Fort Walton Beach Council agenda — 11-26-2007 special agenda — reading text

DEVELOPl VEAfENT RS Ij Objectives: To develop recommendations for improving upon significant weaknesses I,.,,:, identified during Task 3. 0. II Activities: 4. 1 Consolidated the findings and conclusions developed during Task 3. 0 and developed 11 an improvement recommendation for each significant weakness or set of related weaknesses. The recommendations focused on improvements and include: Structural recommendations. Spans of control. Unity of command. Major function placement. 4.2 Reviewed recommendations with project management to assure they are beneficial, realistic and able to be implemented. 4. 3 Refined recommendations, as appropriate. Deliverables: I y Improvement Recommendations I I Objectives: To prepare a draft report documenting the study results. To discuss the draft report with management and obtain comments. I I Alternative Services Delivery Study for Fort Walton Beach, Florida Page 1- 5 I  Project Scope and Approach Activities: I'! 5. 1 Prepared a draft of the study report. The report includes: executive summary; study objectives and methodology; findings and conclusions; and improvement recommendations. 5. 2 Discussed the draft report, and noted comments and any suggested revisions. I Del iverables: I Draft Study Report TASK 6.0: Objectives: L To revise the draft and prepare the final study report. Activities: L 6. 1 Revised the draft report, as appropriate, based on the comments and suggestions made during the draft discussions. C 6. 2 Prepared and issued the final study report. Del iverables: L Final Study Report r, t I I I I Alternative Services Delivery Study for Fort Walton Beach, Florida Page 1- 5 I  2.0 SECTiON CITY MANAGEMENT t t t. t. t. I 2007 Inc. Group. AdVisory Management iW 2.0 City Management Section 13 ( Title III) of the City Charter enables City Council to appoint a City II...... F~ Manager to be the administrative head of the government. Section 17 identifies the duties of the City Manager, which includes supervising the administration of the affairs of I the City, enforcing the ordinances, keeping Council informed as to the financial condition I of the City, preparing and submitting the annual budget, and performing other duties as prescribed by the City Charter or Council ordinance or resolution. I 2. 1 Oraanization and Staffina I The City Manager function will be reviewed from both a City- wide perspective as well as the Department perspective. E The City Manager Department ( 0200) currently includes four ( 4) positions. They are: City Manager Budget and Grants Manager Executive Assistant Public Information Officer r: The Budget and Grants Manager was added to the City Manager Department during fiscal year 06/ 07. The FY 07/ 08 Recommended Budget anticipates moving the L Budget and Grants Manager position to the Finance Department. This position is responsible for development and monitoring of the annual budget, attending budget I meetings, preparing and monitoring grants, and engaging in special analyses. I The Executive Assistant provides office support to the City Manager and generally written) that occurs in a high level manages the considerable information flow ( oral and I management function. I I Alternative Services Delivery Study for Fort Walton Beach, Florida Page 2- 1 I  City Management II! IIIIII The Public Information Officer produces various City documents, including the Annual Report, press releases, newsletters, and various departmental communications. The position serves as a liaison to area media. One- half of the position' s duties have W focused on the government access TV channel, with duties that include shooting, editing, script writing, and taping various events. This has been an active position that has created multiple opportunities for communicating with the public. I The organization chart in the Recommended Budget for the City Manager Department shows 10 departments, plus two ( 2) of the three ( 3) positions noted above. I This represents a total of 12 positions reporting directly to the City Manager. The Budget I and Grants Manager position is not shown, as the intention is to establish that position as part of the Finance Department. At the current time ( September 2007), 13 positions p...... would be considered as reporting directly to the City Manager. This number does not include the Finance Director position ( addressed below). Exhibit 2- 1 on the following page represents the current structure as noted in the Recommended City Budget. L E I I I Alternative Services Delivery Study for Fort Walton Beach, Florida Page 2-2 I I  City Management II City Manager CITY COUNCIL CITY MANAGER ( 1) D I EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT ( 1) PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER ( 1) I COMMUNITY PARKS & DEVELOPMENT RECREATION DIRECTOR DIRECTOR Ii FIRE CHIEF POLICE CHIEF t GOLF CLUB PUBLIC WORKS ADMINISTRATOR DIRECTOR HUMAN PURCHASING RESOURCES DIRECTOR DIRECTOR INFORMATION UTILITIES TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR DIRECTOR FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT SUMMARY I AC1UAL MID-YR BUDGET 03/ 04 04/ 05 05/ 06 06/ 07 07/ 08 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 I CITY MANAGER 1. 00 1. 00 BUDGET & GRANTS MANAGER 1.00 EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER I FULL TIME EQUIVALENT ( FTE) TOTAL 3. 00 3. 00 3. 00 4. 00 3. 00 I Alternative Services Delivery Study for Fort Walton Beach, Florida Page 2-3 I I  City Management t 2.2 Maior Policies and ODerationallssues Ii Organization Structure I Finding: The Budget and Grants Manager position is properly established as a direct report to the City Manager. The City Manager is tasked by City Charter I Section 17) " to prepare and submit to the Council the annual budget estimate". In Title IV ( Finance Procedures), in which duties of the Finance Director are described, there is I no reference to budget estimating, budget development, or budget monitoring. Title IV I speaks more to accounting, assessments, custody of funds, disbursement, and financial reports rather than the budget function. Most writers in the field of public administration I regard the budget activity as a management function rather than a finance function. The Government Finance Officers Association ( GFOA) rewards municipalities for developing I a budget that serves as a policy document, an operations guide, a financial plan, and as I: a communications device. Budgeting is recognized as a management function. Further, there are many serious challenges facing Finance for the next year or two. The Finance Department needs to focus on those challenges ( see Section 5. 0) before taking on more major and critical activities such as budgeting. Once the department is working L well under its new leadership, then the matter of transferring budget to Finance could be L reconsidered. It is noted that the Recommended Budget is one of the best written and structured budget documents we have seen, and the City is deserving of the GFOA I award received for the last 11 years. Recommendation # 1: Retain the Budget and Grants Manager position within the I City Manager Department as a direct report. I I Alternative Services Delivery Study for Fort Walton Beach, Florida Page 2-4 I I  City Management of the Finding: The organization structure is inconsistent with the requirements City Charter. The inconsistency is in reference to the