City of Gainesville Office of the City Manager City Manager Memorandum No. 220002 To: Pionorable Maygs and City Commission From: Mypsed intonm CAy Manager Date: January 10, 2022 Re: __City Government Organizational Changes The purpose of this memorandum is to communicate changes to our organizational structure. These changes intend to establish a path forward that focuses on delivering our services more effectively and building community more efficiently. The primary element of the new organizational environment centralizes our management structure to ensure consistency in messaging, direction, operating policies and support. This unified approach will increase our ability to leverage the talents and skillsets of community builders throughout the organization as we embrace the ‘One City’ mantra While these changes are significant, delivering service excellence is a dynamic process. | believe in the resilience and dedication of our community builders and am confident they will welcome the ‘opportunity to fortify our management foundation as we reset. Our collective energy and efforts will center on improving effectiveness throughout the city; enhancing responsiveness to our neighbors and partners, and ultimately expanding our reach into neighborhoods that each have a unique set of needs. The elements of the organizational changes are structured as follows: 1 The three (3) positions of Assistant City Manager are eliminated effective immediately. 2. The new position of Chief Operating Officer (COO), a highly responsible managerial and advisory position, will be incorporated into the management structure to provide overall oversight and direction to operating areas and departments as assigned by the City Manager. > Chief Tony Jones of the Gainesville Police Department, on special assignment, will serve in the interim to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the COO role pending completion of classification, compensation, and recruitment activities. Chief Jones willassume this role effective Monday, January 17, 2022, and will serve until the recruitment for a COO position is completed. The position of Executive Chief of Staff to the City Manager will be filled pending an intemal solicitation of interest. The role of the Executive Chief of Staff is a highly responsible managerial and advisory role to the City Manager handling complex ‘executive-level work collaborating with community builders and external stakeholders. The role supplements the work of the City Manager and COO by leveraging internal and external resources and enhancing collaboration. In addition, this community builder will play a key role with the COO in increasing the internal flow of information to effectuate cross-functional programming and service delivery across the organization. Mr. Phil Mann, Director of Public Works, will serve on special assignment in an interim role as special advisor to the Interim City Manager assisting with leadership and support for planning, and development around the internal and extemal assessment of infrastructure needs and capital projects. This is an integral role as the City continues to evaluate funding opportunities, including the half-cent sales tax as a potential funding source for critical infrastructure and capital needs in the City, The Department of Budget and Finance will be re-branded as the Department of Financial Services. To respond in part to the deficit of a certified public accountant (CPA) serving in a managerial role in the department, the position of Controller has been added, as well as a position to support the area of contracts management. The department is currently receiving back-office support from Carr, Riggs, & Ingram, LLC. and, a staffing assessment is underway which may dictate additional adjustments going forward. The Office of Capital Asset Planning and Economic Resilience (CAPER) will be transferred to the Department of Sustainable Development (DOSD) where it was previously housed. It will be reconstituted as the Economic Opportunity and Special Projects Planning Division. The division will be primarily responsible for: 1) coordinating city-wide economic development projects; 2) managing ongoing lease, land acquisition, and property management functions for city-owned properties for general government; 3) serving as the lead for local small business development and job creation by providing coordination between internal City Departments, local Economic Development non- governmental organizations, the Chamber of Commerce, and other government and educational stakeholders and, 4) providing support to other departments initiatives as appropriate. Administrative and operational support for the new division in the Department of Sustainable Development will be provided using existing resources within the Department. The Office of Strategic Initiatives will be expanded to Department status and will be re- branded as the Department of Strategy, Planning and Innovation. The Budget Division within the Department of Budget and Finance will be transferred into this department. The Office of Technology and Innovation will also be transferred to Strategy, Planning and Innovation. One (1) position will be added to the department to assist with the expanded workload,8. Recruitment for a Chief Housing Strategist will be initiated pending review by the classification and compensation team. A position was included in the approved Operating Budget for this purpose. This position will report directly to the City Manager and serve as the City's lead community builder exploring and developing a range of housing options and opportunities for review and consideration while working in partnership with the Departments of Sustainable Development, Housing and Community Development, and the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area (GCRA), and with extemal agencies ‘engaged in the work of affordable housing solutions, Please note that adjustments and additional changes may be required as operational reviews continue. | look forward to meeting with each of you to provide additional context for the changes outlined and address any questions that you might have. Again, | am confident that this path will allow for a coordinated effort to achieve the goals set forth in our strategic plan. ce: Charter Officers