The Estate Yountville
Gary Jabara
6481 Washington Street
Yountville, CA 94599
[email protected]
May 19, 2026
Town Council
Town of Yountville
6550 Yount Street
Yountville, California 94599
Re: Recommendation for Enhanced Financial Oversight and Administrative Controls for the Office of the Town Manager
Mayor and Members of the Town Council,
I am writing to respectfully recommend that the Town Council adopt a strengthened framework of financial oversight, procurement controls, and reporting requirements for the Office of the Town Manager. These recommendations are intended to help restore public confidence, improve transparency, and ensure that the circumstances surrounding consultant spending and contract administration under former Town Manager Brad Raulston cannot be repeated.
The Town Manager position carries significant authority over day-to-day municipal operations. While that authority is necessary for efficient administration, recent events demonstrated how discretionary powers, when insufficiently constrained, can expose the Town to excessive consultant costs, fragmented procurement practices, inadequate public visibility, and substantial financial risk.
Accordingly, I respectfully recommend that the Council consider implementing the following safeguards:
1. Reduced Administrative Spending Authority
The Town Manager's unilateral authority to approve professional service agreements, consultant engagements, amendments, and change orders should be substantially reduced. Any aggregate expenditure exceeding a modest threshold should require prior Town Council approval at a public meeting.
2. Aggregation of Related Consultant Contracts
Consultant agreements that are related by subject matter, project, department, or vendor should be aggregated for approval purposes to prevent the circumvention of spending thresholds through incremental engagements or amendments.
3. Mandatory Competitive Procurement Standards
All protessional service contracts above a defined threshold should require a documented competitive process, including written proposals, evaluation criteria, and disclosure of vendor selection rationale.
4. Quarterly Public Reporting Requirements
The Town Manager should provide a quarterly public report detailing all consultant expenditures, contract amendments and change orders, legal and outside professional service spending, active vendor engagements, and budget variances and contingency utilization. This report should be published and presented at a regular Town Council meeting.
5. Independent Review of Consultant Utilization
The Town should periodically engage an independent outside auditor or municipal finance professional to review consultant usage, procurement compliance, and cost controls.
6. Council Approval for Contract Amendments
Any amendment increasing the original value of a contract beyond a defined percentage or dollar amount should require separate Council approval, regardless of the Town Manager's original signing authority.
7. Enhanced Transparency Measures
The Town should maintain an easily accessible public ledger on its website identifying active consultants, contract values, amendment history, scope descriptions, and total cumulative expenditures.
8. Separation of Procurement and Project Oversight Functions Whenever practical, the individual approving consultant retention should not be solely responsible for verifying performance and approving invoices. Internal checks and balances are essential to sound governance.
9. Annual Performance Review Metrics
The Town Manager's annual evaluation should include measurable financial management criteria, including budget adherence, procurement compliance, consultant cost containment, and transparency and reporting accuracy.
10. Council Notification Requirements
The Town Manager should be required to immediately notify the Council of material budget overruns, unplanned consultant engagements, significant legal expenditures, potential conflicts of interest, and any anticipated financial exposure exceeding predetermined limits.
These recommendations are not intended to hinder effective governance, but rather to create the operational discipline and financial accountability expected by the residents of Yountville. Strong internal controls protect not only taxpayers, but also future Town Managers and Council members by establishing clear guardrails and transparent processes.
The Town now has an opportunity to modernize its oversight framework and demonstrate a renewed commitment to fiscal responsibility and public trust.
Thank you for your consideration and for your continued service to the community. espectfull
Gart oara