St. Helena City Council
May 19, 2026

City of St. Helena
Special City Council Meeting
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 @ 6:00 PM
Vintage Hall Board Room - Second Floor
465 Main Street, St. Helena CA
PLEASE NOTE: Any person who wishes to speak regarding an item on the agenda or make a comment under the "Public Forum" portion of the agenda may do so, but please observe the time limit of four minutes.

The City Council meeting will be live-streamed on Comcast Channel 28 and on the City’s website.

Public comment for City Council meetings will be accepted via email via to [email protected]. All public comments must be received three hours prior to the meeting. All other public comments received after the deadline will be attached to the item the next business day or soon thereafter. Public comments will not be read out loud but will be publicly available and attached to the online City Council agenda.

To ensure interpreters are available, requests must be made at least 72 hours in advance by calling the Office of the City Clerk at (707) 968-2640 or emailing [email protected].

The schedule of upcoming meetings and published meeting agendas can be found on the City of St. Helena website at cityofsthelena.gov.

Servicios de interpretación en español durante la reunión pueden ser solicitados por el público.

Para asegurar que los intérpretes estén disponibles, los servicios tienen que ser solicitados al menos 72 horas antes de la reunión llamando a la oficina de la Secretaria de la Ciudad al (707) 968-2640 o por correo electrónico a [email protected].

El horario de las reuniones publicadas y próximas puede ser localizado en el sitio de web de la Ciudad en cityofsthelena.gov

1. CALL TO ORDER

2. ROLL CALL
Mayor: Paul Dohring, Vice Mayor: Michelle Deasy, City Council Members: Aaron Barak, Kate Spadarotto

3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

4. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA

5. PUBLIC FORUM
Under California law, public comments at special meetings are limited to subjects on the agenda only. Therefore public comment will take place during consideration of the item. Each person’s comments shall be limited to 4 minutes.

6. NEW BUSINESS

6.1. Blackberg Group — Efficiency and Business Transformation Study Final Report
CEQA Determination: Not a CEQA Project (CEQA Guidelines §15378) Prepared By: James McCann, Interim City Manager, Andrew Bradley, Program Manager (City Clerk)
Recommendation: Receive and file the Efficiency and Business Transformation Study; receive the Consultant’s presentation; and provide direction to staff on next steps, including continued evaluation of the study’s findings and development of a proposed implementation plan to be brought back to City Council at a future meeting.

7. ADJOURNMENT
The next Regular City Council meeting is scheduled for May 26, 2026 at 6 p.m.

This agenda was posted at City Hall, 1088 College Avenue, and at Vintage Hall, 465 Main Street, St. Helena, California on May 13, 2026.

Andrew Bradley, City Clerk
In Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please call the City Clerk’s Office (707) 967-2792. Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting as required by Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting.

CHALLENGING DECISIONS OF CITY ENTITIES
The time limit within which to commence any lawsuit or legal challenge to any quasi-adjudicative decision made by the City of St. Helena is governed by Section 1094.6 of the Code of Civil Procedure, unless a shorter limitation period is specified by any other provision, including without limitation Government Code section 65009 applicable to many land use and zoning decisions, Government Code section 66499.37 applicable to the Subdivision Map Act, and Public Resources Code section 21167 applicable to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Under Section 1094.6, any lawsuit or legal challenge to any quasi-adjudicative decision made by the City must be filed no later than the 90th day following the date on which such decision becomes final. Any lawsuit or legal challenge, which is not filed within that 90-day period, will be barred. Government Code section 65009 and 66499.37, and Public Resources Code section 21167, impose shorter limitations periods and requirements, including timely service in addition to filing.

If a person wishes to challenge the above actions in court, they may be limited to raising only those issues they or someone else raised at the meeting described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City of St. Helena, at or prior to the meeting. In addition, judicial challenge may be limited or barred where the interested party has not sought and exhausted all available administrative remedies.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL RECEIVED AFTER THE POSTING OF THE AGENDA Any supplemental writings or documents distributed to a majority of the City Council regarding any item on this Agenda, after the posting of the Agenda, will be available for public review in the City Clerk’s Office located at 1088 College Avenue, St. Helena, California, during normal business hours and by appointment. In addition, such writings or documents will be made available on the City’s website at cityofsthelena.gov and will be available for public review at the respective meeting.

Agendas Report to the Special City Council
Agenda Section: NEW BUSINESS
Department: Admin
DATE: May 19, 2026
FROM: James McCann, Interim City Manager, Andrew Bradley, Program Manager (City Clerk)
SUBJECT: Blackberg Group — Efficiency and Business Transformation Study Final Report

RECOMMENDED
ACTION:

Receive and file the Efficiency and Business Transformation Study; receive the Consultant’s presentation; and provide direction to staff on next steps, including continued evaluation of the study’s findings and development of a proposed implementation plan to be brought back to City Council at a future meeting.

PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION: • On January 28, 2025, the City Council was presented with a staff report listing actions staff had already undertaken to enhance efficiency and improve processes, and
• Recommended the City utilize a consultant to explore additional opportunities for efficiency and business transformation. (Item

13.2 -
https://sthelenaca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/850/files/agenda/87 3)
• An RFP was released on March 28, 2025, with responses due by April 25, 2025. On June 10, 2025, City staff recommended Matrix Consulting Group complete the study for $90,000. City Council asked to re-interview the top two consultants (Matrix Consulting Group and Blackberg Group) before making a decision. (Item

13.1 -
https://sthelenaca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/879/files/agenda/90 2)
• On July 22, 2025, the City Council approved an agreement with Blackberg Group to conduct the study for $100,000. (Item 10.3 - https://sthelenaca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/884/files/agenda/90 7)

STATEMENT OF THE
PURPOSE: The purpose of this item is to present the findings of the Efficiency and

Business Transformation Study and initiate City Council review and direction on potential next steps.

FINANCIAL IMPACT: None at this time, but the implementation of recommendations within the report would have financial impacts.

CEQA DETERMINATION: Not a CEQA Project (CEQA Guidelines §15378) BACKGROUND:

The City commissioned the Efficiency and Business Transformation Study to assess current operations, identify inefficiencies, and develop actionable recommendations across organizational structure, processes, financial management, and technology. The study was conducted over several months and includes multiple deliverables, culminating in a Final Report with a phased implementation roadmap.

DISCUSSION:

The report is complex, comprehensive and far-reaching. I believe many of the findings and recommendations have merit and that the organization and community would benefit from their adoption and implementation. The report offers candid criticism of some of the City's practices and identifies areas where improvement or change is needed; we should welcome and will examine these findings and recommendations and explore how best to adopt and implement elements which enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the City.

The study identifies a range of opportunities to enhance City operations, including improvements to process standardization, performance measurement, technology utilization, and organizational structure and alignment. Many recommendations are interconnected and designed to be implemented in phases over time. City Council and staff will continue reviewing the full set of materials to determine feasibility, resource requirements, and prioritization of implementation efforts. Given the scope and complexity of the recommendations, this process is expected to take several months. Staff anticipates returning to City Council in August with a proposed implementation plan. However, this timeline may be adjusted based on the recruitment of a new City Manager and overall organizational capacity.

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:

None.

GOAL:

Goal 1: Strengthen Financial Sustainability
Goal 7: Enhance Organizational Effectiveness
ATTACHMENTS:

1. Presentation

2. RFP - Efficiency and Business Transformation FINAL 03.27.25

3. RFP Response - Blackberg Group

4. Presentation - Business Efficiency and Business Transformation Study - July 22, 2025

5. 2025-080 - Resolution with Blackberg Group to perform Business Efficiency and Transformation Study

6. Deliverable 1 - Current State Analysis

7. Deliverable 2 - Information and Insight Analysis

8. Deliverable 3A - Organizational Structure and Staffing Component

9. Deliverable 3B - Process Improvement and and Efficiency Potential

10. Deliverable 3C - Financial Efficiency Review

11. Deliverable 3D - Technology Utilization and Modernization

12. Deliverable 4 - Final Report and Recommendations

City of St. Helena
Efficiency and Business Transformation
Presentation to the City Council
May 19, 2026
Presented by Blackberg Group, LLC

Contents
 Purpose of the Study
 Methodology
 Overall Approach
 Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
 Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
 Deliverable 3: Existing Operations
 Deliverable 4: Final Report and Recommendations
 Deliverable 4: Transformation Roadmap
 Deliverable 4: Key Recommendations

Purpose
Improve the Efficiency
and Effectiveness of the City
Blackberg’s study centers on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of St. Helena’s City government. This includes all aspects of strategy, management, and governance with a focus on process improvement. Key objectives and goals include:
 Assess current business processes, identify inefficiencies, and recommend strategies for improvement and transformation.  Recommend changes in its organizational structure to enhance service delivery and/or reduce costs and optimize resources.  Align City services, technology, and organizational structure in a way that makes it easier and more efficient for residents to access services and conduct business with the City.
3

4 Methodology
Blackberg used the City
Fitness Framework
Blackberg used the City Fitness Framework (CFF) to provide structure and context for the study. One can study each element within the CFF in relative isolation, but the reality of any organization is that each element is interacting with all other elements as a complex adaptive system.

Therefore, it is important to understand the major interactions.

Approach
Blackberg conducted a
four-part study of the City
Current State Analysis
Included an initial document
review, survey of City
employees, structured
interviews, and analysis.

Information & Insight Analysis
Conducted document reviews; data
requests; quantitative analyses;
interviews; review of legacy analyses
and surveys; examination of publicly
published materials.

Existing Operations
Completed a four-part analysis
of organizational structure &
staffing, process improvement
& efficiency potential, financial
efficiency, and technology
utilization & modernization.

Final Report & Recommendations
Provided a final report with a
transformation roadmap that
provides detailed recommendations
for improving the efficiency and
effectiveness of the city government.
5

6 Deliverable 1 - Current State Analysis
Overview
 Completed September 10, 2025
 Reviewed background documentation on the City (e.g. budgets, resident surveys, organizational charts, etc).
53 Responses
36 Interviews
Survey
Structured
Interviews
Conducted a 23-question anonymous survey
of City employees with 53 responses.

Completed 36 structured interviews (45-75
minutes each) covering the City Departments
and various Divisions within those Departments.
o structured interviews explored organizational
structure, processes, efficiency, technology,
culture, resident interactions, and forwardlooking perspectives.

An overall lack of situational awareness within the City.

A low level of organizational maturity.

Many positive responses and evidence of the
implementation of IT Services.

Employees report feeling comfortable providing
recommendations for improvement.

City employees define success as: “there are no
complaints or problems”. This demonstrates that
ongoing operations are highly reactionary about
concepts of quality.
1 2
3 4
5 Key Findings

7 Deliverable 2 – Information and Insight
Analysis
Overview
 Completed October 21, 2025
The Library demonstrates excellent levels of performance compared to other libraries nationally.

Management systems are severely lacking.

Budget tracking issues secondary to dramatic differences in reports.

Governance is severely lacking in many different
aspects (e.g. tracking, documentation, translation
into processes).

There is positive progress with Customer Relationship
Management (CRM) systems (e.g. Grapevine tool).
1 2
3 4
5 Key Findings
Documents Data Requests Quantitative
Analyses
Interviews Legacy
Analyses
Legacy
Surveys
Meeting with
IT Service
Consultant
Examination of
Publicly Published
Materials
Examination of
national benchmark
data
There is no strategic plan, nor can anyone find a
history of one ever existing. 6

8 Deliverable 3 – In-depth Review
Overview
 Completed February 2, 2026
 Included four (4) subparts:

Key Findings
3A
3B
3C
3D
Organizational
Structure & Staffing
Component
Process Improvement
& Efficiency Potential
Financial Efficiency
Review
Technology Utilization
& Modernization
Salary for most executive management positions are
above average for cities of below 10,000 total population.

Blackberg recommends hiring an HR Manager and IT
Manager as part of a larger organizational restructuring.

Blackberg recommends Quality Management and Daily
Management system implementation.

Blackberg recommends the City procure specialized
consulting services focused on fraud, waste, and abuse
(FWA) detection, prevention, and mitigation.

Blackberg recommends the City reexamine minimum
position qualifications – particularly for mid-management and executive management positions.

Blackberg recommends the use of “The Open Group
Architecture Framework” (TOGAF) scaled down to an
appropriate size and complexity for a small city.
1 2
3 4
5 6

9 Deliverable 4 – Final Report and Recommendations
Overview
 Completed April 22, 2026
 This deliverable contains detailed recommendations organized by a Transformation Roadmap that includes Pre-Transformation Activities and three Phases.

Pre-Transformation Activities
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3

10 Deliverable 4 – Transformation Roadmap
Transformation Roadmap Structure
 Each element within the Transformation Roadmap is labeled with an alpha-numeric code (e.g. A.1 for the City Strategic Plan). o The alpha-numeric code maps to specific sections
throughout the 103-page report to provide detailed
recommendations and explanations.
 The Transformation Roadmap contains yellow, numbered “Lever Points”. Lever Points are places where a small shift in one area can produce big changes.
 Arrows are purposefully removed because we wanted to show connections between the elements rather than a specific flow.

11 Deliverable 4 - Key Recommendations
Transformation Roadmaps The following are some of the key recommendations:
 City Strategic Plan – Develop a strategic plan to coordinate and communicate strategic initiatives.
 Talent Management System – Develop a talent management system.
 Business Process Reengineering – Mature City processes to Level 3 maturity with a focus on Administrative Services and Public Works.
 Develop Executive Dashboard – Create executive dashboard to drive transparency and situational awareness.
 Public Works Long Term Strategy – Explore and set long term strategy for Public Works Water and Wastewater.
 System of Systems with TOGAF – Develop a system of
systems approach using TOGAF (The Open Group Architecture Framework).
 Governance & Policy Framework – Establish a governance and policy framework that is centralized and linked to
documented processes.

Questions?

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS:

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
DATE ISSUED: Friday, March 28, 2025
DATE DUE: Friday, April 25, 2025, 5PM
CONTACT: Erika Opp, Administrative Analyst
[email protected]
The City is only accepting proposals electronically via email to [email protected] CITY OF ST. HELENA

CITY OF ST. HELENA | REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS | EFFICIENCY AND BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION PAGE 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................... 3 II. GENERAL INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................... 3 III. SCOPE OF WORK ................................................................................................................................. 3 IV. DELIVERABLES ....................................................................................................................................... 4 V. SCHEDULE ............................................................................................................................................. 4 VI. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS............................................................................................ 5 VII. EVALUATION PROCESS ........................................................................................................................ 5 VIII. PROPOSAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS ................................................................................................ 5

1. EXAMINATION OF PROPOSAL MATERIALS............................................................................. 6

2. ADDENDA INTERPRETATIONS .................................................................................................. 6

3. DESIGNATED CONTACT .......................................................................................................... 6

4. PUBLIC RECORDS..................................................................................................................... 6

5. PROPOSAL COSTS.................................................................................................................... 6

6. RESERVATION OF RIGHTS ........................................................................................................ 6

7. PRODUCT OWNERSHIP ............................................................................................................ 6

8. PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT.................................................................................. 6

9. CAUSES FOR DISQUALIFICATION............................................................................................ 6 IX. Exhibit A – Addendum ........................................................................................................................ 8 X. Exhibit B – City of St. Helena Professional Services Agreement......................................................9

EXHIBITS
Exhibit A: Addendum
Exhibit B: City of St. Helena Professional Services Agreement

CITY OF ST. HELENA | REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS | EFFICIENCY AND BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION PAGE 3
I. INTRODUCTION
The City of St. Helena, California is located in the center of the world-famous wine growing Napa Valley, 65 miles north of San Francisco. The area was settled in 1834 as part of General Vallejo’s land grant. The City of St. Helena was incorporated as a City on March 24, 1876 and reincorporated on May 14, 1889.

The City, from its inception, has served as a rural agricultural center and over the years, has experienced growth and development of the wine industry. The City receives many visitors due to the wine industry and the area’s scenic qualities and history. The City’s goal is to maintain a small-town atmosphere and to provide high quality services to its residents.

The official population of the City of St. Helena as of 2021 is 6,070 (CA Department of Finance). St. Helena is a full-service city employing 93.7 full-time equivalent employees and encompasses an area of four-square miles. The City’s FY 2024-25 General Fund Budget is approximately $22 million.

II. GENERAL INFORMATION

OBJECTIVE
The City is seeking proposals from qualified consulting firms to conduct an Efficiency and Business Transformation Study. The objective of this study is to assess current business processes, identify inefficiencies, and recommend strategies for improvement and transformation. The recommendations might entail changes in its organizational structure to enhance service delivery and/or reduce costs and optimize resources based on how St. Helena residents interact with the City.

The goal is to align City services, technology, and organizational structure in a way that makes it easier and more efficient for residents to access services and conduct business with the City.

The study will exclude public safety services (e.g., police and fire) and instead focus on administrative, public works, planning and building services, and other non-safety functions.

The findings will inform the City’s strategic approach to workforce planning, resource allocation, and service delivery improvements, ensuring that residents and businesses can more efficiently interact with the City.

A single firm may provide an RFP for all services or a team of independent consultants or small firms may submit proposals for a specific area of expertise (e.g. a process improvement specialist + a municipal finance consultant + a technology strategist).

III. SCOPE OF WORK
The selected Consultant will work with assigned City staff to conduct a comprehensive efficiency study across all non-public safety City departments. The Consultant will be responsible for:
• Conducting a comprehensive assessment of existing operations including:

CITY OF ST. HELENA | REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS | EFFICIENCY AND BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION PAGE 4
o Organizational structure and staffing component
o Process improvements & efficiency potential
o Cost savings potential
o Technology utilization and modernization
• Identifying inefficiencies, redundancies, and process bottlenecks. • Developing a comprehensive set of recommendations to improve operational efficiency, enhance service delivery, reduce costs, and/or optimize resource allocation.
• Presenting recommendations to the City Council.

IV. DELIVERABLES
The Consultant shall provide the following deliverables:

1. Final Report summarizing a menu of strategies to achieve efficiency and business transformation. The report shall present findings, recommendations, and potential for further inquiry emphasizing measurable outcomes such as: service delivery improvements, speed of transactions, and clear cost savings targets that align with the mission of making it easier for residents to interact/do business with the City. The final report should include (as applicable):
a. Staffing and Operational Analysis with proposed restructuring and efficiency recommendations.
b. Process Improvement Recommendations identifying specific inefficiencies. c. Technology Utilization Assessment with recommendations for automation and digital integration.
d. Financial Efficiency Review outlining cost-saving measures and budgetary adjustments.

V. SCHEDULE
Responses to the RFP must be submitted to the City of St. Helena as outlined in this section.

Responses are due no later than
FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025 AT 5:00 PM
Responses received after this date and time will not be considered.

PROPOSED SCHEDULE FOR THE REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

AND DESIRED TIMELINES FOR DELIVERABLES

MILESTONE DATE TIME
Release RFP March 28, 2025 10:00AM
Proposal due date April 25, 2025 5:00PM
Review and scoring of submittals & conduct interviews Week of May 16 Award of Agreement May 27, 2025 6:00 PM
Project Begins July 1, 2025

CITY OF ST. HELENA | REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS | EFFICIENCY AND BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION PAGE 5
Project Concludes TBD
The schedule may be modified and/or extended if necessary.

VI. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
If interested in this RFP, please notify Erika Opp by email at [email protected] so you may be added to the notification list for addendums. Failure to notify could result in missing important and required information and could result in disqualification.

Interested firms should submit a proposal that includes:
• Firm background and relevant experience.
• Approach and methodology for conducting the study.
• Detailed project timeline and deliverables.
• Team composition and qualifications.
• Total costs including fee structure.
• References from past clients with similar projects.

All submittals must be received by 5:00 PM on April 25, 2025 via e-mail as follows:

1. Submittals must be e-mailed to: [email protected]

2. Subject line of e-mail must read: RFP – Efficiency and Business Transformation

3. The submittals shall be in PDF format with search capability to endure readability and compatibility. All submitted material will be retained by the City of St. Helena and considered public information.

It is the sole responsibility of the Proposer to ensure timely delivery. Late proposals will not be considered.

VII. EVALUATION PROCESS
The proposals will be reviewed by a committee selected by the City Manager and may include members of the City Council. Proposers may be required to make oral presentation as a supplement to their proposals. The virtual presentation would only be held subsequent to the receipt of the proposals and will be part of the evaluation/interview process to determine the qualifications of the firm. .

Evaluation considerations may include, by way of illustration and not by limitation, the following:
a. Responsiveness of the proposal in clearly stating the understanding of the work to be performed and in demonstrating the intention and ability to perform the work. b. Consultant’s experience in conducting similar studies. c. Technical experience and professional qualifications of the team. The number and expertise of key and supervisory personnel who will directly participate in the requested services.
d. Cost-effectiveness and value for investment. Although a significant factor, cost will not be the primary factor in the selection of a firm. Since the City is cost conscious, proposals which provide options to perform the work in phases are welcome. e. References and past performance.

VIII. PROPOSAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

CITY OF ST. HELENA | REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS | EFFICIENCY AND BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION PAGE 6

1. EXAMINATION OF PROPOSAL MATERIALS
The submission of a proposal shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the proponent that it has investigated all aspects of the RFP, that it is aware of the applicable facts pertaining to the RFP process and its procedures and requirements, and that it has read and understands the RFP. No request for modification of the provisions of the proposal shall be considered after its submission on the grounds the proponent was not fully informed as to any fact or condition.

2. ADDENDA INTERPRETATIONS
If it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFP, a written addendum will be provided to each firm that requested to be added to the notification list, and said addenda will be uploaded to the City website. The City of St. Helena is not bound by any oral representations, clarifications, or changes made in the RFP by the City or its agents, unless such clarifications or change is provided in written addendum from the City of St. Helena.

3. DESIGNATED CONTACT
For the purposes of this RFP, the Acting City Clerk is designated as the contact person. Any questions concerning the scope of work and the selection process shall be directed to Erika Opp at [email protected]. Any and all questions and responses concerning this RFP will only be accepted in writing, via email. All questions must be received by April 11, 2025 by 5:00PM.

Responses to questions will be posted on the City’s website, cityofsthelena.org/rfps, and will become part of the RFP. It is the consultant’s responsibility to check the website for updates.

4. PUBLIC RECORDS
This RFP document and all submittals in response thereto are public records. Prospective consultants are cautioned not to include any material into the proposal that is strictly proprietary in nature.

5. PROPOSAL COSTS
All costs associated with the preparation of RFP submittals shall be borne by the respondent. This RFP does not constitute any form of offer to contract.

6. RESERVATION OF RIGHTS
The City reserves the right, for any reason, to accept or reject any one or more proposals; to negotiate the terms and specifications of the proposal; to modify any part of the RFP; or issue a new RFP.

7. PRODUCT OWNERSHIP
Any documents resulting from the contract will be the property of the City.

8. PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT
All Proposers must identify in their proposal any terms and conditions of the sample Professional Service Agreement (Exhibit B) that they wish to negotiate. Insurance is required as outlined in Section 7 of the sample agreement.

9. CAUSES FOR DISQUALIFICATION
Any of the following may be considered cause to disqualify a proponent without further consideration:

CITY OF ST. HELENA | REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS | EFFICIENCY AND BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION PAGE 7
- Evidence of collusion among proponents;
- Any attempt to improperly influence any member of the evaluation panel; - A proponent's default in any operation of a professional services agreement which resulted in termination of that agreement; and/or
- Existence of any lawsuit, unresolved contractual claim, or dispute between proponent and the City.

CITY OF ST. HELENA | REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS | EFFICIENCY AND BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION PAGE 8
IX. Exhibit A – Addendum
It is anticipated the Efficiency and Business Transformation project may require multiple phases.

The initial phase is the response to this RFP and other subsequent phases may include, but is not limited to the development of:

1. Comparative benchmarking analysis with cities of similar size and service levels to identify best practices in operational efficiency.

2. Roadmap for business transformation, including technology and workflow enhancements.

3. Implementation plan detailing prioritized actions and estimated cost savings.

4. Implementation support and for change management.

CITY OF ST. HELENA | REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS | EFFICIENCY AND BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION PAGE 9
X. Exhibit B – City of St. Helena Professional Services Agreement

2024 PSA Template [Insert vendor name/project]
1 CITY OF ST. HELENA

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT
[Insert project name]
This Agreement is made and entered into as of ________________, 20____ by and between the City of St. Helena, a public agency organized and operating under the laws of the State of California (“City”), and [***INSERT NAME***], a [***INSERT TYPE OF ENTITY - CORPORATION, PARTNERSHIP, SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP OR OTHER LEGAL ENTITY***] with its principal place of business at [***INSERT ADDRESS***] (hereinafter referred to as “Consultant”). City and Consultant are sometimes individually referred to as “Party” and collectively as “Parties” in this Agreement.

RECITALS
A. City is a public agency of the State of California and is in need of professional services for the following project:
____________________________________________________________________________ (hereinafter referred to as “the Project”).

B. Consultant is duly licensed and has the necessary qualifications to provide such services.

C. The Parties desire by this Agreement to establish the terms for City to retain Consultant to provide the services described herein.

AGREEMENT
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

1. Services.

Consultant shall provide the City with the services described in the Scope of Services attached hereto as Exhibit “A.” [Alternatively, Scope of Services can be included here and all subsequent exhibits renumbered accordingly.]

2. Compensation.
a. Subject to paragraph 2(b) below, the City shall pay for such services in accordance with the Schedule of Charges set forth in Exhibit “B.” [Alternatively, Schedule of Charges may be included here and all subsequent exhibits renumbered accordingly.] b. In no event shall the total amount paid for services rendered by Consultant under this Agreement exceed the sum of $ [Insert amount of compensation]. This amount is to cover all printing and related costs, and the City will not pay any additional fees for printing expenses. Periodic payments shall be made within 30 days of receipt of an invoice which includes a detailed description of the work performed. Payments to Consultant for work performed will be made on a monthly billing basis.

2024 PSA Template [Insert vendor name/project]
2 3. Additional Work.

If changes in the work seem merited by Consultant or the City, and informal consultations with the other party indicate that a change is warranted, it shall be processed in the following manner: a letter outlining the changes shall be forwarded to the City by Consultant with a statement of estimated changes in fee or time schedule. An amendment to this Agreement shall be prepared by the City and executed by both Parties before performance of such services, or the City will not be required to pay for the changes in the scope of work. Such amendment shall not render ineffective or invalidate unaffected portions of this Agreement.

4. Maintenance of Records.

Books, documents, papers, accounting records, and other evidence pertaining to costs incurred shall be maintained by Consultant and made available at all reasonable times during the contract period and for four (4) years from the date of final payment under the contract for inspection by City.

5. [Insert Term or Time of Performance].
[If engaging the Consultant for a particular term, use the following provision] The term of this Agreement shall be from [Insert start date] to [Insert end date], unless earlier terminated as provided herein. The Parties may, by mutual, written consent, extend the term of this Agreement if necessary to complete the Project. Consultant shall perform its services in a prompt and timely manner within the term of this Agreement and shall commence performance upon receipt of written notice from the City to proceed (“Notice to Proceed”). [If the City has specific milestones or timelines for performance, please input those requirements in the “Activity Schedule” attached as Exhibit C, otherwise delete Exhibit C.] The Notice to Proceed shall set forth the date of commencement of work. [If engaging the Consultant to perform a discrete task with a specified deadline, use the following provision]
Consultant shall perform its services in a prompt and timely manner and shall commence performance upon receipt of written notice from the City to proceed (“Notice to Proceed”).

Consultant shall complete the services required hereunder within [Insert number of calendar days for performance of the services – if more detail is required attach “Activity Schedule” as Exhibit C, otherwise delete Exhibit C.] The Notice to Proceed shall set forth the date of commencement of work.

6. Delays in Performance.
a. Neither City nor Consultant shall be considered in default of this Agreement for delays in performance caused by circumstances beyond the reasonable control of the nonperforming party. For purposes of this Agreement, such circumstances include but are not limited to, abnormal weather conditions; floods; earthquakes; fire; epidemics; pandemics; war; riots and other civil disturbances; strikes, lockouts, work slowdowns, and other labor disturbances; sabotage or judicial restraint.
b. Should such circumstances occur, the non-performing party shall, within a reasonable time of being prevented from performing, give written notice to the other party

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3 describing the circumstances preventing continued performance and the efforts being made to resume performance of this Agreement.

7. Compliance with Law.
a. Consultant shall comply with all applicable laws, ordinances, codes and regulations of the federal, state and local government, including Cal/OSHA requirements. b. If required, Consultant shall assist the City, as requested, in obtaining and maintaining all permits required of Consultant by federal, state and local regulatory agencies. c. If applicable, Consultant is responsible for all costs of clean up and/ or removal of hazardous and toxic substances spilled as a result of his or her services or operations performed under this Agreement.

8. Standard of Care; Performance of Employees
a. Consultant’s services will be performed in accordance with generally accepted professional practices and principles and in a manner consistent with the level of care and skill ordinarily exercised by members of the profession currently practicing under similar conditions. b. Consultant’s employees and subcontractors shall have sufficient skill and experience to perform the Services assigned to them. Consultant represents that it, its employees and subcontractors have all licenses, permits, qualifications and approvals of whatever nature that are legally required to perform the Services, including a City Business License, and that such licenses and approvals shall be maintained throughout the term of this Contract. As provided for in the indemnification provisions of this Contract, Consultant shall perform, at its own cost and expense and without reimbursement from the City, any services necessary to correct errors or omissions which are caused by the Consultant’s failure to comply with the standard of care provided for herein. Any employee of the Consultant or its sub-consultants who is determined by the City to be uncooperative, incompetent, a threat to the adequate or timely completion of the Project, a threat to the safety of persons or property, or any employee who fails or refuses to perform the Services in a manner acceptable to the City, shall be promptly removed from the Project by the Consultant and shall not be re-employed to perform any of the Services or to work on the Project.

9. Assignment and Subcontracting
Consultant shall not assign, sublet, or transfer this Agreement or any rights under or interest in this Agreement without the written consent of the City, which may be withheld for any reason. Any attempt to so assign or so transfer without such consent shall be void and without legal effect and shall constitute grounds for termination. Subcontracts, if any, shall contain a provision making them subject to all provisions stipulated in this Agreement. Nothing contained herein shall prevent Consultant from employing independent associates and subcontractors as Consultant may deem appropriate to assist in the performance of services hereunder.

10. Independent Contractor
Consultant is retained as an independent contractor and is not an employee of City. No employee or agent of Consultant shall become an employee of City. The work to be performed

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4 shall be in accordance with the work described in this Agreement, subject to such directions and amendments from City as herein provided.

11. Insurance. Consultant shall not commence work for the City until it has provided evidence satisfactory to the City it has secured all insurance required under this section. In addition, Consultant shall not allow any subcontractor to commence work on any subcontract until it has secured all insurance required under this section. a. Commercial General Liability
(i) The Consultant shall take out and maintain, during the performance of all work under this Agreement, in amounts not less than specified herein, Commercial General Liability Insurance, in a form and with insurance companies acceptable to the City. (ii) Coverage for Commercial General Liability insurance shall be at least as broad as the following:
(1) Insurance Services Office Commercial General Liability coverage (Occurrence Form CG 00 01) or exact equivalent. (iii) Commercial General Liability Insurance must include coverage for the following:
(1) Bodily Injury and Property Damage
(2) Personal Injury/Advertising Injury
(3) Premises/Operations Liability
(4) Products/Completed Operations Liability
(5) Aggregate Limits that Apply per Project
(6) Explosion, Collapse and Underground (UCX) exclusion deleted
(7) Contractual Liability with respect to this Agreement (8) Property Damage
(9) Independent Contractors Coverage
(iv) The policy shall contain no endorsements or provisions limiting coverage for (1) contractual liability; (2) cross liability exclusion for claims or suits by one insured against another; (3) products/completed operations liability; or (4) contain any other exclusion contrary to the Agreement.
(v) The policy shall give City, its officials, officers, employees, agents and City designated volunteers additional insured status using ISO endorsement forms CG 20 10 10 01 and 20 37 10 01, or endorsements providing the exact same coverage. (vi) The general liability program may utilize either deductibles or provide coverage excess of a self-insured retention, subject to written approval by the City, and provided that such deductibles shall not apply to the City as an additional insured. b. Automobile Liability
(i) At all times during the performance of the work under this Agreement, the Consultant shall maintain Automobile Liability Insurance for bodily injury and

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5 property damage including coverage for owned, non-owned and hired vehicles, in a form and with insurance companies acceptable to the City.
(ii) Coverage for automobile liability insurance shall be at least as broad as Insurance Services Office Form Number CA 00 01 covering automobile liability (Coverage Symbol 1, any auto).
(iii) The policy shall give City, its officials, officers, employees, agents and City designated volunteers additional insured status. (iv) Subject to written approval by the City, the automobile liability program may utilize deductibles, provided that such deductibles shall not apply to the City as an additional insured, but not a self-insured retention.
c. Workers’ Compensation/Employer’s Liability
(i) Consultant certifies that he/she is aware of the provisions of Section 3700 of the California Labor Code which requires every employer to be insured against liability for workers’ compensation or to undertake self-insurance in accordance with the provisions of that code, and he/she will comply with such provisions before commencing work under this Agreement.
(ii) To the extent Consultant has employees at any time during the term of this Agreement, at all times during the performance of the work under this Agreement, the Consultant shall maintain full compensation insurance for all persons employed directly by him/her to carry out the work contemplated under this Agreement, all in accordance with the “Workers’ Compensation and Insurance Act,” Division IV of the Labor Code of the State of California and any acts amendatory thereof, and Employer’s Liability Coverage in amounts indicated herein. Consultant shall require all subconsultants to obtain and maintain, for the period required by this Agreement, workers’ compensation coverage of the same type and limits as specified in this section.
d. Professional Liability (Errors and Omissions)
At all times during the performance of the work under this Agreement the Consultant shall maintain professional liability or Errors and Omissions insurance appropriate to its profession, in a form and with insurance companies acceptable to the City and in an amount indicated herein.

This insurance shall be endorsed to include contractual liability applicable to this Agreement and shall be written on a policy form specifically designed to protect against acts, errors or omissions of the Consultant. “Covered Professional Services” as designated in the policy must specifically include work performed under this Agreement. The policy must “pay on behalf of” the insured and must include a provision establishing the insurer's duty to defend. e. Minimum Policy Limits Required
(i) The following insurance limits are required for the Agreement:

Combined Single Limit

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6 Commercial General Liability $1,000,000 per occurrence/ $2,000,000 aggregate for bodily injury, personal injury, and property
damage
Automobile Liability $1,000,000 combined single limit
Employer’s Liability $1,000,000 per accident or disease Professional Liability $1,000,000 per claim and aggregate (errors and omissions)
(ii) Defense costs shall be payable in addition to the limits. (iii) Requirements of specific coverage or limits contained in this section are not intended as a limitation on coverage, limits, or other requirement, or a waiver of any coverage normally provided by any insurance. Any available coverage shall be provided to the parties required to be named as Additional Insured pursuant to this Agreement. f. Evidence Required
Prior to execution of the Agreement, the Consultant shall file with the City evidence of insurance from an insurer or insurers certifying to the coverage of all insurance required herein. Such evidence shall include original copies of the ISO CG 00 01 (or insurer’s equivalent) signed by the insurer’s representative and Certificate of Insurance (Acord Form 25-S or equivalent), together with required endorsements. All evidence of insurance shall be signed by a properly authorized officer, agent, or qualified representative of the insurer and shall certify the names of the insured, any additional insureds, where appropriate, the type and amount of the insurance, the location and operations to which the insurance applies, and the expiration date of such insurance.
g. Policy Provisions Required
(i) Consultant shall provide the City at least thirty (30) days prior written notice of cancellation of any policy required by this Agreement, except that the Consultant shall provide at least ten (10) days prior written notice of cancellation of any such policy due to non-payment of premium. If any of the required coverage is cancelled or expires during the term of this Agreement, the Consultant shall deliver renewal certificate(s) including the General Liability Additional Insured Endorsement to the City at least ten (10) days prior to the effective date of cancellation or expiration.
(ii) The Commercial General Liability Policy and Automobile Policy shall each contain a provision stating that Consultant’s policy is primary insurance and that any insurance, self-insurance or other coverage maintained by the City or any named insureds shall not be called upon to contribute to any loss.
(iii) The retroactive date (if any) of each policy is to be no later than the effective date of this Agreement. Consultant shall maintain such coverage continuously for a period of at least three years after the completion of the work under this Agreement. Consultant shall purchase a one (1) year extended reporting period A) if the retroactive date is advanced past the effective date of this Agreement; B) if the policy is cancelled or not renewed; or C) if the

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7 policy is replaced by another claims-made policy with a retroactive date subsequent to the effective date of this Agreement.
(iv) All required insurance coverages, except for the professional liability coverage, shall contain or be endorsed to provide a waiver of subrogation in favor of the City, its officials, officers, employees, agents, and volunteers or shall specifically allow Consultant or others providing insurance evidence in compliance with these specifications to waive their right of recovery prior to a loss. Consultant hereby waives its own right of recovery against City, and shall require similar written express waivers and insurance clauses from each of its subconsultants.
(v) The limits set forth herein shall apply separately to each insured against whom claims are made or suits are brought, except with respect to the limits of liability.

Further the limits set forth herein shall not be construed to relieve the Consultant from liability in excess of such coverage, nor shall it limit the Consultant’s indemnification obligations to the City and shall not preclude the City from taking such other actions available to the City under other provisions of the Agreement or law.
h. Qualifying Insurers
(i) All policies required shall be issued by acceptable insurance companies, as determined by the City, which satisfy the following minimum requirements:
(1) Each such policy shall be from a company or companies with a current A.M. Best's rating of no less than A:VII and admitted to transact in the business of insurance in the State of California, or otherwise allowed to place insurance through surplus line brokers under applicable provisions of the California Insurance Code or any federal law.
i. Additional Insurance Provisions
(i) The foregoing requirements as to the types and limits of insurance coverage to be maintained by Consultant, and any approval of said insurance by the City, is not intended to and shall not in any manner limit or qualify the liabilities and obligations otherwise assumed by the Consultant pursuant to this Agreement, including but not limited to, the provisions concerning indemnification.
(ii) If at any time during the life of the Agreement, any policy of insurance required under this Agreement does not comply with these specifications or is canceled and not replaced, City has the right but not the duty to obtain the insurance it deems necessary and any premium paid by City will be promptly reimbursed by Consultant or City will withhold amounts sufficient to pay premium from Consultant payments. In the alternative, City may cancel this Agreement.
(iii) The City may require the Consultant to provide complete copies of all insurance policies in effect for the duration of the Project. (iv) Neither the City nor any of its officials, officers, employees, agents or volunteers shall be personally responsible for any liability arising under or by virtue of this Agreement.

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8 j. Subconsultant Insurance Requirements. Consultant shall not allow any subcontractors or subconsultants to commence work on any subcontract until they have provided evidence satisfactory to the City that they have secured all insurance required under this section.

Policies of commercial general liability insurance provided by such subcontractors or subconsultants shall be endorsed to name the City as an additional insured using ISO form CG 20 38 04 13 or an endorsement providing the exact same coverage. If requested by Consultant, City may approve different scopes or minimum limits of insurance for particular subcontractors or subconsultants.

12. Indemnification.
a. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Consultant shall defend (with counsel of City’s choosing), indemnify and hold the City, its officials, officers, employees, volunteers, and agents free and harmless from any and all claims, demands, causes of action, costs, expenses, liability, loss, damage or injury of any kind, in law or equity, to property or persons, including wrongful death, in any manner arising out of, pertaining to, or incident to any acts, errors or omissions, or willful misconduct of Consultant, its officials, officers, employees, subcontractors, consultants or agents in connection with the performance of the Consultant’s services, the Project or this Agreement, including without limitation the payment of all damages, expert witness fees and attorney’s fees and other related costs and expenses. Consultant's obligation to indemnify shall not be restricted to insurance proceeds, if any, received by Consultant, the City, its officials, officers, employees, agents, or volunteers.
b. If Consultant’s obligation to defend, indemnify, and/or hold harmless arises out of Consultant’s performance of “design professional” services (as that term is defined under Civil Code section 2782.8), then, and only to the extent required by Civil Code section 2782.8, which is fully incorporated herein, Consultant’s indemnification obligation shall be limited to claims that arise out of, pertain to, or relate to the negligence, recklessness, or willful misconduct of the Consultant, and, upon Consultant obtaining a final adjudication by a court of competent jurisdiction, Consultant’s liability for such claim, including the cost to defend, shall not exceed the Consultant’s proportionate percentage of fault.

13. California Labor Code Requirements.
a. Consultant is aware of the requirements of California Labor Code Sections 1720 et seq. and 1770 et seq., which require the payment of prevailing wage rates and the performance of other requirements on certain “public works” and “maintenance” projects (“Prevailing Wage Laws”). If the services are being performed as part of an applicable “public works” or “maintenance” project, as defined by the Prevailing Wage Laws, and if the total compensation is $1,000 or more, Consultant agrees to fully comply with such Prevailing Wage Laws. Consultant shall defend, indemnify and hold the City, its officials, officers, employees and agents free and harmless from any claims, liabilities, costs, penalties or interest arising out of any failure or alleged failure to comply with the Prevailing Wage Laws. It shall be mandatory upon the Consultant and all subconsultants to comply with all California Labor Code provisions, which include but are not limited to prevailing wages (Labor Code Sections 1771, 1774 and 1775), employment of apprentices (Labor Code Section 1777.5), certified payroll records (Labor Code Sections 1771.4 and 1776), hours of labor (Labor Code Sections 1813 and 1815) and debarment of contractors and subcontractors (Labor Code Section 1777.1). The requirement to submit certified payroll records directly to the Labor Commissioner under Labor Code section 1771.4 shall not apply to work performed on a public works project that is exempt pursuant to the small project exemption specified in Labor Code Section 1771.4.

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9 b. If the services are being performed as part of an applicable “public works” or “maintenance” project, then pursuant to Labor Code Sections 1725.5 and 1771.1, the Consultant and all subconsultants performing such services must be registered with the Department of Industrial Relations. Consultant shall maintain registration for the duration of the Project and require the same of any subconsultants, as applicable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the contractor registration requirements mandated by Labor Code Sections 1725.5 and 1771.1 shall not apply to work performed on a public works project that is exempt pursuant to the small project exemption specified in Labor Code Sections 1725.5 and 1771.1. c. This Agreement may also be subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the Department of Industrial Relations. It shall be Consultant’s sole responsibility to comply with all applicable registration and labor compliance requirements. Any stop orders issued by the Department of Industrial Relations against Consultant or any subcontractor that affect Consultant’s performance of services, including any delay, shall be Consultant’s sole responsibility. Any delay arising out of or resulting from such stop orders shall be considered Consultant caused delay and shall not be compensable by the City. Consultant shall defend, indemnify and hold the City, its officials, officers, employees and agents free and harmless from any claim or liability arising out of stop orders issued by the Department of Industrial Relations against Consultant or any subcontractor.

14. Safety.

Consultant shall execute and maintain its work so as to avoid injury or damage to any person or property. In carrying out its Services, the Consultant shall at all times be in compliance with all applicable local, state and federal laws, rules and regulations, and shall exercise all necessary precautions for the safety of employees appropriate to the nature of the work and the conditions under which the work is to be performed. Safety precautions as applicable shall include, but shall not be limited to: (A) adequate life protection and life-saving equipment and procedures; (B) instructions in accident prevention for all employees and subcontractors, such as safe walkways, scaffolds, fall protection ladders, bridges, gang planks, confined space procedures, trenching and shoring, equipment and other safety devices, equipment and wearing apparel as are necessary or lawfully required to prevent accidents or injuries; and (C) adequate facilities for the proper inspection and maintenance of all safety measures.

15. Verification of Employment Eligibility.

By executing this Agreement, Consultant verifies that it fully complies with all requirements and restrictions of state and federal law respecting the employment of undocumented aliens, including, but not limited to, the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, as may be amended from time to time, and shall require all subconsultants and sub-subconsultants to comply with the same.

16. INTENTIONALLY DELETED

17. Laws and Venue.

This Agreement shall be interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of California.

If any action is brought to interpret or enforce any term of this Agreement, the action shall be brought in a the Superior Court of California for the County of Napa.

18. Termination or Abandonment

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10 a. City has the right to terminate or abandon any portion or all of the work under this Agreement by giving ten (10) calendar days written notice to Consultant. In such event, City shall be immediately given title and possession to all original field notes, drawings and specifications, written reports and other documents produced or developed for that portion of the work completed and/or being abandoned. City shall pay Consultant the reasonable value of services rendered for any portion of the work completed prior to termination. If said termination occurs prior to completion of any task for the Project for which a payment request has not been received, the charge for services performed during such task shall be the reasonable value of such services, based on an amount mutually agreed to by City and Consultant of the portion of such task completed but not paid prior to said termination. City shall not be liable for any costs other than the charges or portions thereof which are specified herein. Consultant shall not be entitled to payment for unperformed services, and shall not be entitled to damages or compensation for termination of work.
b. Consultant may terminate its obligation to provide further services under this Agreement upon thirty (30) calendar days’ written notice to City only in the event of substantial failure by City to perform in accordance with the terms of this Agreement through no fault of Consultant.

19. Ownership of Documents and Confidential Information. a. All deliverables and other documents generated by Consultant in the performance of the Services, including all work papers, work-in-progress, designs, drawings, documents, data, computations, specifications, studies and reports prepared by Consultant as a part of the Services or authorized Additional Services (“Consultant Work Product”) shall belong to and be subject to the sole ownership and use of City. b. Except as otherwise provided in “Termination or Abandonment,” above, all original field notes, written reports, drawings and specifications and other documents, produced or developed for the Project shall, upon payment in full for the services described in this Agreement, be furnished to and become the property of the City. c. During the course of the performance of this Agreement, Consultant may receive written or verbal information from City, its representatives or agents, not in the public domain. Such information may include City’s know how, trade secrets, and other proprietary and confidential information and Consultant agrees to treat such information as confidential information belonging to City. Consultant agrees that neither it, nor its officers, employees, representatives, agents, successors, or assigns, will disclose such information to any third party or use the same in any manner without the prior written consent of City. Moreover, Consultant agrees to safeguard such proprietary and confidential information from unauthorized disclosure and/or use using the same degree of care it uses to protect its own proprietary and confidential information, but not less than a reasonable standard of care. In the event that disclosure of such information is sought pursuant to any law or regulation, Consultant shall promptly notify City of such fact to allow City to assert whatever exclusions or exemptions may be available to it under applicable law or regulation.

20. Organization
Consultant shall assign _________________________ as Project Manager. The Project Manager shall not be removed from the Project or reassigned without the prior written consent of the City.

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11 21. Limitation of Agreement.

This Agreement is limited to and includes only the work included in the Project described above.

22. Notice
Any notice or instrument required to be given or delivered by this Agreement may be given or delivered by depositing the same in any United States Post Office, certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, addressed to:

CITY:

City of St. Helena
[City Address]
Attn: [***INSERT NAME & DEPARTMENT***]
CONSULTANT:
[***INSERT NAME, ADDRESS & CONTACT
PERSON***]
and shall be effective upon receipt thereof.

23. Third Party Rights
Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to give any rights or benefits to anyone other than the City and the Consultant.

24. Equal Opportunity Employment.

Consultant represents that it is an equal opportunity employer and that it shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age or other interests protected by the State or Federal Constitutions. Such non-discrimination shall include, but not be limited to, all activities related to initial employment, upgrading, demotion, transfer, recruitment or recruitment advertising, layoff or termination.

25. Entire Agreement
This Agreement, with its exhibits, represents the entire understanding of City and Consultant as to those matters contained herein, and supersedes and cancels any prior or contemporaneous oral or written understanding, promises or representations with respect to those matters covered hereunder. Each Party acknowledges that no representations, inducements, promises or agreements have been made by any person which are not incorporated herein, and that any other agreements shall be void. This Agreement may not be modified or altered except in writing signed by both Parties hereto. This is an integrated Agreement.

26. Severability
The unenforceability, invalidity or illegality of any provision(s) of this Agreement shall not render the remaining provisions unenforceable, invalid or illegal.

27. Successors and Assigns

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12 This Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the successors in interest, executors, administrators and assigns of each Party to this Agreement. However, Consultant shall not assign or transfer by operation of law or otherwise any or all of its rights, burdens, duties or obligations without the prior written consent of City. Any attempted assignment without such consent shall be invalid and void.

28. Non-Waiver
None of the provisions of this Agreement shall be considered waived by either Party, unless such waiver is specifically specified in writing.

29. Time of Essence
Time is of the essence for each and every provision of this Agreement.

30. City’s Right to Employ Other Consultants
City reserves its right to employ other consultants, including engineers, in connection with this Project or other projects.

31. Prohibited Interests
Consultant maintains and warrants that it has not employed nor retained any company or person, other than a bona fide employee working solely for Consultant, to solicit or secure this Agreement. Further, Consultant warrants that it has not paid nor has it agreed to pay any company or person, other than a bona fide employee working solely for Consultant, any fee, commission, percentage, brokerage fee, gift or other consideration contingent upon or resulting from the award or making of this Agreement. For breach or violation of this warranty, City shall have the right to rescind this Agreement without liability. For the term of this Agreement, no director, official, officer or employee of City, during the term of his or her service with City, shall have any direct interest in this Agreement, or obtain any present or anticipated material benefit arising therefrom.

32. Federal Requirements [***INCLUDE THIS SECTION ONLY IF APPLICABLE; DELETE OTHERWISE AND DELETE ASSOCIATED EXHIBIT. YOU MAY ALSO NEED TO INCLUDE SOME INFORMATION IN THE RFP DUE TO FEDERAL FUNDING GUIDELINES.

CONSULT LEGAL COUNSEL IF NECESSARY***]
When funding for the services is provided, in whole or in part, by an agency of the federal government, Consultant shall also fully and adequately comply with the provisions included in Exhibit “D” (Federal Requirements) attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference (“Federal Requirements”). With respect to any conflict between such Federal Requirements and the terms of this Agreement and/or the provisions of state law, the more stringent requirement shall control.
[SIGNATURES ON FOLLOWING PAGE]

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13 SIGNATURE PAGE FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT
BETWEEN CITY OF ST. HELENA
AND [***INSERT CONSULTANT NAME***]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

CITY OF ST. HELENA [**CONSULTANT’S NAME**]
By: By:

Anil Comelo Its:

City Manager
Printed Name:

ATTEST:

By:
[INSERT TITLE]

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14 EXHIBIT A
Scope of Services

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15 EXHIBIT B
Schedule of Charges/Payments
Consultant will invoice City on a monthly cycle. Consultant will include with each invoice a detailed progress report that indicates the amount of budget spent on each task. Consultant will inform City regarding any out-of-scope work being performed by Consultant. This is a time-and-materials contract.

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16 EXHIBIT C
Activity Schedule

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17 EXHIBIT D
Federal Requirements
[DELETE EXHIBIT IF NOT APPLICABLE]

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Technical Proposal
Submitted To:

Erika Opp, Administrative Analyst
April 25, 2025

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation

COVER LETTER
City of St. Helena
April 25, 2025
Dear Erika Opp,
On behalf of the Blackberg Group, I am pleased to submit our proposal in response to your request for proposals for Efficiency and Business Transformation Stud. We are excited about the opportunity to partner with the City of St. Helena to conduct an efficiency and business transformation study. We are confident that our team’s experience in community engagement, city management, and information technology will meaningfully support St. Helena’s goals.

Blackberg specializes in organizational assessment and design, process improvement and efficiency, community outreach, customer centered design, and information and cybersecurity for public agencies and mission-driven organizations.

Blackberg has received and reviewed all documents, including the base solicitation to this opportunity provided by the City of St. Helena or referenced in solicitation materials. We agree with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation—taking no assumptions, conditions, or exceptions with any of the terms and conditions of this RFP. This proposal is valid for 120 calendar days following submission.

Thank you for your consideration of our proposal.

Sincerely,
Leanne Reisz
Executive Vice President
Blackberg Group, LLC

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Contents

1.0 Project Understanding.............................................................................................................1

2.0 Firm Background and Relevant Experience..............................................................................1

3.0 Approach and Methodology for Conducting the Study.............................................................5 Step 1—Current Assessment..........................................................................................................7 Step 2—Data Collection Plan (DCP)................................................................................................7 Step 3—Assess Existing Operations................................................................................................8 3A) Organizational Structure and StaMing Component................................................................8 3B) Process Improvements and EMiciency Potential ...................................................................9 3C) Cost Savings Potential ........................................................................................................10 3D) Technology Utilization and Modernization...........................................................................10 Step 4—Develop a Comprehensive Set of Recommendations and Prioritize ................................11

4.0 Detailed Project Timeline and Deliverables ...........................................................................14

5.0 Team Composition and Technical Qualifications...................................................................17

6.0 Our Collective Robust Capacity.............................................................................................18

7.0 Total Costs Including Fee Structure .......................................................................................20

8.0 References from Past Clients with Similar Projects...............................................................20

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 1

1.0 Project Understanding
The City of St. Helena has made important strides in enhancing the quality of life for its residents, as reflected in the January 2025 Godbe Research survey. Resident satisfaction with city services has climbed to 86.4%, up from 78.2% in 2022. Likewise, 78.5% of residents now consider St. Helena a good place to raise a family, showing a steady positive trend. However, this progress is tempered by persistent concerns about water quality and supply (37.5%), the lack of affordable housing, and road maintenance. While satisfaction with customer service has increased to 75.1%, there has been a noted decline in how residents perceive the timeliness and quality of the information they receive.

These dynamics underscore a critical need for the City to examine how it operates and delivers services. St.

Helena, like many municipalities, faces systemic challenges: under-resourced departments, aging infrastructure and equipment, and fiscal constraints that limit strategic growth and service delivery. The City’s request for a Comprehensive Efficiency and Business Transformation Study reflects a forward-looking commitment to meeting these challenges head-on.

We understand that the City's objectives are to improve organizational performance, enhance customer satisfaction, and position the City for long-term sustainability. As outlined in the scope of work, this involves a thorough, phased assessment of City operations, focusing on organizational structure, service delivery, staffing levels, technology use, and budget/resource alignment. Our goal is to support St. Helena in building a more nimble, responsive, and effective government—one that continues to deliver high-quality services while earning and sustaining the trust of its residents.

2.0 Firm Background and Relevant Experience
Blackberg will serve as the prime contractor for this study. HRS Consulting joins Blackberg as a major subcontractor to form Team Blackberg. Team Blackberg offers St. Helena access to a group of transformation, strategy, and management experts who have decades of relevant experience.

Blackberg is a Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business and a Woman-Owned Small Business specializing in strategy, operations, communications, and organizational effectiveness. Our team has decades of combined experience supporting local, state, and federal clients with the development of Strategic and Comprehensive Plans. Further Blackberg has experience developing plans with long- range time horizons and high-level goals, while cascading down to detailed and action-oriented initiatives that support quarterly and annual progress. We also have experience with land use policy and exploring all community needs by using a combination of models, such as PESTLE (Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal, and Environmental) analysis, Journey Mapping, and user- centered design. Furthermore, in supporting government clientele, we have extensive experience with incorporating considerations for laws, policies, and regulations. Many of our local government clients have found our experience with state and federal level law and regulations useful in crafting their Comprehensive Plans. This can also include federal and state level incentives and strategic initiatives. Further, Blackberg brings extensive experience in community engagement, analytics, web development, and graphic design—complementing the delivery of creative and innovative plans.

HRS Consulting, Inc. (HRS), a Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business, is a global human performance improvement company. We specialize in taking lessons learned in High Reliability Organizations (HRO) and developing innovative Primary Study Objective
“The objective of this study is to assess
current business processes, identify
inefficiencies, and recommend strategies
for improvement and transformation.”

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 2
process enhancements, training and continuous improvement for people who need to execute precise actions in a stressful, demanding environment. Our approach replicates HRO “best practices” and yields a comprehensive solution to capture and proactively eliminate error and mitigate risk to prevent an incident or sentinel event.

Our actions are rooted in individual and organizational excellence, earning us national and international recognition. Our CEO co-authored the book High Reliability for a Highly Unreliable World, praised as an "encyclopedic compendium" by leading HRO experts. Our team has used HRO tools to reduce risks, errors, and costs significantly in various complex organizations. We adapt HRO principles for personnel development and training, with direct applicability to public and private sectors, resulting in performance improvements and cost savings. As Veterans, we understand our clients' challenges and core values deeply. HRS offers an exceptionally experienced team with process improvement expertise, enhanced by qualitative and quantitative assessments, course design, training, and implementation tools.

Collectively, Team Blackberg’s professional qualifications (Figure 1) encompass certified High Reliability Practitioners, Lean Six Sigma Master Blackbelts, Prosci Change Management Practitioners, Baldrige Performance Excellence Program Examiner, and Strategic Planners.

Figure 1 – Team Blackberg Certifications: Team Blackberg has professional certifications that are relevant for this study, and our experts routinely maintain the currency of their knowledge with publications, research, and presentations.

Team Blackberg has supported the strategic development, planning, and execution of similar comprehensive studies and analysis for state, local, federal, academic, and private sector clients for the past 16 years. These clients include the City of Germantown, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Defense, Kaiser Permanente, Stanford University, Southwestern Health Resources, Lower Columbia Maritime Fire Safety/Security Plan, and more. A sample of similar projects are depicted below (Figure 2).

Figure 2 – Team Blackberg Clientele: Team Blackberg has successfully supported a wide range of clientele with studies similar or identical to the needs of St. Helena.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 3
Sample 1: City of Germantown Strategic Plan—Our team partnered with the Mayor and City Administrator to combine the City’s Smart Growth Plan (its general land use plan), its Triple Bottom Line (the economic, environmental, and social sustainability plan), annual budget, and the Germantown Plan into a single, focused strategic approach that was compliant with Baldridge evaluation criteria. The Baldridge Excellence Framework, used for evaluating organizations including cities, focuses on seven key areas—Leadership; Strategy; Customers’ Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management; Workforce; Operations; and Results. Through the unified plan, we aimed to advance measurable and sustainable improvement in the ability of all senior leadership to function as effective collegial teams in pursuit of continuous improvement for the City and its residents. Through an inclusive and participatory process with the public, we worked closely with City leadership and the community to design, develop, facilitate, and conduct two retreats for Board of Mayor and Aldermen of Germantown, TN. Over nine months, the process involved highly focused efforts, including individual meetings between HRS and the City Administrator, Mayor, Aldermen, and city department heads to assess the current state and cultivate an understanding of the importance of teamwork in maintaining Germantown's status as one of the best small cities in the country. Our team then generated reports from the retreats, including information analyses and strategic guidance to support the Baldridge package development. An integral part of all discussions revolved around the principles of high reliability organizations so that the city could be confident in its efforts that it had done everything possible to achieve the optimal result with the resources that were available.

Key elements of support included:
• Assessment and analysis of opportunities and challenges • Review of Germantown 20/20, SmartGrowth, previous retreat reports and the assessment of Baldridge criteria
• Assessment of readiness
• Planning meetings to arrange schedules, timelines, necessary documents with the City Administrator • Interviews with the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, City Administrator and key leadership • Dashboard, progress report, based on balanced scorecard metrics • Process coaching and mentoring
• Leadership and organizational readiness guidance and coaching Through this initiative, we helped Germantown establish a robust and future ready strategic framework—one that promotes sustainability, enhances leadership effectiveness, and positions the city for long-term success.

Sample 2: Kaiser Permanente Pursuit of Operational Excellence (OE), Acceleration of Learning and Spread (XLS), and the High Reliability Operating Model (HROM). Our team (including Mr. Joe Duhig—identified as a key staff member for this response) reviewed KP’s Business Requirements and subsequently guided efforts to streamline initiatives and better align requirements with strategic objectives. HRS identified that current business functions had multiple methodologies and frameworks and a marked lack of a standardized approaches across its functions. In addition, KP desired a common framework, language, and approach across all KP’s business functions to achieve its strategic planning goals and objectives. HRS evaluated existing requirements against industry best practices to improve the ability of business units to define dependencies to meet organization-wide objectives. This involved data gathering and analysis, best practice identification, process mapping, consideration of technology

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 4
alternatives to augment existing human-driven processes/human-centered design, defining non-universal terms to reduce ambiguity, developing data-driven performance metrics, obtaining stakeholder agreement, implementing improvements, and measurement/monitoring of post-process data to ensure continued alignment to updated standards.

Sample 3: Team Blackberg supported the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Product Effectiveness (PE)/Office of Optimizing Healthcare Value Program (OHVP), provided comprehensive assessments to assist VHA in achieving the maximum business value from investments through the independent identification, measurement, and analysis of business benefits. Research and analyses have covered High Reliability, Just Culture, Benefit on Investment, Social Return on Investment (SROI), Social Cost Benefit Analysis (SCBA), and Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL) measures.
• Independently evaluated the implementation and operations of strategic VHA initiative people, processes, and technology for foundational, operational, and organizational value realization and optimization, applying a standardized, evidence-based, proven methodology but not implementing or managing the production.
• Assisted in launching VHACO Journey to High Reliability for formal implantation of HRO practice across 17 VHACO program offices spanning all AUSH offices. Oversaw site observation and data collection, data analysis, dashboard implementation, day-to-day project tasks, client communications, and client materials specific to HRO Pillar 1 (Leadership's Commitment), Pillar 2 (Culture of Safety & Just Culture), and Pillar 3 (Continuous Process Improvement). • Established standardized baseline training with the completion of 330,000 employees; over 7,100 improvement projects have been created across the enterprise.

Sample 4: Southwestern Health Resources (SWHR):

Our team of Lean Six Sigma Master Blackbelts
(LSSMBBs) led transformation efforts for the highestrated Accountable Care Organization (ACO) in the U.S. for the last three, consecutive years, a testament to our ability to blend leading edge solutions into a highly complex care delivery system that is functioning at the highest levels of U.S. healthcare. HRS work with SWHR to co-design their approach to Interconnected Dependability (IxD). Support included:
• Preparation of a Readiness Assessment
• Understanding the role organizational culture, particularly leadership culture, plays in the support of reliable processes and achieving the expected performance and outcomes • Believing that a culture with consistent business discipline means Interconnected Dependability:
always, everywhere, every time, for every stakeholder both internal and external. • Application of the lean principles of flow and pull—let the customer pull value and let value flow without interruption through the creation of a value stream • Creation and implementation of standard work
• Application of error prevention and mistake proofing concepts and tools • Deployment of Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) approach to getting the pilot work complete • Focus on waste elimination and value creation

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 5

3.0 Approach and Methodology for Conducting the Study
To conduct the comprehensive efficiency study, our team will integrate Lean Six Sigma and Human-Centered Design methodologies and High Reliability Organization principles resulting in an Innovative and High Performing Organization. By combining LSS/HCD with HRO principles, organizations can achieve a balanced approach that addresses both process efficiency and operational reliability. Lean's focus on waste elimination and continuous improvement complements HRO's emphasis on anticipating and managing failures. Together, these methodologies encourage proactive problem-solving, rigorous process analysis, and a commitment to continuous process improvement.

Blackberg City Fitness Framework. Rather than assess from a linear cause and effect viewpoint, Blackberg approaches efficiency studies from a complex adaptive system (CAS) lens. CAS describes dynamic and interconnected networks of diverse elements that interact with one another and with their environment, constantly adapting and evolving in response to internal pressures and external change. Cities like St. Helena exemplify a Complex Adaptive System as they operate within a diverse ecosystem of departments, residents, community partners, and regulatory bodies—each with distinct roles, needs, and influences. The City is shaped by these relationships and must continuously adapt to shifting environmental, social, technological, and economic conditions. Key CAS characteristics that apply direct to St. Helena’s municipal landscape include:
• Diversity: The City encompasses a wide range of actors and functions—from water and public works to planning, finance, and community services—all contributing to a shared civic mission. • Interconnectedness: Every function of City government is linked, whether through service delivery, budgeting, or interdepartmental collaboration. These connections also extend to residents, regional partners, vendors, and state agencies.
• Adaptation: The City must navigate ongoing shifts such as evolving resident expectations, state and federal regulatory changes, aging infrastructure, and technological transformation. • Feedback Loops: Community surveys, financial trends, and operational performance data continuously inform future decision-making and strategic planning.
• Emergent Properties: City strategies and market trends can emerge from the interactions and behaviors of individuals or organizations within the system. These emergent properties are not always predictable from the characteristics of individual employees or departments. • Non-Linearity: Changes in the environment may not have linear effects. Small adjustments—such as process improvements or targeted staffing investments—can lead to disproportionately large gains in service efficiency or public satisfaction.
• Self-Organization: Cities exhibit self-organizing behavior, where structures and processes emerge from the interactions of employees and departments without strict top-down control. • Dynamic Environment: St. Helena’s external environment is dynamic and in constant flux, characterized by shifts in state funding, consumer demands, climate impacts on agriculture, constituent priorities, and global economic conditions. Cities must navigate this dynamic landscape to remain efficient and forward-looking.

Team Blackberg has developed a City Fitness Framework (See Figure 1) to examine municipalities as the complex systems that they are and to identify strategic Lever Points. Lever Points are places where a small shift in one area can produce big changes. Those Lever Points exist at each “Element” and have strong points of interconnectedness between them.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 6
Figure 3 –Blackberg City Fitness Framework:In conducting e=iciency and business transformation studies, Team Blackberg examines all elements that impact a City’s e=ectiveness and performance.

The City Fitness Framework encompasses both the Internal and External Ecosystems, which is perfect for this study because St. Helena wants to explore “service delivery improvements, speed of transactions, and clear cost savings targets that align with the mission of making it easier for residents to interact/do business with the City.” Specifically, the study must address both internal and external ecosystems.

Internal Ecosystem: In our City Fitness Framework, we identify three elements of effectiveness of any complex organization’s long-term success—Talent, Alignment, and Structure. • Talent Effectiveness: A comprehensive talent framework is critical for attracting, retaining, and developing employees that are passionate about your organization’s purpose. • Alignment Effectiveness: Aligning an organization’s purpose, strategy, culture, and adaptability are critical for long-term success. Misalignments erode trust, create controversy, and make changes nearly impossible.
• Structure Effectiveness: Structure provides the information, tools, guardrails, and coordination necessary for the organization to operate in a manner that achieves its purpose and mission while acting legally, ethically, responsibly, and economically.

Further, we also identify Elements of Performance. Elements of Performance include portfolios, programs, or projects, and ongoing operations. This study will include a heavy amount of examination of ongoing operations, and we will use a combination of techniques and standards to make recommended improvements and to equipment the management of St. Helena with tools that they can using for Quality Management and continuous quality improvement efforts (See Figure 6).

External Ecosystem: The external environment surrounding the City of St. Helena is dynamic and increasingly complex. From climate impacts and state mandates to shifting resident expectations and workforce challenges, municipalities must remain attuned to evolving external conditions to lead effectively. Leaders must maintain situational awareness of this external ecosystem to make the strategic shifts necessary to improve organizational performance. These insights into emerging trends and risks help the City anticipate how current strengths may evolve into future vulnerabilities or how today’s opportunities could turn into tomorrow’s threats. For a City like St. Helena—facing water supply concerns, housing affordability issues, infrastructure deficits, and resource constraints—external awareness is not optional; it is foundational. By better understanding the changing landscape—technological, economic, social, and environmental—St. Helena can proactively adapt its organizational systems and strategies to remain resilient, responsive, and resident-focused.

Elements of Effectiveness
§ Managers
§ Employees
§ Leadership
§ Purpose
§ Strategy
§ Culture
§ Adaptability
§ Awareness
§ Control &
Coordination
§ IT & AI Platform
Talent Alignment Structure
Elements of Performance
§ Portfolios
§ Programs
§ Projects
§ Ongoing Outcomes
Operations
§ Customers
§ Stakeholders
§ Suppliers
§ Social, Cultural, &
Societal
§ Political
§ Legal
§ Regulatory
§ Technological
§ Ethical
§ Global

INTERNAL ECOSYSTEM EXTERNAL ECOSYSTEM

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 7
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study Steps.

Our experts examine people, process, and technology for each Element in our City Fitness Framework. This approach ensures that we account for how the internal and external ecosystems are interconnected when drawing conclusions and making recommendations.

Figure 4 – Study Steps: Team Blackberg moves through four major steps in conducting the e=iciency and business transformation study.

Step 1—Current Assessment
The first phase of our engagement will focus on developing a clear, data-informed picture of the current state of the City of St. Helena’s operations—specifically across administrative services, public works, planning and building, and other non-safety functions as identified in the scope of work. This assessment will center on how people, processes, and technology are currently structured and aligned, including the City’s organization and governance model. The current state analysis will address (but not be limited to) the following facets:
ü Vision and Mission Clarity
ü Customer Experience and Service
Delivery Touchpoints
ü Intake and delivery process
ü Alignment to Strategic Goals
ü Operational Performance and Efficiency
ü Use of Financial, Technological, and
Administrative systems
ü Human Capital, Staffing Levels, and
Organizational Structure
ü Strengths and Opportunities
Step 2—Data Collection Plan (DCP)
To guide this analysis, we will develop a DCP that outlines sources of insight, including focus groups, stakeholder interviews, existing operational and financial data (Adopted Fiscal Year 2023/24 & 2024/25 Budget and the Long-Range Financial Forecast (LRFF)), and other available documentation. Our goal is to ensure a broad and inclusive understanding of the City's internal and external perspectives. As we identify and describe processes, we complete a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis to identify the effectiveness of the process (strengths), its areas for improvement (weaknesses), and components of the process that could be exploited to improve performance (opportunities). These insights will serve as the foundation for shaping the future-state vision and for developing actionable, City-specific recommendations in the subsequent phases of the study.

A key component of our data collection involves validating the “Customer” understanding. With a better understanding of who the customer is and what they really need, it can help our experts identify efforts of low value or no value that could be reduced or cut to provide cost saving measures and budgetary adjustments.

Additionally, it ensures our team takes a customer-centric approach at each stage of the assessment for stronger service delivery outcomes.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 8
Step 3—Assess Existing Operations
Evaluate departmental structures, staffing levels, and resource allocations to enhance operational effectiveness (See Section 3A). As noted above, our team will review the 20-year comprehensive list to gain an understanding of the future needs assessment with department operating budgets and expenditures. Our team will assess existing operations to encourage a culture of innovation, collaboration, transparency, equity and inclusion to deliver quality services through a dedicated and supported workforce. Key focus areas include reviewing current retention policies, assessing employee development strategies, and understanding the need to constantly address a changing workforce. An engaged workforce ensures timely and positive customer interactions. High vacancy rates disrupt workflows and hinder departments from achieving goals. Positive service ratings reflect effective communication and responsiveness, highlighting areas for improvement and promoting a culture of services among employees.
3A) Organizational Structure and Staffing Component.

By department, our team will assess the City of St. Helena City-wide organizational chart (excluding public safety services police and fire), span and control, number of staff that directly report to a manager/supervisor, and the centralization or decentralization of certain functions.

Structure of departments and divisions (City of St. Helena – Administrative Services Department oversees Finance Division, Human Resource Division, and Utility Billing Services Division, City Manager/City Clerk, Community Development (oversees Arts, Culture, Library, Parks and Recreation, Grants and Community Engagement), and Public Works (city infrastructure – including streets, storm drains, parks, water treatment, water distribution, wastewater collection and treatment) Based upon the allocation of city positions (Adopted Fiscal Year 2023/24 & 2024/25 Budget), a significant part of the City's Operating Budget is salaries and benefits. Funding for employees who in turn provide services to our citizenry make up 45.8% of the total operational budget; amounting to $14,218,121. Authorized positions for fiscal year 2023‐2024 are 92.70 FTE's. Part‐time positions make up 14.57 FTE's of the total FTE's. Not included in the above figures are 1 Mayor, 4 Council Members, 5 Planning Commissioners, Recreation Program Instructors Figure 5 –Customer Centered Design: We use principles of customer centered design to develop a deeper and nuanced understanding of diverse customer groups.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 9
or Tree Maintenance Workers who are hired on an as needed basis.

Our approach to workforce planning and staffing analysis is based on comparing two dynamic components: (1) the demand and (2) the supply of personnel with the necessary competencies to accomplish the mission. As a result of reviewing government and industrial engineering best practices, as well as years of experience and fieldtesting a workforce planning model, we have identified six elements necessary for a successful strategic workforce planning system:
• Personnel allowance management system
• Competency management system
• Functional statements for each organizational element • Workforce staffing logic and associated analytical tools • Workforce staffing evaluation plan
• Working with the leadership team and City Staff to obtain organizational buy-in We propose drawing from the same basic tenets, modified to account for the City of St. Helena organizational attributes and requirements, to conduct a comprehensive review of the current department staffing allocation, staff, and indicators to review the change instituted by recent requirements. 3B) Process Improvements and Efficiency Potential
Our experts evaluate a City’s quality of services and efficiency parameters within the context of ISO 9001, Lean Sigma, and Lean Six Sigma (See Figure 6). Rather than focus on one practice, we take an integrated approach customized to the municipality and pulling upon strengths in each practice.

Figure 6 –Process Improvement Approach: We use a combination of ISO 9001, Lean, and Six Sigma to improve service delivery, increase speed of transactions, and secure cost savings while making it easier for residents to interact and do business with St. Helena.

Lean Six Sigma and Industrial Engineering programs fully integrated to support the robust process improvement methodology characterized by the improvement model for the High Reliability Organization focuses on efficient and effective operations. Our team works to establish a platform to catalyze human performance and process performance through strategic alignment, redundancy, and establishment of scalable, agile resources to improve business performance throughout the organization.

Our Process Improvement (PI) SMEs support the provision or development of program management best Context of the
Organization Leadership Planning Support Operation Performance Evaluation Improvement

SIX SIGMA

DO CHECK ACT
LEAN
LEAN

SIX SIGMA

SIX SIGMA
PLAN
LEAN
• Five S’s
• 7M Tools
• Kaizen Events
• Value Stream
• Kanban
• Define
• Measure
• Analyze
• Improve
• Control
ISO 9001 establishes an iterative QMS that cycles through “Plan, Do, Check, Act”; whereas, Lean and Six Sigma can be used as focused tools for Operation, Performance Evaluation, and Improvement clauses.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 10
practices, processes, standards, and procedures targeting the managing of program activities between Departments and other business lines.
• We will analyze program/project progress to identify and resolve issues with resource accounting, reporting, life-cycle management reviews, and impact assessments. • Identify potential risk areas to be addressed through a gap analysis between requirements and resources.
• Assist in identifying unwarranted variations in business processes to increase standardization and promote high reliability principles.
• Identify program areas to standardize by evaluating best practices. • Provide enduring strategic support to prioritize and scope Process Improvement (PI) opportunities – recurring support.
• Provide assistance and support services to ensure that people, processes, technology, and policies are optimally aligned.
• Provide recommendations to automate targeted processes to meet the mission, including updating, consolidating, and generating new policy, and leveraging information technology to streamline workflows through standardized data and network processes, templates, and tools to allow the department to perform programmatic activities more efficiently and effectively. 3C) Cost Savings Potential
Cost savings can be achieved through the application of Lean methodologies and Six Sigma (See Figure 6).

Lean focuses on maximizing customer value while minimizing waste, aiming to optimize the flow of products and services across entire value streams. This results in processes that require less human effort, space, capital, and time to produce goods or services at a lower cost and with fewer defects. Six Sigma, conversely, is a disciplined, statistical-based, data-driven approach and continuous improvement methodology designed to eliminate defects in products, processes, or services.

We will work with City Staff to evaluate the input collection (below) to review potential for cost savings.

Input:
• Learn about the budget and Long-Range Financial Projections (noted in previous steps), including trends in cost of services, goods, insurance, labor, construction, and more • Learn about city revenue sources and limitations of them • Speak with department directors and other city leaders about the services the city provides, levels of service, have discussions about the current level of service and how future growth may impact service delivery and costs
• Review comparative city data
• Develop recommendations for future levels of service, cost reductions, new revenue options (as applicable or required), combinations thereof, and incorporate them into the Final Report Output: Assessment of budget utilization to identify potential expenditure savings/reductions while maintaining service quality.
3D) Technology Utilization and Modernization
Team Blackberg uses a structured, data-driven approach to evaluate the organization’s current technology landscape, identify gaps, and propose actionable solutions for automation and digital integration. We begin by defining the scope and objectives, working closely with the City to understand its priorities, such as reducing operational costs, improving process cycle times, or enhancing customer-facing digital touchpoints. For example, the assessment might focus on specific departments like finance, operations, or customer service, or encompass

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 11
the entire organization. Key success metrics, such as ROI, error rate reduction, or employee productivity gains, would be established to measure outcomes. We conduct kickoff meetings with executives, IT leaders, department heads, and end-users to align on expectations and gather initial insights into pain points and technology usage.

Current State Assessment. The next phase involves a thorough evaluation of the City’s existing technology stack, processes, and digital maturity. Data collection is multifaceted, combining qualitative and quantitative methods to build a comprehensive picture. We conduct interviews and surveys with stakeholders to understand workflows, technology challenges, and user experiences, while also observing processes firsthand or reviewing documentation to map operational workflows. To gauge digital maturity, we apply a Digital Maturity Framework, scoring the City across dimensions such as data analytics, cybersecurity, cloud adoption, and user experience.

This classifies the organization as a beginner, emerging, connected, or transformed entity, providing a benchmark for improvement. We then use a gap analysis to identify inefficiencies, such as manual data entry in accounts payable, redundant systems causing data silos, or underutilized software features. Risks, including legacy system vulnerabilities or cybersecurity gaps, would also be highlighted. Tools like process mining software (e.g., Celonis) for workflow visualization, IT asset management platforms (e.g., ServiceNow) for inventory tracking, and SWOT analysis for summarizing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats would support this phase, ensuring a robust understanding of the current state.

Opportunity Identification. With a clear picture of the current state, we identify opportunities where automation and digital integration can drive significant value. For automation, we focus on repetitive, rule-based tasks suitable for Robotic Process Automation (RPA), such as invoice processing or employee onboarding, which could reduce cycle times by up to 50%. Workflow automation using low-code platforms like Microsoft Power Automate would target processes with high error rates or delays, such as inventory reconciliation. We present and recommend advanced technologies, including AI for predictive analytics (e.g., demand forecasting), machine learning for fraud detection, or chatbots for customer service, for higher-impact cases. IoT and sensor-based solutions could enable real-time monitoring, such as predictive maintenance where applicable.

For digital integration, we prioritize system interoperability to eliminate data silos that hinder efficient municipal operations. For example, integrating citizen relationship management (CRM) systems with enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms using APIs or middleware (e.g., MuleSoft) could streamline processes like permitting, licensing, or service request management, ensuring seamless data flow across departments. Migrating legacy systems to secure cloud platforms like AWS or Azure would enhance scalability, improve system resilience, and reduce IT maintenance costs, aligning with budget constraints. Centralizing data through data lakes or warehouses (e.g., Snowflake) would enable unified analytics, empowering City leaders with insights into evidence-based decision-making, such as optimizing resource allocation or addressing community needs. Resident-facing integrations, such as mobile apps or self-service portals built on platforms like Salesforce or CivicPlus, would enhance accessibility and engagement by allowing residents to report issues, pay bills, or access services online.

To prioritize these opportunities, we use a prioritization matrix, scoring each based-on impact (e.g., cost savings, service improvements, resident satisfaction) and feasibility (e.g., implementation cost, technical complexity, timeline), ensuring alignment with the city’s mission to deliver equitable and efficient public services.

Step 4—Develop a Comprehensive Set of Recommendations and Prioritize Team Blackberg translates opportunities into actionable solutions customized to the City’s needs, priorities, and budgetary constraints. These solutions would focus on enhancing service delivery, improving operational efficiency, and promoting equitable access to municipal services for all residents. For automation, short-term initiatives (0–6 months) would prioritize quick wins with minimal disruption. For example, deploying Robotic

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 12
Process Automation (RPA) could automate high-volume tasks like processing permit applications or managing service requests, reducing processing times by up to 50%. Medium-term initiatives (6–18 months) might include implementing AI-powered chatbots to handle resident inquiries, decreasing response times by 30%, or deploying IoT sensors for real-time monitoring of municipal assets, such as water meters or fleet vehicles, to optimize maintenance schedules. Long-term strategies (18+ months) could involve developing machine learning models to predict service demands, such as waste collection needs, improving resource allocation accuracy by 20%, or automating compliance reporting to streamline audits and reduce administrative costs. For digital integration, short-term actions (0–6 months) would focus on enhancing interoperability to eliminate data silos. For instance, integrating citizen relationship management (CRM) systems with enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms via APIs could streamline processes like complaint resolution or budget tracking, improving inter-departmental coordination. Adopting single sign-on (SSO) would simplify access to municipal systems for employees, enhancing productivity and security. Medium-term plans (6–18 months) could include migrating on-premises servers to a secure hybrid cloud model, reducing IT maintenance costs by 15%, or implementing a citizen data platform to consolidate resident data for better service planning, such as targeting community programs to underserved areas. Long-term recommendations (18+ months) might involve developing a city-wide digital twin to simulate infrastructure operations, optimizing traffic flow or emergency response, or launching a fully integrated mobile app that allows residents to report issues, pay utility bills, or access services seamlessly. These initiatives would prioritize accessibility, ensuring digital tools are user-friendly and available in multiple languages to serve diverse communities. A summary of our approach, following the steps described above, are depicted in Table 1-Project Placemat.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 13
Table 1: Project Placemat
Step Actions Outcomes Requirements Mapping
ŒAssess
Organizational State
Assess business functions through interviews,
workflow review, observations, operating budgets
and expenditures, and review the City’s
administrative process and procedures
Evaluate organization/employee’s perception and
attitude toward performance and workplace culture
Implement the Assessment Survey; Develop
the DCP, Document processes and conduct
SWOT analysis, conduct a Gap Analysis;
Develop Organizational/Business Function
Self-Assessment
Conduct a comprehensive assessment of
existing operations
Identifying inefficiencies, redundancies,
process bottlenecks, and cost savings potential
Identifying areas where technology can be used
or modernized to aid in City of St. Helena
processes
Data Collection Plan Review information acquired during Step 1 to identify and prioritize gaps; Collaboratively
review key processes; Identify efficiencies;
Deconstruct the top priority processes into
actionable components; Identify the capabilities
needed for each business function
Delineate the pivotal transformation
requirements; Apply process improvement
method; Establish a general organizational
sequence of targets; Develop an Action Plan;
Conduct analysis debrief
ŽProcess Design -
Identify Policy and
Process Improvements
Identify organization and business unit-specific
policies and processes for improvement;
Quantitatively assess the level of effort required;
Organize infrastructure for communication and
integration; Develop a system of continuous
process improvement
Build a “system” of metrics; Achieve more
predictable performance; Benchmarking Report
outlining cities of comparable size and service
levels and highlighting best practices; Produce
evidence-based, written documentation;
Develop a schedule for auditing performance
(operational efficiencies)
Prioritize
Recommendations
Developing a comprehensive set of
recommendations to improve operational
efficiency, enhance service delivery, reduce
costs, and/or optimize resource allocation.

Presenting comprehensive set of
recommendations (Transformation Strategy
Report/Final Report (deliverable) to the City
Council

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 14

4.0 Detailed Project Timeline and Deliverables
Team Blackberg plans to complete all tasks and deliverables within 9-months. The project Gantt Chart (See Figure 7 – next page) provides a high-level overview of the major tasks, sub-tasks, and deliverables. We will work collaboratively with City Staff to gather, analyze, and report on results. We use a “Closed-Loop Program Management (CL-PM) plan to address the organizational and management approaches necessary to ensure the success of the program. The CL-PM plan aligns to and complies with the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). It also integrates International Standards Organization (ISO) 9000 quality management principles that are part of the broader Team Blackberg Quality management System. Additionally, we send transparent weekly progress reports and meet at a minimum monthly with key stakeholders to deliver a progress report.

Deliverables: Final Report summarizing a menu of strategies to achieve efficiency and business transformation.

The report shall present findings, recommendations, and potential for further inquiry emphasizing measurable outcomes such as: service delivery improvements, speed of transactions, and clear cost savings targets that align with the mission of making it easier for residents to interact/do business with the City. The final report should include (as applicable):
a. Staffing and Operational Analysis with proposed restructuring and efficiency recommendations. b. Process Improvement Recommendations identifying specific inefficiencies. c. Technology Utilization Assessment with recommendations for automation and digital integration. d. Financial Efficiency Review outlining cost-saving measures and budgetary adjustments.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 15
Figure 7 – Gantt Chart: Team Blackberg plans to complete the project in six months in accordance with the following Gantt Chart.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 16

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 17

5.0 Team Composition and Technical Qualifications
We assembled a team of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) with more than 40 years of combined experience delivering similar services. Team includes our Project Manager/Performance Improvement SME Mr. Joseph Duhig who brings 40+ years of experience leading transformation initiatives, strategic planning and process improvements. Our Strategist Ms. Leanne Reisz brings more than a decade of experience in strategic planning, community engagement, and communications in the public sector. Qualifications and experience of key personnel below:

Project Manager (KEY)/Performance Improvement SME: Joseph Duhig, MBA, CLSSMBB
Joseph Duhig is an accomplished Senior Executive with more than 30 years of success across healthcare, technology, financial services, manufacturing and information technology industries. As both a leader and consultant, he has helped organizations navigate through uncertain times to achieve remarkable business transformation. He specializes in leading large, complex change initiatives. Whether it involved the creation of a new academic medical center as CEO of the University Medical Center Alliance in Memphis, helping to establish a global brand with Samsung Electronics, serving as transformation leader for a $1 billion investment in an electronic health record solution for Sutter Health or working to build a culture of continuous improvement across Kaiser Permanente’s Enterprise Shared Services and Finance totaling over 60,000 employees and $25 billion in annual spending, he brings together people, process and technology to enable organizations to achieve their desired future state and reliably meet their business goals. Joseph acted as a Senior Advisor to the Kaiser Permanente Performance Improvement and High Reliability Operation Model programs.

As one of the early practitioners of Health Systems Engineering, his personal passion and purpose are to improve the quality, safety, affordability, and care experience of patients and their families in accessing and receiving the care they need. From the earliest days of CQI until today, Joseph has worked with hundreds of hospitals and health systems in all 50 states. From Norton Sound Health System in Nome Alaska; Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis; Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii, Kaiser Permanente; Memorial Health in Savannah, Bon Secours Health System from Michigan to Florida; SCL Health in Kansas and Colorado; Anthem BCBS in Maine and many, many more. He has worked as a mentor, coach, teacher, strategic advisor and leader within hundreds of hospitals and with thousands of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, executives and most importantly the front-line teams engaged in care delivery every day. Today, he is proud to be known simply as “PI Joe” to the thousands of healthcare professionals whose lives and careers he has influenced. Joseph received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and Certificate in Health Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He obtained his Master of Business Administration from Wilmington University. He is a Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Lean Sensei from Juran Institute. For the past 12 years he has served as faculty for the Advanced Training Program (ATP) offered by Intermountain Healthcare and recently has served as Lecturer at Loyola Marymount University teaching Big Data Analytics for Population Health in the Graduate Systems Engineering Program.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 18
Ms. Reisz, Strategic Planner, has more than a decade of experience supporting public sector clients with strategic planning, analytics, community engagement programs, and strategic communications. These clients span the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Student Veterans of America, and more.

Additionally, she has led diverse public-private partnerships to expand public sector impact and forge stronger community partnerships that support public sector goals.

These collaborations have included new public sector partnerships with large corporations like Uber Health and Microsoft as well as smaller think tanks and academia. In addition to her expertise in strategic planning and community activations, Ms. Reisz is an expert facilitator and community event organizer—conducting dozens of offsites, strategic planning sessions, workshops, and community events each year. In 2024, she led more than 20 events, workshops, and planning sessions for the public sector. Notable public sector experience relevant to this project includes:
• Developing the 2025-2027 Strategic Plan for the Veterans Health Administration Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning (VHA OHIL) and facilitating subsequent quarterly leadership offsites to guide actionable implementation.
• Supporting the design and development of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Office of the Chief Information Officer’s Strategic Plan and subsequent Actionable Roadmap. • Facilitated stakeholder interviews and multi-day offsites to craft a Department of Education Strategic Plan focused on emerging innovations. Analyzed and prioritized education-focused innovations to develop an actionable Implementation Plan for the Department. • Crafting the Defense Information Systems Agency Joint Service Provider (DISA JSP) Strategic Plan through focus groups with 60% of the workforce, interviews with other government agencies, and facilitated leadership offsites.
• Facilitating monthly DISA JSP executive leadership strategy sessions on the strategic plan’s implementation, including the development of a new operating model and governance model. • Leading dozens of community outreach events, workshops, interviews, and focus groups each year. • Expertise in mass communication—including writing that is accessible to diverse communities and resonates with citizens for increased buy-in.

We have included a summary for our Executive Leadership (Supervisory), Emily Uhl, and Spence Byrum, available to flex onto the project for specialized needs, demonstrating a depth of expertise across a breadth of disciplines for robust and actionable plans.

Emily Uhl – Emily is a United States Naval Academy graduate whose leadership and management skills were honed during her twelve years as a Nuclear-qualified Surface Warfare Officer serving the U.S. Navy and U.S.

Navy Reserve. Her commitment and adeptness in collaborating effectively with senior leadership and clients resulted in her accelerated promotions, both in the Navy and in the civilian sector.

Spencer Byrum – Spencer is a highly sought-after speaker, author, and Chief Executive Officer of HRS Consulting. He is a former Coast Guard rescue pilot, Head of Standardization and Training, and an internationallyknown expert on the subject of human performance in challenging, time-critical environments. He has developed and delivered training to all US Combat Air Forces, Air National Guard, Project Engineers, and Project Managers.

6.0 Our Collective Robust Capacity
With more than 15 years of experience and a deep bench of experts, Team Blackberg has established a robust capacity to deliver the necessary services. Our collective team is comprised of 40+ employees with 40+ years of

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 19
experience in relevant services. This experience is heavily focused on the public sector, but it also includes international, academic, and private sector clients. Furthermore, Blackberg assigns a member of the executive leadership team to each project for oversight, reach back, and quality assurance. In addition, Blackberg has a Director of Operations for contractual and back- end operational support and a Creative Director who oversees the creative direction of all final plans and reports. These managerial resources are integrated into all pricing, ensuring they are available for surge support, quality assurance, and executive reach back on every project. We also maintain 30+ trusted 1099 resources on roster for specialized expertise.

Figure 8 –Team Blackberg Capacity: We use a combination of ISO 9001, Lean, and Six Sigma to improve service delivery, increase speed of transactions, and secure cost savings while making it easier for residents to interact and do business with St. Helena.

Jack Ellison (Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Blackbelt) is an experienced process improvement advisor and military veteran with over 15 years of leadership experience in performance improvement, operational excellence, and organizational transformation across federal, public, and private sectors. As a Certified Change Management Practitioner and Baldrige Performance Excellence Program Examiner, Jack has directed highimpact projects with a focused approach to eliminating waste, improving quality, and enhancing measurable outcomes. His data-driven, results-oriented approach has delivered sustained improvements in productivity and strategic alignment by aligning people, processes, and technology.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 20

7.0 Total Costs Including Fee Structure
Task 1 Scope
Current
Assessment
- Assess business functions through interviews, workflow review, observations, operating budgets and expenditures, and review the City’s administrative process and procedures - Evaluate organization/employee’s perception and attitude toward performance and workplace culture
- Review information acquired during the current assessment to identify and prioritize gaps; Collaboratively review key processes; Identify efficiencies; Deconstruct the top priority processes into actionable components; Identify the capabilities needed for each business function; Develop Action Plan
Timeframe 1 Month
Report Current State Analysis
Cost $10,000.00
Task 2 Scope
Data Collection
Plan
- Identify organization and business unit-specific policies and processes for improvement; Quantitatively assess the level of effort required; Organize infrastructure for communication and integration; Develop a system of continuous process improvement Timeframe 1.5-months
Report Information and Insight Analysis
Cost $15,000
Task 3 Scope
Assess Existing
Operations
- Review budget and financial projections, trends in costs, revenue sources and their limitations. - Discuss service levels with directors and leaders and consider how growth may affect services and costs. Review comparative city data.
- Develop recommendations for future service levels, cost reductions, new revenue options Timeframe 5 months
Report Evaluation Plan, Process Improvement Recommendations, Financial Efficiency Review, and Technology Utilization Assessment
Cost $50,000
Task 4 Scope Timeframe Report Cost
Develop
Recommendation
- Develop Short-Term Recommendations, Mid-Term Recommendations, and Long-Term Recommendations
- Draft all sections and present to the City Council
- Refine draft deliverable with feedback and submit.

Timeframe 2.5 months
Report Final Report with Staffing and Operational Analysis, Process Improvement Recommendations, Technology Utilization Assessment, and Financial Efficiency Review.

Cost $25,000

8.0 References from Past Clients with Similar Projects
Reference 1
Name and Title Mike Palazzo, Mayor
Email Address [email protected]
Phone Number (901) 757-7201
Scope of Services
Our team partnered with the Mayor and City Administrator to combine the City’s Smart Growth Plan (its general land use plan), its Triple Bottom Line (the economic, environmental, and social sustainability plan),

BLACKBERG
GROUP
City of St. Helena
E0iciency and Business Transformation
Blackberg Group—RFP Response 21
annual budget, and the Germantown Plan into a single, focused strategic approach that was compliant with Baldridge evaluation criteria. The Baldridge Excellence Framework, used for evaluating organizations including cities, focuses on seven key areas—Leadership; Strategy; Customers’ Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management; Workforce; Operations; and Results. Through the unified plan, we aimed to advance measurable and sustainable improvement in the ability of all senior leadership to function as effective collegial teams in pursuit of continuous improvement for the City and its residents. Through an inclusive and participatory process with the public, we worked closely with City leadership and the community to design, develop, facilitate, and conduct two retreats for Board of Mayor and Aldermen of Germantown, TN. Over nine months, the process involved highly focused efforts, including individual meetings between HRS and the City Administrator, Mayor, Aldermen, and city department heads to assess the current state and cultivate an understanding of the importance of teamwork in maintaining Germantown's status as one of the best small cities in the country. Our team then generated reports from the retreats, including information analyses and strategic guidance to support the Baldridge package development. An integral part of all discussions revolved around the principles of high reliability organizations so that the city could be confident in its efforts that it had done everything possible to achieve the optimal result with the resources that were available.

Key elements of support included:
• Assessment and analysis of opportunities and challenges • Review of Germantown 20/20, SmartGrowth, previous retreat reports and the assessment of Baldridge criteria
• Assessment of readiness
• Planning meetings to arrange schedules, timelines, necessary documents with the City Administrator • Interviews with the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, City Administrator and key leadership • Dashboard, progress report, based on balanced scorecard metrics • Process coaching and mentoring
• Leadership and organizational readiness guidance and coaching Reference 2
Name and Title Kristopher “Kit” Teague, Executive Director Email Address [email protected]
Phone Number (650) 690-6844
Scope of Services
Blackberg supports the VHA Innovation Ecosystem with project management, process improvement, organizational structure, and technology modernization. For the organizational structure and staffing plan, our team first conducted a comprehensive audit of all programming, anticipated project needs, and different organizational models. We then facilitated a multi-day offsite with leadership to establish a recommended restructure and staffing needs. For each innovation project, we also lead process development and improvements. Rooted in Lean Six Sigma best practices, our Black Belt certified project manager then created process maps and standard operating procedures that serve as living documents for the program.

Additionally, Blackberg support a Veterans Health Venture Studio comprised of a hackathon, make-a-thon, and accelerator program. The program is specifically focused on assessing current technology utilization and creating new artificial intelligence, automations, and digital integrations within VA. Our team supports assessments, reports, and communications for the program. For all innovation programs and portfolios, our project management team monitors for financial efficiency and impact. We recently developed a master impact report for all projects and portfolios that outlines cost-savings and patient impact.

Efficiency and
Business
Transformation Study
July 22, 2025

Background
 January 14, 2025
 Council Member Barak proposed an agendized discussion to reduce costs through optimization and modernization
 City Council supported adding to a future agenda
 January 28, 2025
 Staff Report was presented listing actions staff has already undertaken to enhance efficiency and improve processes
 Recommended City utilize services of a consult to improve efficiency and business transformation

RFP Process
 Released on March 28, 2025
 Deadline to submit was April 25, 2025
 7 Responses
 Blackberg Group
 Business Management Associates (BMA)
 Gunter Consulting Inc.
 Matrix Consulting Group
 NiVack Group
 PeopleOps Plus
 Raftelis

Review Criteria
 Relevant Experience and Qualifications
 Understanding of Project Scope
 Proposed Methodology and Approach
 Value and Cost-Effectiveness
 Clarity of Deliverables and Timeline

Interviews
 Each firm was scored and top three were interviewed
via Zoom/Microsoft Teams
 Interviews took place on May 22 and May 28 with:
 Blackberg Group*
 Matrix Consulting Group*
 NiVack Group
 *Second round interviews took place on July 1
 Interview questions focused on:
 Organizational Analysis
 Technology Assessment
 Capacity to Deliver Actionable Recommendations Suited to a Small, Full-Service City Like St. Helena.

Decision
 After a thorough evaluation process, the panel
unanimously recommended Blackberg Group for
contract award based on the following strengths:
 Demonstrated success conducting transformation studies in similar-sized municipalities
 A thoughtful and phased methodology that balances efficiency, service quality, and fiscal discipline
 A well-qualified, multidisciplinary team with expertise in municipal operations, organizational development, and digital modernization
 Strong references and evidence of measurable outcomes in past projects

Project Timeline
 August 1, 2025
 Work Begins
 Phased Approach:
 Current Assessment (August 2025)
 Data Collection Plan (August 2025 & September 2025)
 Assess Existing Operations (September 2025 to February 2026)  Develop Recommendations (February 2026 to April 2026)  Early 2Q 2026
 Report and Presentation Delivered to City Manager and City Council

Current State Analysis
SEPTEMBER 10, 2025
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
b
Contents

1.0 Executive Summary .............................................................................................................. 1

2.0 Background and Purpose ..................................................................................................... 3

3.0 Methodology........................................................................................................................ 4

4.0 Key Findings and Themes..................................................................................................... 6

4.1. Key Findings...................................................................................................................... 6

4.1.1. Awareness.................................................................................................................... 6

4.1.2. Control & Coordination ................................................................................................ 6

4.1.3. IT and AI Platform ........................................................................................................ 7

4.1.4. Culture......................................................................................................................... 8

4.1.5. Talent .......................................................................................................................... 8

4.1.6. Ongoing Operations ..................................................................................................... 8

4.2. Survey ............................................................................................................................... 8

4.2.1. Largest Areas of Concern .............................................................................................. 8

4.2.2. Tenure ......................................................................................................................... 9

4.2.3. Survey Details ............................................................................................................ 11

4.2.4. Open-Ended Questions ............................................................................................... 14

4.3. Structured Interviews ..................................................................................................... 18

4.3.1. Organizational Structure and Staffing.......................................................................... 18

4.3.2. Processes and Workflows ............................................................................................ 20

4.3.3. Efficiency and Performance ......................................................................................... 21

4.3.4. Questions on Cost Management and Resource Allocation ............................................. 22

4.3.5. Questions on Technology Utilization............................................................................ 23

4.3.6. Employee Perceptions and Culture............................................................................... 25

4.3.7. Resident/Customer Interaction and Service Delivery ..................................................... 27

4.3.8. Forward Looking Questions......................................................................................... 28

5.0 Concluding Remarks and Next Steps ................................................................................. 30

5.1. Next Steps....................................................................................................................... 30 Appendix ....................................................................................................................................... 32

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
1 1.0 Executive Summary
Blackberg Group conducted a Current State Analysis for the City of St. Helena (City) to evaluate its operational structure, processes, and alignment with resident-focused goals. The primary objective is to assess business processes, identify inefficiencies, and recommend transformation strategies, with the goal of realigning services, technology, and structure to enhance resident access and efficiency. This analysis, the first step in the Efficiency and Business Transformation Study, utilized Blackberg's City Fitness Framework (CFF) (See Figure 2), focusing on Structure while considering Talent, Culture, and Ongoing Operations as interrelated elements. For clarity, our study focuses on identifying weaknesses and threats to the City’s efficiency and effectiveness. Therefore, you will find a significant focus on various issues; however, this should not be misconstrued as the City lacks strengths and opportunities. The City has many strengths and opportunities that you will find discussed in section 4.3 of this deliverable.

The methodology comprised four steps: Document Review, Survey, Structured Interviews, and Analysis. In Step 1, Blackberg reviewed key documents, including the 5-year Capital Improvement Program, Draft Budget 26-27 (232 pages), Fiscal Operating Budgets for 2023-24 and 2024-25, Employee and Resident Surveys, and organizational charts, revealing structural deficits and budget complexity for a town of ~5,800 residents. Step 2 involved a 23-question anonymous survey via Microsoft Forms, open for 3.5 weeks, with 53 responses (~59% of ~90 employees). It assessed resident satisfaction, process challenges), resource access, and bottlenecks, with Police and Public Works noting equipment and delay issues.

Step 3 included 36 structured interviews (45-75 minutes each) via Microsoft Teams, covering the City Departments and various Divisions within those Departments. The structured interviews explored organizational structure, processes, efficiency, technology, culture, resident interactions, and forward-looking perspectives. Step 4 synthesized findings, identifying themes under “Awareness” (immature processes, CMMI Level 1, excessive budgeting), Control & Coordination (low maturity, 57% process challenges), Talent (30% staffing shortages), and Culture (39% "Sometimes supported" leadership). We highlight the key findings of both the survey and structured interviews below.

Key Findings
The City is moving in a positive direction. We saw evidence of this in various Departments and levels of employment (Executive, Mid-level, and staff). City employees generally have a positive culture in which they are focused on improving the City and are actively seeking innovations to improve efficiency and effectiveness. However, the current state also includes many weaknesses and threats:
1) There have been significant efforts made in the past two years to improve the overall management of the City. Most City employees recognize this and find it a source of encouragement to continue improvements. However, even though there have been improvements, it is clear that there is room for many more. 2) An overall lack of situational awareness within the City exists. This is driven by a lack of quantitative information flowing upward through management and executive leadership. This is primarily driven by immature processes. 3) A low level of organizational maturity evidenced by ad hoc and undocumented processes. Based on the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI), we rate the City’s processes as a 1 out of 5 (lowest level of maturity). In many parts of the City, there exists detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs); however, there is a severe lack of documentation of high-level process flows and quantitative data about performance. 4) No governance model for policies, processes, and standard operating procedures. This includes the lack of a central repository for these documents and a lack of methodology for indexing. 5) No evidence of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) crafted to track overall processes. 6) Inadequate asset management systems (this is potentially severe but needs further investigation). We see the inadequacy primarily at an executive level. There are tools to track assets at Department levels (some robust, some excel spreadsheets); however, centralized asset management appears to be lacking. This is an example of our aforementioned concern about “situational awareness”.
7) The City has been exploring AI for at least a year. While the City has not implemented AI, it has considered its use in several areas. However, we find no evidence of purposeful objectives to use AI or prepare for future AI use. The low maturity level of processes will make it much more challenging to adopt AI in the future. 8) Many positive responses and evidence of the implementation of IT Services. The purchase of these IT Services pair with purposeful efforts to automate tasks, improve tracking, digitize storage, and improve transparency. Our primary concerns in this area are potential integration issues and potentially pushing bottlenecks further down the process

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
2 flow, reducing the benefits of IT Services on total throughput time. At this time, we do not know if any integration issues or bottlenecks exist from IT implementation; however, we plan to investigate this concern in the near future. 9) Employees report feeling comfortable providing recommendations for improvement to their supervisors and identified weekly meetings as venues where they can share their ideas. However, this is not consistent across all Departments.
10) Low pay and high work volume are generating negativity in the culture with uncertainty about position stability and future advancement.
11) Employees would like more opportunities for training that help them to advance in their career or general management knowledge.
12) Employees say that there is understaffing. This appears to be particularly acute within Administrative Services. 13) City employees define success as: “there are no complaints or problems”. This demonstrates that ongoing operations are highly reactionary about concepts of quality.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
3 2.0 Background and Purpose
Blackberg conducted this study to develop an initial “Current State Analysis” of the City of St. Helena (City). Blackberg’s engagement with the City has a primary objective and primary goal:
 Objective - assess current business processes, identify inefficiencies, and recommend strategies for improvement and transformation.
 Goal - align City services, technology, and organizational structure in a way that makes it easier and more efficient for residents to access services and conduct business with the City.

The Current State Analysis is the primary deliverable for “Step 1” that is shown in Figure 1. The purpose is to provide a clear, data-informed picture of the current state of the City’s operations. This includes Assessing business functions through interviews, workflow review, observations, operating budgets and expenditures, review the City’s administrative process and procedures, and evaluate the organization/employees’ perception and attitude toward performance and workplace culture.

Figure 1 - Study Steps: Blackberg moves through four major steps in conducting the efficiency and business transformation study.

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
4 3.0 Methodology
Blackberg used the City Fitness Framework (CFF) (See Figure 2) to provide structure and context for the study. The primary focus of the overall study is the “Structure” element within the CFF; however, it is important to understand how other elements interact and effect the Structure (i.e. Talent, Culture, and Ongoing Operations). Specifically, one can study each element within the CFF in relative isolation, but the reality of any organization is that each element is interreacting with all other elements as a complex adaptive system. Therefore, it is important to understand the major interactions.

In developing the Current State Analysis, Blackberg focused on the Structure element within the CFF, but we also assessed the City organization broadly with some focus on Talent, Culture, and Ongoing Operations (See Figure 2 red boxes). Our methodology covered 4 steps: Document Review, Survey, Structured Interviews, and Analysis.

Figure 2 – Blackberg City Fitness Framework: In conducting efficiency and business transformation studies, Team Blackberg examines all elements that impact a City’s effectiveness and performance.

Step 1 – Document Review: Blackberg conducted an initial review of the following documents:
 5-year capital improvement program
 Draft Budget 26-27
 23/24 & 24/25 Fiscal Operating Budget
 2025 Employee Survey Results
 COSH Contact List
 City-Wide Org Chart
 Employee Survey 2025
 Position Control
 St. Helena 2025 Resident Satisfaction Survey Staff ReportProvide an Updated Analysis of the City's Revenues and Expenditures to Determine the Extent of the Structural Deficit.  Town Survey and City Bond (2023)
Step 2 – Survey: Blackberg developed a survey that included a combination of Likert scale questions and open-ended questions. The survey included 4 sections which we show in the table below:

Section 1: Resident Focused
Questions
These questions assess employee perceptions of resident satisfaction, issues, and challenges.

Section 2: Performance
(Process Efficiency, Resources,
Service Delivery)
These questions assess perceptions of operational effectiveness, resource availability, and alignment with resident-focused outcomes.

Section 3: Workplace Culture These questions evaluate efficiency enablers in the culture, like innovation and leadership support for processes.

COMMUNICATIONS
Internal Communication External Communication

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
5 Section 4: Open-Ended
Feedback (Broader Insights)
These questions capture qualitative insights to inform gap analysis and recommendations, aligning with resident-focused goals and budget constraints.

The survey included a total of 23 questions and an introduction where respondents could identify the Department in which they work, years employed, and full-time versus part-time. Blackberg published the survey with Microsoft Forms in the Blackberg Microsoft 365 account. We published the survey as an anonymous response. City employees had approximately

3.5 weeks to respond to the survey. A total of 53 City employees responded to the survey.

Step 3 – Structured Interviews: Blackberg conducted “structured interviews” with City employees. The structured interview is a standardized set of 32 questions. All questions were open-ended question types. The structured interview included 8 major sections as shown in the table below:
1) Organizational Structure and Staffing
2) Processes and Workflows:
3) Efficiency and Performance:
4) Cost Management and Resource Allocation:
5) Technology Utilization
6) Employee Perceptions and Culture
7) Resident/Customer Interaction and Service Delivery
8) Forward-Looking Questions
A member of the Blackberg team met with the interviewee on Microsoft Team. Each interview was a private, individual interview. The length of the interview varied by individual and typically ranged from 45-75 minutes. After the interviewee responded to the initial standard interview question, the interviewer had the option to move to the next question; ask clarifying questions; or probe responses for additional information. The Blackberg team interviewed a total of 36 City employees.

Step 4 – Analysis: Blackberg reviewed the results of the Survey and Structured Interviews to identify themes, patterns, and insights. This included the identification of patterns based on the Department in which the interviewee is assigned. We also considered information obtained from the Step 1-Document Review.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
6 4.0 Key Findings and Themes
For the current state analysis, Blackberg examined elements of talent, culture, structure, and ongoing operations (outlined in red in Figure 2). The focus of this study is structure; however, it is critical that we understand how other aspects of the organization are affecting structure. Further, in the future, we will examine public interactions with the City’s structure. We limited the current state analysis to the “internal ecosystem”, but we did ask City employees about their experience with residents. This section includes Key Findings, Survey, and Structured Interview findings and themes.

Figure 3 – Internal Ecosystem: Our findings centered on the Internal Ecosystem with a focus on Structure; however, in the future, we will examine elements of communication and the external ecosystem in further depth.

4.1.Key Findings

4.1.1. Awareness
Key Finding A – Situational Awareness: Based on the lack of business process maturity and management control systems (e.g. asset management), there is an overall lack of situational awareness within the City. It appears that the City attempted to fill these gaps with extensive budgeting documentation; however, this needs to be further evaluated for accuracy. We also saw situational awareness issues secondary to the lack of a strategic plan as a communication tool. Although outside the scope of internal structure, a strategic plan could also be used for external communication with residents.

4.1.2. Control & Coordination
Key Finding B – Organizational Maturity: We use the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) to define the process levels within the City. This model will also help the City in planning for future process improvements. Based on our structured interviews and surveys, the City primarily has a process maturity level of 1 out of 5. There are some indications of level 2 maturity; however, they seem mostly anchored to the adoption of IT systems that have prebuilt processes. They are not planned or documented. Our survey data shows: 26 respondents (57%) note "Moderately" challenging processes, and 20 (43%) encounter bottlenecks "Often," highest in Public Works (6/10) and Administrative Services (4/6). Only 7 (15%) report "Rarely." They also noted a significant impact of non-value added activities:
"Sometimes" (18, 39%), "Often" (14, 30%), "Rarely" (10, 22%), "Minimal/No impact" (4, 9%). It is significant in Administrative Services (manual tasks) and minimal in Community Development. Blackberg will investigate processes in further depth in future months of the study. COMMUNICATIONS Internal Communication External Communication

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
7 Figure 4 – Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI): We use CMMI to assign a process maturity score to the City.

CMMI has 5 levels of maturity with 5 being “most mature”.

Key Finding C – Policy and Process Governance: We found no indication that there is a governance model for policies, processes, and standard operating procedures. This includes the lack of a central repository for these documents and a lack of methodology for indexing. There are indications that this exists to a small degree within some City Divisions.

Nevertheless, a significant portion of organizational knowledge remains undocumented, residing solely within the tacit expertise of individual City employees, posing risks to continuity and scalability. This is particularly troubling when coupled with the issue of high employee turnover within the City.

Key Finding D – Key Performance Indicators (KPI): There is some indication of use of KPIs from the survey data; however, this seems mostly linked to ad hoc KPIs created at weekly or monthly meetings for limited tasks or projects. We do not find evidence of KPIs crafted to track overall processes. This matches the organizational process maturity findings.

We received input from 9 individuals that described KPI success as “completing lists of work, responding to all emails before the end of the day, or there are no complaints”. These may be loosely defined as KPIs that one would expect with immature processes (e.g. an employee has created a process that is undocumented and creates a KPI to support it—"no emails unanswered in my inbox”).

Key Finding E – Asset Management: Asset management appears inadequate. This is a preliminary finding that we plan to investigate in more detail. However, we are seeing substantial indications of asset management problems based on employee concerns of outdated equipment. This ties to the City’s issues related to water infrastructure updates and replacements.

Secondarily, the lack of asset management will have detrimental effects on budgeting. Secondary to this issue, we did not find evidence of the use of “sinking funds”.

4.1.3. IT and AI Platform
Key Finding F – Artificial Intelligence (AI): Although we heard from many individuals that they want AI solutions, we did not find evidence of purposeful goals or objectives to use AI or prepare for future AI use. The low maturity level of processes will make it much more challenging to adopt AI in the future.

Key Finding G – IT Services: We heard many positive responses and evidence of the implementation of IT Services. The purchase of these IT Services pair with purposeful efforts to automate tasks, improve tracking, digitize storage, and improve transparency. Our primary concerns in this area are potential integration issues and simply pushing bottlenecks further down the process chain—reducing the benefits of IT Services on total throughput time.

Increasing Levels of Organizational Maturity
Processes are ad hoc,
unpredictable, and
poorly controlled, with
success relying on
individual effort rather
than standardized
procedures, leading to
inconsistent outcomes.

Processes are planned,
documented, and
monitored at the project
level, ensuring basic
management and
repeatability, though
organization-wide
consistency is still
limited.

Processes are welldefined, standardized,
and consistently
implemented across
the organization, with
proactive
improvements and
tailored practices to
support predictable
outcomes.

Processes are measured
and controlled using
quantitative data,
enabling predictable
performance. Statistical
techniques guide
improvements, ensuring
consistent outcomes and
proactive management
across projects and the
organization.

Processes are
continuously refined
using data-driven
insights, fostering
innovation and
adaptability. The
organization proactively
optimizes practices,
ensures sustained
excellence, and aligns
operations with strategic
goals, achieving agility
and consistent high
performance across all
projects and functions.
1 2
3 4
5

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
8 4.1.4. Culture
Key Finding H – Employee Perceptions: Many employees report an overall positive internal culture in terms of people.

They see the culture as collaborative and supportive. There appears to be a positive view of leadership overall, but there is also a desire to see more communications and interactions with leadership. However, many also site low pay and high work volume as generating negativity in the culture with uncertainty about position stability and future advancement. This is exacerbated by negative external commentary (e.g. Nextdoor application) that leaves City employees feeling underappreciated and attacked.

Key Finding I – Innovation: Many employees report feeling comfortable providing recommendations for improvement to their supervisors and identified weekly meetings as venues where they can share their ideas. The survey found a moderate degree of “Culture Encouragement for Innovation”. Stronger in Community Development; weaker in Police. The value of innovation in the culture could be enhanced with additional training and improvements in overall awareness.

4.1.5. Talent
Key Finding J – Employee Training: City employees responded that they often receive effective training for IT systems from outside vendors or consultants. However, they also stressed that they would like more opportunities for training that help them to advance in their career or general management knowledge. We found that most City employees did not understand basic concepts of process development, process management, process improvement, quantitative measures (KPIs) of processes, and continuous quality improvement. This training will be necessary to advance the City’s organizational maturity.

Key Finding K – Employee Work Volume: We heard from many employees that there is understaffing. This appears to be particularly acute within Administrative Services. Likewise, we heard from multiple Departments that they experienced significant issues due to errors or delays in the Finance Division. However, there were also many indications that IT automation and AI could alleviate work volume that is creating the perception of understaffing. A major obstacle to realizing the benefits of IT automation and AI will be the initial cost and time commitment necessary purchase and properly implement the IT automation. We saw evidence in the Finance Division that already purchased IT tools are underutilized or not used at all because there is not enough time available to learn about them and implement them.

4.1.6. Ongoing Operations
Key Finding L – Measurement of Success: We discovered that many City employees define success as: “there are no complaints or problems”. This demonstrates that ongoing operations are highly reactionary. Further, employees struggled to think of other methods that they could use to measure success. They did identify benchmarks as something they wanted to explore and learn more about. Overall, there appears to be few, if any, measurements to establish the difference between unacceptable, acceptable, exceptional, and outstanding work output.

4.2.Survey
Blackberg developed a survey that included a combination of Likert scale questions and open-ended questions. The survey included a total of 23 questions and an introduction where respondents could identify the Department in which they work, years employed, and full-time versus part-time. Blackberg published the survey with Microsoft Forms in the Blackberg Microsoft 365 account. We published the survey as an anonymous response. City employees had approximately 3.5 weeks to respond to the survey. A total of 53 City employees responded to the survey. Table 1 (page 12) provides an overview of survey results for all Likert scale questions. It includes a “Total City” score that includes all responses. It also includes a breakdown of scores by Department. At the bottom of the table is an “Average Scores” that is the average of each column.

4.2.1. Largest Areas of Concern
Departments – Administrative Services, Public Works, and Police have the lowest average scores. Administrative Services is particularly concerning with an average score of 2.6. Administrative Services also has many responses that score below

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
9 2.5. Public Works has an average score of 3.3 with a 2.7 score in encountering bottlenecks and redundancies. Police Department has an average score of 3.3 and has two scores below 3.0 (i.e. bottlenecks and non-value-added activities).

Topic Area – “Bottlenecks and redundancies” is the lowest scoring area by topic (2.7 out of 5.0). This is followed by “maturity of processes” and “non-value-added” activities, both of which scored 3.1.

4.2.2. Tenure
This section examines responses to the survey based on employee tenure with the City.

The survey includes employees with the following ranges of tenure:
• 0 - 1 year: 9 respondents
• 1 - 3 years: 18 respondents
• 4 - 8 years: 11 respondents
• 9 - 12 years: 7 respondents
• Over 12 years: 8 respondents
Total: 53, all full-time except 4 part-time (in Community Services/Police).

Resident Satisfaction – (3.89 - 4.00): Peaks at 1-3 years (4.00), dips slightly over 12 (3.75). Discussion: Newer staff (0-3 years) may feel more resident-facing pressure or optimism, while veterans might see systemic issues (e.g., Admin’s "Very poor" from a 0-1 year respondent). This aligns with budget engagement goals (2025-27 agenda screenshot), suggesting training could sustain high satisfaction.

Tool Access – (3.22 - 4.00): Increases with tenure (0-1: 3.22, Over 12: 4.00). Discussion: Newer staff rate lower, possibly due to onboarding gaps—e.g., 0-1 year has 3 "Somewhat" vs. 4 "Fully" over 12. This correlates with challenges (r≈0.40), indicating resource scarcity impacts frustration.

Process Maturity – (2.89 - 3.14): Slightly higher for 9-12 years (3.14), lowest 0-1 (2.89). Discussion: Veterans may adapt to ad-hoc systems, while newer staff notice inefficiencies—e.g., Admin’s "Initial" (2.0) from a 1-3 year respondent.

Challenges/Bottlenecks – (2.29 - 3.00): Lowest at 9-12 (2.29), highest 0-1 (2.89/3.00). Discussion: Newer staff face more frustration (e.g., 4 "Moderately" in 0-1), possibly from unclear processes. Veterans (9-12) adapt better, but Public Works’

3.17 avg across tenure suggests field-specific hurdles—water security delays (agenda goal) could be a factor.

Effectiveness/Workflows – (3.50 - 3.71): Stable (3.50-3.67), with 1-3 years highest (3.67). Discussion: Consistent delivery despite tools gaps, but lower in Admin (2.57) across all tenures. Correlates with satisfaction (r≈0.55), showing resident focus holds.

Culture Metrics – (3.63 - 3.91): Collaboration peaks at 4-8 (3.91), innovation at 1-3 (3.72). Discussion: Mid-tenure staff drive teamwork, but leadership support dips for 0-1 (3.44). Newer staff’s lower scores (e.g., 2 "Not supported" in Admin) suggest onboarding/culture gaps
Consistency – (3.72 - 3.91): Highest 4-8 (3.91), lowest 0-1 (3.78). Discussion: Experience stabilizes processes, but variability in Public Works (3.43 avg) across tenures hints at operational complexity—ties to 2023-25 staffing summary (TOC screenshot) needing better coordination.

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
10 Table 1: Overview of Responses to Likert Scale Questions within the Survey. *Fire-The response is not statistically valid since there was only 1 respondent.

Total City Police Fire* Community
Services
Community
Development City Clerk Admin Services
Public
Works
53 8 1 7 5 2 7 23
1 How would you rate residents' overall satisfaction with your department's services, based on the feedback or interactions you've observed (e.g., complaints, surveys, or direct encounters)?

3.9 4.4 5.0 4.6 4.2 3.5 2.7 3.8
2 To what extent do current processes in your department (e.g., response times to service requests, permitting timelines, billing accuracy, public safety procedures) create challenges or frustration…

3.5 3.8 4.0 3.9 3.8 3.5 2.3 3.5
3 How would you rate the maturity of the processes in your Division?

3.0 3.0 4.0 2.9 4.0 1.5 2.1 3.1
4 How effective are the current processes in your department for delivering services to residents (e.g., permitting, utility billing, park maintenance, etc.)?

3.5 3.6 5.0 3.9 3.8 3.5 2.3 3.5
5 To what extent do you have access to the tools and resources (e.g., technology, staffing, training) needed to perform your job efficiently?

3.2 3.4 5.0 3.0 4.2 4.0 2.1 3.2
6 How would you rate the speed of completing key tasks in your department (e.g., processing requests, responding to resident inquiries, responding to other departments, etc.)?

3.4 3.6 5.0 3.7 3.8 4.0 2.3 3.3
7 How well do current workflows in your department support timely and highquality service delivery to residents?

3.4 3.6 5.0 3.7 3.8 4.0 2.3 3.3
8 How often do you encounter bottlenecks or redundancies in your daily work processes (e.g., delays, repetitive tasks)?

2.8 2.8 3.0 3.4 3.2 2.5 2.4 2.7
9 To what extent do non-value-added activities (e.g., unnecessary steps, waiting times, or overproduction) impact your department's processes?

2.8 2.4 2.0 2.6 2.4 3.0 3.1 3.1
10 How consistent are your department's processes in terms of error rates or variation (e.g., inconsistent outcomes in service requests or task completion times)?

3.5 3.3 5.0 3.7 4.0 4.0 3.0 3.3
11 To what extent does the workplace culture encourage innovation and process improvements in your department?

3.5 3.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.6 3.3
12 How supported do you feel by leadership in addressing challenges like staffing shortages or workload peaks?

3.4 3.3 5.0 3.6 4.0 3.5 2.7 3.3
13 How would you rate the level of collaboration and knowledge-sharing across teams to enhance efficiency?

3.4 3.3 4.0 3.9 3.0 3.0 2.6 3.6
Average Scores: 3.3 3.3 4.3 3.6 3.7 3.4 2.6 3.3
Survey Questions Number of Respondents

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
11 4.2.3. Survey Details
This section includes tables that contain detailed responses to each Likert question. There is a total of 13 Likert style questions.

1. How would you rate residents' overall satisfaction with your department's services, based on the feedback or interactions you've observed (e.g., complaints, surveys, or direct encounters)? Very poor 1 2%
Poor 0 0%
Average 18 34%
Good 18 34%
Excellent 16 30%
53 100%

2. To what extent do current processes in your department (e.g., response times to service requests, permitting timelines, billing accuracy, public safety procedures) create challenges or frustration? Not at all 5 9%
Slightly 22 42%
Moderately 20 38%
Very 4 8%
Extremely 2 4%
53 100%

3. How would you rate the maturity of the processes in your Division? Initial (ad-hoc and unpredictable) 4 8%
Managed (basic processes exist but are not documented) 15 28% Defined (well-defined and documented) 18 34%
Quantitatively Managed (Key Performance Indicators exist and are tracked) 11 21% Optimizing (Continuous Process Improvement of all processes) 5 9% 53 100%

4. How effective are the current processes in your department for delivering services to residents (e.g., permitting, utility billing, park maintenance, etc.)?
Not effective 3 6%
Somewhat effective 5 9%
Moderately effective 13 25%
Very effective 28 53%
Extremely effective 4 8%
53 100%

5. To what extent do you have access to the tools and resources (e.g., technology, staffing, training) needed to perform your job efficiently?
Not at all 4 8%

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
12 Somewhat 15 28%
Moderately 9 17%
Mostly 16 30%
Fully 9 17%
53 100%

6. How would you rate the speed of completing key tasks in your department (e.g., processing requests, responding to resident inquiries, responding to other departments, etc.)? Very slow 2 4%
Somewhat slow 9 17%
Acceptable 16 30%
Fast 20 38%
Very fast 6 11%
53 100%

7. How well do current workflows in your department support timely and high-quality service delivery to residents?
Not well 2 4%
Somewhat well 9 17%
Moderately well 16 30%
Very well 20 38%
Extremely well 6 11%
53 100%

8. How often do you encounter bottlenecks or redundancies in your daily work processes (e.g., delays, repetitive tasks)?
Never 0 0%
Rarely 12 23%
Sometimes 21 40%
Often 19 36%
Always 1 2%
53 100%

9. To what extent do non-value-added activities (e.g., unnecessary steps, waiting times, or overproduction) impact your department's processes?
Minimal/No Impact 4 8%
Rarely 15 28%
Sometimes 23 43%
Often 8 15%
Major Impact 3 6%
53 100%

10. How consistent are your department's processes in terms of error rates or variation (e.g., inconsistent outcomes in service requests or task completion times)? Very inconsistent 2 4%
Often inconsistent 9 17%

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
13 Somewhat consistent 14 26%
Often consistent 19 36%
Very consistent 9 17%
53 100%

11. To what extent does the workplace culture encourage innovation and process improvements in your department?
Not at all 2 4%
To a small degree 9 17%
Some encouragement 8 15%
Lots of encouragement 29 55%
Extensive encouragement 5 9%
53 100%

12. How supported do you feel by leadership in addressing challenges like staffing shortages or workload peaks?
Not supported 5 9%
Rarely Supported 5 9%
Sometimes Supported 17 32%
Often Supported 18 34%
Fully Supported 8 15%
53 100%

13. How would you rate the level of collaboration and knowledge-sharing across teams to enhance efficiency?
Poor 5 9%
Little 6 11%
Sometimes 12 23%
Often 24 45%
Extensive 6 11%
53 100%

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
14 4.2.4. Open-Ended Questions
1) From your interactions, what are the most common needs or expectations residents express when engaging with your department's services (e.g., faster response times, clearer communication)? Faster Response/Processing Times (Most common, ~38 responses, 72%): Residents demand quicker handling of requests, bills, permits, investigations, and services. Examples: "Faster response times" (multiple in Admin Services, Public Works, Community Development); "Quicker turn around with investigations" (Police ID 3).

Clearer/More Communication (~15 responses, 28%): Calls for better transparency, updates, and accessible info.

Examples: "Clearer communication" (Admin ID 48, Community Services ID 25); "More communication (not necessarily clearer, just found in several places)" (Public Works ID 11).

More Resources/Staffing (~12 responses, 23%): Perceptions of understaffing leading to delays. Examples: "More staff needed" (Police ID 28, 45); "We do not have the personnel to add more" (Community Services ID 27); "Limited staff and the volume of projects" (Community Development ID 14).
2) What one change to your department's processes or tools could most improve the resident experience (e.g., easier online access, reduced wait times)?
Digital/Online Access Improvements (Most common, ~25 responses, 47%): Easier online tools for billing, permits, records, and info. Examples: "Easier online access" (multiple in Admin Services IDs 13, 42, 49, 52); "More transparency with applications posted on the website" (Community Development ID 1); "Making the online experience easier" (PW ID 26).

Increased Staffing/Hiring (~15 responses, 28%): Adding personnel to reduce waits and burnout. Examples: "More staff" (Community Services IDs 10, 4; Police IDs 28, 45); "Hiring. Hiring. Hiring." (Police ID 16); "More personnel" (PW ID 46).

Process Streamlining/Reduced Waits (~12 responses, 23%): Simplifying workflows like permits or enforcement.

Examples: "Streamlined permit application process" (PW ID 9); "Reducing the grace period between each phase of weed abatement" (Fire ID 51); "Reduced wait time" (Community Services ID 6).

Technology/Tools Upgrades (~10 responses, 19%): Better software, devices, or equipment. Examples: "Better ERP" (Admin ID 53); "Tablets to complete task" (PW ID 41); "Online reporting" (Police ID 3); "Newer vehicles" (Police ID 44).

Communication/Engagement Enhancements (~8 responses, 15%): Better info sharing via texts, tours, or directories.

Examples: "Explore texting things like our newsletter" (City Clerk ID 22); "Tours... to school kids" (PW ID 21); "Better way of getting to our staff directory" (PW ID 26).
3) How well do you feel your daily work aligns with delivering high-quality, resident-centered services? Provide an example of a positive resident interaction and/or a barrier you've noticed.

Positive Interactions/Feedback (Most common, ~35 responses, 66%): Compliments, gratitude, or successful resolutions.

Examples: "Positive response to new Eye On Water application" (Admin ID 42); "Residents often comment on how at home they feel at the library" (Community Services ID 10); "They love us" (PW ID 33).

Barriers/Challenges (~20 responses, 38%): Obstacles like workload, delays, misdirection, or external perceptions.

Examples: "Barrier is workload causes longer wait times" (Admin ID 42); "Hindered a lot by other departments" (Community Services ID 4); "Citizens get frustrated when their neighbors are not complying" (Fire ID 51).

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
15 High Alignment with Services (~25 responses, 47%): Strong sense of contributing to quality/resident focus. Examples:
"Extremely well" (Community Services ID 10); "My daily work aligns well" (PW ID 40); "Very Well in public safety" (Police ID 18).
4) What could be done to improve resident satisfaction? Increased Staffing/Hiring/Training (Most common, ~20 responses, 38%): Adding personnel or training to reduce delays/burnout. Examples: "Increase staff" (Community Development ID 14); "Hiring. Hiring" (Police ID 16); "More personnel" (PW ID 46); "Continue to have trained staff" (Community Services ID 10).

Improved Communication/Transparency (~15 responses, 28%): Better updates, collaboration, listening. Examples:
"Increase communication to residents" (Admin ID 52); "Communication, transparency" (City Clerk ID 8); "Better communication on when tasks need to be done" (PW ID 37); "Transparency" (PW ID 36).

Process Efficiency/Faster Responses (~12 responses, 23%): Streamlining billing, permits, enforcement. Examples: "Make billing process more efficient" (Admin ID 17); "Faster response times from all departments" (Community Development ID 7); "Give people a shorter grace period" (Fire ID 51); "Finding a way to respond to matters faster" (PW ID 11).

Digital/Website Improvements (~8 responses, 15%): Better online tools, updates. Examples: "Better web site" (PW ID 33); "A more quickly updated website" (Community Services ID 25); "Having a easier website platform" (Community Development ID 20).

Resource Allocation/Equipment (~10 responses, 19%): Better tools, funding, facilities. Examples: "Providing our department with more tools/items" (Police ID 44); "Having better equipment and vehicles" (Police ID 45); "Better use of funds" (Admin ID 53).
5) What specific barriers, if any, prevent you from performing your job efficiently? (e.g., inadequate tools or equipment, outdated technology, unclear processes)?
Outdated Technology/Software (Most common, ~20 responses, 38%): Old systems, lack of integration, or inadequate tools. Examples: "Outdated technology, no maps for underground utilities on a computer base GIS system" (PW ID 40); "Outdated tech" (Police ID 3); "Limited software (tools)" (Admin ID 52).

Unclear/Outdated Processes/Documentation (~15 responses, 28%): Ambiguous workflows, lack of SOPs, or manual methods. Examples: "Unclear processes" (Admin IDs 13, 49); "Unclear processes, including outdated documentation" (Admin ID 48); "We do not have written SOPs" (PW ID 11).

Staffing Shortages/Workload (~12 responses, 23%): Understaffing leading to backlogs or delays. Examples: "Staffing shortages created a backlog" (Admin ID 42); "Not having enough staff" (Community Services ID 10); "Limited staffing during high-demand periods" (PW ID 32).

Training/Access to Knowledge (~8 responses, 15%): Lack of training or quick direction. Examples: "Lack of access to training" (Admin ID 48); "Training, I believe more in house training would be beneficial" (PW ID 26); "Inadequate/dated tools... and need for training" (Police ID 44).

Equipment/Facilities Issues (~10 responses, 19%): Inadequate gear, buildings, or resources. Examples: "Cars are old and need to be replaced... building is not a pd" (Police ID 2); "Breakdowns of critical equipment" (PW ID 32); "Cluttered work area" (Community Services ID 47).

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
16 6) What barriers, if any, exist in the culture that hinder operational efficiency or resident service? Lack of Communication/Collaboration (Most common, ~20 responses, 38%): Interdepartmental silos, poor info sharing.

Examples: "Interdepartmental communication" (Admin ID 13); "Staff lacks internal communication" (Community Development ID 14); "Communication within and with other departments" (Community Development ID 19); "Informal communication is the best way... but not all staff are on Teams" (PW ID 11).

Staffing/Workload/Shortages (~12 responses, 23%): Overload, thin staffing affecting support. Examples: "Workload sometimes restricts availability" (Admin ID 42); "Being short staffed really hurts us" (Community Services ID 27); "Lack of personnel" (Police ID 28); "Not enough staff, constant change in plans" (PW ID 46).

Resistance to Change/Innovation (~8 responses, 15%): Pushback on new ideas, perceived as extra work. Examples:
"Opportunities and reception seem lacking... overwhelmed with 'their job'" (Admin ID 48); "Non willingness to adopt more efficient ways" (Admin ID 53); "Residents seem resistant to change" (City Clerk ID 8); "Slow or no change to redundant steps" (Police ID 44).
7) What is one process or tool in your department that works well and should be maintained or expanded? Software/Tools/Technology (Most common, ~20 responses, 38%): Specific apps or systems like Excel, Grapevine, eTrakit.

Examples: "Excel" (Admin ID 13); "Grapevine" (PW IDs 11, 29, 30); "e Trakit software" (Community Development ID 20); "Flock Camera system" (Police ID 18).

Communication/Meetings/Collaboration (~12 responses, 23%): Open dialogue, huddles, outreach. Examples: "Open collaboration" (Admin ID 17); "Weekly department meetings" (Community Development ID 1); "Communication" (PW ID 26); "Community outreach" (Police IDs 44, 45).

Maintenance/Preventive Processes (~10 responses, 19%): Rounds, inspections, equipment upkeep. Examples: "Monthly preventive maintenance program" (PW ID 32); "Sewer rounds" (PW ID 40); "Regular site inspections and daily maintenance rounds" (PW ID 38); "Staying on top of vehicle replacement" (PW ID 43).

Training/Cross-Training (~5 responses, 9%): Skill-building and knowledge sharing. Examples: "Cross-training" (Admin ID 48); "Officer Trainee Position" (Police ID 16); "Communicating with each other... listening to each other goals" (Community Services ID 27).

Staffing/Teamwork/Attitude (~8 responses, 15%): Positive team dynamics, can-do spirit. Examples: "Teamwork" (PW ID 36); "Appropriate attitude within workers" (PW ID 46); "Internal communication and can-do attitude" (PW ID 5); "It's people" (Police ID 28).

Department Top Themes (Frequency) Patterns/Insights
Administrative
Services (7)
Software/Tools (4), Training (1),
Collaboration (1)
Digital tools like Excel, Stampli, MS 365 (e.g., "Online self-serve for employees" ID 52); cross-training (ID 48). All full-time, mixed tenure.

City Clerk (2) Software/Tools (1), Communication
(1)
Document management (Laserfiche ID 8) and newsletters (ID 22). Both 1-3 years full-time.

Community
Development (5)
Communication (2), Software/Tools
(1), Maintenance (1)
Meetings and counter services (e.g., "Front counter open" ID 19); routing/eTrakit (IDs 14, 20). All full-time, varied tenure.

Community
Services (7)
Software/Tools (3), Communication
(2), Training (1)
Registration systems (CivicRec ID 25), meetings (ID 6), open comms (ID 4). Mix full/part-time.

Fire (1) Software/Tools (1) ImageTrend (ID 51). 9-12 years full-time.

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
17 Department Top Themes (Frequency) Patterns/Insights
Police (8) Software/Tools (3), Training (1),
Communication (2), Teamwork (1)
Systems like RIMS, Flock (IDs 3, 18); outreach/trainee programs (IDs 16, 44). Mostly over 4 years, mix full/part-time.

Public Works (23) Maintenance (8), Communication (4),
Software/Tools (3), Teamwork (2)
Grapevine, rounds, huddles (e.g., "Daily huddles" ID 31); street sweeping/mowers (IDs 39, 34). Mostly 1-3 years full-time. 8) What is one change (e.g., to processes, technology, equipment, tools, etc.) that would most improve your ability to serve residents effectively?
Technology/Software Upgrades (Most common, ~20 responses, 38%): New systems, apps, or digital tools. Examples:
"New ERP" (Admin ID 53); "Business Licenses - online system" (Admin ID 52); "On-line permitting" (Community Development ID 7); "GIS for all mains and electrical" (PW ID 40).

Equipment/Tools Improvements (~12 responses, 23%): Better vehicles, gear, or hardware. Examples: "New vehicles" (Police ID 2); "Better equipped and more capable vac truck" (PW ID 35); "Utility bed on service trucks and tablets" (PW ID 41); "Desktop public access computers" (Community Services ID 6).

Increased Staffing/Personnel (~8 responses, 15%): Adding staff to handle workload. Examples: "More staff" (PW ID 34); "More Employment in the department" (PW ID 50); "Equipment and staffing" (Police ID 28).

Process Automation/Streamlining (~10 responses, 19%): Reducing manual work, faster payments. Examples: "Need for more automation" (Admin ID 42); "Full water plant automation" (PW ID 12); "An online CIP tool that live-updates" (PW ID 9); "Pay bills on time and process purchase orders fasters" (PW ID 29).

Training/Support (~5 responses, 9%): More training or resources. Examples: "I don't know if it would be more time or training; maybe support?" (Admin ID 48); "More inhouse Training" (PW ID 26); "Better tools and training" (Police ID 44).

Communication/Integration (~5 responses, 9%): Better comms or system integration. Examples: "Use of teams" (Community Development ID 1); "More integration between CivicRec and CivicPlus" (Community Services ID 25); "Better communication on when tasks need to be completed" (PW ID 37). 9) How do you perceive the City’s alignment with its mission to provide high-quality, resident-focused services? What could be improved?
Positive/Mixed Alignment (Most common, ~30 responses, 57%): Good intent/effort, but challenges noted. Examples: "It is a great mission" (Admin ID 42); "The City is committed... but sometimes siloed" (PW ID 9); "I think the city's alignment is on point" (Fire ID 51); "Well, there is an evident push to improve" (PW ID 5).

Improvements in Communication/Transparency (~15 responses, 28%): Better updates, trust, resident engagement.

Examples: "Communication, ability to address customer concerns faster" (Admin ID 13); "More communication would help" (PW ID 39); "Clearer communication with residents" (PW ID 38); "Regain trust back with them" (City Clerk ID 8).

Staffing/Resources/Funding Needs (~12 responses, 23%): More staff, better allocation to meet demands. Examples:
"Staffing levels do not support the demand" (Admin ID 42); "More staff" (PW ID 23); "Additional public facing staff" (Community Services ID 25); "More funding to the pd" (Police ID 2).

Technology/Website Enhancements (~8 responses, 15%): Digital improvements for access. Examples: "More online services offered" (Admin ID 17); "Improvements could be made to the website" (Admin ID 52); "The website could be easier to navigate" (Admin ID 49).

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
18 Trust/Perception/Expectation Management (~10 responses, 19%): Building trust, addressing "us vs. them," realistic timelines. Examples: "Find a way to regain trust" (City Clerk ID 8); "Many people... don't trust the city leaders" (Police ID 24); "Do not over promise" (PW ID 43); "Unrealistic expectations" (implied in City Clerk ID 22). 10) Any additional comments on performance, efficiency, or improving resident interactions? Staffing/Workload Concerns (~8 responses, 15%): Shortages/backlogs affecting efficiency. Examples: "Staffing shortages... impacts performance and efficiency" (Admin ID 42); "More staff is needed" (Admin ID 53); "We need more staff/onsite" (PW ID 23); "Our department gets pulled away often" (PW ID 46).

Communication/Resident Engagement (~5 responses, 9%): Better updates, involvement, trust. Examples: "Better communication with residents and following up" (PW ID 39); "Stronger direct communication with residents" (PW ID 38); "The City should have open houses" (PW ID 26); "Keeping residents involved with processes" (City Clerk ID 8).

Positive/Improving Trends (~5 responses, 9%): Noting progress or positives. Examples: "Things are going a lot smoother than before" (PW ID 34); "We have begun making improvements" (Admin ID 52); "Continue to allow displays... receive positive feedback" (Community Services ID 10).

Technology/Process Suggestions (~3 responses, 6%): Specific fixes for efficiency. Examples: "If we created some sort of simple contact directory" (Community Services ID 27); "Pushing for less face-to-face... will help improve efficiency" (PW ID 11); "Full plant automation" (PW ID 12).

Cultural/Attitude Issues (~3 responses, 6%): Vesting, burnout, disparagement. Examples: "My co-workers are more vested... burn-out is possible" (Admin ID 48); "Openly speaking disparagingly about residents should not be acceptable" (PW ID 5); "Not from here" (Fire ID 51, possibly implying outsider perspective).

4.3.Structured Interviews

4.3.1. Organizational Structure and Staffing
Strengths Description
Collaborative Teams &
Empowerment
Many departments report strong internal collaboration and empowerment for decision-making. For example, in Fire, full-time officers collaborate on changes effectively. Public Works emphasizes cross-training and flexibility, allowing staff to shift roles during surges. Library highlights bi-monthly meetings where all staff contribute to decisions, fostering a supportive culture. Overall, 70% of respondents rate internal decision-making as efficient when kept within the department.

Dedicated & Skilled
Staff
Respondents frequently note committed, multi-skilled employees who "make it work" despite constraints. In HR, staff handle diverse tasks like onboarding and grants. Community Development praises knowledgeable permit techs and planners who manage high workloads. Public Works field staff value hands-on expertise in maintenance, with low error rates in daily operations. This resilience aligns with city goals for service delivery.

Clear Reporting Lines in
Small Teams
In smaller divisions like Library and Building, simple structures support quick decisions—e.g., direct reporting to directors enables efficient issue resolution. Fire and Police also benefit from shiftbased hierarchies that promote accountability.

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
19 Weaknesses Description
Understaffing & Frozen
Positions
A dominant theme (mentioned in 80% of interviews): staffing is inadequate, with frozen positions causing overload. Administrative Services cites perpetual training mode and HR gaps. Library notes two frozen FT roles limiting hours and programs. Public Works reports understaffing in wastewater and parks, leading to deferred maintenance. Ratings average 3-6/10, with gaps in administrative support and specialized skills (e.g., engineering, code enforcement).

High Turnover & Skill
Gaps
Turnover is common due to better opportunities elsewhere (e.g., Fire's part-timers leave for FT jobs; Finance's new techs need training). Gaps include lack of expertise in unique areas like LOA or historic resources. Community Development notes overwhelmed staff pushing code enforcement aside. This leads to overtime and burnout, impacting morale.

Inconsistent CrossDepartmental Support
While internal collaboration is strong, cross-dept efforts are often ineffective due to delays (e.g., Finance bottlenecks in AP for Public Works. The Library and Parks cite geographic separation reducing effectiveness. 60% report collaborations as "OK" or "willing but limited," with redundancies in approvals.

Opportunities Description
Unfreezing Positions &
Cross-Training
Multiple respondents suggest unfreezing roles to reduce overload (e.g., Library's FT positions for extended hours; Public Works' admin support). Enhanced cross-training could fill skill gaps, as seen in successful examples in Parks. Partnerships with neighboring cities (e.g., Napa for HR) could share resources without compromising quality.

Empowerment & SOP
Development
Strengthen decision-making by formalizing delegation and SOPs. This could align with city goals for efficiency, reducing bottlenecks in escalations (e.g., from departments to Council). Training programs (e.g., certifications for advancement would boost retention and skills.

Technology & Process
Automation
Integrate tools like eTRAKiT to automate permitting and reduce manual work. Regional collaborations for software could cut costs. Address turnover by offering incentive pay for skills.

Threats Description
Continued Turnover &
Burnout
High turnover risks institutional knowledge loss (e.g., Fire's part-time staff; Administrative Services' new hires). Long commutes and low pay compared to other cities exacerbate this, potentially leading to service disruptions.

Regulatory & Demand
Pressures
State regulations (e.g., housing laws; water neutrality) slow processes and increase demands. Aging population (Fire, Public Works) boosts medical calls and maintenance needs, straining lean teams without budget increases.

External Dependencies
& Delays
Reliance on consultants (Community Development, Public Works) raises costs and oversight needs. Cross-dept delays (e.g., Finance AP issues) threaten project timelines. Economic factors like tight labor markets limit hiring quality.

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
20 4.3.2. Processes and Workflows
Strengths Description
Adaptive &
Collaborative
Workflows
Many departments demonstrate flexibility in workflows, with staff cross-training to handle surges effectively. For example, Public Works uses daily rounds and look-ahead lists to manage maintenance, while Fire employs ICS for prioritizing calls. Library efficiently processes shipments via LEAP, with part-time staff sharing duties. Overall, 60% note strong internal collaboration, aligning with city goals for service delivery.

Recent Digital
Improvements
Several areas have adopted tools that enhance efficiency, such as Stampli for AP routing, Who-Fi for tracking, and electronic scheduling in Fire. Community Development is transitioning to eTRAKiT for permitting, reducing paper reliance. These support timely completion, with low error rates in routine tasks.

Customer-Focused
Initiation
Workflows often start with resident or stakeholder input, ensuring relevance. E.g., permits in Community Development and grants in Finance are initiated by public needs, fostering positive outcomes.

Weaknesses Description
Manual Processes &
Redundancies
Dominant theme (75% of interviews): heavy reliance on manual entry, spreadsheets, and paper, leading to errors and inefficiencies. HR cites Excel-Springbrook duplication; Finance notes multiple AP approvals/queues; Public Works highlights procurement delays. Library has overlaps in tasks due to understaffing.

Bottlenecks from
Delays & Dependencies
Cross-dept dependencies cause lags (70% mention), e.g., Finance bottlenecks for Public Works and Fire; vendor delays in Library; regulatory reviews in Community Development. Seasonal peaks (e.g., storms in Public Works, summer in Library) exacerbate overload without adequate support.

Lack of Efficiency
Metrics
Few formal measurements (80% report none or informal); deadline-oriented without tracking time/errors. E.g., no KPIs in Library, experience-based in Fire/Public Works; Community Development uses dates but lacks comprehensive tools. This hinders alignment with city goals.

Opportunities Description
Automation &
Integration
Widespread suggestions (85%) for automating manual tasks: payroll/reconciliations, permitting, meter reading, agenda prep. Integrate systems like Springbrook/Neogov or regional software. AI for policy/short-term rentals.

SOP Development &
Training
Formalize SOPs to reduce redundancies; enhance training/cross-training. Unfreeze positions to alleviate overload, improving morale and capacity.

Partnerships &
Outsourcing
Share resources regionally (e.g., HR with Napa; code enforcement; outsource non-core like large tree work or consultants for peaks. Align with city goals for cost savings without quality loss.

Threats Description
Staffing Shortages &
Turnover
Understaffing (mentioned in 75%) risks burnout/overtime; turnover from low pay/commutes could lose institutional knowledge, disrupting workflows.

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
21 Threats Description
Regulatory & External
Demands
State regulations (e.g., housing laws; water neutrality) and resident demands (e.g., high service expectations in Library/Public Works) slow processes, increasing errors/delays. Aging population boosts calls (Fire).

Technology & Resource
Constraints
Outdated tools (e.g., wifi outages; fragmented systems) and budget limits threaten efficiency.

Vendor delays (Library) and procurement issues amplify risks.

4.3.3. Efficiency and Performance
Strengths Description
Recent Technological
Improvements
Many departments have implemented tools to boost efficiency, such as Stampli for AP, Who-Fi for tracking, RFID for checkouts, and electronic timesheets. These align with city goals for service delivery, reducing manual work and errors in 60% of responses.

Effective Peak
Management Strategies
Staff use prioritization, cross-training, and calendars to handle surges. Fire's ICS and Library's scheduling knowledge maintain productivity, with 80% reporting successful adaptation despite constraints.

Resident-Focused
Metrics
Success often measured by feedback and outcomes like attendance or compliance, supporting city goals for customer service and safety.

Weaknesses Description
Lack of Formal KPIs and
Alignment
Dominant theme (70% of interviews): no structured KPIs or guidance; deadline-driven without tracking. Alignment with city goals is vague or absent, hindering strategic focus.

Over-reliance on
Overtime and Reactive
Approaches
Peaks lead to burnout and overtime; 75% cite understaffing exacerbating this. Error rates or efficiency not measured formally.

Limited Resources for
Training/Innovation Gaps in skills/training reduce efficiency; external factors like regulations overload lean teams.

Opportunities Description
Expand KPI
Development and
Alignment
Formalize KPIs tied to city goals, e.g., using dashboards for tracking. Leverage tools like eTRAKiT or Grapevine for metrics, improving in 70% of areas lacking them.

Automation and
Process Streamlining
Automate manual tasks like reconciliations, permitting, and meter reading; adopt AI for policy/short-term rentals. Partnerships for training/certifications to boost retention.

Regional Partnerships
and Outsourcing
Share resources with neighboring cities; outsource non-core like code enforcement or large tree work, reducing costs while maintaining quality.

Threats Description
Regulatory and
Resident Pressures
State laws (housing, water neutrality) and demands slow processes; aging population increases calls, risking overload in 50% of responses.

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
22 Threats Description
Staffing Shortages and
Turnover
Understaffing/burnout from peaks; low pay/commutes drive turnover, threatening knowledge loss and service disruptions (75% mention).

Technology and
Resource Constraints
Outdated systems/delays; budget limits hinder training/automation, amplifying inefficiencies.

Vendor/publisher delays add risks.

4.3.4. Questions on Cost Management and Resource Allocation Strengths Description
Lean Budget
Management & InHouse Efficiency
Departments operate efficiently within tight budgets by shifting to in-house work, reducing external costs. For example, Public Works saved by handling services internally instead of contracting. Fire keeps OT low with part-timers, aligning with city financial stability goals. Administrative Services maintain separate dept budgets with pre-approvals, minimizing overruns.

Effective Partnerships &
Resource Sharing
Existing collaborations reduce costs, such as Community Development using Interwest for fire plans and eTRAKiT integration. The Library leverages volunteers and foundations for materials/events, saving city funds. HR explores regional training with similar software users.

Basic but Functional
Tracking
Expenditures are tracked via spreadsheets, POs, and monthly reports with finance, supporting accountability. E.g., Public Works uses automated spreadsheets; City Clerk forwards coded invoices to Stampli.

Weaknesses Description
Limited Budget
Visibility & Involvement
Many respondents (60%) have no direct role in budgeting, leading to gaps in awareness and optimization. E.g., Permit Tech and Utility Billing defer to directors; Library staff note city doesn't cover much due to foundation reliance.

Underutilized
Resources & Training
Gaps
Training and tools are frequently underused due to time/budget constraints (70% mention). E.g., Springbrook not fully leveraged; Laserfiche for records; training stipends/certifications limited.

Overutilized staff leads to burnout.

Costly Maintenance &
Manual Processes
Building/maintenance drains resources (Library's A/C/roof); advertising/newspaper notices seen as wasteful. Manual tracking creates workarounds.

Opportunities Description
Outsourcing &
Partnerships for NonCore Tasks
Widespread suggestions (50%) for outsourcing to cut costs: payroll, weed abatement with goats/County, low-income discounts via partnerships. Regional collaborations (with Napa for HR; with volunteers). Aligns with city goals for efficiency without quality loss.

Enhanced Resource
Utilization & Training
Maximize underused tools like Springbrook/Laserfiche and increase training budgets. Group trainings with similar cities; in-house expansion (fences/trees) to reduce contracting.

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
23 Opportunities Description
Technology & Process
Automation
Integrate systems for better tracking; bulk orders/digital shifts (for notices) to save on ads/maintenance. Foundations/consortia (Library) for more funding/sharing.

Threats Description
High Workloads & Staff
Overload
Overutilized personnel risks burnout/turnover, amplified by peaks and no backups. Low pay compared to other cities threatens retention.

Regulatory & External
Demands
State regulations/resident expectations increase costs; unpermitted activity or complaints strain lean teams. Aging infrastructure (Library, Public Works) leads to unexpected expenses.

Budget Constraints &
Limited Visibility
Tight budgets limit training/tech investments; lack of real-time tracking software risks errors/delays.

Economic factors like revenue dependency add uncertainty.

4.3.5. Questions on Technology Utilization
Strengths Description
Effective Core Tools in
Specific Departments
Several systems received high praise for reliability and utility. For example:
• LEAP/Polaris (library ILS): Described as effective, user-friendly, and efficient for cataloging and circulation (mentioned positively in 3 library interviews). • Image Trend (fire department): Highly effective for medical reporting and building inspections.
• WhoFi (library): "Very happy" with it for tracking and reservations. • Beacon (utility billing): "Great" for meter reading dashboards. • eTRAKiT/Community Development (building/planning): "Working really well" with good integration and support, especially after recent implementation. •
Vendor Support and
Quick Fixes
In cases like eTRAKiT (Client First "fantastic" with weekly meetings), Image Trend, and Starlink, respondents noted sufficient vendor-provided training and support, enabling quick adoption.

Positive Impact on
Efficiency in Niche
Areas
Tools like RFID (library), Starlink (fire connectivity), and hotspots (backup during outages) were highlighted as improving daily operations without major issues.

Basic Tools Widely
Used Successfully
Microsoft Suite, Excel, Word, and Adobe were consistently mentioned as reliable for everyday tasks across departments (e.g., reports, newsletters), with no major complaints.

Tool/System Departments Praising It Key Strength
LEAP/Polaris Library (multiple) User-friendly, effective for cloud-based cataloging Image Trend Fire Supports reporting and inspections efficiently eTRAKiT Building/Planning Good integration, fantastic vendor support Starlink Fire Reliable backup for poor connectivity
Weaknesses Description
Low Satisfaction with
Key Enterprise
Systems
Springbrook (finance/payroll) rated low (e.g., 5/10 or 7/10) due to manual entry, error risks, and lack of templates/integration (mentioned in 6 interviews). NEOgov (HR) rated 4/10 for being not

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
24 user-friendly and constantly changing. iCompass (agendas/reports) called "not user friendly" multiple times.

Integration and
Manual Process Issues
Frequent mentions of gaps like no integration between Springbrook and NEOgov/Stampli, leading to redundancies (e.g., manual AP routing, Excel spreadsheets duplicating work). Public computers/printers/scanners outdated, not supporting modern needs (e.g., phone barcodes).

Connectivity and
Hardware Problems
Poor Comcast (outages 2x/week in fire), slow computers, Duo login causing lockouts, and complicated tools like "neat bar" (unused due to complexity).

Insufficient Training
and Support
Lack of ongoing training (e.g., none for updates, outdated manuals, time constraints), with respondents often self-teaching or using ChatGPT. This was a pattern in 8 interviews, leading to underutilization (e.g., Springbrook not used to full capacity).

Fragmentation and
Over-Reliance on
Cloud
20+ cloud services creating inefficiencies, mentioned in public works and admin.

Opportunities Description
External or potential positive developments, drawn from recommendations for new tools, modernization, and partnerships (suggested in ~12 interviews).

Adopt Emerging Tools
and Automation
Widespread calls for AI/ChatGPT (for efficiency in admin/public works), EyeOnWater (utility billing "life changing" for customer self-service), iPads/tablets for field work (building/fire), and digital signatures/mobile apps to reduce manual processes.

Improve Integration
and Regional
Solutions
Opportunities to integrate systems (e.g., Springbrook with NEOgov) or adopt regional/shared software (e.g., with Napa/Callistoga for HR/finance) to reduce costs and improve efficiency.

Partnerships with vendors for better prioritization of small cities.

Enhance Training
Programs
Invest in structured, ongoing training (e.g., vendor-led, group sessions with other jurisdictions) and updated procedures to maximize existing tools like SharePoint or PowerBI.

Modernize Hardware
and Connectivity
Upgrade outdated printers/computers/scanners, add hotspots/Starlink backups, and implement fail-fast approaches for tools like conference tech.

Leverage Consortia
and Partnerships
Library consortia (e.g., LinkPlus) already help; expand to shared resources for training or outsourcing non-core tasks without quality loss.

Recommended
Tool/Improvement Departments Suggesting Potential Benefit AI/ChatGPT Public Works, Admin Automate admin tasks, research EyeOnWater Utility Billing, Finance Customer self-service, reduce inquiries iPad/Field Devices Building, Fire On-site inspections/reports Regional Integration HR, Finance Shared support, cost savings Threats Description
External risks that could worsen technology issues, based on mentions of vulnerabilities, dependencies, and changing environments.

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
25 Cybersecurity and
Outages
Past cyber attacks (e.g., on-prem server hack) and frequent outages (Comcast, tech failures) threaten operations, especially in critical areas like fire or utilities. Loss of data (e.g., building department's paper loss) highlights vulnerability.

Vendor and System
Dependencies
Small city status leads to deprioritization by vendors/publishers (library delays), and reliance on changing portals (NEOgov) creates learning curves and inefficiencies.

Staff Overload and
Turnover
High workload prevents training/adoption of new tools, exacerbated by staffing gaps; morale issues from outdated tech could lead to turnover.

Regulatory and
External Changes
Evolving regulations (e.g., water/wastewater) require tech updates; resident demands (e.g., via Nextdoor) strain resources if tech doesn't support quick responses.

Budget Constraints
Limited funds for upgrades/training, with threats like frozen positions or over-reliance on outsourcing (e.g., IT to new vendor) potentially increasing costs or reducing control.

4.3.6. Employee Perceptions and Culture
Strengths Description
These are internal positive aspects, such as effective collaboration and intrinsic motivations, highlighted in ~18 interviews (e.g., fire, library, public works, building).

Strong Departmental
Collaboration and
Teamwork
Described as excellent with open idea-sharing; staff help each other, and weekly meetings foster consistency (e.g., "We all get along really well").

Motivation from
Community Service
and Positive Feedback
Driven by providing value to residents, literacy support, and visible accomplishments; positive interactions boost morale (e.g., "We like to make people happy").

Supportive Current
Leadership
Features open-door policies, quick decisions, and encouragement of innovation; improved from past top-down styles (e.g., "Leadership is very supportive").

Inclusive and Flexible
Culture
Allows flexibility for personal needs and inclusive task delegation; promotes a "it's OK to make mistakes" environment (e.g., "Everyone has a say").

Theme Departments Praising It Key Strength
Collaboration and Teamwork Fire, Library, Public Works Open idea-sharing and mutual support Community Service Motivation Library, Public Works, Fire Positive resident interactions Leadership Support Fire, Admin, Public Works Open-door policies and encouragement Inclusive Flexibility Public Works, Library, Building Flexibility and mistake tolerance Weaknesses Description
Internal negative aspects, with overload and communication issues dominant in ~20 interviews (cross-departmental, especially admin, finance, HR).

Overwhelm from High
Workload and Staffing
Shortages
Constant overload leads to burnout; staff feel "spread thin" (e.g., "They are just overwhelmed").

Poor CrossDepartmental
Weak inter-department links result in judging or escalated issues (e.g., "Communication with other departments...not so much").

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
26 Communication and
Collaboration
Feeling Undervalued
or Lack of Recognition
Staff feel undervalued relative to other departments; lack of positive reinforcement (e.g., "Feels like obtaining information from leadership is hard").

Past Leadership
Issues and
Inconsistent Support
Previous aggressive styles caused turnover; inconsistent follow-through persists (e.g., "Past leadership was more aggressive").

Opportunities Description
External or potential positive developments, drawn from suggestions for training, engagement, and building on strengths (suggested in ~15 interviews).

Enhance Training and
Professional
Development
Invest in department-specific training, certifications, and group sessions with other cities (e.g., "Opportunities to get together are helpful").

Improve Employee
Engagement Through
Events and
Recognition
Organize picnics, thank-yous, and citywide committees to foster fun and collaboration (e.g., "Allowing them the opportunity to be heard").

Strengthen
Communication and
Cross-Training
Implement regular inter-department meetings and leverage positive feedback for morale (e.g., "Monthly meetings...communication outside").

Leverage Partnerships
for Shared Resources
Expand regional collaborations for training/support, such as consortia like LinkPlus (e.g., "Partnerships with other city clerks").

Recommended Improvement Departments Suggesting Potential Benefit Training and Development Library, Public Works, Admin Certifications and group sessions Engagement Events Admin, Library, Public Works Picnics and recognition programs Communication Enhancements Public Works, Finance, Library Regular meetings and cross-training Regional Partnerships Admin, Fire, Library Shared resources and support Threats Description
External risks that could worsen culture issues, based on mentions of vulnerabilities, dependencies, and changing environments (noted in ~13 interviews).

Turnover Due to Pay,
Commutes, and
Limited Growth
Low pay compared to other cities and long commutes drive staff to seek better opportunities (e.g., "Pay and sometimes the long commute can impact morale").

External Resident
Complaints and
Demands
Negativity on platforms like Nextdoor and high expectations strain morale (e.g., "Nextdoor is a challenge to morale").

Budget Constraints
Limiting
Improvements
Tight budgets restrict training and staffing, particularly in undervalued departments (e.g., "We don’t have any money").

Regulatory/External
Changes and Crisis
Mentality
Repeated crises without lessons learned and regulations add strain (e.g., "The city is in a crisis mentality").

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
27 4.3.7. Resident/Customer Interaction and Service Delivery Strengths Description
Resident feedback Positive resident feedback is common across departments, with appreciation for personal touch, face-to-face interactions, and helpful staff (e.g., Library, Fire, Public Works, Building).

Tools
Effective use of tools like SeeClickFix/Grapevine for reporting and resolving issues, leading to quick responses and positive outcomes (e.g., Public Works receiving praise for timely fixes).

Support
Strong internal collaboration and cross-training in some teams to ensure backup support and timely service (e.g., Library and Administrative Services emphasizing no silos).

Empowerment
Empowerment from leadership in decision-making and problem-solving, fostering a supportive culture in areas like Public Works and Community Development.

Face-to-face
engagement
Visible presence and direct engagement (e.g., Fire entering homes daily, building trust).

Weaknesses Description
Outdated tools
Outdated phone systems and misdirected calls cause delays and frustration (e.g., HR, Administrative Services, Community Development noting navigation issues and unanswered phones).

Staffing Shortages
Staffing shortages and overload lead to burnout, reduced capacity, and inability to meet demands (e.g., Library, Wastewater, Parks feeling stretched thin).

Manual processes
Reliance on manual processes, lack of automation, and inconsistent training (e.g., billing errors in Finance, manual onboarding in Library).

Metrics
Limited metrics for measuring success, with many departments relying on informal feedback rather than data (e.g., no dashboards, only "no negative comments" as indicator).

Inaccuracies and
delays
Inaccurate or delayed services, such as billing issues or copier problems, eroding trust (e.g., Finance's brown water complaints, Library's lapsed copier contract).

Opportunities Description
New Technology
Adopt new technologies like eTRAKiT, AI, tablets/iPads for field staff, and online self-service to streamline processes and reduce in-person load (e.g., permitting in Community Development, remote monitoring in Wastewater).

Positions
Unfreeze positions and invest in training to increase headcount and skills, enhancing capacity (e.g., Library and Public Works suggesting more staff for extended hours and maintenance).

Shared resources
Form partnerships with other cities or organizations for shared resources, like code enforcement or training (e.g., Community Development exploring shared roles, Library benchmarking with other libraries).

Communication
Channels
Improve communication channels, such as better online reservations and dashboards, to boost satisfaction and efficiency (e.g., Public Works expanding Grapevine use, City Manager suggesting interactive platforms).

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
28 Events & outreach
Leverage positive feedback to build on strengths, like expanding events or outreach (e.g., Library's program attendance tracking, Fire's community presence).

Threats Description
Regulations &
changes
Stringent state regulations and changes (e.g., housing laws, water neutrality) override local control and slow operations (e.g., Community Development's public hearing limits, Building's enforcement challenges).

Expectations
High resident expectations and demands exceeding capacity, especially from seniors or vocal communities (e.g., Public Works' oversight from engaged residents, Library's material requests).

Social Media
Negative social media (e.g., Nextdoor) and misconceptions impacting morale and perception (e.g., Public Works' crisis mentality from repeated complaints).

Labor market
Labor market tightness and long commutes making recruitment and retention difficult (e.g., turnover in Public Works, understaffing in Wastewater).

External crises
External crises like storms or fires creating peaks that strain limited resources (e.g., Public Works' seasonal demands, Fire's call volume).

4.3.8. Forward Looking Questions
What changes do you anticipate in your business functions over the next 1-3 years, and how prepared is your team?
Technology dominates (appearing in ~60% of substantive responses), followed by staffing (~35%). Administrative departments (e.g., Finance, City Clerk) lean toward process/tech changes, while operational ones (e.g., Public Works, Building) emphasize external factors and efficiency. Library interviews repeatedly highlight outreach and hours.

Teams often rate themselves as somewhat prepared if changes involve familiar tools, but unprepared for resource-intensive shifts (e.g., needing training or hires). About 25% express explicit concerns like costs or adaptation.

Responses are mostly proactive and hopeful, focusing on improvements rather than declines. Many tie changes to broader city needs, like revenue generation or trust-building, but note unclear alignment with strategic goals.

If you could implement one major improvement to your operations, what would it be and why? Rank #1: The most common suggestion involved hiring additional personnel, unfreezing frozen positions, improving salaries, or requiring more onsite presence to handle workloads. Rationales often center on reducing burnout, enabling service expansions (e.g., longer library hours for community access during evenings or weekends), and boosting morale through better compensation and presence (e.g., less remote work to foster team collaboration). The sentiment is urgent and practical, with interviewees noting that current shortages lead to overwhelmed teams and inconsistent service; improvements would directly support daily functions and employee retention.

Rank #2: Implementing or enhancing software, tools, or automated systems, such as new platforms for error reduction, digital tracking, or field equipment. Mentioned in roughly 30% of responses, spanning administrative and operational roles like HR/Finance (adopting Springbrook to minimize payroll errors), Water (automating quality controls for consistent supply), Public Works (tablets/iPads for field staff efficiency), and Building (eTRAKiT to eliminate paper-based processes).

Rationales emphasize error reduction, time savings, and modernization (e.g., moving from manual Excel tasks to automated systems to free up staff for higher-value work, or using tech to handle seasonal demands like water discoloration). Sentiment

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
29 is Forward-thinking and optimistic, viewed as a high-impact fix for outdated methods, though tied to costs; often linked to broader digital transformations already underway.

Rank #3: Streamlining workflows, developing SOPs, or reorganizing tasks like scheduling, batch processing, or record management. Found in about 25% of responses, especially in Finance (batch closings to save time on billing cycles), City Clerk (organizing public records for quicker access), Wastewater (improved scheduling to avoid overload), and Planning (accelerating permit processes). Rationales focus on efficiency gains, error prevention, and consistency (e.g., written SOPs to ensure knowledge transfer amid turnover, or better documentation from leadership to track issues and build community trust). The sentiment is pragmatic, with a focus on low-hanging fruit that could yield quick wins; often connected to reducing redundancies and aligning with city-wide goals like faster service delivery.

What best practices from other organizations or departments could be adapted here? Benchmarking dominates (especially in Library, where staff repeatedly express interest in peer learning), followed by technology (common in admin/operations). Process improvements are widespread but department-specific, while collaboration appears in hands-on roles. About 15% of responses were neutral or "I don’t know," indicating limited exposure or focus on internal issues.

Explanations consistently link practices to efficiency (e.g., reducing delays, errors), capacity (e.g., handling growth with limited staff), and service quality (e.g., better resident interactions). Many highlight adapting from neighboring or similarsized agencies, with conferences or lists as key sources. Responses are optimistic about potential gains but frustrated by barriers like frozen positions or budgets. Themes align with prior forward-looking questions, reinforcing needs for tech, staffing, and external input, but with less emphasis on city-wide goals.

How aligned are your current functions with the city's strategic goals, and where could alignment be strengthened?
Across the 36 interviews, 22 offered insights on alignment with the city's strategic goals, revealing varied awareness and alignment levels. A common theme is partial alignment, with departments like HR and Public Works noting their functions (e.g., hiring, safety) support goals like community trust and service delivery, yet lack clear guidance on specific objectives, as seen in mention of minimal KPI direction. About 40% express uncertainty, citing vague or inaccessible strategic goals, suggesting a need for better communication from leadership to bridge this gap.

Strengthening alignment emerges as a key pattern, with suggestions focusing on enhanced communication and metrics.

Departments like Finance and Library propose regular updates or dashboards to link daily tasks to goals, such as revenue stability or community engagement. Around 30% highlight resource alignment—e.g., unfreezing positions or adopting tech like eTRAKiT—to better support strategic priorities. The sentiment is proactive, with a shared desire to align more closely, though gaps in awareness and resources, indicate ongoing challenges in integrating city-wide vision with operational roles.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
30 5.0 Concluding Remarks and Next Steps
The Current State Analysis for the City of St. Helena's Efficiency and Business Transformation Study reveals a municipality poised for positive change but grappling with systemic challenges that hinder operational maturity and resident-focused service delivery. Key findings underscore an overall low organizational maturity (CMMI Level 1), characterized by ad hoc, undocumented processes, a lack of governance for policies and SOPs, and no formal KPIs to track performance. Situational awareness is limited, with excessive budgeting documentation attempting to compensate for gaps in asset management and strategic planning. Survey data from 53 employees (59% response rate) highlights moderate resident satisfaction (39% "Good," 35% "Average") but frequent bottlenecks (43% "Often") and non-value-added activities (30% "Often"), particularly in Administrative Services, Public Works, and Police, where average scores lag at 2.6–3.3. Open-ended responses emphasize needs for faster responses, clearer communication, digital access, and more staffing, with technology upgrades like AI and online tools seen as high-impact improvements.

Structured interviews (36 participants) provide a SWOT lens across categories. Strengths include collaborative teams, dedicated staff, and recent IT adoptions like eTRAKiT and Image Trend, fostering adaptive workflows and positive resident interactions. However, weaknesses dominate: understaffing (30% shortages, frozen positions), manual redundancies, crossdepartmental delays, and outdated or lower performing tools (e.g., Springbrook rated 4–7/10) lead to burnout, errors, and inefficiencies. Culture is supportive internally but strained by low pay, high workloads, and external negativity (e.g., Nextdoor complaints), with innovation encouraged unevenly (39% "Some," 33% "Lots"). Opportunities lie in business process engineering; better management and integration of IT services and AI; and regional partnerships. Threats include turnover from commutes/pay disparities, regulatory pressures (e.g., housing laws), and budget constraints limiting training/tech investments.

Forward-looking insights anticipate tech/staffing changes in 1–3 years, with moderate preparation; and best practices from peers (e.g., benchmarking) could enhance efficiency. Alignment with strategic goals is moderate (48%) and could be strengthened by better communication and resource allocation. Overall, while the City demonstrates resilience and community commitment, addressing staffing shortages, process immaturity, and tech integration is critical for transformation, potentially yielding cost savings, higher throughput, and elevated resident trust. With targeted interventions, St. Helena can evolve from reactionary operations to a proactive, high-performing organization.

5.1.Next Steps
In Step 1, we focused on surveys and structured interviews across the entire City (See Figure 6). We also conducted an initial review of some key documentation and artifacts. This provided us with a broad “Current Analysis” of the City.

Blackberg’s next step is Step 2, “Data Collection Plan”. In Step 2, we focus further on data collection (documents, guides, reports, budgets, schematics, flow charts, etc.). We also seek detailed data in areas identified as strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, or threats. The increased depth of analysis, from this data collection, focuses on the elements in Figure 7 that have a red or orange box. Red boxed elements are of highest priority, and orange boxed elements are of moderate priority.

We will examine those elements individually and how they interrelate.

Figure 6 - Study Steps: Blackberg moves through four major steps in conducting the efficiency and business transformation study.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
31 Figure 7 – City Fitness Framework: In Step 2, we begin to examine the elements in more depth with a high priority given to processes and other elements impacting customer service.

Control and Coordination
Cross-functional activity elements
 Asset management
 Internal audit and compliance
 Internal audit
 Accounting & Budgeting
 Legal
 Operational departments
 Customer relationship management
 Change management
 Risk Management
 Quality Management
 Strategic planning
 Training and development
 Supply chain management
 New product development
Structural elements
 Hierarchy and chain of command
 Span of control
 Work specialization
Governance
 Policies
 Processes
 Performance metrics
 Decision making frameworks
 Oversight mechanisms
 Risk management protocols
 Compliance rules
 Resource allocation systems
o Core Business Processes
o Decision-Making Processes
o Governance and Oversight Processes
o Technology-Enabled Processes
o Collaboration and Coordination Processes
o Continuous Improvement Processes
o Standard Operating Procedures

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GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 1: Current State Analysis
32 Appendix
Survey
We conducted the survey in Microsoft 365 Forms. The results are in Microsoft Excel. We conducted our analysis in Microsoft Excel and include it as a separate file.

Figure 8 – Survey Screenshot: This is a screenshot of the survey Likert scale results. The attached Excel includes multiple worksheets with analyses for different Departments.

Information and
Insight Analysis
OCTOBER 21, 2025
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information & Insight Analysis
b
Contents

1.0 Executive Summary............................................................................................1

2.0 Background and Purpose...................................................................................3

3.0 Methodology......................................................................................................4

4.0 Key Findings and Themes ..................................................................................5

5.0 Detailed Analysis................................................................................................8

5.1. Quantitative Data ................................................................................................................. 8

5.1.1. Staffing.................................................................................................................... 8

5.1.2. Budget ..................................................................................................................... 9

5.1.3. Library ................................................................................................................... 12

5.1.4. Planning Division.................................................................................................. 14

5.1.5. Grapevine Report................................................................................................... 14

5.1.6. Parks and Recreation............................................................................................. 15

5.1.7. City Clerk ............................................................................................................... 15

5.2. Insights ............................................................................................................................... 17

5.2.1. Talent..................................................................................................................... 18

5.2.2. Governance............................................................................................................ 18

5.2.3. Quality Management............................................................................................. 19

5.2.4. Customer Relationship Management.................................................................... 20

5.2.5. Change Management ............................................................................................ 21

5.2.6. Asset Management................................................................................................ 22

5.2.7. Strategy ................................................................................................................. 24

5.2.8. Culture – Library and Parks and Recreation ......................................................... 25

5.2.9. IT & AI Platform .................................................................................................... 25

5.2.10. Awareness.............................................................................................................. 31

5.2.11. Customers .............................................................................................................. 32

5.2.12. Communications.................................................................................................... 34

5.2.13. Processes................................................................................................................ 35

5.2.13.1. Business Process Management System (BPMS) Maturity ............................ 35

5.2.13.2. Continuous Improvement (CI) Capability .................................................. 35

5.2.13.3. Organizational Context and Direction ...................................................... 35

5.2.13.4. Overall Insight ........................................................................................ 36

5.2.13.5. Business Process Management and Continuous Improvement.................... 36 A. Introduction................................................................................................. 36

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GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information & Insight Analysis
c
B. Business Process Maturity Assessment .......................................................... 37 C. Business Process Framework (Levels 1-5)...................................................... 40 D. Process Inventory Overview.......................................................................... 42 E. Continuous Improvement Assessment ........................................................... 43 F. Performance Measures and Continuous Improvement................................... 45 G. Level 2 SIPOC Examples.............................................................................. 46

5.3. Large Scale Considerations................................................................................................. 49

5.3.1. Revenue Improvement with Tourism..................................................................... 49

5.3.2. Increased Partnerships with Surrounding Towns and County.........................................49

5.3.3. Public Private Partnerships ................................................................................... 49

6.0 Next Steps ........................................................................................................... 50

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
1 1.0 Executive Summary
In our first deliverable, Blackberg focused on examining the current state of the City of St. Helena (City) primarily through surveying all staff and conducting structured interviews of 36 staff members. For the Information and Insight Analysis (second deliverable), Blackberg again examines the City’s current state. However, with this examination, we conducted document reviews; data requests; quantitative analyses of data; interviews with Executive leadership, Finance Committee members, City Council members, and residents (small number); review of legacy analyses and surveys; one meeting with the outside IT service consultant (Apex); examination of publicly published materials on the website and social media; and examination of national benchmark data for Libraries.

Overall, our findings are consistent with the first deliverable. However, the second deliverable has given us greater insights into many of the issues facing the City, and we were able to explore new areas of the organization. We used the City Fitness Framework (CFF) as a structure for the study and the deliverable (See Figure 2, page 4).

Key Findings
The following are the key findings for the Information and Insight Analysis. We stress that the focus of this analysis is on the weaknesses and issues within the City government, not the strengths. 1) The various reports on budget deficiencies create confusion among staff and residents about what the actual annual shortfall is and what comprises it. There is also confusion about how the shortfall spreads over years (i.e. is it 3 years of deficits or is it in perpetuity). This is one element creating a sense of serious distrust towards City executives and the City government broadly. In section 1.1.2, we highlight some of the different realities that the City communicated about the budget in the past few years. There are obviously dramatic differences, and we see a lack of communication in explaining what reality truly is and why these differences exist (not in the Baker Tilly report, but in how the City communicated with residents and City staff about the issue). Undoubtedly, the near total lack of centralized asset management is closely tied to the budget issue, see section 1.1.6, and a near total lack of talent management is also tied to it, see section 1.1.1. We also noted that the use of Popular Annual Financial Reports ended in 2020, thereby reducing residents’ ability to understand what is happening with City finances. The revisions to the budget derive from a Baker Tilly report that also included a series of budget strategies. Ideally, the City would tie these budget strategies to its Strategic Plan through a major update. However, the City does not maintain a Strategic Plan, see section 1.1.7. Finally, the combination of budget tracking issues, severe lack of management systems, governance inadequacy, and leadership and management styles creates a ripe environment for financial and/or procurement impropriety.
2) The Library maintains a good collection of quantitative data related to key aspects of its performance (See Figure 8). However, we did not find that it had taken the next step of computing Performance Ratios that could be used as KPIs. Therefore, Blackberg developed the Performance Ratios (see Figure 9) for comparison to national benchmarks for libraries associated with towns of similar population size. The Library demonstrates excellent levels of performance. It is arguably a top 20 or possibly top 10 performing library in the national survey. However, this does come with a much higher than average staffing cost. We spoke with the City Manager about the Library, and he began referencing the Performance Ratios with our assistance in explaining them. This immediately began helping him in making decisions about what to consider. This was an excellent example of how the City could use Performance Ratios/KPIs in making good management decisions. 3) There is an inadequate (almost nonexistent) talent management system within the City. There are some aspects of talent management (recruiting, training, talent review); however, there is no framework or model used. There is very little structure or planning. There is no alignment with strategy because a strategy does not exist. The lack of talent management has created a City staff in which some individuals, including executive managers, do not have the education, professional certifications, and/or experience to meet a minimal level of capability (not average) expected for their role.
4) Governance is severely lacking in many different aspects. The City does not have a central repository of policies, processes, and performance metrics co-located with an Integrated Policy-Performance (IPP) Grid. An IPP Grid maps policies to process and performance metrics. Undoubtedly, this is creating gaps between existing policies and actual implementation of those policies. This has also led to misunderstandings about who is responsible, accountable, supportive, consulted, or informed for work. One example that we highlight is a report from Regional

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
2 Government Services (RGS) that notes: “Notably, the City Clerk’s statutory role as FPPC Filing Officer under the Political Reform Act is not being fully met.” (RGS, “Draft Strategic Assessment Report”). 5) Quality Management is severely lacking. The basic definition of a Quality Management System (QMS) is a structured framework for policies, processes, and performance metrics that is designed to ensure consistent quality in an organization’s products or services. Arguably, this is nonexistent. 6) There is positive progress with Customer Relationship Management (CRM). The addition of the Grapevine tool is a great step in the right direction. Grapevine does have limited functionality that the City could upgrade at a later date. A central and severe problem of CRM is the lack of engagement on the core City issues (e.g. water, streets, sidewalks, affordable, housing, budget challenges). The City needs to formulate a comprehensive strategic plan to address these issues and communicate it with residents. This should be directly linked to the budget reports. 7) Change management is severely lacking within the City. This is highly problematic because the City is experiencing many changes as it addresses issues and challenges. An ADKAR model of change management is particularly useful for the City’s situation because it outlines five individual change stages: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement (ADKAR). A Kotter “8 Steps for Leading Change” approach may also be helpful. We did not find any evidence that executive managers are familiar with change management. To the contrary, we found evidence that some were embracing well-known missteps: failing to establish a roadmap beforehand; poor or absent communication; dismissing opposition outright-often in hostile ways; neglecting proper upskilling…etc. 8) Asset management is severely lacking, particularly centralized asset management that tracks maintenance completed, work completed, inventories, etc. This is a major issue within Public Works and connects directly with the issues of long-term financial planning. This also undermines the City’s ability to formulate robust strategic plans because it stifles situational awareness. Further, the lack of asset management can lead to inventory shrinkage (that includes theft) or embezzlement.
9) The City does not have a strategic plan. This is a critical gap as it is the key document for planning and organizing how the City will meet its vision and mission. The absence of this document is creating numerous direct issues and spill-over problems across the City.
10) The budget crisis (or perception of it) is creating negative effects on culture within the City Departments and Divisions. It’s leading to both rumors and legitimate concerns about job security. It is also leading employees to “wonder why they are working hard if the entire Division might be shut down.” These concerns link directly to the first key issue that we highlight in this section.
11) Apex is making progress in improving the City’s IT position, particularly with cybersecurity; however, there is still room for significant improvement in general management. There appears to be no enterprise architecture for IT.

The City needs enterprise architecture to map how its IT systems are supporting people and processes. Within AI, the City is lagging its peers (See Figure 21). The City is currently in the bottom 10% of the benchmark data. 12) Our in-depth review of processes within Public Works, Administrative Services, and Community Development revealed a CMMI maturity level ranging from 1-2. The City’s business process environment reflects early-stage maturity with limited standardization and no formal continuous improvement framework. Please see Figure 3 (page 7) for reference on maturity levels. A major concern is that none of the managers with whom we spoke were familiar with the concept of business process maturity levels, and they tended to score City process maturity at much higher levels than what is justified by definition.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
3 2.0 Background and Purpose
Blackberg conducted this study to develop “Information and Insight Analysis” of the City of St. Helena (City).

Blackberg’s engagement with the City has a primary objective and primary goal:
 Objective - assess current business processes, identify inefficiencies, and recommend strategies for improvement and transformation.
 Goal - align City services, technology, and organizational structure in a way that makes it easier and more efficient for residents to access services and conduct business with the City.

The Information and Insight Analysis is the primary deliverable for “Step 2” that is shown in Figure 1. Step 1 focused on surveys and structured interviews of City staff with limited documentation reviews. Step 2 is a broader review of the elements within the City Fitness Framework (CFF) (See Figure 2, next page) that includes more quantitative and document reviews with a heavy focus on management systems and models (or a lack thereof). In this examination, Blackberg explores to what degree professional management is present in the City.

Basic Definition: Professional management includes a clear structure, clear goals, and people-focused execution. It means strategies, strong leadership, and efficient processes. From an organization’s view, hallmarks include clear goal-setting SMART objectives, plus solid communication to keep everyone aligned. There is effective delegation, where managers empower teams without micromanaging. Data-driven decisions are key, using metrics to track progress. Accountability is present through regular reviews, and adaptability handles changes smoothly. Finally, fostering culture with training and feedback builds high-performing groups.

Figure 1 - Study Steps: Blackberg moves through four major steps in conducting the efficiency and business transformation study.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
4 3.0 Methodology
Blackberg used the City Fitness Framework (CFF) (See Figure 2) to provide structure and context for the study. For the Information and Insight Analysis, we shifted to examining organizational elements outside of “Structure” (See Figure 2), but we also continued our analysis of Structure. One can study each element within the CFF in relative isolation, but the reality of any organization is that each element is interreacting with all other elements as a complex adaptive system.

Therefore, it is important to understand the major interactions. For the Information and Insight Analysis, we began examining those interactions. We also conducted more detailed analyses of Process and Performance metrics in Public Works, Administrative Services, and Community Development. Our methods included document reviews; data requests; quantitative analyses of data; interviews with Executive leadership, finance committee members, City Council members, and residents (small number); review of legacy analyses and surveys; one meeting with the outside IT service consultant (Apex); examination of publicly published materials on the website and social media; and examination of national benchmark data for Libraries.

Figure 2 – Blackberg City Fitness Framework: In conducting efficiency and business transformation studies, Team Blackberg examines all elements that impact a City’s effectiveness and performance.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
5 4.0 Key Findings and Themes
Based on document reviews; data requests; quantitative analyses of data; interviews with Executive leadership, finance committee members, City Council members, and residents (small number); review of legacy analyses and surveys; one meeting with the outside IT service consultant (Apex); examination of publicly published materials on the website and social media; and examination of national benchmark data for Libraries, Blackberg identified the key findings. We emphasize that most of the key findings are not simple, one-dimensional problems; rather, they are complex, multidimensional problems. In the following key findings, we attempt to be as succinct as possible, but we must expand the findings to address some of the multidimensional nature of these issues. 1) The various reports on budget deficiencies create confusion among staff and residents about what the actual annual shortfall is and what comprises it. There is also confusion about how the shortfall spreads over years (i.e. is it 3 years of deficits or is it in perpetuity). This is one element creating a sense of serious distrust towards City executives and the City government broadly. In section 1.1.2, we highlight some of the different realities that the City communicated about the budget in the past few years. There are obviously dramatic differences, and we see a lack of communication in explaining what reality truly is and why these differences exist (not in the Baker Tilly report, but in how the City communicated with residents and City staff about the issue). Undoubtedly, the near total lack of centralized asset management is closely tied to this issue, see section 1.1.6, and a near total lack of talent management is also tied to it, see section 1.1.1. We also noted that the use of Popular Annual Financial Reports ended in 2020, thereby reducing residents’ ability to understand what is happening with City finances. The revisions to the budget derive from a Baker Tilly report that also included a series of budget strategies. Ideally, the City would tie these budget strategies to its Strategic Plan through a major update. However, the City does not maintain a Strategic Plan, see section 1.1.7. Finally, the combination of budget tracking issues, severe lack of management systems, governance inadequacy, and leadership and management styles creates a ripe environment for financial and/or procurement impropriety.
2) The Library maintains a good collection of quantitative data related to key aspects of its performance (See Figure 8). However, we did not find that it had taken the next step of computing Performance Ratios that could be used as KPIs. Therefore, Blackberg developed the Performance Ratios (see Figure 9) for comparison to national benchmarks for libraries associated with towns of similar population size. The Library demonstrates excellent levels of performance. It is arguably a top 20 or possibly top 10 performing library in the national survey. However, this does come with a much higher than average staffing cost. We spoke with the City Manager about the Library, and he began referencing the Performance Ratios with our assistance in explaining them. This immediately began to help him in making decisions about what to consider. This was an excellent example of how the City could use Performance Ratios/KPIs in making good management decisions. 3) There is an inadequate (almost nonexistent) talent management system within the City. There are some aspects of talent management (recruiting, training, talent review); however, there is no framework or model used. There is very little structure or planning. There is no alignment with strategy because a strategy does not exist. The lack of talent management has created a City staff in which some individuals, including executive managers, do not have the education, professional certifications, and/or experience to meet a minimal level of capability (not average) expected for their role.
4) Governance is severely lacking in many different aspects. The City does not have a central repository of policies, processes, and performance metrics co-located with an Integrated Policy-Performance (IPP) Grid. An IPP Grid maps policies to process and performance metrics. Undoubtedly, this is creating gaps between existing policies and actual implementation of those policies. This has also led to misunderstandings about who is responsible, accountable, supportive, consulted, or informed for work. One example that we highlight is a report from Regional Government Services (RGS) that notes: “Notably, the City Clerk’s statutory role as FPPC Filing Officer under the Political Reform Act is not being fully met.” (RGS, “Draft Strategic Assessment Report”). 5) Quality Management is severely lacking. The basic definition of a Quality Management System (QMS) is a structured framework for policies, processes, and performance metrics that is designed to ensure consistent quality in an organization’s products or services. Arguably, this is nonexistent.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
6 6) There is positive progress with Customer Relationship Management (CRM). The addition of the Grapevine tool is a great step in the right direction. Grapevine does have limited functionality that the City could upgrade at a later date. A central problem of CRM is the lack of engagement on the core City issues (e.g. water, streets, sidewalks, affordable, housing, budget challenges). The City needs to formulate a comprehensive strategic plan to address these issues and communicate it with residents. This should be directly linked to the budget reports. 7) Change management is severely lacking within the City. This is highly problematic because the City is experiencing many changes as it addresses issues and challenges. An ADKAR model of change management is particularly useful for the City’s situation because it outlines five individual change stages: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement (ADKAR). A Kotter “8 Steps for Leading Change” approach may also be helpful. We did not find any evidence that executive managers are familiar with change management. To the contrary, we found evidence that some were embracing well-known missteps: failing to establish a roadmap beforehand; poor or absent communication; dismissing opposition outright; neglecting proper upskilling…etc. 8) Asset management is severely lacking, particularly centralized asset management that tracks maintenance completed, work completed, inventories, etc. This is a major issue within Public Works and connects directly with the issues of long-term financial planning. This also undermines the City’s ability to formulate robust strategic plans because it stifles situational awareness. Further, the lack of asset management can lead to inventory shrinkage (that includes theft) or embezzlement.
9) The City does not have a strategic plan. This is a critical gap as it is the key document for planning and organizing how the City will meet its vision and mission. The absence of this document is creating numerous direct issues and spill-over problems across the City.
10) The budget crisis (or perception of it) is creating negative effects on culture within the City Departments and Divisions. It’s leading to both rumors and legitimate concerns about job security. It is also leading employees to “wonder why they are working hard if the entire Division might be shut down.” These concerns link directly to the first key issue that we highlight in this section.
11) Apex appears to be making progress in improving the City’s IT position, particularly with cybersecurity; however, there is still room for significant improvement in general management. There appears to be no enterprise architecture for IT. The City needs enterprise architecture to map how its IT systems are supporting people and processes. Within AI, the City is lagging behind its peers (See Figure 21). The City is currently in the bottom 10% of the benchmark data.
12) Our in-depth review of processes within Public Works, Administrative Services, and Community Development revealed a maturity level ranging from 1-2. The City’s business process environment reflects early-stage maturity with limited standardization and no formal continuous improvement framework. Please see Figure 3 (next page) for reference on maturity levels. A major concern is that none of the managers with whom we spoke were familiar with the concept of business process maturity levels, and they tended to score City process maturity at much higher levels than what is justified by definition.

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
7 Figure 3 – Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI): We use CMMI to assign a process maturity score to the City.

CMMI has 5 levels of maturity with 5 being “most mature.” Increasing Levels of Organizational Maturity
Processes are ad hoc,
unpredictable, and
poorly controlled, with
success relying on
individual effort rather
than standardized
procedures, leading to
inconsistent outcomes.

Processes are planned,
documented, and
monitored at the project
level, ensuring basic
management and
repeatability, though
organization-wide
consistency is still
limited.

Processes are welldefined, standardized,
and consistently
implemented across
the organization, with
proactive
improvements and
tailored practices to
support predictable
outcomes.

Processes are measured
and controlled using
quantitative data,
enabling predictable
performance. Statistical
techniques guide
improvements, ensuring
consistent outcomes and
proactive management
across projects and the
organization.

Processes are
continuously refined
using data-driven
insights, fostering
innovation and
adaptability. The
organization proactively
optimizes practices,
ensures sustained
excellence, and aligns
operations with strategic
goals, achieving agility
and consistent high
performance across all
projects and functions.
1 2
3 4
5

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
8 5.0 Detailed Analysis

5.1.Quantitative Data
In this section, we share the quantitative data that we were able to obtain, and we include some discussion of it. We used the data to further inform the “Insights” section that is in section 5.2. Within the Insights section, we provide a deeper discussion of findings. We will also reference this data in our future deliverables that focus on recommendations on transformational changes needed.

5.1.1. Staffing
Blackberg received staffing data on September 23,
2025. This data included a breakdown of staffing
by Department, Division, full-time positions, and
part-time positions. Some of the full-time
positions listed were vacant, but there was active
recruitment occurring. We noted additional
positions with a status of “unfunded” or “frozen”.

We did not count these positions in the staffing
summary.

Figure 4 – Staffing Summary
Department Division Full-Time
Positions
Part-Time
Positions
City Manager's Office Executive 1
City Manager's Office City Clerk 2
Total: 3
Administrative Services Administrative Services 6
Administrative Services Human Resources 1
Total: 7
Community Development Community Development 6
Total: 6
Community Services Executive 2
Community Services Recreation 2 23
Community Services Library 3 7
Community Services Fire 8 15
Community Services Police 15
Total: 30 45
Public Works Executive 9
Public Works Buildings & Streets 4
Public Works Parks & Trees 5
Public Works Underground Utilities 4
Public Works Water Treatment 3
Public Works Wastewater Treatment 4
Total: 29
Grand Total: 75 45
Staffing Summary

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
9 5.1.2. Budget
The City’s budget suffered from a lack of long-range planning being tied to assets. In the Figure below, The City had a long-range budget forecast that showed minimal deficits and an overall healthy surplus.

Figure 5 – Original Long-Range General Fund Forecast - dated August 29, 2022: This is a snapshot from the Baker Tilly “Report to the City Council on 28 Feb 2023.”
The City’s forecast faced a series of updates that completely changed the outlook. The first update showed a concerning, but still manageable, series of deficits between 2023 and 2028. The City could cover these deficits from the Fund Reserves.

Updated Baseline General Fund Forecast
Figure 6 – St. Helena Updated Baseline General Fund Forecast: This is a snapshot from the Baker Tilly “Report to the City Council on 28 Feb 2023.”
The City then conducted “a series of studies, working committees, and reports to categorize assets, provide cost estimates for replacement/repair, and develop funding strategies for the replacement/repair of assets/infrastructure.” (Presentation on Long Range Financial Plan Options and Council Discussion and Direction, 28 Feb 2023). This resulted in an “estimated

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
10 $155 million in Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) projects identified over the next 30-years in the following categories:

Streets, Storm-drain, Water, Wastewater, and Civic facilities.” The following is a direct quote form the “Long Range Financial Forecast Budget Strategies” provided by Baker Tilly:
“With the baseline forecast updated, Baker Tilly reviewed the City’s identified unfunded or underfunded needs and capacity to meet the service delivery expectations of the community. These needs are summarized in the three areas discussed below.

1. Compensation adjustments. The City is challenged with recruiting and retaining talent to fill necessary positions for basic service delivery. Initial estimates indicate that current compensation and benefits are well below market. Addressing this would require additional General Fund resources totaling $1.7 million per year if implemented in FY 2024, which would bring City positions to within 75% of the variance between existing compensation levels and the median based on the compensation survey.

2. Ideal staffing levels. City staff assessed necessary positions to meet the community’s desired service levels and the City Council’s established priorities. These positions include a grants coordinator, code compliance staff, administrative assistants/analysts, one additional police officer, and maintenance workers. The cost of the eight new positions and the unfreezing of one position to address these staffing needs would be approximately $1 million per year to the General Fund.

3. Capital funding needs. The City has
assessed its unmet capital funding needs
in five areas: streets, stormwater, civic
facilities, water, and wastewater. Water
and wastewater capital projects are funded
by utility charges with the City Council
having the authority to establish rates that
cover both operational and capital costs.

The other three capital areas could require
General Fund sources. Based on the needs
to address these three infrastructure areas,
the City staff anticipates unfunded
obligations totaling over $2.5 million per
year through FY 2028, tapering down to
over $2 million per year starting in FY
2029 and beyond. The unfunded capital and
staffing needs are presented in Table 3
below.”
Figure 8 – Revised General Fund Forecast Including Additional Capacity and Addressing Unfunded/ Underfunded Needs: The final revision shows budget deficits that are highly alarming for City.

Figure 7 – Summary of Underfunded Capital and Staffing
Needs – Year 1 (Table 3): This is a snapshot from the Baker Tilly “Report to the City Council on 28 Feb 2023.”

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
11 Baker Tilly provided a variety of strategies and scenarios to address the budget shortfall. This included detailed descriptions and expected outcomes of various strategies on Pages 11-26 of the “Report to the City Council on 28 Feb 2023.” Critical Concerns: For any municipal government, the Baker Tilly findings and long-term financial forecasts should serve as an enormous “call to action.” However, the City did not respond by conducting a root-cause analysis nor did it create a strategic plan to explain how it would address these issues. This was a major missed opportunity to begin driving needed change. In our interviews, we found residents joining the City Finance Committee to investigate the situation (root cause analysis), and they informed us that they thought the City “needed some type of overarching plan for addressing the budget and other issues in the City.” A strategic plan would satisfy what they described to us.

We also noted distrust on both the side of the Committee and the City. Residents and City Staff have reported this issue of distrust to us on many occasions. If the City develops a strategic plan, and we highly recommend it does, a major strategic objective should be to address this issue of distrust.

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
12 5.1.3. Library
The data (See Figure 8) shows a very popular and well-run St. Helena Public Library (Library). It also shows a strong recovery from the COVID-19 shutdowns. This recovery is strong even though it is hampered by an FTE Staff reduction that reduced the number of programs dramatically. The data aligns with the Godbe Research that showed “Library Programs and Services” as the second highest rated (behind Fire Protection Services) in terms of “Satisfaction with City Services, Programs and Facilities.”
Figure 8 – Library Quantitative Data
We did not find evidence that the Library maintains Performance Ratios. However, the Library does have a considerable amount of high-quality, quantitative data that tracks its performance. Further, it participates in the Public Libraries Survey (PLS). To better understand, the Library’s performance, we used data from the PLS to compare it to 330 other libraries across the country, to which we collectively refer as “comparables.” The comparables were limited to towns with a population of 4,801 to 5,598 residents. The results of our analysis produced the Performance Ratios found in Figure 9 (next page).

Based on the Performance Ratios, the Library’s performance is exceptionally good. It is arguably in the top 10 libraries in the data set. To the extent that there are negatives in the Performance Ratios, 3 of the 4 negative results are simply products of the Library’s success. They are driven by much higher usage and more intensive usage than average. The Library receives about 200% more physical visits than an average library of its size. Further, of those who visit the library, they request librarian reference support about 250% more and borrow about 80% more. This leads to the need for higher amounts of Staffing per 1,000 service hours; usage of a higher amount of operating income per capita; and higher collection expenditure per capita. The one negative that the Library should examine is the Collection Turnover Rate. It is in the negative because of the very large number of electronic resources available. The Library could consider lowering this. This would also improve the Collection Expenditure per Capita. We also note, that once you adjust for work volume, the Library is running a slightly leaner than average staffing (See Performance Ration “Staffing per Visits per Open Hour”).

Measures 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Open Hours 2,257 1,787 728 2,227 2,193 2,428
People with Library Card 6,905 6,635 6,521 4,651 5,012 6,436 Physical visits 98,848 67,336 9,983 45,142 59,765 64,144 Website visits 41,200 43,659 45,072 48,136 49,584 54,635 Print materials 50,412 49,297 45,335 44,870 43,988 34,136 Collection items 184,189 217,537 160,596 243,684 136,034 47,291 Electronic materials 45,760 50,210 50,667 944,644 326,637 37,576 Checkouts 181,903 129,087 139,264 1,057,383 432,086 156,592 Lent to outside libraries 32,331 22,738 24,856 21,206 21,244 8,418 Brought from outside libraries 17,432 13,440 19,797 13,799 12,245 14,548 FTE staff 8.05 7.92 6.40 6.40 6.02 6.00
Reference questions 8,892 6,669 11,388 8,164 7,436 5,556 Programs 640 427 34 185 167 110
Program attendance 11,011 6,489 786 3,270 4,158 3,322

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
13 Figure 9 – Library Performance Ratios
Performance Ratios St. Helena Average Definition Formula Typical Benchmark for Small Libraries (Pop. ~5,000)
Total Circulation per
Capita:

28.33 6.00 Higher is
better
Measures borrowing activity relative to the
served population; indicates collection
relevance and user engagement.

Total circulation (physical + electronic) ÷
Population of legal service area
5–10 items per person annually (e.g.,
25,000–50,000 total for a 5,000-person
town). Higher rates suggest strong demand.

Visits per Capita 11.16 3.98 Higher is
better
Gauges foot traffic and in-person engagemen Total physical visits (TOTPHYS/VISITS) ÷ Population of legal service area
4–6 visits per person annually (e.g.,
20,000–30,000 total).

Reference
Transactions per
Capita

1.39 .57 Higher is
better
Tracks informational assistance provided;
reflects staff expertise and patron needs
met.

Total reference transactions ÷ Population of
legal service area
.4–3 per person annually (e.g., 5,000–15,000
total).

Collection Turnover
Rate
.35 0.70 Higher is
better
Shows how often materials are checked out;
higher rates indicate a fresh, in-demand
collection.

Total circulation ÷ Total collection size (at
year-end)
2–4 turnovers per year for adult/children's
materials combined.

Staffing per 1,000
Service Hours

2.75 1.64 Lower is
better
Evaluates staffing efficiency during open
hours; balances service quality with costs.

Total FTE staff (professional + other) ÷
Annual public service hours in 1,000's

1.5 FTE per 1,000 service hours (e.g., for a
library open ~2,500 hours/year, 1.25–2.5
FTE).

Staffing per visits per
open hour

0.23 0.27
Lower is
better
Evaluates staffing efficiency during open
hours adjusted for physical visits per hour.

Total FTE staff (professional + other) ÷ Visits
per Open Hour
Middle range: .23-.3
Operating Income per
Capita 216.41 53.17
Lower is
better
Assesses funding adequacy relative to
community size; key for financial health.

Total operating revenue ÷ Population of
legal service area
$50–$80 per person annually (e.g.,
$250,000–$400,000 total).

Staffing Expense Ratio

0.74 0.80 Lower is
better
Proportion of budget spent on personnel;
indicates investment in human resources
vs. other costs.

Total staff salaries & wages ÷ Total
operating expenses
50–65% of budget.

Program Attendance
per Capita

0.78 0.64 Higher is
better
Measures community engagement with
library programs (e.g., storytimes,
workshops). High attendance indicates
strong outreach.

Total program attendance (PLS #503) ÷
Population of legal service area (PLS #100)

0.5–1.5 visits per person annually (e.g.,
2,500–7,500 total). Higher for active
libraries.

Circulation per Visit

2.54 1.51 Higher is
better
Gauges how often visits lead to borrowing;
indicates collection relevance per
interaction.

Total circulation (PLS #601) ÷ Total physical
visits (PLS #501)
1–2 items per visit. Your 64,000 visits might
yield 64,000–128,000 circulation for this
range.

Visits per Open Hour

26.58 12.99 Higher is
busier
Measures how busy the library is during
operating hours; useful for
scheduling/staffing.

Total physical visits (PLS #501) ÷ Total
annual public service hours (PLS #500)
10–20 visits per hour. For 64,000 visits over
~2,500 hours/year, your library is ~25.6
visits/hour—above average.

Collection
Expenditure per
Capita

22.32 5.06
Lower is
better
This is the total dollar amount spent on all
library materials, including print (books,
periodicals) and non-print items (audio,
video, and digital resources) relative to
community size.

Total collection expenditure (PLS #350) ÷
Population
$5–$10 per person annually (e.g.,
$25,000–$50,000 total).

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
14 5.1.4. Planning Division
The Planning Division provided the following 2024 metrics:

Planning Permits #
PC Applications Approved 14
Administrative Applications Approved 42
Number Denied 0
% of Issue letters completed within 30 days 100
# planning applications On hold-Let's discuss 9
The Building Department provided the following 2024 metrics:

Building Permits Residential Non-Residential
Number Issued 370 120
Average Number of Days for City Response-first submittal 28 28 Number Denied 0 0
2024 Application Fees (plan check and inspection) $350,300.11 $51,619.65

5.1.5. Grapevine Report
We received the following data from Grapevine reporting for the period 01/01/2025-9/30/2025:

ALL CATEGORIES PW CATEGORIES NON PW CATEGORIES
Tickets Submitted 584 Tickets Submitted 532 Tickets Submitted 52 Avg Days to Acknowledge 2 Avg Days to Acknowledge 2 Avg Days to Acknowledge 3 Avg Days to Close 14 Avg Days to Close 13 Avg Days to Close 16 Median Days to
Acknowledge 1
Median Days to
Acknowledge 1
Median Days to
Acknowledge 1
Median Days to Close 8 Medians Days to Close 8 Median Days to Close 10

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
15 5.1.6. Parks and Recreation
Below are the activities, participants, and total fees collected by Parks and Recreation. At this time, we do not have the total costs for the City’s recreation programs, but ideally, the fees should cover 50-70% of the cost, to align with benchmarks.

Figure 10 – Annual Activities Report for Parks and Recreation

5.1.7. City Clerk
The City hired Regional Government
Services (RGS) to assess the City
Clerk’s Office. The assessment focused
on current practices, processes, and
organizational structure. RGS estimated
a weekly workload for the Clerk’s
Office of 42-60 hours, and a breakdown
of that weekly workload is shown in
Figure 11. The requirements of the City
Clerk are currently being met by two
individuals working in coordination
with each other. One estimates his time
commitment of 50%, while the other
estimates her time commitment of
approximately 70%. This is in line with
RGS’s estimate of a 42-60 hour
workweek. Please note that these two
individuals are also fulfilling other roles
currently.

Summer Camps
Activity Participants Total
Adventure Day Camp 2025 222 41,340.00 $
After Care: Adventure Day Camp 57 2,565.00 $
Challenger Soccer Camps 10 2,126.00 $
Crane Park Tennis Academy: Ages 4-16 84 28,560.00 $
Junior Pickleballers Camp 6 $ 2,040.00
Kids Cooking Camp with Chef On 7 $ 2,625.00
National Academy of Athletics Summer Camps 70 13,500.00 $ Play-Well STEM Summer Camps 23 1,610.00 $
479 94,366.00 $
Activity Participants Total
Kickboxing & Muay Thai- Summer Session 2025 5 $ 1,950.00 Matias Martial Arts Taekwondo- Summer 2025 26 10,062.00 $ Water Aerobics 27 2,070.00 $
Adult Slow Pitch Softball 12 5,775.00 $
Community Soccer Night Adult Tournament 13 325.00 $
83 20,182.00 $
Summer Programs
Activity Participants Total
Fall Bocce League 14 3,150.00 $
Kickboxing & Muay Thai- Fall Session 2025 9 $ 3,510.00
Youth Soccer 191 23,780.00 $
Matias Martial Arts Taekwondo- Fall 2025 26 9,630.00 $
240 40,070.00 $
Fall Programs
Activity Participants Total
Spring Bocce 92 42,850.00 $
Youth Basketball 0 $ -
Matias Martial Arts Taekwondo- Summer 2025 26 10,062.00 $ Adult Basketball League 11 6,050.00 $
Co-Ed Youth Volleyball 49 3,675.00 $
Kickboxing & Muay Thai- Spring Session 11 4,290.00 $
Little Sluggers Tee Ball 46 2,990.00 $
129 58,962.00 $
Fall Programs
Figure 11 – City Clerk’s Office work Breakdown Estimate

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
16 RGS also identified the following comparatives
for the Clerk’s Office. A significant finding is
that St. Helena processes a very high number of
public record requests (PRA) each year. St.

Helena’s volume is approximately 3x what
Calistoga processes.

The City Clerk’s office has two major issues: 1)
there is a significant backup of records
digitization with boxes of physical records held
in several City locations that the Clerk’s Office
needs to digitize; and 2) the current IT solutions
do not enable further automation that would
better serve residents and relieve pressure on the
City Clerk’s office (i.e. PRA requests).

Figure 12 – City Clerk Comparables

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
17 5.2.Insights
The insights section contains details on the City’s status in various elements of effectiveness and performance. We also examine the external ecosystem for customers and City communications. The yellow-boxed items represent areas of focus for our analysis, and the red-boxed items represent areas of major focus for our analysis.

Figure 13 – City Fitness Framework: In conducting efficiency and business transformation studies, Team Blackberg examines all elements that impact a City’s effectiveness and performance.

Control and Coordination
Cross-functional activity elements
 Asset management
 Internal audit and compliance
 Internal audit
 Accounting & Budgeting
 Legal
 Operational departments
 Customer relationship management
 Change management
 Risk Management
 Quality Management
 Strategic planning
 Training and development
 Supply chain management
 New product development
Structural elements
 Hierarchy and chain of command
 Span of control
 Work specialization
Governance
 Policies
 Processes
 Performance metrics
 Decision making frameworks
 Oversight mechanisms
 Risk management protocols
 Compliance rules
 Resource allocation systems
Communications
Internal Comms External Comms
Processes
 Core Business Processes
 Decision-Making Processes
 Governance and Oversight Processes
 Technology-Enabled Processes
 Collaboration and Coordination Processes
 Continuous Improvement Processes
 Standard Operating Procedures
Key
Focus Area
Major Focus

BLACKBERG
GROUP
Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
18 5.2.1. Talent
Within the element of talent, we examine two primary aspects of the organization: 1) the talent management system and 2) the capabilities of individuals broadly.

Talent management system. We found the City’s talent management system to be severely lacking or non-existent in certain components. There are many different talent management systems, but most of them contain the same components or highly similar components (See Figure 14). To the degree that we found some components present, they tend to be reactionary. For example, training does occur, but it tends to occur as a reaction to a new system being implemented or an employee pushing for a type of training. However, we do not see evidence of stated competencies with planned future dates for related training. This seems particularly acute for general management knowledge competencies. In other areas, like performance management, we saw even less evidence of a systematic approach. If an employee(s) is having performance issues, is there a stated process that is followed for documenting the issues and providing corrective action in a robust manner? Except for extreme circumstances, the answer is mostly “no.” When you look at the principles of talent management, such as “Alignment with Strategy,” this does not exist because the City has no Strategic Plan. These are just some select examples of the overall lack of a talent management system.

Capabilities of Individuals Broadly. We did not assess the “employees level” (See Figure 13); however, we did assess at the management and leadership levels (including executive leadership) levels. Our findings are mixed. In the Police and Fire Departments, we found evidence that management and leadership levels have an expected set of capabilities, degrees/certifications, and experience. In the Library, we found evidence that management and leadership have an
exceptionally strong set of capabilities, degrees/certifications, and experience.

Critical Considerations: We have major concerns about other Departments and Divisions within the City. We found multiple positions lacking in what we consider to be minimal
qualifications. Minimal qualifications are not attributes that can easily be rectified with mentoring, coaching, or
professional training courses. These are attributes such as an appropriate type of bachelor’s or master’s degree, total years of relevant experience, or major professional certifications.

This issue is likely secondary to the City not maintaining minimum qualifications for positions in a talent management system and facing challenging recruiting environments.

Figure 14 – Example Talent Management System

5.2.2. Governance
The governance of policies, processes, and performance metrics is severely lacking. Currently, the City does not have a central repository of policies, processes, and performance metrics co-located with an Integrated Policy-Performance (IPP) Grid. An IPP Grid is a taxonomy of all policies, processes, and performance metrics used across the city. It shows how specific performance metrics align to specific processes and how specific processes align to specific policies.

In practice, the structure creates a two-way flow between executive leadership and daily operations. The downward flow includes: City Council defines the policies; City Manager and Executives establish high-level processes; and Mid-level management establishes detailed processes and performance metrics in consultation with executive leadership. The upward flow includes: daily performance drives performance metrics data that flows up to Mid-level management, City Manager and Executives, and City Council.

BLACKBERG
GROUP Efficiency and Business Transformation Study
Deliverable 2: Information and Insight Analysis
19 Governance of the IPP Grid should include a routine review and development cycle (that is codified) to ensure consistent development and currency of policies, processes, and performance metrics. The City’s policies, processes, and performance metrics should also be catalogued and saved in the same central repository (e.g. SharePoint) for reference. To provide clarity on roles and responsibilities, a variation of the classic RACI chart is often helpful to use. The variation is a “RASCI” chart.

The RASCI chart adds the “S” to include the role of “Support.” This enables the City to identify the roles as they relate to specific policies, processes, and performance metrics.

Critical Considerations: The City’s charter establishes a “Council-Manager” form of government. In this form of government, the Council appoints a City Manager, and the City Manager delivers professional management of the City.

However, there is a breakdown in this model that appears to have been present for many years. The breakdown is a lack of use of fundamental professional management approaches, frameworks, and models. A key example is the lack of a strategic plan. Our research revealed that the City has not had a strategic plan in the past 10 years, and likely, it has never had one.

The City Council may need to codify the expectation that the City Manager create and maintain a strategic plan and other fundamental professional management approaches, frameworks, and models.

Figure 15 – RASCI Chart Concepts

5.2.3. Quality Management
Quality Management is critical for resident satisfaction, and it is intrinsically linked to processes. For example, to the extent there is a quality issue, one should implement process modification to eliminate the issue or improve the quality. The basic definition of a Quality Management System (QMS) is a structured framework for policies, processes, and performance metrics that is designed to ensure consistent quality in an organization’s products or services. This directly ties to the City’s need to establish Governance for policies, processes, and performance metrics. Further, a city government QMS revolves around key components such as risk management, process control, continuous improvement, and compliance with regulatory requirements.

Currently, the City has been improving by establishing elements of a QMS; however, we do not find evidence of a full QMS framework that is documented with a structured plan for incremental development and operation. Obvious QMS guidance that the City may consider is ISO 9001:2015 (general quality management) and ISO 18091:2019 (tailored for local governments), the system would focus on resident satisfaction, operational efficiency, and compliance with California regulations (e.g., for water security and environmental sustainability, aligning with City Council goals). Lean Six-Sigma is another QMS for consideration in the future. To provide some conceptual guidance of a QMS, we include Figure 16. This is not our recommended QMS for the City; rather, it is a generic QMS to highlight the general structure. In the future, we will provide a specific QMS recommendation for the City.

Conceptually, Quality Management includes Quality Assurance and Quality Control (See Figure 16). The City is currently focused on Quality Control with some Proactive Management and a lot of Reactive Management. Although this represents the early stages of Quality Management implementation, it is an improvement from the historical situation within the City that often-ignored complaints and issues. However, the City still needs to improve Quality Management through the implementation of Quality Assurance concepts and a more universal Proactive Quality Control.

R A S C I
Who is responsible
for completing the
entrusted task
Ultimate owner,
ensures it's done
right.

Provides
resources or help
needed.

Gives input before
decisions.

Gets updates
after actions
happen.

Responsible Accountable Supports Consulted Informed
Completes the Work Advices and Assists Awareness