Patrick Ibarra

1. Mobile County Organizational Assessment Patrick Ibarra Presentation June 14, 2017

2. Qualifications • Provide consulting, facilitation and training services to public sector organizations. • Consultants have served as executives and senior managers in local government management. • Extensive experience and in-depth expertise in conducting management reviews of local governments.

3. Project Methodology Gather Info Analyze Info Generate Report Implement Recds Project Meetings Leadership and Culture

4. Future of Local Government 4

5. Emerging Model of Government Integration of Technology into Service Delivery Demonstrating Value More Disciplined Focused on Core Services Non-Govt Solutions Constantly Morphing…Ever- Learning Employees Shared Services Change in Workforce Authentic Civic Engagement

6. Workplace Culture Structure/ Staffing Leadership Interdependent Services Fiscal/ Budget Areas of Assessment Management Practices

7. Current Practices – Structure/Staffing • Independent/Stand-alone Department. • Absorbing a range of functions/service areas and then applying a “command and control” based management approach. • Adding functions/service areas (i.e. Parks and Environmental Services) inconsistent with the overall mission of the Department. • Assigning staff, the responsibility for areas in which they did not possess extensive experience or expertise. • Personnel assigned to one function but source for wages is another function/fund. 7

8. Current Practices – Services • High-performance organization is not evident as a gauge for efforts to improve agency effectiveness. • The flow of projects and priorities from the Commissioners seems to be steady but not recorded for evaluation purposes.   • A Strategic Plan is not utilized. • Best Managed Practices as advocated by APWA do not appear to be used. • No listing of services included in the annual budget linking service levels with budget resources. 8

9. Current Practices – Services • Performance measures are absent. • Environmental Services Department produces an annual work plan of projects and priorities. • Parks and Recreation maintains a Work Plan. • Facilities maintains an Active Projects List for Design and Construction. • Road and Bridge maintain an Estimated Six-Month Bid Schedule of Road, Bridge & Drainage Projects. • Fleet Replacement Schedule is maintained although dedicated funding sources were not identified. 9

10. Current Practices – Fiscal/Budget • A separate accounting system is maintained by Department personnel that is not compatible with County systems. • The Department personnel responsible for budget and financial matters, do not possess extensive finance and budget experience and expertise. • Several Division Managers indicated they do not receive timely and accurate budget reports from the Department and have been advised a hiring freeze is in place which is untrue. 10

11. Current Practices – Fiscal/Budget • Budget dollars are seemingly moved around to different funds within the department so the budget that managers receive at beginning of fiscal year is often modified without the manager being notified so the lack of reliable budgeted dollars unnecessarily delays purchases and impacts timely decision making • As communicated in the memo dated October 31, 2016 from Dana Foster-Allen, Director of Finance to the County Commissioners, the Work Order and Billing process current used by the Department is out-of-date and needs immediate revisions. 11

12. Current Practices – Mgt. Practices • HR functions are administered by a staff member who does not have an extensive background in human resources. • Separate time keeping system for employees in the Department. • Duplicate employee/personnel files and records. • Lack of coordination with the County HR Department about employee disciplinary actions. • Department has adopted their own customized HR policies • HR Department is not contacted by Public Works/Engineering Department staff about hiring processes and instead contact is made directly with the Personnel Board. 12

13. Current Practices – Mgt. Practices • Separate: • E-mail system requiring duplicative hardware/software purchases/maintenance/personnel. • Internet connection requiring an ongoing expense. • Web site that is not linked to County’s website. • Phone system that is not linked to county’s system. • LAN (Local Area Network) requiring additional hardware; LAN is not easily accessible from County LAN. • An extremely large number of software systems are in use and require a more extensive evaluation. • Until recently, the partnership between County IT and Department IT staff was not integrated. 13

14. Current Practices – Leadership • Command and control type of leadership. • Credibility of leaders and managers varies based on those serving in those roles. Many of those in leadership and management roles are not visible, “out and about” being active in the workplace seeking and building relationships with employees. • Insufficient emphasis placed on building leaders within the organization except for those who are engineers. 14

15. Current Practices – Work Culture 15

16. Reorganization Option A

17. Reorganization Option A

18. Reorganization Option B

19. Reorganization Option B

20. Reorganization Option B

21. Reorganization

22. Recommendations – Services • Self-Assessment using APWA standards. • Priority-setting for capital projects • Undertake Strategic Planning process • Create annual Goals and Objectives • Review Fleet Replacement schedule 22

23. Recommendations – Fiscal/Budget • Implement recommendations for Work Order and Billing process. • Utilize the County Finance Department’s budget reports and accounting system to monitor expenses. Timely budget reports should be provided regularly to department managers and supervisors to expedite decision-making about operations, services and programs. • Determine the skills, expertise and experience necessary for department staff members to be proficient and productive in budget and fiscal matters, then move forward with an action plan. • Confer with the Director of Finance about acceptable policies and practices relating to the redistribution of budgeted funds (i.e. moving dollars from one fund to another). 23

24. Recommendations – Mgt. Practices • Explore possible integration of time keeping system with the overall County process. • Transfer department employee/personnel files and records to the County HR Department. • Immediately begin conferring with County HR staff on all matters related to employee disciplinary actions. • Confer with the Director of HR for a thorough review of existing department personnel policies to identify potential compliance inconsistencies. • Notify all Public Works Department supervisors and managers that a hiring freeze is not in place. 24

25. Recommendations – Leadership • Confer with County HR Department staff about hiring process & determine effective approach in communicating with Personnel Board. • Increase frequency of communication and establish a meaningful partnership between the County Information Technology Department. • Going forward, no stand-alone systems will be installed and maintained at the department level unless approved by Director of IT. • Determine feasibility and cost-effectiveness of transitioning department’s email system, phone, internet connection and LAN set-up to County-wide systems. • Link the department website to the County’s website and vice-versa. • The Director of Information Technology in partnership with department IT staff members should jointly review the inventory of existing software systems utilized in the department 25

27. Recommendations – Work Culture • Hold periodic all-employee meetings that encompass a range of issues which pertain to the employee’s level of understanding about those factors impacting department services including budgets, operations/services, new department or County-wide technology, etc. • Provide additional opportunities for training and development. • Enlist employees to clarify organizational mission, vision, values and goals. • Revise job descriptions (where needed).  • Ensure the availability of reliable workplace tools – equipment, technology, etc. • Consistent administration of employee disciplinary measures. • Improve the performance appraisal process to ensure timely, relevant and accurate feedback is provided to employees. • Revise personnel policies to reflect a contemporary approach to workforce management. 27

28. Change Management Motivating Change Creating Vision Effective Change Management Developing Support Managing the Transition Sustaining Momentum 28