Study Provides Recommendations to Improve City Efficiency

The Novak Consulting Group presented 73 recommendations to City Council during Tuesday night's work session in its organization study "designed to improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of City services."

The study focused on city functions under the direct responsibility of the City Manager. Constitutional Officers — positions created by the Constitution of Virginia — and enterprise funds were excluded. The Sheriff’s Office participated, to provide third-party analysis of staffing needs for its public safety function.

The 73 recommendations (available in the pdf attached to this story) include:

• Revisit the City’s financial policies and consider the use of debt to fund
  unmet organizational and community needs.
• Establish a Public Information Officer position within the City
  Manager’s Office.
• Centralize the City’s purchasing function; hire a purchasing agent.
• Formalize the management training program for newly hired
  command personnel in the Police Department.
• Revise City Code to require that volunteer fire and EMS companies
  operate under the same standard operating procedures and training requirements as the Fredericksburg Fire Department.
• Contract for the development of a Traffic Master Plan and Signal
  Timing Plan.
• Fully fund the cost of providing residential refuse collection through
  appropriate user fees.
• Modify collection practices to eliminate bi-weekly pick-up.
• Develop a franchise agreement and allow private haulers to bid on
  refuse collection services in the City.

"The next phase in looking at this [the recommendations] is the FY2014 budget and the resources available," Mark Whitley, assistant city manager said.  The scope of the study only includes city services related to the City Manager's department, Whitley said. The FY2014 budget will address all city services, he said.

The recommended FY2014 budget will be presented to City Council at their March 12 meeting. The school budget will be adopted by May 15; the complete budget by June 30.

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