Kevin

By City Manager Dominick Casey

A chance to think. To strategize. To focus without distraction and to build our team. That was the point of the recent annual Department Head retreat.

This year’s retreat took place at a pivotal time in the midst of rapid change. The fiscal issues, transparency demands, technology needs, and the speed at which everything is expected is unprecedented. Not just in the last decade, but ever. And not just in Roseville or just in government, but everywhere, in every industry. Disruption and innovation are part of our everyday lives.

With that, we know that Roseville is a great community built on innovative ideas, self-determination, and a high quality of life. But the common thread that ran through all of our discussions was change.

Because what got us here won’t get us to where we need to go. Exploring changes in what, how, and why we do (or don’t do) things must be a constant and welcome part of our conversations. This is essential in the face of changing expectations, budgets, and regulations and conditions.

It’s a heavy lift as we come together to discuss the future of our organization.

Financial update
We started with a financial update on FY2018 through FY2020. For FY18, the City successfully ended within 2.8% of budget. Can’t get much closer than that on a $140 million General Fund budget. It boils down to three things: revenue, people, and materials & supplies. We’ve cut expenses related to people and materials & supplies for the past 10 years. Now we will wait for the outcome of the Nov. 6 vote on Measure B’s half-cent sales tax to determine what the revenue future looks like.

Outcome of Measure B
Department Heads discussed the importance of having our staff understand that if Measure B passes, it doesn’t mean raises or cost-of-living allowances (COLAs), particularly in light of rising health and pension costs. Instead, it would protect jobs by preventing further cuts to service levels in the face of rising costs.

There would be limited growth in priority areas. Everything else would remain flat or be partially restored. We will continue to focus on paying down liabilities and debt to get ready for the next economic cycle as we stabilize the General Fund.

With or without Measure B tax revenues, the City will continue to pay median in the labor market; it’s a matter of whether service levels remain steady or are cut.

Council Goals
The need to take a fresh look at development of Council goals was on the agenda, as the list has grown to 11. We are looking at how to reframe goals and priorities to provide more clarity and to be actionable and measurable.

Efficiencies Discussion
We discussed the things we should stop doing or change how we’re doing, whether they’re outdated, no longer needed, inefficient, or generally don’t add value for whatever reason. We need to question what, how, and why we do things to make sure we’re being as efficient and effective as possible with our time and resources. We brainstormed many items that we’ll be prioritizing and following up on. We also discussed establishing formal ways to involve employees in this discussion. Getting the input from people throughout the organization will offer us the best chance at success.

Revenues Discussion
We discussed opportunities to increase revenues, such as sponsorship and naming rights; establishing, increasing and/or enforcing fees; and selling surplus property, and many more. It’s important we continue to keep these ideas coming and provide ways for employees to share their suggestions as well.

Upcoming Issues
From the once-a-decade Charter Commission that will convene in 2019 to the new council and mayor, department heads discussed issues on the horizon. Issues include increasing the level of the city manager’s purchasing authority to reduce amount of Council agenda paperwork and provide more operational agility, in lieu franchise fee, process to appoint council members to a vacancy. Every department head shared the key issues and projects for their department for the upcoming year, with a sharp focus on the work and change involved in the implementation of the new ERP.