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HomeMy WebLinkAbout(2) THE MERCER REPORT UPDATE City of V?rt rtltur 7i°.i us www.PortArthurTx.gov INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM Date: July 18. 2017 To: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Through: Brian McDougal, City Manager From: Kandace M. Tappen, Assistant City Manager/Administration RE: Pressing Forward—The Mercer Report / Introduction: The intent of this Agenda Item is to provide the City Council an informational .date regarding Staffs approach to and progress with implementing The Mercer Report (Report); to include what to expect over the next several months. Background: In 2011, the City Council entered into a contract with The Mercer Group, Inc., to conduct an operations review, which resulted in a 188 plus page report that was formalized on May 18, 2012. (In addition to an electronic copy, a paper copy of the final Report was provided to each Council Member at his/her seat.) Staff began taking measures to address the findings of the Report in December 2016. Beginning with a review of the Report's findings and one-on-one meetings with Employees, Staff developed a Plan of Action to address each Department section of the Report, as well as any"common themes"or concerns gleaned from the initial one-on-one meetings. The following is a discussion regarding the common themes/concerns addressed, the methodology and steps taken for implementing the Report, and how the implementation progress will be reported to the City Council. "Remember,we are here to serve the Citizens of Port Arthur" P.O.Box 1089 X Port Arthur,Texas 77641-1089 X 409.983.8101 X FAX 409.982.6743 Employee Concerns • Age of Report- approximately 6 years • Organizational Unity, not 19 separate • Attrition—approximately 222 Employees agencies • Lack of information sharing (intra- and • Employees not provided copy of Report inter-department) • Lack of participation in surveys • Employees want to be included in their • Consultant did not imbed themselves into Department's decision making processes Departments' operations • Employees want professional and standardized methods of doing business Plan of Action—3 Step Process Step 1 Addressing Common Concerns & Recommendations Communication & Information Sharing Collaboration was the method used in simultaneously addressing both Employees' concerns and Report recommendations. By requiring the Departments to develop individual Department Teams, the Report's recommendations were achieved while addressing common concerns (e.g., lack of sharing of information, communication and Employee involvement) at the same time. A collaborative process provided a forum whereby individual Employees could provide their professional expertise and be an integral part of the decision making process for completing the project. This approach allowed for a more complete outcome. Weekly Team meetings were established to foster collaboration; create timelines for completing assignments; and develop a routine of meeting. Monthly Team meetings with the Assistant City Manager were established to provide the necessary guidance in completing tasks. To further foster information sharing, Team Members were also provided an electronic copy of the Report which addressed their concerns of not having it and wanting to be participatory in the decision making process. Other lines of communication that were developed to achieve Report recommendations and "unity" included encouraging the Teams to: - engage in the capital improvement and budget planning processes for addressing their needs, especially those denoted within or as a result of the Report; - include other Departments in procedural developments that impact others' operations prior to making changes (e.g., consult IT, Purchasing, HR, City Attorney, etc.); - use social media; - use and share resources (e.g., legislation, other municipalities, grant ideas, work tools, existing internal processes and procedures, etc.); - follow the practices of fellow Departments "Keeping it Simple" Because there was a concern regarding standardization of processes and several Team Members had never been involved with this type of project, Staff developed several work-tools to aid in achieving the Report recommendations through simple and manageable means, but that which also promoted standardization. Examples of those tools follow. - Implementation Worksheets were developed to aid the Teams in facilitating collaboration and accountability amongst Team members. A blank sample is attached. (Note: Only the shaded areas on the worksheet were required. Therefore, not all blanks maybe filled in, as this is a project tool for the Teams to use however they needed.) The worksheets also provided a standardized coversheet for backup documentation for the Agenda Packets;allowing for an organized process of delivery of information to the City Council. - A Power Point Template was developed by one of the Departments and then utilized by all Departments. A blank sample is attached. (Note: This template will only be used for the Mercer presentations. Staff may develop a different one for City-wide use in the future.) - A Goals and Objectives template was developed to be used when the Staff tackles the last phase of the Report project. - Other examples of work-aids include a standardized Interoffice and Agenda Memorandum template, and an Agenda Checklist that were created by the City Manager and City Attorney Departments (respectively). These two items are now the standard. Applicability Due to the age of the Report, organizational attrition and operational efficiency, some Report findings and recommendations were no longer applicable. On a Department level,these items will be denoted on the Implementation Worksheets,wherever appropriate. Additionally, some weaknesses may need extra time to be addressed,especially if additional Staff and/or resources are required, and may also be on-going due to the nature of the service a particular Department provides. Step 2 Presentations to City Council • Executive Staff Introductory Session(i.e., this Agenda Item) • Individual Department Team presentations What to Expect Each Department Team will present only the highlights of their progress to the City Council. However, Implementation Worksheets will be included in the Agenda Packet to address all Report items. The presentations and Implementation Worksheets are not an all-inclusive list of accomplishments. That is, Teams may have gone above and beyond the recommendations; may need further planning; and/or, have on-going efforts. • The City Council may anticipate no more than two (2) Department Team presentations per meeting. Presentations will be approximately 15 minutes in length. The desired outcome is to address, at a minimum, weaknesses and recommendations. Please note that the Report addressed individual items in a variety of ways and numerous times throughout each section. Some weaknesses may have been denoted on several pages. Some weaknesses may or may not have"bullet points." Implementation Worksheets help to alleviate this confusion. For ease of following along, each worksheet provides page numbers as a quick reference to the numerous locations an item is addressed,and will be presented in Report order. Some Employees may have never given a public presentation, which, to some, is a highly stressful situation. Staff would like to encourage and support them during this process and, therefore, may make certain accommodations (e.g., location of podium, lapel microphone, etc.). Staff will work with Departments currently recruiting for a Director. Once the selected candidate is "on-board,"we will begin the Report process with that Department. Lastly, as a result of working through implementation of Report recommendations, Departments may have other contributions to make, beyond what the Report identified. If so, then Staff will continue to work with the Teams to help guide them in realizing these goals. Step 3 Final Step—Organization-Wide Items The majority of the Report focused on individual Departments; however, a few recommendations exist that must be implemented City-wide. Addressing the City-wide items will be the last step in the process, as it impacts all the Departments equally. City-wide items will be presented as a future informational Agenda Item only after each Team concludes their formal presentation. Budget Impact: Although this Agenda Item does not have a budgetary impact, some of the Report recommendations may have fiscal implications at the individual Department level. If so, then these items will be denoted in the Implementation Worksheets,during the presentations, or via the Budget process. Staff will not move forward on items requiring funds without first going through appropriate processes (i.e., budget, purchasing, City Council approval, etc.). Recommendation: The information being provided in this Agenda Item is for informational purposes only. 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Will the end result of completing the task produce cost savings?Please explain and provide back-up documentation. Is there a potential revenue gain that could result from achieving the task?Please explain and provide back-up documentation. Due Date: Completion Date: Is there a need for an additional study regarding this task? If so, please explain. Employee's Name Employee's Signature Date Employee's Name Employee's Signature Date Employee's Name Employee's Signature Date Director's Name Director's Signature Date Required Items are shaded. Everything else for Department use,as wanted. koS A • Department Name Here DATE City of Port Arthur Implementation Worksheet- Department Goals&Objectives Department Name: Division Name(if applicable): Goal#(by order of priority): Fiscal Year(yyyy/yyyy): Goal: Objective#1: Objective#2: Objective#3: Is there an expense associated with completing the goal? Is it budgeted? Please explain and provide back-up documentation. Will the end result of completing the goal produce cost savings? Please explain and provide back-up documentation. Is there a potential revenue gain that could result from achieving the goal? Please explain and provide back-up documentation. Due Date(mm/yyyy): Completion Date(mm/yyyy): Director's Name Director's Signature Date Required Items are shaded. Everything else for Department use,as wanted. Work-Tools (Permanent) 0‘,01!1/40/ Ciiv of syr; ; '7 lii /,,-1 I'th hr www.PortArthurTx.gov INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM Date: (Date of Council Meeting) To: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Through: Brian McDougal, City Manager From: (Name and Title of Executive, Department Head, or Department Manager) RE: (Title of What's Being Discussed) Introduction: The intent of this Agenda Item is to seek the City Council's approval for the City Manager to Background: Budget Impact: Recommendation: It is recommended that City Council approve the City Manager to , as discussed and/or outline above. OR, The information provided is for informational purposes only. Therefore,no action is necessary at this time. "Remember,we are here to serve the Citizens of Port Arthur" P.O.Box 1089 X Port Arthur,Texas 77641-1089 X 409.983.8101 X FAX 409.982.6743 PROPOSED AGENDA ITEM PRE-APPROVAL PROCESSING FORM DATE OF SUBMISSION: PROPOSED AGENDA DATE: DEPARTMENT: SUBMITTED BY: SIGNATURE P.R. or P.O. Number: SUBJECT: PRE-APPROVAL SIGNATURES DEPARTMENT HEAD: Signature PURCHASING MANAGER: Signature (for procurement only) FINANCE DIRECTOR: Signature (for availability of funds only) CITY MANAGER: Signature HAS A COPY BEEN GIVEN TO THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE? ❑ YES ❑ NO *** THIS FORM MUST BE COMPLETED AND ATTACHED TO YOUR PROPOSED RESOLUTION AND/OR ORDINANCE PRIOR TO SUBMITTING TO THE CITY ATTORNEY'S AND CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE FOR THE AGENDA. *** REQUIRED SIGNATURE OF THE DEPARTMENT HEAD ON THE PROPOSED RESOLUTION/ORDINANCE VERIFIES THAT THE DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REVIEWED AS TO GRAMMAR, CONTENTS,ETC.