City of San Bernardino
PROPOSAL FOR STRATEGIC
PLANNING, GOAL SETTING AND
TEAM BUILDING
FOUND IN 1810
E D
The Organizational Network
We Focus, We Transform, We Deliver
August 12, 2025
Table of Contents
Executive Summary 2
Organizational Background
Consulting Services: Methodology & Approach.. 3
Baseline Landscape Analysis ..
Validated Team Building Session
Strategic Planning Workshops.
Strategic Plan Development .4
Review & Finalize Strategic Plan .. ..5
Deliverables.. 6
1. Facilitated Team Session - Recommend 2 days 6
2. Revised Mission, Vision statements . 6
3. Revised Priority Areas for the City of San Bernardino. 6 . 6
4. Updated Strategic Plan
Estimated Cost. 7
Appendix 1: Sample Agenda. 8
Appendix 2: References 10
Appendix 3: Assigned Consultants for this Project. 11
Nels Klyver, Ph.D., Senior Consultant .. 11
Stacey A. Davis, MPH, DrPH(c), Consultant .. .. 11
Julie Frazier-Mathews, MPA, COO ..11
Wayne McAfee, Ph.D. CEO ................12
Contact Information .... 13
Executive Summary
The Organizational Network is pleased to submit this proposal in response to the City of San Bernardino's Request for Quotes for Strategic Planning, Goal Setting, and Team Building services. Our proposed engagement will provide a comprehensive, facilitated process that enhances Council-Manager collaboration, clarifies shared priorities, and results in a meaningful and actionable set of strategic goals for the City.
We have over 40 years of experience in local government consulting, leveraging evidence- based tools and inclusive facilitation methods to build alignment and strengthen teams. Our process will culminate in a clear, public-facing set of goals that supports performance accountability and informs a 5-year strategic direction for the City.
Organizational Background
The Organizational Network is an Inland Empire-based consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, executive coaching, organizational development, and leadership training. As a firm, we recognize how critical organizational culture and function are to achieving the mission and maintaining high functioning, satisfied employees. Our work is grounded in organizational psychology and systems thinking, with a deep understanding of the unique dynamics within municipal government. We leverage our team's expertise in organizational psychology, leadership, process improvement, and coaching to create a tailored plan to meet the unique needs of each organization.
We have successfully worked with a variety of local governments and agencies, including:
• City of Riverside - City Council Strategic • City of Redlands Fire, Public Works, and Planning N-2 Waste Management
• City of Stockton - Strategic Planning • • City of San Bernardino Public Works - • City of Yucaipa - City Council Coaching
• City of Upland - Strategic Planning City of San Bernardino Police - Job • City of Redlands Fire, Public Works, and Matching
Waste Management • County of San Bernardino - Sheriff's • City of San Bernardino Public Works - Department
• County of San Bernardino - Board of
Coaching
• City of San Bernardino Police - Job Supervisors Planning Session Matching • Metropolitan Water District - Board
• County of San Bernardino - Sheriff's Strategic Planning Department County of Ventura - Probation Agency
• County of San Bernardino - Board of Coaching, Job Matching Supervisors Planning Session West Basin Water District Board • Metropolitan Water District - Board Coast Community College Board Strategic Planning • Rancho California Water District
• County of Ventura - Probation Agency • CONFIRE - Executive Recruitment Coaching, Job Matching
2 • West Basin Water District Board • The Counseling Team International - • Coast Community College Board Executive Recruitment
• City of Riverside - City Council Strategic WROG - Team Building Planning N-2 Cities of Rialto, Upland, Rancho
• City of Stockton - Strategic Planning Cucamonga, Chino, Chino Hills - • City of Yucaipa - City Council Training, Organizational Consulting • City of Upland - Strategic Planning San Bernardino Mayors Office Planning Session
Consulting Services: Methodology & Approach
Baseline Landscape Analysis
We begin by conducting a thorough review of key documents, including:
• The City's current mission and vision statements
• Strategic plans, general plans, and other guiding policies • Any prior goal setting or council planning materials
To complement this review, we conduct confidential, one-on-one interviews with the City Manager, Mayor, City Councilmembers, and other key stakeholders as identified by leadership. This step allows us to surface candid insights about opportunities, challenges, and tensions that might impact alignment and decision-making. This process will allow the consultants to collect both quantitative and qualitative data on the strengths, opportunities, challenges, and areas of concern currently faced by the City of San Bernardino.
Validated Team Building Session
In today's complex environment, genuine teamwork is essential for success. However, getting people to work effectively together can be a challenge. A focused team-building session can help bridge communication gaps, foster trust, and create stronger working relationships among the City Manager and City Councilmembers.
Through structured activities and guided discussions, the session provides a safe, inclusive space for team members to better understand one another's strengths, communication styles, and collaboration preferences. This creates opportunities to improve dialogue, address potential friction points, and build a more unified, high-performing team.
Our facilitated session encourages open and respectful interaction, allowing each person to be their authentic self while also reflecting on how they can contribute to a more effective team dynamic.
3 Strategic Planning Workshops
Following the team-building session, we will facilitate two focused workshops:
• Workshop 1: Mission, Vision, and Values Alignment
In this session, we will collaboratively refine or refresh the City's mission and vision statements to ensure they reflect current priorities and the evolving needs of the community.
• Workshop 2: Goal Setting and Prioritization
This session will define clear priorities and translate them into actionable, measurable goals. Our facilitation style promotes open dialogue, creative thinking, and productive conflict resolution. We make sure all voices are heard, resolve conflicts constructively, and establish a common direction.
We pride ourselves on our ability to navigate differing opinions and perspectives in a respectful, productive way. Through active listening, reframing, and consensus-building techniques, we help leadership teams clarify what success looks like and how to achieve it.
Strategic Plan Development
After the consultants have completed the previous elements, we will move to drafting a strategic plan to include the following elements:
1. Mission & Vision Statements: We collaborate with the Council and City Manager to either reaffirm or refine the City's mission and vision. These statements must serve as more than ceremonial language; they should provide a true compass for decision- making, resource allocation, and service delivery. The mission describes the City's fundamental purpose and the value it provides for residents. The vision offers a clear, forward-looking picture of the future San Bernardino seeks to achieve. Together, these statements serve to inspire internal stakeholders and communicate direction to the broader community.
2. Strengths & Challenges: This section provides an honest assessment of the City's internal capacity and external conditions. Drawing from interviews, observations, and workshop input, we identify assets-such as staff expertise, community partnerships, financial stability, or innovative programs—that can serve as building blocks for success. Simultaneously, we document constraints and challenges, whether structural, fiscal, cultural, or operational, that may require targeted strategies or influence the pacing of implementation. Highlighting these factors keeps the plan credible and realistic about its context.
3. Strategies: We then articulate a set of strategic priority areas that represent the City's broad categories of focus-such as public safety, infrastructure; housing, economic development, financial stewardship, or community engagement. Within 4 each priority area, we develop a series of SMART goals-goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. These goals are not general aspirations; they are outcome-focused targets with clear deliverables, timelines, and, where possible, assigned responsibility for execution.
The process of crafting these goals is collaborative. During the workshops, leadership is guided to refine broad themes into specific action statements that are measurable over time. We facilitate group dialogue to ensure there is consensus on not just what should be accomplished, but why it matters and how it aligns with community needs and organizational readiness.
4. Measurement: A plan is only as effective as the system in place to track its progress.
That is why we include a measurement framework to accompany each goal. This framework includes clear performance indicators, milestone markers, and, when appropriate, baseline metrics. We also recommend a schedule for progress reviews—quarterly or semi-annually—to ensure that implementation stays on track and that results are communicated both internally and publicly.
This section also outlines reporting tools and methods for updating the community on accomplishments and challenges. Transparency and accountability are key to building public trust and maintaining organizational momentum.
5. Benchmarks: To contextualize the City's efforts and support innovation, we integrate relevant benchmarks and practices from peer jurisdictions. These comparisons do not serve as prescriptions but as points of reference. They allow the City to see how others have addressed similar challenges, what has worked in comparable environments, and where San Bernardino can lead. Where applicable, we include insights from national models or regional partners to highlight best practices and avoid reinventing the wheel.
Review & Finalize Strategic Plan
The final phase of development will include an opportunity for final critical review by the City Manager and City Councilmembers. The goal of this final stage is to examine the work with a critical rather than a creative mindset. Based on the feedback, the consultants will make any required enhancements or revisions needed. Lastly, the consultants will present the complete strategic plan to the City Manager and City Council for final approval. 5 •
•
Deliverables
1. Facilitated Team Session - Recommend 2 days
Team session utilizing data as a launching point for constructive dialogue to build highly effective working relationships
2. Revised Mission, Vision statements
Updated, renewed mission and vision statements crafted based on interviews and team sessions
3. Revised Priority Areas for the City of San Bernardino Updated set of priorities that will reflect the collaborative approach of the Council- Manager team
4. Updated Strategic Plan
Includes 1-year objectives for the City Manager and 5-year vision for the City Council, measurable goals and outcomes to guide implementation, support public accountability
6 Estimated Cost
$54,500
• Landscape analysis reviewing past key documents
• Team balance assessments & report
• Team balance session
• Individual interviews data collection
• Draft strategic planning agenda
• Facilitate two strategic planning sessions
• Draft strategic plan
• Final review & feedback session
• Printing and Materials
• Travel
7 Appendix 1: Sample Agenda
Strategic Planning Process
Step 1. Assessment of Current Strategic Plan and Organizational Landscape Review of Existing Strategic Documents
• Analyze current planning reports and documents
• Conduct interviews for a deeper understanding of the city's status and progress
Evaluation of Organizational Structure and Processes
• Examine alignment between the city's organizational structure and its goals • Propose enhancements to address misalignments or barriers • Exploring External Partnerships and Collaborations
• Identify opportunities for partnerships beyond city government, especially with the private sector
• Address obstacles to collaboration and devise strategies to foster productive external relationships
Step 2. Engagement with Mayor, City Council, and City Manager • One-on-One Interviews
• Conduct private, confidential interviews with key decision-makers, including the Mayor, City Council, and City Manager
• Ensure diverse viewpoints are heard and represented accurately • Facilitated Workshops
• Lead workshops with the Mayor and City Council to refine the city's mission and vision
• Realign strategic priorities to reflect the city's evolving needs • Department Head Alignment Session
• Hold a session with department heads to establish relevant performance metrics
• Schedule follow-up discussions to ensure the strategic plan is being implemented effectively
• Staff Coordination Meetings
Meet with key staff members to validate the feasibility of the strategic plan and ensure alignment across departments
8 Step 3. Creation of the Strategic Plan Document: Consolidating Key Elements • Mission and Vision Statement
• Craft a precise mission and vision statement that reflects both the community's needs and the leadership's aspirations
• Identifying Key Challenges
• Pinpoint real and anticipated challenges for the city's progress • Offer actionable recommendations to address these obstacles • Defining Strategic Priorities and Goals
• Clarify the city's core priorities, specific goals, and objectives • Outline clear strategies and tactics to achieve each goal • Developing Performance Metrics
• Establish measurable indicators to assess progress toward key goals • Benchmarking Against Other Cities
• Research and provide benchmarks from similar municipalities to inform strategies and potential collaborations
• Exploring Strategic Partnerships
• Recommend strategic external partnerships and collaborations that could advance the city's priorities
• Setting a Timeline for Execution
• Create a timeline with clear milestones for accomplishing the strategic priorities and for ongoing updates
Step 4. Strategic Plan Refinement and Review
• Final Review and Adjustment
• Conduct a comprehensive review of the plan with key stakeholders • Integrate feedback and refine the strategic plan based on input from city leadership
• Monitoring and Reporting Framework
• Develop a system for tracking progress, including an annual report template Encourage departments to conduct quarterly reviews to ensure timely adjustments and improvements
Step 5. Finalization and Presentation to City Leadership • Presentation to Mayor and City Council
Present the completed strategic plan for approval by the Mayor and City Council
9 Appendix 2: References
Chris Boatman
Assistant City Manager
City of Redlands
Phone: 909-732-6466
Damien Arrula
Assistant City Manager
City of Upland
Phone: 626-272-6105
Ty Harris
Deputy Fire Chief (Retired July 2025)
City of Rancho
Phone: 951-847-6079
Anthony Arroyo
Director of Human Resources
City of Chino
Phone: 909-217-1725
10 Appendix 3: Assigned Consultants for this Project
Nels Klyver, Ph.D., Senior Consultant
Nels is a distinguished organizational psychologist and college professor with over 40 years of experience in the field. He seamlessly blends academic expertise with practical insights gained from his work as a licensed therapist and career trainer. Throughout his career, Nels has partnered extensively with elected officials and city managers from municipalities, providing strategic guidance and facilitating collaborative leadership development. He is dedicated to delivering transformational learning experiences that delve into human behavior and organizational dynamics, equipping individuals and organizations with the tools they need to thrive in complex environments.
Stacey A. Davis, MPH, DrPH(c), Consultant
Stacey is a highly skilled professional consultant with over 20 years of experience working within county and local governments. As an epidemiologist completing her doctorate in Health Policy and Management, she brings a strong understanding of systems, policy dynamics, and process improvement. Stacey has a proven track record of facilitating and training diverse groups, including elected officials, city managers, and municipal staff, helping them implement practical solutions and drive positive community outcomes. She is passionate about collaborating with local leaders to create more resilient communities.
Julie Frazier-Mathews, MPA, COO
Julie is an accomplished public sector leader with over 30 years of experience enhancing government performance, operational excellence, and workforce development. Renowned for blending practical expertise with academic insight, Julie specializes in working with elected officials and city managers to drive collaboration, strategic planning, and leadership development at the municipal level.
With a deep understanding of the challenges City Councils and City Managers face, Julie helps leaders navigate complex issues and achieve meaningful outcomes. Her approach fosters trust, accountability, and service, empowering municipal leaders to lead with clarity, adapt to change, and make decisions that benefit their communities.
Passionate about building resilient, future-focused leadership, Julie is a trusted partner for local governments committed to improving performance and delivering sustainable results. 11 Wayne McAfee, Ph.D. CEO
Wayne is the co-founder of The Counseling Team International and founder of The Organizational Network, bringing over 40 years of experience in leadership training, organizational consulting, and executive coaching. A respected leader in both public and private sectors, Wayne has worked across a broad range of industries to design and implement innovative programs that strengthen workplace culture, team performance, and operational effectiveness.
Wayne's leadership philosophy is rooted in collaboration, trust, and service. He is widely recognized for his ability to inspire and coach leaders at all levels-helping them navigate complex challenges, build balanced and resilient teams, and lead with purpose. Through tailored coaching engagements, leadership development programs, and team balance assessments, Wayne helps organizations align individual strengths with strategic goals to maximize performance.
Wayne has extensive experience in local government, formerly serving as Assistant City Manager, Recreation and Community Services Director and Human Resources Director.
With exceptional interpersonal skills and a deep understanding of organizational dynamics, Wayne builds lasting partnerships with clients and stakeholders-delivering practical, sustainable outcomes that transform how teams lead, communicate, and succeed. 12 Contact Information
The Organizational Network
DBA - / Create Professional Consultants
Tax ID # - 46-1434946
700 E. Redlands Blvd, Suite U-336, Redlands, CA 92373
1-888-281-6644
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.theorganizationalnetwork.com
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