March 20, 2004
SUBJECT: City Council Review and Prioritization of City Services
REPORT IN BRIEF
This is the second report that the City Council will use to review and begin the process of prioritizing City services. The services provided or made available by five City departments will be discussed at a special City Council meeting scheduled for March 20, 2004. City staff has prepared Service Review Worksheets and Department Summary Worksheets for services provided by the Community Development, Libraries, Human Resources, and Public Works departments, and the Office of the City Attorney. It is anticipated that the method followed at the March 13, 2004 special meeting will be used to review and to begin prioritizing the services provided by these departments.
BACKGROUND
The City Council is scheduled to conduct two special meetings to review and begin the process of prioritizing the services that the City provides or makes available to residents, businesses, and other customer groups. These meetings are scheduled for March 13, 2004 and March 20, 2004. Multiple methods are being used to encourage the public to attend these meetings. The review and prioritization of City services is part of a revised process for preparing the City's annual budget and long-term financial plan. A report to council, RTC #04-088, was distributed to the City Council on Tuesday, March 2, 2004 for the March 13, 2004 meeting. This report contained Department Summary Worksheets and Service Review Worksheets for the services provided by five City departments.
EXISTING POLICY
Fiscal Sub-Element of the General Plan
Goal 7.1B: Financial Practices: Maintain Sound Financial Practices Which Meet All Applicable Standards and Direct the City's Financial Resources Toward Meeting the City's Long Term Goals.
Policy 7.1B.5: Performance Budget System: Maintain and refine the Performance Budget System to assure its use for multi-year planning, full cost accounting, and budget monitoring.
DISCUSSION
The second special meeting to review and begin to prioritize City services is scheduled for Saturday, March 20, 2004. Attachments A and B to this report provides the Service Review Worksheets and Department Summary Worksheets for City services provided by five City departments. They are the Community Development, Libraries, Human Resources, and Public Works departments, and the Office of the City Attorney. Staff plans to use the same method that was proposed for presenting and discussing these services at the March 13th meeting. If revisions or an alternative method is developed at the March 13th meeting, it is expected that the revised method will also be used for the second special meeting.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no direct fiscal impact from assigning City services to categories, or beginning the process of prioritizing City services. There will be a fiscal impact if Council provides policy direction as part of the service review process to change a service level for an existing City service, to add a new service, or to begin the process of deleting an existing service. These fiscal impacts will be developed by City staff, and included as part of the recommended budget and long-term financial plan.
PUBLIC CONTACT
The public was notified of this item through publication of the Council Agenda (public hearing items) in the San Jose Mercury News and the posting of the Council Agenda and Report on the City of Sunnyvale internet home page. Some City Boards and Commissions have expressed an interest in providing Council with input as part of the service review process. This input was made available to Council at the March 13, 2004 special meeting, or will be made available to Council at the March 20, 2004 meeting. Staff will also use the following methods to publicize Council's review and prioritization of City services: issuing news releases, providing KSUN announcements, including articles on the City's Web Site, providing copies of Reports to Council at the Library, and making announcements at neighborhood outreach and City Council meetings.
ALTERNATIVES
There are three alternatives for Council to consider.
Alternative 1. Follow the method used at the March 13, 2004 special meeting to assign City services to one of five service ranking categories as part of the process to prioritize the services that the City makes available to residents, businesses, and other customer groups.
Alternative 2. Make revisions to the method, and use it at the March 20th special meeting for assigning City services to service ranking categories.
Alternative 3. Direct staff to develop a new method for assigning City services to service ranking categories, and present the alternative method at a future City Council meeting. This alternative will require scheduling one or more additional Council meetings to assign City services to service ranking categories.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council approve Alternative 1.
Prepared by:
Charles J. Schwabe
Deputy City Manager
Approved by:
Amy Chan
City Manager
Attachments
A. Service Level Worksheets
B. Department Summary Worksheets (pdf format)