The City of Carlsbad has made changes to its department structure that will increase efficiency with fewer resources while better serving the changing needs of the community. The new organizational structure was designed to enable the city to adapt as Carlsbad transitions from a growing community to one focused on economic, environmental and community sustainability.
“Over the past 50 years, we have carefully managed growth to create a balanced community and an excellent quality of life,” said City Manager Lisa Hildabrand. “Now we are entering a new phase where most of the growth has already occurred, and we need to make sure our resources are aligned with the future needs of the community.”
The changes come after a year-long effort to evaluate how the city is delivering services to residents and businesses today and where opportunities exist to streamline for the future. Key areas of focus include those most affected by the city's increasing maturity, such as community development and planning, and infrastructure development. Environmental management was also a key area given the many new responsibilities and regulatory requirements related to the environment.
The updated city structure includes five new departments led by city management staff with specific skills and experience in these key areas:
Community & Economic Development.
Led by Gary Barberio, this department reflects the importance of economic development as the city approaches build-out and needs to foster new ways to ensure a thriving and diverse economic base. The department includes economic development, planning, development services (public counter), land-use engineering, and building and code enforcement.
Housing & Neighborhood Services
. This new department headed by Debbie Fountain includes the city's affordable housing programs, community grants, Village redevelopment programs and neighborhood enhancement programs, as well as the city's volunteer program. The department will focus on helping residents build strong neighborhoods and work in partnership with the city to maintain an excellent quality of life.
Property & Environmental Management.
To more effectively and efficiently manage the city's physical resources, a new department was created under the leadership of David Hauser. In addition to consolidating the management of city owned real estate, buildings and vehicles, this new department will take a holistic approach to managing the myriad environmental issues facing today's cities.
Transportation.
Streets, traffic and other transportation services have been grouped in a new transportation department led by Skip Hammann. Previously part of a larger public works department, transportation-related services are being singled out in recognition of the increasing importance of managing traffic and effectively moving people around a developed city of more than 100,000 residents.
Utilities.
Glenn Pruim will lead a new department centered around the utility services residents and businesses need, such as water, sewer, trash and energy. The Utilities Department will manage the city's water district, oversee city efforts to bring the desalination project to fruition, manage water, sewer and storm drain infrastructure, administer trash and recycling contracts, and lead alternative energy initiatives.
In addition to the new areas of focus, the new city structure retains several departments with little or no changes. These include:
• Finance
• Fire
• Human Resources
• Information Technology
• Library and the Arts
• Parks & Recreation
• Police
Sandra Holder, former director of Community Development, has been appointed interim assistant city manager. She will serve until the city completes a recruitment for this position, at which time she plans to retire from the city.
“Planning for the future and continuously striving for improvement are cornerstones of our success,” Hildabrand said. “As the city approaches build out, needs are changing. Now is the time to plan for these changes, so we can continue to provide high quality services to the community while making the most efficient use of tax dollars.”
To date, the restructuring and other efforts to improve efficiency have enabled the city to operate with 25 fewer positions. Through careful planning, the city achieved this workforce reduction through attrition rather than layoffs.
Although some city staff will change locations, most phone numbers and all e-mail addresses will stay the same. For a directory of city departments and guidance on who to call for what, visit the city Web site at www.carlsbadca.gov and click on “Contact Us.”
“Over the past 50 years, we have carefully managed growth to create a balanced community and an excellent quality of life,” said City Manager Lisa Hildabrand. “Now we are entering a new phase where most of the growth has already occurred, and we need to make sure our resources are aligned with the future needs of the community.”
The changes come after a year-long effort to evaluate how the city is delivering services to residents and businesses today and where opportunities exist to streamline for the future. Key areas of focus include those most affected by the city's increasing maturity, such as community development and planning, and infrastructure development. Environmental management was also a key area given the many new responsibilities and regulatory requirements related to the environment.
The updated city structure includes five new departments led by city management staff with specific skills and experience in these key areas:
Community & Economic Development.
Led by Gary Barberio, this department reflects the importance of economic development as the city approaches build-out and needs to foster new ways to ensure a thriving and diverse economic base. The department includes economic development, planning, development services (public counter), land-use engineering, and building and code enforcement.
Housing & Neighborhood Services
. This new department headed by Debbie Fountain includes the city's affordable housing programs, community grants, Village redevelopment programs and neighborhood enhancement programs, as well as the city's volunteer program. The department will focus on helping residents build strong neighborhoods and work in partnership with the city to maintain an excellent quality of life.
Property & Environmental Management.
To more effectively and efficiently manage the city's physical resources, a new department was created under the leadership of David Hauser. In addition to consolidating the management of city owned real estate, buildings and vehicles, this new department will take a holistic approach to managing the myriad environmental issues facing today's cities.
Transportation.
Streets, traffic and other transportation services have been grouped in a new transportation department led by Skip Hammann. Previously part of a larger public works department, transportation-related services are being singled out in recognition of the increasing importance of managing traffic and effectively moving people around a developed city of more than 100,000 residents.
Utilities.
Glenn Pruim will lead a new department centered around the utility services residents and businesses need, such as water, sewer, trash and energy. The Utilities Department will manage the city's water district, oversee city efforts to bring the desalination project to fruition, manage water, sewer and storm drain infrastructure, administer trash and recycling contracts, and lead alternative energy initiatives.
In addition to the new areas of focus, the new city structure retains several departments with little or no changes. These include:
• Finance
• Fire
• Human Resources
• Information Technology
• Library and the Arts
• Parks & Recreation
• Police
Sandra Holder, former director of Community Development, has been appointed interim assistant city manager. She will serve until the city completes a recruitment for this position, at which time she plans to retire from the city.
“Planning for the future and continuously striving for improvement are cornerstones of our success,” Hildabrand said. “As the city approaches build out, needs are changing. Now is the time to plan for these changes, so we can continue to provide high quality services to the community while making the most efficient use of tax dollars.”
To date, the restructuring and other efforts to improve efficiency have enabled the city to operate with 25 fewer positions. Through careful planning, the city achieved this workforce reduction through attrition rather than layoffs.
Although some city staff will change locations, most phone numbers and all e-mail addresses will stay the same. For a directory of city departments and guidance on who to call for what, visit the city Web site at www.carlsbadca.gov and click on “Contact Us.”