order to accommodate for distancing, monthly youth classes were split into different skill levels. This previous change soared in popularity and allowed the aquatics division to offer 20 sessions of youth swim team and six sessions of youth water polo. Adult water exercise was offered from February through November and adult swim classes were offered from June through November.

General usage of the existing aquatic facility has drastically increased in the last year.

Drop-in rates have more than doubled in 2021. This is driven by increased pool hours and discovery of the pool as an option for outdoor exercise during the pandemic.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to track the number of participants in the drop-in swim program and monitor revenue.
0 500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
2018 2019 2020 2021
Aquatics Division Participants

41 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Community Services Department
DIVISION: Sports
Goal: Provide high-quality facilities for active recreation programs.

Objective: Generate cost-recovery revenues that support athletic field maintenance costs.

Performance Measure: Athletic Field and Light Use Revenue Performance Outcome: User fees adequately support the City’s ability to host league and private athletic events to keep programs affordable.

Graphed Data:

Data Analysis:

The chart demonstrates user fees collected for the past four years from leagues and private rentals for athletic fields that the City maintains. User fees were implemented in Fall 2011 to provide for cost recovery of field maintenance and field lighting electrical use.

All field permits are scheduled through the Community Service Department’s reservation and registration software, ActiveNet, which allows staff to generate field permits and create invoices in one system. Athletic field lights are scheduled remotely $0
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
$70,000
$80,000
$90,000
2018 2019 2020 2021
Athletic & Light Use Revenue

42 through Musco Control Link software, which offers reports to the actual times the lights are being used.

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected sports participation, with varying limits on youth and adult play dependent on Health Orders at the time. Return to full play for all age groups was allowed in March 2021. The data shows levels rising to pre-pandemic levels as interest in outdoor exercise rose.

A decrease in revenue in 2019 is due to a decrease in light fees following an energy cost audit. Light fees, which are established based on direct costs, were raised in January 2020. Light fees will continue to be evaluated on a regular basis and adjusted as needed.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to compare current user fees with other Cities and analyze SDGE costs for athletic field lights and make
recommendations for adjusting fees as necessary for cost recovery. Continue charging athletic field users fees for fields maintained by the City, and monitor the CIP per hourly fees to ensure the goals and objectives are being met for renovating/replacing fields.

43 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Community Services Department
Divisions: Recreation Instructional & Adult Enrichment
Program Participants
Goal: Offer residents of all ages a wide variety of recreational opportunities.

Objective: Increase number of participants at the Adult Enrichment Center by 5% each year.

Performance Measure: Participation in Recreation Classes and Camps Performance Outcome: Increase in key wellness indicators for La Mesa prepared by Live Well San Diego.

Graphed Data:
116 83 18 92
1,060 1,093
201 380
7,361
8,712
568
3,329
2018 2019 2020 2021
Adult Enrichment # Participants
AEC Classes Adult Ed AEC Drop In

44 Data Analysis:

The Community Services Department offers recreation classes for all ages at a variety of facilities, including the Adult Enrichment Center, Nan Couts Cottage and the Community Center Complex. The total number of recreation classes offered and participation levels significantly increase over the low numbers in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Outdoor classes were popular and all Health Order guidelines such as distancing and masking were incorporated.

The Adult Enrichment Center re-opened to the public in mid-June 2021, after being close since March 2020. Classes offered were taught by contracted instructors and Grossmont Adult Education. Registrations for contracted classes increased from 18 in 2020 to 92 for the six months of operation in 2021, back to pre-pandemic levels.

Registrations for Grossmont Adult Education classes also increased to 380 participants, despite only offering one session in 2021. The number of participants at the Adult Enrichment Center who attended drop-in programs for $2.00 each meeting also increased over 2020. Because the facility was closed for more than half of the year, the Adult Enrichment Center was used to accommodate additional space for the Instructional Division youth camps, as a remote public comment site for public meetings, to host Red Cross blood drives, and served as a super polling site for the 2021 elections.

The Instructional Division continued to operate the Zoom Day Camp for children of working parents who needed child care during school hours to accommodate online distance learning through March 2021. Once summer started, regular day camps were offered following guidelines provided by the State of California on the operation of youth 845 956 896
1,506
1,963 2,087
727
1,803
2,808
3,043
1,623
3,309
2018 2019 2020 2021
Instructional Division Classes & Camps
# Participants
Camps Classes Total

45 camps. With modifications, the Instructional Division offered programs to 1,803 participants in classes and 1,506 participants for camps for a total of 3,309 participants during four (4) nine-week sessions, several monthly sessions, and weekly camps offered during school breaks and throughout the first part of the year during school hours.

Not included in this analysis is the number of participants through fitness and dance providers who rent City facilities to host classes and maintain their own registrations.

The City is compensated through rental revenue in the Facilities Division for these types of programs.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to track the number of participants for recreation programs, classes and camps and analyze feedback from
participants regarding desired times and class formats.

Continue to seek new contractors to offer popular activities to fulfill the needs of the community and fill underutilized facility spaces. Increase marketing efforts in existing and alternative methods to better advertise programs. As the State Health Orders continue to loosen, we expect to see higher participation rates throughout 2022.

46 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Community Services Department
Division: Adult Enrichment Center
Goal: Encourage community engagement and volunteer
participation.

Objective: Increase the number of volunteer hours by 5% each year using 2020 as a baseline year.

Performance Measure: Total volunteer hours and the dollar value of hours.

Performance Outcome: Maintain affordable recreation programs by supplementing City programs at the Adult Enrichment Center through the use of volunteers.

Graphed Data:
17,422
24,052 23,383
21,828
8,224 9,285
-
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Volunteer Hours
Volunteer Hours
Data Analysis:

The Adult Enrichment Center tracks the annual savings to the City of La Mesa of using volunteers. The Independent Research Sector volunteer dollar value for 2021 was $31.51 an hour for California. The above chart shows the number of volunteer hours compared with the four previous years.

47 In 2021, there were 9,285 reported volunteer hours which included; Rides4Neighbors (R4N), RSVP, Safe Routes to School and volunteers used in various departments throughout the City. This increased by 1,601 hours (62%) compared to 2020 due to relaxing of the COVID-19 Health Orders. The dollar value for this year for the contributions of volunteers to the City of La Mesa was $292,570. The cumulative dollar value of volunteers to the City since the program began tracking in 2005 is $17,897,691.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to track volunteer hours to reflect the value of the cost savings to the City of La Mesa. Increase
efforts to recruit and retain volunteers through
community outreach, social media and recognition.

Continue to host engagement opportunities to help
residents find civic and volunteer opportunities.

48 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Community Services Department
Division: Facilities
Goal: Provide high-quality facilities to host community recreation programs.

Objective: Generate sufficient cost-recovery revenue to support the operating costs of City-owned facilities.

Performance Measure: Annual facility rental revenues
Performance Outcome: Revenues support ongoing maintenance facility needs reducing need to backfill deferred maintenance with General Fund revenue.

Graphed Data:

Data Analysis:

The total revenue for private rentals of City facilities in 2021 was $158,823. Revenue includes park permits, commercial use permits and Community Center Complex rentals.

The Facilities Division contributes to the cost recovery for the Community Services Department as a whole.

Revenue increased this year, over 2020, due to COVID-19 Health Order updates permitting indoor events as of June 15, 2021. Outdoor permits for both private groups $0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
$250,000
$300,000
$350,000
2018 2019 2020 2021
$314,112
$266,579
$84,078
$158,823
Revenue

49 and commercial operators remained very high as community members chose to hold activities outdoors.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to offer the exceptional customer service experience to maintain customer base. Seek
additional marketing opportunities to fill vacant space with rentals.

50 FINANCE
2021

PERFORMANCE MEASURES
• Investment Performance
• Purchasing – Competitive
Processes
• Audit Compliance

City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measures Review
Finance Department
Division: Finance
Goal: Provide for a rate of return that protects the City’s investments.

Objective: Work with the City Treasurer to monitor and update the investment portfolio based on economic conditions.

Performance Measure: Quarterly rate of return measured across City’s investment portfolio.

Performance Outcome: Maintain an investment portfolio priorities stability, liquidity, and yield pursuant to the City’s Investment Policy.

Graphed Data:

0.00%

0.25%

0.50%

0.75%

1.00%

1.25%

1.50%

1.75%

2.00%

2.25%

2.50%

2.75%

3.00%
Mar-20 Jun-20 Sep-20 Dec-20 Mar-21 Jun-21 Sep-21 Dec-21 Earnings Rate
Quarter Ending
Investment Rate Comparison
March 2020 - December 2021
City
LAIF

51 Data Analysis:

The State of California’s Local Agency Investment Fund (LAIF) is available for all California local government agencies as an investment option. Managed by the State Treasurer, funds invested at LAIF are secure, earn a current market rate of return and allow for excellent cash liquidity in order to meet a local agency’s cash needs. At the end of December 2021, the City of La Mesa had approximately 42% of its surplus cash in LAIF. A comparison of the City’s overall portfolio return against the LAIF return provides the City a benchmark to evaluate investment choices and guide future investment decisions. The trend in LAIF investment returns mirrored the Federal Reserve’s funds rate change. LAIF rates began with the 2020 Q2 rate of return at

2.03%. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, rates began a dramatic decrease, declining throughout 2020 and 2021, ending calendar year 2021 at 0.23%. During 2020 and 2021, the City’s returns outpaced LAIF’s rate of return however, the portfolio yield still experienced declines as a result of the pandemic. The period with the lowest return rate for the City was quarter ending June 2021 with an overall investment return of

0.59%. The City’s highest yield was for quarter ending March 2020 with 2.29%.

The City’s investment portfolio return exceeded LAIF throughout the reporting period.

With LAIF holding very short-term investments, this interest rate adjusts to the Fed Funds rate more rapidly when compared to the City’s overall portfolio yield. The portfolio return will generally exceed LAIF, due to the longer duration of the Government Agencies and C.D. portfolio. The City invests in instruments with medium term lives which have a maximum maturity of five years. The City’s Investment Policy requires investments to be held to maturity. LAIF generally has about a six-month average duration due to these shorter-term maturities. Longer term investments will follow the yield curve with higher yields further out on the curve.

The City’s Investment Committee has taken a cautious approach during this period of uncertainty when the pandemic’s impact on revenues and future cash flows had yet to be determined and maintained a relatively high level of cash reserves in the highly liquid LAIF pool. The City’s portfolio of five-year fixed term Certificates of Deposits remained steady year-over-year. Fixed rate C.D.s provide the opportunity to maintain a higher average rate of return in the current interest rate downturn while reinvesting maturities at five-year market rates as these mature. This strategy keeps the City’s overall earnings rate higher over the long term, and provides a balanced portfolio to minimize the impact of volatile interest rates. Agency investments generally carry “call” provisions which vary depending on financial conditions at time of issuance. Proceeds from called and maturing investments are expected to be reinvested in Agencies and C.D.s. as opportunities arise. Due in large part to inflationary expectations over the next 12 months the Federal Reserve’s interest rate is expected steadily increase which will increase the rate of return on the City’s portfolio.

Next Review Date: December 2022
Action to Be Taken: The City Treasurer is continually reevaluating the City’s portfolio and will make adjustments as needed.

52 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measures Review
Finance Department
Division: Purchasing
Goal: Ensure the City follows the California Public Contract Code with respect to bids for public works projects and the City’s adopted Purchasing Policy for all other purchases.

Objective: All bids and contract solicitations should meet State and City requirements.

Performance Measure: Number of purchases made using competitive processes Performance Outcome: Compliance with State Public Contract Code and the City’s Purchasing Policy
Graphed Data:

Quotes: Three or more quotes obtained, if possible
Bid: Formal bid published on PlanetBids
RFQ: Formal Request for Qualifications published on PlanetBids Co-op: Used multi-agency cooperative bid/contract process Piggyback: Used bid conducted by another public agency
No-bid: Single quote or proposal used
Quotes, 25
Bid, 6
RFQ, 21
Co-op, 18 Piggyback, 16
No-bid, 86
ALL Departments

53 Reasons for no-bid purchases
CUPCCAA: State code allows one-quote public projects up to $60,000 Experience: Vendor selected for past experience on same/similar work Matching: Goods or services required to match current equipment/systems Sole source: Goods or services can only be obtained from one vendor Unspecified: Purchase did not fall into other categories listed Data Analysis:

Purchases of goods and services over $5,000 require a written purchase order (PO) and are generally based three or more quotes or a formal bid process per the La Mesa Municipal Code. Most purchases over $50,000 require a bid solicitation process, request for qualifications, cooperative public contract, or may piggyback on the bid award of another public agency. Exceptions can be made when a vendor has prior experience providing the same or similar services in a satisfactory manner, the goods are required to match existing materials and are purchased from the same vendor that supplied the existing materials, or the vendor is a sole source provider of a good or service that cannot be obtained from any other vendor. Additionally, the California Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act (CUPCCAA) allows small projects up to $60,000 using a single quote.

CUPCCAA, 19
Experience, 29
Matching, 21
Sole source, 13
Unspecified, 4
No-Bid Reasons

54 There were 173 POs issued in calendar year 2021 for purchases of new goods and services of more than $5,000. Of those, 25 were based on quotes and six were publically bid for a total savings of $167,995 when compared to the next lowest quote or bid. While the number of quotes and bids decreased in 2021 by 12 from 2020, the number of purchases using cooperative contracts and piggybacks increased by 18 showing that the use of competitive processes actually increased.

The remaining 86 POs did not use a competitive process. Purchases are made from sole source vendors or for matching goods generally because obtaining additional quotes can create hardships and additional cost by changing existing equipment or systems. Public projects up to $60,000 are only required to have a single quote under CUPCCAA, allowing departments to continuing using vendors that can meet City requirements and perform well. This is similar to other services in which vendors are selected due previous experience and quality of work. These exceptions save time by minimizing the effort needed to identify vendors and obtain multiple quotes and provide some security by reducing the likelihood of selecting a vendor that performs substandard work. The use of these exceptions (49% of no-bid purchases and 24% of all examined purchases) decreased slightly since 2020 and efforts are continuing to encourage departments to develop relationships with multiple vendors for these projects and services who can be called on for additional quotes. This practice enables the City to continue saving a reasonable amount of time and receive quality work.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Work with departments to improve our competitive purchasing by increasing our supplier base without sacrificing quality.

55 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measures Review
Finance Department
Division: Finance
Performance Measure: Annual Audit
Performance Outcome: To measure the completion of the annual audit with zero findings.

Data Analysis:

An annual audit consists of key factors to determine whether or not the City is following critical guidelines of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). There are two types of audits that we do annually; financial and performance.

Financial Audits
The primary purpose of a financial audit is to render an opinion on whether the City’s financial statement reports are presented fairly in conformity to applicable generally accepted accounting standards. State law requires the City’s financial statements be audited annually by external auditors who are Certified Public Accountants (CPA) and independent of City functions. The City procures and contracts with CPA firms licensed by the State of California to perform financial audits. 0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Effectiveness
Accuracy
Risk

56 Reports of financial audits focus on reporting the financial condition of the organization.

Financial statement reports of government organizations are required to conform to Government Finance Officers Association requirements. Audits of governmental financial statements are performed in accordance with Government Audit Standards and include reports on internal controls, and compliance with laws and regulations.

Performance Audits
Performance audits are defined as engagements that provide assurance or conclusions about processes and programs. Assurances and conclusions are based on evidence that compare a program or process performance against stated criteria. Stated criteria include, but are not limited to: specific requirements, established performance measures or best business practices. Often, the City’s audit objectives focus on performance measures and then use those measures to determine whether a program is achieving its goals and objectives.

Audit reports will make conclusions based on evidence of program effectiveness. When the auditor’s findings identify problems that need corrective action, recommendations are made to improve the program. Reports also include perspectives of officials responsible for the process or program being audited and their corrective action plans.

Normally, follow-up audit work is performed to assure corrective action plans are performed within a prescribed time period.

An official inspection of our records has been obtained and inspected by the City’s independent auditors. An objective appraisal completed and no significant findings have been found.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to follow accounting standards and principals to ensure accuracy and audit compliance.

57 FIRE DEPARTMENT
2021

PERFORMANCE MEASURES
• Types of Emergency Response Activity
• Turnout Times – Fires
• Turnout Times – EMS
• Five Year Calls for Service Trend

City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measures Review
Fire Department
Division: Operations/EMS
Goal: Protect life and property in the City of La Mesa.

Objective: Understand the types of emergency response activities and make operational adjustments deemed necessary.

Performance Measure: Emergency response activity by service category.

Performance Outcome: Tracking annual emergency response activities allows Heartland Fire to operate efficiently, train staff accordingly, and reallocate personnel and resources.

Graphed Data:

Emergency Response Activity by Type for 2021
6,550, 80%
410, 5%
320, 4%
245, 3%
187, 2%
43, 0%
55, 1%
396, 5% Medical Aid
Vehicle Accident
Public Service
Single Engine
Ringing Alarms
Vehicle Fire
Structure Fire
Other

58 Data Analysis:

Utilized data from Intterra Analytics reporting system to evaluate number of fires, medical aids, and other responses.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Evaluate data to look for trends and consider the need for training or public education based on trends.

59 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measures
Fire Department
Divisions: Operations/EMS
Goal: Protect life and property in the City of La Mesa.

Objective: Ensure responses to calls for emergency service meet Department goal (average 80 second or less 90% of the
time)
Performance Measure: Average Turnout Times - Fires
Performance Outcome: Maintaining the Department goal reduces loss of life, injury, and property damage.

Graphed Data:

Average Fire Response Turnout Times for 2021
Data Analysis:
66 82
95 77
72 68
61 51 52
61 51
65 2021 Fire Response Average Turnout Times
(in seconds)
Yearly Average

66.75 seconds

60 Used Intterra Analytics reporting system to pull data and calculated 90% percentile data and average turnout times for first arriving units on scene. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommended standard for turnout times is an average of 80 seconds or less 90% of the time for fire calls.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Track Department compliance and evaluate data to ensure responses meet department guidelines.

61 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measures Review
Fire Department
Division: Operations/EMS
Goal: Protect life and property in the City of La Mesa.

Objective: Ensure responses to calls for emergency service meet Department goal (average 60 second or less 90% of the
time)
Performance Measure: Average Turnout Times - EMS
Performance Outcome: Maintaining the Department goal reduces loss of life, injury, and property damage.

Graphed Data:

Average EMS Response Turnout Times for 2021
Data Analysis:

Used Intterra Analytics reporting system to pull data and calculated 90% percentile data and average turnout times for first arriving units on scene. National Fire Protection 58 61
66 61
65 65
67 67
63 66 67
72 2021 EMS Average Turnout Times
(in seconds)
Yearly Average

64.83 seconds

62 Association (NFPA) recommended standard for turnout times is an average of 60 seconds or less 90% of the time for emergency medical service (EMS) calls.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Track Department compliance and evaluate data to ensure responses meet department guidelines.

63 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measures Review
Fire Department
Division: Operations/EMS
Goal: Protect life and property in the City of La Mesa.

Objective: Analyze trends related to annual calls for service Performance Measure: Five Year Calls for Service Trend
Performance Outcome: Ensure efficient department operations and recommend adjustments to levels of service based on trend
extrapolation.

Performance Measure: Five Year Calls for Service Trend
Graphed Data:

Five Year Calls for Service Trend 2021
7618 7648
7557
7240
8206
5000
5500
6000
6500
7000
7500
8000
8500
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Calls for Service

64 Data Analysis:

Utilized Innterra Analytics system to determine number of annual calls for service. Fiveyear average of 7,654 calls per year.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Monitor on an annual basis.

65 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Police Department
Division: Services
Goal: Protect life and property in the City of La Mesa.

Objective: Maintain and increase the clearance rates of high-profile crimes.

Performance Measure: Annual crime trends and the effectiveness of criminal investigations and crime prevention measures, as reported by the crime rate of specified crimes and the clearance rates of high-profile crimes.

Performance Outcome: Increased effectiveness of solving crimes would bring more criminals to justice and provide closure to victims and their families.

Data Analysis:

Crimes Against Persons
2021 2020
Number of Incidents 174 181
Crimes per Thousand (rate) 2.9 3.0
Clearance Rate 39% 47%
Crimes Against Property
2021 2020
Number of Incidents 1130 1036
Crimes per Thousand (rate) 18.8 17.0
Clearance Rate 8% 12%
Specific Clearance Rates
2021 2020
Robbery 35% 45%
Residential Burglary 10% 22%
Commercial Burglary* 13% 20%
Vehicle Burglary 3% 4%

66 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Police Department
Division: Services
Goal: Protect life and property in the City of La Mesa.

Objective: Increase community involvement in crime prevention organizations and activities by 10% each year.

Performance Measure: Number of residents signed up for Neighborhood Watch and the number of residential and commercial security
inspections conducted annually.

Performance Outcome: Increased community trust and involvement.

Purpose of Measure:

The Mission Statement of the La Mesa Police Department is; “The La Mesa Police Department is dedicated to protecting life and property while promoting community involvement through professional service, honor, trust and integrity.” Prevention is a key pillar. The prevention of criminal acts can be accomplished through a variety of means, including by providing of timely information to the public on how to minimize their risk of being a crime victim.

The La Mesa Police Department first organized a Crime Prevention Unit in the late 1970’s, with a primary emphasis on preventing residential burglaries. Since that time, the responsibilities of the unit have increased significantly, but the underlying theme of the entire unit’s programs is that of crime prevention. Given this essential function, the Services Division staff sought to develop a performance measure that would reflect the source and number of crime prevention presentations made on a monthly basis. From this data, staff will be able to provide analysis; indicating the relative demand for these services, sources within the Department or community that can be used to enhance the delivery of these services, and to provide policy makers with information demonstrating how changing workloads and staffing levels impact the delivery of services.

Data Analysis:
2021 Neighborhood Watch meetings are lower compared to years prior due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Crime Prevention was unable to coordinate the KidzWatch Academy, Youth Leadership Camp, or Life on the Beat. Crime Prevention continues to work on expanding the Department’s social media presence.

67 Neighborhood Watch Meetings
There were 3 in-person Neighborhood Watch meetings held in 2021, where in 2020 there was only 1 in person meeting and 1 virtual meeting.

Residential Security Inspections
4 Residential Security Inspections (RSI) were conducted in 2021, compared to 2 in 2020.

Commercial Security Inspections
17 Commercial Security Inspections (CSI) were conducted in 2021, compared to 10 in 2020.

Presentations
The Department’s long-standing practice has been to take every opportunity that comes along to facilitate as many special presentations as possible. There were 4 presentations in 2021, compared to 4 in 2020.

Community Outreach
In 2015, the La Mesa Police Department launched its Facebook and Twitter pages. The purpose of the La Mesa Police Department’s Facebook and Twitter pages is to share news and information regarding the activities, crime trends, and programs of the Department and its employees. The Police Department encourages discussion and comments on posts. The Department’s plan is to use social media in a way that adapts to the traditions and goals of community policing; where the La Mesa Police Department can work together, in collaboration with the residents served, to address personal safety, and crime issues. The Police Department currently has 6,237 followers on Facebook and 4,528 followers on Twitter.

In 2018, the La Mesa Police Department launched its Instagram page. The Department is able to reach a larger demographic by utilizing another social media platform to share news and information regarding the activities, crime trends and programs. In addition, the usage of Instagram stories allows for a more interactive content and another resource to reach out to our followers. The Police Department currently has 2,826 followers.

In 2014, the La Mesa Police Department launched a partnership with Nextdoor.com.

Nextdoor is a private social media network for neighborhoods aimed at building stronger, safer communities by connecting neighbors together. This integration with Nextdoor has enabled the La Mesa Police Department to utilize another resource to communicate with La Mesa neighborhoods. At the end of 2019, LMPD had approximately 15,429 subscribers. In 2020, there were about 17,777 La Mesa residents

68 subscribed. In 2021, there are currently 20,170 La Mesa residents subscribed. The Police Department continues to use this platform to send out announcements and crime prevention tips to residents.

In 2021, the La Mesa Police Department hosted one (1) Coffee with a Cop event. This was due to the shutdown of indoor and outdoor dining at establishments due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Coffee with a Cop helps break down barriers and allows for a relaxed, one-on-one interaction. Coffee with a Cop provides a unique opportunity for community members to ask questions and learn more about our Department’s work in La Mesa neighborhoods. The program aims to advance the practice of community policing, by improving relationships between police officers and community members, “one cup of coffee at a time.”
In 2021, the La Mesa Police Department was unable to host any Life on the Beat events. This event is designed to provide community members a chance to learn about the La Mesa Police Department and how officers are trained. The Department also provides opportunities for a behind-the-scenes experience and where community members have the opportunity to participate in a force options simulator, a K-9 demonstration, de-escalation tactics, vehicles stop scenarios and a station tour.

The La Mesa Police Department has had a long-standing commitment of working in partnership with our community. The Citizen’s Academy provides an opportunity to further enhance our relationship with valued community members through this unique opportunity. In 2021 LMPD Citizen’s Academy was able to occur, but with a smaller group. The academy is six days in length, with hands-on interaction, unfortunately due to the pandemic, participants did not have the opportunity to go on a ride along with patrol officers.

The KidzWatch Academy is a great program for kids six to ten years of age. The participating kids are joined by their parents for 6 sessions where they learn about calling 9-1-1, stranger danger, fire safety, water safety and nature awareness. Due to the pandemic, the La Mesa Police Department was unable to hold this event in 2021.

Complexes in Crime Free Multi/Mobile Housing Program
The Department is in a transitional mode as it relates to Crime Free Multi-Housing. For the last several years, LMPD has maintained a steady number of 30 complexes that are part of the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program. However, these complexes may not have received updated training, information, and/or forms for the program. The ability for properties to become certified has been impacted by their budget constraints. For example, completing required security improvements on the property are delayed when money is limited, thus postponing certification. Additionally, a high turnover rate with apartment managers throughout the years requires many properties to start over with the certification process. However, some managers did complete other requirements, including hosting Neighborhood Watch meetings and implementing the Crime Free Lease Addendum. The goal of recertifying these properties continued in 2021. We

69 currently have 5 properties certified in the program; this number is much lower than before because properties that are “in process” are no longer counted. While it is true that increasing the number of certified complexes has proven difficult, much of that difficulty can be attributed to the success of the program in prior years. For several years now, complexes have been operating with increased security measures, better screening of potential tenants, and more highly trained property managers, resulting in less crime and fewer calls for service for the Police Department. This may discourage new complex owners and managers from participating in the program because they do not perceive a need to participate in the program.

The expansion of the Rosebud Manager’s meeting to the La Mesa Apartment Manager’s Meeting in early 2012 has allowed the Department to maintain regular contact with both certified and in progress properties. The quarterly meeting has also allowed the Department to update managers with important information and training, including graffiti abatement, legal updates, substance abuse and drug activity, recycling programs, and police operations. In 2021, the Crime Prevention Unit was unable to provide additional training opportunities for apartment managers and expanded the number of La Mesa Apartment Manager’s Meeting attendees due to the pandemic.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: The Committee will continue to monitor the above listed performance areas. The Crime Prevention Unit will begin to assess whether it would be a more prudent use of resources and staff time to forgo the Crime Free Multi/Mobile Housing Program in favor of increasing resources to ongoing
programs such as Neighborhood Watch.

Attachments:

Detailed List of Special Presentations for 2021
Crime Prev. Performance Measures Matrix 2021
2021 January - March Special Presentations
January
Neighborhood Watch Meeting La Mesa CPS Ortega
February
Residential Security Inspections
x2 La Mesa Aztec Dr. CPS Ortega
March
Commercial Security
Inspectionsx2 La Mesa MMD Sgt. Gay

70 2021 April - June Special Presentations
April
Commercial Security Inspection
x2 LMPD MMD CA Jones
May None
June None
2021 July - September Special Presentations
July
None
Commercial Security
Inspections x2 La Mesa / MMD CPS Ortega
August
National Night Out La Mesa CPS Ortega
La Mesa Safety Fair La Mesa CPS Ortega
Residential Security Inspection
x2 La Mesa, Sacramento Dr CPS Ortega
Commercial Security Inspection
x 5
La Mesa, MMD & St.

Martin’s Academy CPS Ortega
September
Commercial Security Inspection La Mesa CPS Ortega
2021 October - December Special Presentations
October
Citizen’s Academy LMPD CPS Ortega
Coffee with a Cop La Mesa CPS Ortega
Grossmont Center Holiday
meeting -Virtual LMPD CPS Ortega
LMPD Halloween Event LMPD CPS Ortega
Commercial Security Inspection LA Mesa MMD CPS Ortega
November
Commercial Security Inspection
x2 LMPD MMD CPS Ortega
Community Presentation
Station Tour – Cub Scout LMPD CPS Ortega
December
Community Presentation- Boys Boys and Girls Club CPS Ortega/ Officer

71 and Girls Club Goddard
Commercial Security
Presentation x2 LMPD MMD CPS Ortega
CRIME PREVENTION PERFORMANCE MEASURES 2021
Q-1/Spring Q2/Summer Q-3/Fall Q-4/Winter Total
Neighborhood
Watch Meetings 1 0 1 1 3
Residential
Security
Inspections
2 0 2 0 4
Commercial
Security
Inspections
2 2 8 5 17
Special
Miscellaneous
Presentations*
0 0 1 5 6
Complexes in
Crime Free
Multi/Mobile
Housing Program
5 5 5 5 5**
* Crime Prevention numbers - excludes School Resource presentations. ** Due to the reorganization of tracking the participants in the Multi-Housing Crime Free Program, these numbers only reflect those who are Crime Free certified. Additionally, the number of participating complexes has remained static at 5 throughout the year due to several factors mentioned earlier: budget constraints, high turnover rate of managers, and reduced perceived need for the program due to success in prior years.

72 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Police Department
Division: Services
Goal: Protect life and property in the City of La Mesa.

Objective: Maintain a low number of annual graffiti incidents compared to historical records.

Performance Measure: Track the frequency of graffiti incidents and work with Public Works to report incidents for cleanup in a timely manner.

Performance Outcome: Reduce the visibility of graffiti throughout La Mesa.

Top Five Locations (January - June)
Top Five Locations (July – December)
Total Number of Incidents (Jan – Dec)
Locations Number of Incidents
Northmont Park, 6030 Severin Drive 9
Jackson Park, 5870 Jackson Drive 5
La Mesita Park, 8855 Dallas Street 5
California Highway 125 4
8693 La Mesa Blvd 3
Locations Number of Incidents
5890 Jackson Drive 8
Vista La Mesa Park, 3955 King Street 8
6053 Severin Drive 7
La Mesa Arts Academy, 7757 Junior High Drive 3
Jackson Park, 5870 Jackson Drive 3
2021 Tagger Gang Hate Other Month Total
January 10 1 0 16 27
February 4 0 0 21 25
March 2 0 0 15 17
April 0 4 0 22 26
May 3 3 0 14 20
June 4 5 0 26 35

73 Hits of Graffiti have shown a steady decline since 2012. The annual numbers are:
2021 302
2020 209
2019 226
2018 228
2017 462
2016 618
2015 849
2014 1,288
2013 1,726
2012 2,754
Data Analysis:

Graffiti reports are obtained through the Police Department’s CAD system, the Graffiti Hotline, RSVP sightings, PW sightings, proactive patrols, and volunteers who actively seek out graffiti. Many of the hotline calls come from certain citizens who are especially vigilant in their areas.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action to Be Taken: This information is shared with patrol, school resource officers, Detectives, and SIU Detectives, as well as
RSVPs, for consideration in their preventive patrol
activities and case work. Data collection will continue for the January-December 2022 time period.

CRU has worked to increase communication with
both Public Works and Code Compliance. Many of
our problem areas are repeatedly targeted when
property owners do not take an active role in graffiti
eradication. By working closely with Public Works and
Code Compliance, CRU has sought to establish a
balanced approach between timely graffiti eradication
and ensuring property owners are complying with
Municipal Code 10.10.060.

July 3 4 0 16 23
August 4 5 0 14 23
September 1 1 0 26 28
October 0 0 0 20 20
November 1 2 0 26 29
December 1 0 0 28 29
Totals 33 25 0 244 302
% of Total 11% 8% 0% 81%

74 Graffiti Tracker:

LMPD has 2 Graffiti Tracker cameras, which allow for all tagging to be recorded. On average, we are able to photograph graffiti within 48 hours of it being reported and in most cases it is painted out within 48 hours after it is photographed. The exception is when the graffiti is on private property and we do not have the owner’s permission to paint it out.

Beginning in 2018, CRU has had access to Cartegraph, which has assisted in more accurate tracking of graffiti incidents. By combining the data analysis capabilities of Graffiti Tracker and Cartegraph, along with tracking and accountability assessment, CRU has been able to more effectively monitor and address graffiti eradication.

75 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Police Department
Division: Services
Goal: Protect life and property in the City of La Mesa.

Objective: Maintain average response times of less than 6 minutes for Priority 1 calls and maintain the lowest possible response time for all other calls for service.

Performance Measure: Average amount of time between when a call is received to the time an officer arrives on the scene for Priority 1 calls.

Performance Outcome: Increase opportunities to prevent serious injury, death, or damage to property.

Graphed Data:

Data Analysis:

The data in the chart only includes calls for service by citizens, and does not include officer-initiated incidents. The criteria for dispatching incidents are as follows:

Priority 1 – Dispatch immediately.

Priority 2 – Dispatch within two minutes.

Priority 3 – Dispatch within five minutes.

Priority 4 – Dispatch when an officer is available.
0:00:00
0:14:24
0:28:48
0:43:12
0:57:36
1:12:00
1:26:24
Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 3 Priority 4
2020 0:05:38 0:18:46 0:23:56 1:24:51
2021 0:05:56 0:12:19 0:20:53 0:59:51

76 The total average response times for Priority 1 calls in 2021 are comparable with the response time for 2020. Priority 2 through 4 calls decreased in 2021. Priority 4 response times decreased by 25 minutes on average in 2021 compared to 2020. Priority 4 incidents include report calls, and non-urgent issues where the presence of police is requested. It should be noted that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many non-urgent issues and report calls were handled via telephone during 2020.

In 2021, Communications handled 58,034 incidents, which includes officer-initiated incidents and calls for service by residents. The total incidents handled by Communications in 2021 increased by 2,199. There were 51,127 calls for service by citizens in 2021 compared to 47,257 calls for service by citizens in 2020. There were 6,907 officer-initiated incidents in 2021 compared to 8,578 officer-initiated incidents in 2020.
*Due to changes in priority classifications, historical figures may not match previously published reports. Figures included here were reported in the same manner.

77 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Police Department
Division: Patrol - Traffic
Goal: Protect life and property in the City of La Mesa.

Objective: Maintain an average annual minimum Traffic Enforcement Index of 25 or lower.

Performance Measure: “Traffic Enforcement Index” – The relationship between how many Department citations are issued to motorists for
“hazardous” violations and how many reported injury traffic collisions in the City of La Mesa over the same time frame.

Performance Outcome: Reduced number of vehicle collisions, resulting in fewer automobile related injuries and fatalities.

The Department’s goal is to effectively minimize the loss of life, personal injury, and property damage resulting from traffic collisions through enforcement, education and traffic engineering. The Department adopted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) “Traffic Enforcement Index” which documents the relationship between the number of citations issued for hazardous violations and the reported injury and/or fatal traffic collisions. Using this index allows the Department to measure the effectiveness of its enforcement strategies more accurately.

Northwestern University research shows that a minimum traffic enforcement index of 25 is required to reach the citation threshold of effectiveness in reducing traffic collisions. If a city has a large number of out-of-town drivers, a traffic enforcement index in the 25-35 range may be more desirable. Out-of-town drivers are generally not reached through education and voluntary compliance programs.

With La Mesa being a Vision Zero City, the Department will continue working with other City departments to achieve the City Council’s policy goal of zero fatalities by traffic collisions by the year 2025. The Department will continue to review data and target enforcement action in high collision areas. The Department identifies the top collision locations within the City and focuses enforcement targeting those locations in effort to reduce collisions. The top collision locations are identified quarterly and presented to the patrol staff as increased enforcement locations.

Graphed Data: Data collection for this period began in January 2021 (see attached).

78 Data Analysis:

The gathered data is representative of the number of citations issued by the Department as a whole. However, a significant majority of the citations were issued by officers within the Traffic Unit. During this reporting period, the Traffic Unit and the Department were operating under a Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant.

Throughout the year, primarily due to the ongoing pandemic, enforcement efforts of the traffic unit and the enforcement efforts under the OTS grant were decreased. This decrease was to support the unique challenges of the ongoing pandemic and the Department’s role in the education and enforcement of various health orders. Due to these unprecedented times, the enforcement index average decreased to an average of

8.25. In 2020, the City had 117 injury collisions, 6 severe injury collisions, and 2 fatal collisions with an average enforcement index of 9.28. In 2021, our enforcement index decreased from last year to 8.25, a decrease of 1.03 points. The Department ended 2021 with 170 injury collisions, 6 severe injury collisions and 4 fatal collisions. The number of collisions, injuries and fatalities increased over the last year, with 3 of the 4 fatal collisions involving impaired drivers, and 2 of the fatal collisions involving motorcycles. Each of the 4 collisions was unique in location, and 2 of the 4 fatal collisions have resulted in prosecution.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Maintaining a fully staffed Traffic Unit will continue to impact these numbers. The traffic enforcement is stressed as a patrol function and that all patrol officers assist in
enforcement efforts. The Department continues to
proactively address traffic-related issues, which have had a significant impact on our community by posting safety issues for our residents and visitors. The Traffic Unit’s main focus will be to provide enforcement targeting the top three (3) primary collision factor (PCF) violations (DUI, unsafe speed, and improper turning.) The Unit will also provide
enforcement at the frequent collision locations. The unit will continue to utilize data collection devices to target areas in the City in the most effective manner. The unit will continue to work to place educational material in the community which has impacted pedestrian safety in 2021.

The Department will research additional educational opportunities to keep the public informed of high collision locations and prevention strategies, DUI and drugged driving.

Attachments: Enforcement Index Graph

79 Graphed Data For 2021
2021 Enforcement Index Average: 8.25 (2020’s average: 9.28)

0.00 2.00

4.00 6.00

8.00 10.00

12.00 14.00

16.00 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Enforcement Index Graph
Index
Jan. Feb. Marc
h
Apr
il
Ma
y
Jun
e
Jul
y
Aug
.

Sep
.

Oct. Nov. Dec
.

Traffic
Citations
104 130 120 129 60 77 77 111 160 134 163 94
Injury
Collision
11 13 18 13 16 12 16 13 20 15 11 12
Enforceme
nt Index

9.45 10.0 6.6 9.9 3.7
5 6.4
1 4.8
1 8.5
3 8.0
8 8.93 14.8
1 7.8
3 (2020 #’s for
comparison) 28.3
3 23.7
1 13.0
0 5 6.3
3 .76 3 2.6
5 6.4
2 10.2
8 6.23 5.7

80 0

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
2021

PERFORMANCE MEASURES
Departmental
• Requests by Section and Response Time
• Public Property Graffiti Requests and Response Time
• Illegal Dumping, Trash and Debris Removal Requests and Response Time • Traffic Signal Requests and Response Time
• Pothole Requests and Response Time
Building Maintenance
• Building Maintenance Requests
• Requests Response Time
Fleet Maintenance
• Fleet Maintenance Data
• Preventive Maintenance Services and Repair Services
Park Maintenance
• Park and Tree Maintenance Data
• Tree Trimming
Street Maintenance and Traffic Safety • Street Maintenance and Street Sweeping Data • Annual Surface Treatment
• Traffic Safety Data
Wastewater
• Sewer & Storm Drain Maintenance
• Lineal Feet of Sewer Main Cleaned
• Number of Sanitary Spill Overflows per 100 miles of Sewer Pipe by Fiscal Year

City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Review
Public Works Department
Division: Public Works Operations
Goal: Respond to service request in a timely and efficient manner.

Objective: Respond to an average of 85 percent of service requests across Public Works divisions within 24 business hours.

Performance Measure: Requests as categorized by Division and response times.

Performance Outcome: Ensure timely service delivery of services to the community; adjustments to schedules and service priorities as needed. 0 50
100
150
200
250
300
Jul-20
Aug-20Sep-20
Oct-20
Nov-20Dec-20
Jan-21
Feb-21
Mar-21
Apr-21
May-21
Jun-21
Jul-21
Aug-21Sep-21
Oct-21
Nov-21Dec-21
Requests
Monthly Requests by Section
Building Maintenance Street Maintenance Traffic Safety Tree Trimming Storm / Wastewater Park Maintenance

81 Monthly Request by Section
Fiscal Year 2021
Month
Building
Maintena
nce
Street
Maintenance
Traffic
Safety
Tree
Trimming
Storm /
Wastewater
Park
Maintenance
Total
Requests
Jul-20 51 46 9 6 6 85 203
Aug-20 73 38 10 1 17 89 228
Sep-20 75 44 12 5 17 58 211
Oct-20 63 52 5 0 22 74 216
Nov-20 61 43 10 0 11 91 216
Dec-20 47 36 13 0 19 57 172
Jan-21 58 25 4 28 23 48 186
Feb-21 63 28 11 26 33 53 214
Mar-21 29 82 20 25 21 51 228
Apr-21 59 17 16 38 25 75 230
May-21 50 20 5 19 40 119 253
Jun-21 75 21 5 26 26 85 238
Jul-21 68 23 24 17 11 81 224
Aug-21 65 36 8 28 25 89 251
Sep-21 81 26 5 33 22 71 238
Oct-21 57 33 24 35 5 59 213
Nov-21 58 16 14 28 2 48 166
Dec-21 42 22 20 31 1 42 158
FY 21 Total 704 452 120 174 260 885 2,595
FY 20 Total 797 518 142 259 228 809 2,752
FY 19 Total 929 566 195 191 280 515 2,676
3-Yr Average 810 512 152 208 256 736 2,675
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Building
Maintenance
Street
Maintenance
Traffic Safety Tree
Trimming
Storm /
Wastewater
Park
Maintenance
Percentage
Division
Percentage of Requests Responded to within 24 Business
Hours
Fiscal Year 2021
Percentage Responded to within 24 Hours

82 Monthly Request by Section
Fiscal Year 2020
Month
Building
Maintena
nce
Street
Maintenance
Traffic
Safety
Tree
Trimming
Storm /
Wastewater
Park
Maintenance
Total
Requests
Jul-19 105 52 20 32 16 76 301
Aug-19 86 47 6 27 21 59 246
Sep-19 85 38 15 28 22 70 258
Oct-19 89 61 8 24 24 75 281
Nov-19 51 47 10 14 16 46 184
Dec-19 79 55 22 23 44 38 261
Jan-20 54 65 17 1 15 66 218
Feb-20 75 31 15 64 11 88 284
Mar-20 52 31 12 14 15 59 183
Apr-20 46 31 5 6 18 85 191
May-20 31 27 4 12 10 89 173
Jun-20 43 33 8 14 16 58 172
Jul-20 51 46 9 6 6 74 192
Aug-20 73 38 10 1 17 91 230
Sep-20 75 44 12 5 17 57 210
Oct-20 63 52 5 0 22 48 190
Nov-20 61 43 10 0 11 53 178
Dec-20 47 36 13 0 19 51 166
FY 20 Total 796 518 142 259 228 809 2,752
FY 19 Total 929 566 195 191 280 515 2,676
FY 18 Total 697 741 180 188 231 518 2,555
3-Yr Average 807 608 172 213 246 614 2,661
Data Analysis:

In an effort to provide exceptional customer service, department staff strives to respond to requests in a timely manner. The goal is to contact customers within 24 business hours of receiving a request to inform them that their request has been received and to provide a timeframe in which work may be completed. On average, customers were contacted by all sections within 24 business hours of being received about 89 percent of the time in FY21.

The department continues to use the upgraded work order system, which was implemented in August 2015. The upgrade to Cartegraph OMS (operational management system) allows the department to efficiently manage the 2,675 requests received on average each year. The work order system also enables the department to better manage its infrastructure assets and identify areas of needed maintenance.

Next Review Date: January 2023

83 Action To Be Taken: The department continues to use the work order management system to help identify, record, and establish benchmarks and priorities annually.

84 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Report
Public Works Department
Division: Public Works Operations
Goal: Respond to service requests in a timely and efficient manner.

Objective: Removal of reported graffiti incidents on public property within 24 to 48 business hours.

Performance Measure: Number of Public Property Graffiti Requests and Response Time
Performance Outcome: Timely removal of graffiti incidents to preserve the aesthetic character of the community and coordination with La Mesa Police Department to catalogue incidents.

Data Analysis:

The graph shows the number of public property graffiti removal requests received per month and the average number of days to remove them. These incidents are reported by staff as well as residents. Residents reported these incidents through the See Click Fix application which was launched in the summer of 2021.

An emphasis for removing this type of blight in the City is and shall remain a priority for the Public Works department. Working with residents and the La Mesa Police Department, staff will continue to work toward timely removal of reported graffiti.

Next Review Data: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: The division will continue to collect and review the data.

0.0 2.0

4.0 6.0

8.0 10.0

12.0 0
5 10
15 20
25 30
35 40
45 Jul-20
Aug-20Sep-20
Oct-20
Nov-20Dec-20
Jan-21
Feb-21Mar-21
Apr-21
May-21
Jun-21
Jul-21
Aug-21Sep-21
Oct-21
Nov-21Dec-21
Average Days
to Remove
# of Requests
Month
Graffiti Removal Requests and Response Time
Number of Requests Average Days to Remove

85 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Report
Public Works Department
Division: Public Works Operations
Goal: Respond to service requests for illegal dumping in a timely and efficient manner.

Objective: Reduce response times related to illegal dumping trash and debris removal requests
Performance Measure: Response times related to illegal dumping trash and debris removal requests
Performance Outcome: Timely removal of trash, debris, and other materials in the public right-of-way to preserve the aesthetic character of the community.

Data Analysis:

The graph shows the number of illegal dumps, trash, and debris removal requests received per month and the average number of days to respond to them. As reflected in the graph, the number of incidents increased through the fiscal year requiring an increase in staff time dedicated to this area of responsibility.

An emphasis for removing this type of blight in the City is and shall remain a priority for the Public Works department. Reports of illegal dumping are brought to the attention of the City through staff and residents reporting them on the See Click Fix application.

Working with the La Mesa Police Department, staff will continue toward timely removal of illegally dumped materials. Also, staff is working to remove or trim back landscaped areas to discourage activities that promote this type of behavior.

0.0 2.0

4.0 6.0

8.0 10.0

12.0 0
5 10
15 20
25 30
35 40
Jul-20
Aug-20Sep-20
Oct-20
Nov-20Dec-20
Jan-21
Feb-21
Mar-21
Apr-21
May-21
Jun-21
Jul-21
Aug-21Sep-21
Oct-21
Nov-21Dec-21
Average Days
to Remove
# of Requests
Month
Illegal Dumping, Trash and Debris Removal Requests and
Response Time
Requests Ave Response

86 Next Review Data: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: The division will continue to collect and review the data.

87 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Report
Public Works Department
Division: Public Works Operations
Goal: Respond to service requests for traffic signal timing, adjustments, and related issues in a timely and efficient manner.

Objective: Respond to requests related to traffic signal timing, adjustments, and related issues within one hour of receiving a report.

Performance Measure: Traffic signal requests completed within one hour of receiving a report.

Performance Outcome: Ensuring the safe and efficient operation of traffic signals.

Data Analysis:

The graph shows the number of reported traffic signal requests per month. Repairs or adjustments are made by a contractor who is required to respond to traffic signal issues within 1 hour of receiving a report.

Reports of traffic signal issues are brought to the attention of the department through staff in the field and residents reporting them through the See Click Fix application.

These requests have priority over other types of traffic signal calls such as position adjustments and preventive maintenance.

Next Review Data: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: The division will continue to collect and review the data. 0 5
10 15
20 25
30 Jul-20
Aug-20Sep-20
Oct-20
Nov-20Dec-20
Jan-21
Feb-21Mar-21
Apr-21
May-21
Jun-21
Jul-21
Aug-21Sep-21
Oct-21
Nov-21Dec-21
# of Requests
Month
Traffic Signal Requests

88 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Report
Public Works Department
Division: Public Works Operations
Goal: Respond to service requests for pothole repair in a timely and efficient manner.

Objective: Respond to requests related to pothole repair within an average response time of one-week.

Performance Measure: Number of potholes repairs completed within one week.

Performance Outcome: Preventative maintenance of public roadways reduces additional capital costs related to major unscheduled
reconstruction.

Data Analysis:

The graph shows the number of reported pothole related calls per month and average number of days required to repair them. The number of pothole requests typically increase during the rainy season. During the rainy season, potholes are more prevalent after storms and on roadways experiencing heavy truck traffic. During the summer months, the number of potholes decrease and the time to respond to them increases.

The increase in response time is primarily due to crews working on planned maintenance projects. As a policy, crews schedule the filling of potholes as soon as these are reported and prioritized those that located in areas where public safety could be impacted or additional pavement damage is likely.

Next Review Data: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: The division will continue to collect and review the data.

0.0 2.0

4.0 6.0

8.0 10.0

12.0 0
10 20
30 40
50 60
Jul-20
Aug-20Sep-20
Oct-20
Nov-20Dec-20
Jan-21
Feb-21
Mar-21
Apr-21
May-21
Jun-21
Jul-21
Aug-21Sep-21
Oct-21
Nov-21Dec-21
Average Days
to Respond
# of Requests
Month
Pothole Requests and Response Time
Number of Requests Average Days to Remove

89 Building Maintenance
Mission:

To maintain the condition of City buildings while complying with all applicable codes and safety regulations.

Building Maintenance FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021
Total square footage of city facilities maintained 245,171 245,171 245,171 245,171 Cost per square foot maintained 1 $4.02 $4.54 $4.14 $4.26 Requests 676 888 690 787
1 Equal to actual year end expenditures divided by square feet maintained.

Requests by Activity for Fiscal Year 2021
Electrical
Repairs
Exterior
Repairs
HVAC
Repairs
Interior
Repairs
Plumbing
Repairs
157 60 87 99 167
Requests by Activity for Fiscal Year 2020
Electrical
Repairs
Exterior
Repairs
HVAC
Repairs
Interior
Repairs
Plumbing
Repairs
44 70 88 151 171
*This table shows the most common requests by activity.

90 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Report
Public Works Department
Division: Building Maintenance
Performance Measure: Timeliness of response to requests Purpose of Measure: To measure the level of service the division is providing to internal customers by tracking the number of days to
complete requests.

Graphed Data:

Data Analysis:

The graph shows the average number of days required to complete each type of request. To provide a better understanding of timeliness, the chart compares the average number of days from the time the request is received to completion of the request (shown in green), with the average number of days from the time the work is actually started to the completion date (shown in blue). The timeframes differ because scheduling may be required and materials may need to be ordered prior to starting the work. The green bar represents the time line from the customer’s perspective while the blue bar depicts the time necessary for staff to complete the work.

In FY21, the most common type of request received by the Building Maintenance Division was for plumbing repairs followed by electrical repairs. Interior repairs and painting requests typically take the longest to begin since notice is typically given well in 8 26
157
60 87
99 44
167
1 0
20 40
60 80
100
120
140
160
180
0 20
40 60
80 100
120
140
160
Graffiti
Removal
Moving
Furniture
Electrical
Repairs
Exterior
Repairs
HVAC
Repairs
Interior
Repairs
Painting Plumbing
Repairs
Roof
Repairs
# of requests
# of days
Service Type
Building Maintenance Average Response Time to Complete Requests Fiscal Year 2021
Days from when the request is received to completion Average days to complete work Requests received

91 advance of when the office to be painted is available. Painting requests typically also involve removing furniture and associated office items. Lastly, painting is also prioritized lower than most other requests.

Next Review Data: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: The division will continue to collect and review the data.

92 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Report
Public Works Department
Division: Public Works Operations
Goal: Maintain vehicles and equipment in a safe and operational condition.

Objective: Annual increase in the number of preventative maintenance services and a year-to-year decrease in the number of
unscheduled service repairs.

Performance Measure: Monthly preventative maintenance services and unscheduled service repairs completed.

Performance Outcome: Extension of the useful life of City vehicles and reduction in fleet replacement costs over time.

Fleet Maintenance FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021
Number of vehicles/equipment 203 207 207 207
Maintenance cost per vehicle/equipment 1 $3,238 $3,695 $4,027 $3,901 Number of full-time budgeted employees 5 5 5 5
Number of vehicles/equipment per full time employee 40.6 41.4 41.4 41.4 Preventive maintenance services 554 675 611 659
Service repairs 1,062 1,181 932 827
1 Equal to actual year end expenditures for Fleet Maintenance plus citywide vehicle maintenance expenditures divided by number of fleet vehicles/equipment.

93 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Report
Public Works Department
Division: Fleet Maintenance
Performance Measure: Preventive maintenance services performed per month Graphed Data: Goal of 45 vehicle preventive maintenance services per month
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
Jul-20
Aug-20Sep-20
Oct-20
Nov-20Dec-20
Jan-21
Feb-21
Mar-21
Apr-21
May-21
Jun-21
Jul-21
Aug-21Sep-21
Oct-21
Nov-21Dec-21
Actual PM Services Completed
Preventive Maintenance Services Performed
Actual PM Monthly Goal
0 20
40 60
80 100
120
140
Jul-20
Aug-20Sep-20
Oct-20
Nov-20Dec-20
Jan-21
Feb-21Mar-21
Apr-21
May-21
Jun-21
Jul-21
Aug-21Sep-21
Oct-21
Nov-21Dec-21
Number of repairs
Unscheduled Repair Services Performed per Month
Actual Repairs

94 Data Analysis:

In 2008, the preventive maintenance schedule was changed to meet State requirements and bring the shop to industry standards for Best Management Practices (BMPs).

Commercial vehicles are checked every 90-days as required by the State, and the remaining vehicles and equipment are brought into the shop every 90-120 days.

Beginning in 2011, the service goal for this measure increased from 25 to 45 preventive maintenance services per month to bring the goal more in line with the division’s capabilities and maximize (in some cases extend) the useful life of fleet vehicles and equipment.

As with the previous year, Fleet Maintenance continued its emphasis in a proactive preventive maintenance program. The majority of repairs were those found through scheduled preventive maintenance checks which help prevent vehicle and equipment breakdowns. The overall result of the increase in preventive maintenance activities is a reduced number of unscheduled repairs and down time throughout the fleet.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: The department will continue to prioritize preventive maintenance services for vehicles/equipment according to state regulations and city goals.

95 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Report
Public Works Department
Division: Park Maintenance
Goal: Maintain City parks, streetscapes, and other landscapes areas in a clean, safe, and aesthetically pleasing condition.

Objective: Trim all trees within each maintenance zone, trim ninetypercent of the City’s palm tree inventory, and preserve the condition of all City-owned landscaping.

Performance Measure: Number of City-owned trees and acreage maintained.

Performance Outcome: Reduction in the number of trees lost to pests, preservation of the City’s tree canopy, and maintenance of City-owned parks and landscaping.

Park Maintenance FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021
Acres maintained 1 195 195 195 195
Maintenance cost per acre 2 $11,247 $11,623 $12,050 $
13,109
Number of budgeted full-time employees 15.7 15.7 15.7 15.7 Acres maintained per full time employee 12.42 12.42 12.42 12.42 Requests 518 515 809 894
1 Includes the addition of MacArthur Park in fiscal year 2018 2 Equal to actual year end expenditures divided by number of acres maintained. The increase in the maintenance cost per acre is primarily due to increase in water costs and consumption Tree Trimming FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021
Number of trees 1 9,978 9,991 10,123 10,106
Cost per tree 2 $30.36 $25.27 $26.70 $28.37
Requests 188 191 259 164
1 The tree inventory was updated based on the tree inventory database.
2 Equal to actual year end expenditures divided by number of trees maintained.

96 Data Analysis:

The City has earned the designation of “Tree City USA” since 1980. In order to nurture and maintain the City’s urban forest as efficiently as possible, productivity goals were established for tree trimming. The department has set an annual goal to trim 1/7th of the City’s street and park tree inventory (approximately 1,050 trees) and 100 percent of the City’s palm tree inventory each year. The City is divided into seven maintenance zones. The Department’s goal is to trim all the trees in one zone each year, as well as all palm trees throughout the City each year.

The City uses contract tree trimming services to augment its tree trimming capability.

The contract includes regular tree maintenance of 10,106 street and park trees throughout the City. The City’s remaining tree trimming staff member responds to requests and other tree trimming duties on an as-needed basis. Palm tree trimming is also performed by contract.

The table shows all tree maintenance services performed by contract and City staff. The total number of trees trimmed in FY21 was 3,849 (2,742 by contract and 1,107 by inhouse staff).

The annual palm tree trimming goal is based on the total number of palm trees in the City’s tree inventory. Over 90-percent of the City’s palm tree inventory was trimmed by West Coast Arborists, the City’s tree trimming contractor, in FY21. The remaining palm trees were either too small to trim or were located in an area which is inaccessible for tree trimming crews and equipment.

Next Review Date: January 2023

Action To Be Taken: This measure will be reviewed and adjusted to compare industry standards with current practices.

97 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Report
Public Works Department
Division: Street Maintenance
Goal: Maximize the useful life of street pavement with an emphasis on timely maintenance and keeping the City’s streets clean of debris and unsafe material.

Objective: Maintain 152 linear-miles of pavement per year.

Performance Measure: Amount of roadway surface treatment completed per year.

Performance Outcome: Maintenance of the City’s overall Pavement Management Index.

Street Maintenance FY
2017
FY
2018
FY
2019
FY
2020
FY
2021
Miles maintained 152 152 152 152 152
Maintenance cost per mile 1
$9,020 $10,494 $11,398 $12,093 $11,250
Number of budgeted full-time employees 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 Number of miles maintained per FTE 24.37 24.37 24.37 24.37 24.37 Cost per capita 2
$24.03 $27.95 $30.36 $30.90 $28.75
Square footage of pavement rehabilitation 133,166 178,548 267,639 249,060 174,899 Requests 688 741 566 529 449
1 Equal to division’s actual year end expenditures divided by number of miles maintained for that maintenance zone. 2 Population from 2020 Census data
Street Sweeping FY
2017
FY
2018
FY
2019
FY
2020
FY
2021
Cost per lane mile 1
$428 $444 $399 $428 $437
1 Equal to division's actual year end expenditures divided by the number of miles of street sweeping.

98 City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Report
Public Works Department
Division: Street Maintenance
Performance Measure: Square footage of surface treatment per month Purpose of Measure: To allocate resources, improve procedures and extend the useful life of the street pavement.

Graphed Data: Goal of 20,500 square feet of surface treatment per month Data Results: The goal was modified in FY13 from 27,500 square feet per month to 20,500 to better reflect the division’s output capabilities.

Data Analysis:

Routine street maintenance activities are typically scheduled to take place within one of the seven maintenance zones each year based on pavement condition and budgeted 0 5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
Jul-20
Aug-20Sep-20
Oct-20
Nov-20Dec-20
Jan-21
Feb-21Mar-21
Apr-21
May-21
Jun-21
Jul-21
Aug-21Sep-21
Oct-21
Nov-21Dec-21
Square Feet
Month
Total Monthly Surface Treatment by Category
Skin Patch/Overlay Pot Hole Patching Dig Out Patching Grind and Pave Monthly Goal

99 funding. Because each zone is different in size, scope, and condition, the type of pavement treatment and resources required to complete work will vary each year.

Division staff attempts to schedule street maintenance work to maximize resources and results and ideally, skin patching and overlay work is planned for late spring and early summer. Dig out repairs are usually scheduled for the winter months, as weather permits, in preparation for slurry seal. Factors such as staffing levels, weather conditions, requests, and special projects often impact the street maintenance schedule resulting in the inconsistent output seen on the graph.

The division completed 174,899 square feet of surface treatment in FY21. On average, the division treated 14,575 square feet per month, down from 20,755 square feet in the previous fiscal year. Vacancies, equipment dependability and production capacity negatively impacted the ability to meet both monthly and fiscal year goals.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: To fill vacancies and repair or replace less reliable equipment. The monthly goal will be reviewed and revised to a level that represents the new capabilities of the
department.

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City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Report
Public Works Department
Division: Traffic Safety
Goal: Provide safe traffic flow through effective and efficient maintenance of street signs, striping, pavement markings, and traffic control devices.

Objective: Maintain 152 linear-miles of streets and over 500 signs annually.

Performance Measure: Linear footage of striping, pavement markings, and curb painting annually.

Performance Outcome: Clear visibility of roadway signs and striping to increase driver awareness and reduce the number of collisions.

Traffic Safety FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021
Number of street miles 152 152 152 152
Cost per street mile 1
$1,963 $3,096 $2,222 $2,599
Number of full-time employees 2.75 2.75 2.75 2.75
Street miles maintained per full-time employee 55.64 55.64 55.64 55.64 Number of requests 180 195 142 146
Number of signs maintained, installed and replaced 892 585 507 568 Data Analysis:

The division strives to complete 836,820 lineal feet of pavement markings per year.

During FY21, the division striped 490,181 lineal feet of roadway and painted 2,424 lineal feet of curb line for a combined total of 492,065 lineal feet. The variance from the goal is mainly attributed to staffing levels and poor equipment dependability. The division supervisor implemented new operating procedures and scheduled equipment preventive maintenance best management practices to be performed in the off season.

Long-line striping of streets and bike lanes is typically scheduled for the months of June through August and school zones and crosswalks are painted in July when school is out for the summer. The division implemented a new schedule for painting curbs which took effect last year. In the past, staff painted 100 percent of the City’s curb line every third year but now, however, curb lines are painted according to maintenance zone. The division paints the curb line in two of the seven maintenance zones each year resulting in all curb lines being painted on a three-year rotation. The maintenance zone

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scheduled for slurry seal is painted by the slurry seal contractor. As time permits, curb painting is now being put into GIS to help track locations and generate better measurements.

The division continues to find new ways to manage its workload by combining staff resources with street maintenance and utilizing available technology and equipment to help meet its goals.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action to Be Taken: To implement preventive maintenance BMPs and repair or replace less reliable equipment.

Traffic Safety FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020
Number of street miles 152 152 152
Cost per street mile 1
$1,963 $3,096 $2,222
Number of full-time employees 2.75 2.75 2.75
Street miles maintained per full-time employee 55.64 55.64 55.64 Number of requests 180 195 142
Number of signs maintained, installed and replaced 892 585 507 1 Equals actual year end expenditures divided by the number of street miles.

Traffic Safety FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021
Number of street miles 152 152 152 152
Cost per street mile 1
$1,963 $3,096 $2,222 $2,599
Number of full-time employees 2.75 2.75 2.75 2.75
Street miles maintained per full-time employee 55.64 55.64 55.64 55.64 Number of requests 180 195 142 146
Number of signs maintained, installed and
replaced 892 585 507 568
1 Equals actual year end expenditures divided by the number of street miles.

102
City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Report
Public Works Department
Division: Wastewater Maintenance
Goal: Protect public health and safety by maintaining the wastewater collection system and maximizing the life of the system and preventing sanity sewer overflows (SSOs).

Objective: Maintain 203 linear miles of sewer and storm drains through the City.

Performance Measure: Linear feet of sewer line cleanings per month, labor hours spent on requests for sewer lateral service, and number of SSOs per 100 miles of sewer pipe annually.

Performance Outcome: Reduction in the number of SSOs per year and the number of gallons of water spilled annually.

Sewer & Storm Drain Maintenance
Sewer & Storm Drain Maintenance FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 Total system miles (including storm drain) 203 203 203 203 Maintenance cost per mile 1 $5,577 $6,430 $6,693 $6,843 Number of sewer miles cleaned 207 91 188 188
Number of full-time employees 8 8 8 8
System miles per full-time employee 25 25 25 25
Sewer miles cleaned per full-time employee 26.0 11.4 23.5 23.5 Number of requests 231 280 228 248
1 Equal to actual year end expenditures divided by total system miles.

Number of sewer overflows 3
8 3 4 0
Sewer overflows per 100 miles of sewer pipe 5 2 2 0
Gallons spilled per 1,000 capita 11 1.44 11.22 0
Sewer & Storm Drain Maintenance FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 Total system miles (including storm drain) 203 203 203

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Maintenance cost per mile 1 $5,577 $6,430 $6,693
Number of sewer miles cleaned 207 189 188
Number of full-time employees 8 8 8
System miles per full-time employee 25 25 25
Sewer miles cleaned per full-time employee 26.0 23.6 23.5 Number of requests 231 280 228
USA mark out requests 3,483 3,997 2,685
1 Equal to actual year end expenditures divided by total system miles.

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City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Report
Public Works Department
Division: Wastewater Operations
Performance Measure: Number of lineal feet of sewer main cleaned per month Purpose of Measure: This information enables the department to schedule and track the total number of feet cleaned each month in the City’s sewer system. The division’s goal is to clean the entire sewer system over a 12-month period.

Graphed Data: Goal to clean 70,000 lineal feet of sewer main per month Data Analysis:

Sewer system cleaning has been performed by the wastewater division using a combination of cleaning methods. Sewer main lines have typically been cleaned using either a hydro jet or mechanical rod truck depending on the build-up of debris and condition of the sewer pipe. Regardless of the cleaning method used, the goal is to clean all city-owned sewer lines once every 12 months. Since this change went into effect, there has been a significant reduction in sewer spills: FY15 - 18 SSOs; FY16 - -
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
180,000
200,000
Jul-20
Aug-20Sep-20
Oct-20
Nov-20Dec-20
Jan-21
Feb-21Mar-21
Apr-21
May-21
Jun-21
Jul-21
Aug-21Sep-21
Oct-21
Nov-21Dec-21
Lineal Feet
Month
Lineal Feet of Sewer Main Cleaned per Month
Lineal Feet

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12 SSOs; FY17 - 11 SSOs; FY18 - 8 SSOs; FY19 – 3 SSOs; FY20 – 4 SSOs and in FY21 - 0 SSOs.

In FY21, the division cleaned an average of 76,171 lineal feet per month, down from 82,546 lineal feet per month in FY20. The division cleaned 188 miles of sewer pipe during the year. While the City has over 150 miles of sewer pipe some locations require more frequent cleaning than once per year due to tree roots, sediment and grease build up.

Staff notes that it is not critical to meet the monthly goal every month since the goal is to clean the entire system once per year. Also, vacancies, special projects and weather impact sewer maintenance scheduling and cleaning, and thus some months will greatly exceed the monthly goal.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: No action taken at this time.

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City of La Mesa
2021 Performance Measure Report
Public Works Department
Division: Wastewater Operations
Performance Measure: Number of sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) per 100 miles of sewer pipe per year.

Purpose of Measure: To maintain the city’s sewer system and reduce the number of SSOs.

Graphed Data: Goal to reduce the number of SSOs per 100 miles of sewer La Mesa SSOs Reported by Fiscal Year
Fiscal
Year
Population
Served
Miles of
Sewer
Pipe
Owned
Number of
SSOs
Total SSO
Volume
Spilled
(Gallons)
SSO
Rate
(SSOs
per 100
Miles per
Year)
Volume
Rate
(Volume
Spilled per
1000
Capita per
Year)
2014 57,065 150 30 3,801 20 66.6
2015 57,065 150 18 5,312 12 93.1
2016 57,065 150 18 575 8 10.1
2017 57,065 150 11 883 7 15.5
2018 57,065 150 8 3,303 5 57.9
2019 57,065 150 3 523 2 9.2
2020 59,479 150 4 668 3 11.2
2021 59,479 150 0 0 0 0.0
*Population data from 2010 & 2020 Census data
**A SOS is defined as any backup of wastewater from a public owned sewer system regardless of spill volume or percentage contained and recovered. Overflow numbers do not reflect sewer backups from private sewer systems.

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La Mesa SSOs Reported by Fiscal Year
Fiscal
Year
Population
Served
Miles of
Sewer
Pipe
Owned
Number
of
SSOs
Total
SSO
Volume
Spilled
(Gallons)
SSO
Rate
(SSOs
per 100
Miles
per
Year)
Volume
Rate
(Volume
Spilled per
1000
Capita per
Year)
2014 57,065 150 30 3,801 20 66.6
2015 57,065 150 18 5,312 12 93.1
2016 57,065 150 12 575 8 10.1
2017 57,065 150 11 883 7 15.5
2018 57,065 150 8 3,303 5 57.9
2019 57,065 150 3 523 2 9.2
2020 59,479 150 4 668 3 11.2
Data Analysis:

The division maintains high standards when it comes to maintenance of the City’s sewer infrastructure. The system is cleaned on a routine schedule, and “problem sections” with reoccurring tree roots, sediment or grease buildups are addressed more frequently to ensure that the sewer system continues to function. However, even a well-maintained system can experience overflows. Infiltration from heavy rain events, debris buildup, grease and sanitary wipes/shop towels disposed by residents can cause the sewer system to overflow into the street and storm drain system. The division responds and addresses sewer service calls immediately to maintain public health and safety standards and minimize sewer related damage claims.

The results of the current maintenance strategy are that City staff has had a marked reduction in SSOs through recent years and 0 spills in FY21.

Next Review Date: January 2023
Action To Be Taken: Continue to collect and report sewer overflow data.

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