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SR 08-25-2015 4ACity Council Special Meeting: August 23, 2015 Agenda Item: 4.A To: Mayor and City Council From: Rick Cole, City Manager, City Manager's Office, Administration Subject: Strategic Goals and SMART Metrics Recommended Action Staff recommends that the City Council establish three to five priority strategic goals with measurable three to five year outcomes, with the goal of identifying game changing priorities that will make a difference in community safety, wellbeing, prosperity, quality of life, and sustainability. Executive Summary Santa Monica's elected officials, staff, and community members have been on the cutting edge of innovative approaches to municipal services for decades. With high levels of community engagement and a strong base of financial and staff resources, City government is currently active on at least two dozen major project and policy initiatives. The scope and complexity of these initiatives ties up the limited capacity of the City Council and leadership team to manage them all simultaneously and to effectively focus on the most critical ones. To better serve the community and more effectively mobilize community partnerships, it will be helpful to select and commit to deliver a manageable number of strategic goals. Setting the top priorities is clearly the responsibility of the Council. Staff has assessed current priority projects and policy initiatives with the goal of identifying options for game changing priorities that will make a strategic difference in community safety, wellbeing, prosperity, quality of life, and sustainability. With this retreat, staff seeks the Council's active participation in identifying which three to five of the many significant things the City is already doing should be the top priorities for the upcoming years. Once those are identified, staff will work with the Council to clearly identify the measures for tracking progress toward achieving those strategic goals. Background The City of Santa Monica's 14 departments provide a range of municipal services that is highly unusual for a city of this size: police, fire, transit (a regional bus system and NWIN Packet Pg. 6 general aviation airport), water, wastewater, refuse, streets, parking, planning, building, engineering, free public Wi -Fi, a high speed fiber optic network, parks, affordable housing, economic development, pier, sustainability, library, rent control, recreational, social, cultural, and educational services to the community. Approximately 2000 current full -time employees deliver these services. Collectively, this work is meant to do government's part to improve community wellbeing. The Wellbeing Project named the factors that make a city thrive (outlook, community, place, learning, health, and opportunity), measured them, and set a course for action and improvement. The Wellbeing Index offers new data towards a shared understanding of the community's strengths and needs, and encourages collaboration among City leaders, local organizations, and residents to improve collective wellbeing. This information helps government to set priorities and make decisions based on improving residents' wellbeing, thus integrating quality of life considerations into City services and programs. On June 21, 2011 the City transitioned to a biennial financial plan to improve efficiency and overall management of the municipal organization. Each year City departments establish goals and objectives to provide core city services and respond to emerging needs. The FY2015 -2017 biennial budget includes 68 high -level departmental goals and related measurements. Department work plans are the primary management tool to track progress of broad goals and objectives and convey more detail than what appears in the biennial budget. Identification of three to five strategic goals will focus the attention of the City Council, executive leadership team and community on the prioritized, game- changing project and policy initiatives over the next three to five years. Naming the top priority strategic goals will not diminish ongoing work on the many innovations, improvements, and changes going on inside and across City departments, but will ensure that the most important goals are successfully achieved Discussion The City of Santa Monica is nationally known as a City government whose 2 of 7 Packet Pg. 7 groundbreaking project and policy initiatives and innovations have been widely recognized and adopted. The City is a national leader on sustainability and has scores of award - winning plans and projects across nearly every function. The City has a AAA bond rating, invests heavily in social services, and recently launched a Local Wellbeing Index, funded by one of only five grants made nationally by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The completion of the $1.5 billion Expo line to Santa Monica is the result of decades of community advocacy at the County level. Santa Monica will shortly launch the first bike share program in the region. The City is engaged in a host of new efforts including: expanding the fastest municipal fiber optic network in the country; seeking to regain local control of land use at the Santa Monica Airport; implementing zoning regulations for medical marijuana; adopting the Downtown Specific Plan; considering becoming the second city in the region to adopt a municipal minimum wage; rebuilding the California Incline; building the Colorado Esplanade from the Downtown rail station; moving towards water independence and cutting overall water use; and more. The energetic engagement of local residents and the pioneering spirit of Councilmembers and staff have propelled the organization to take calculated risks, step forward, and embark on efforts that other municipalities cannot. Yet there are costs to this kind of flat -out appetite to simultaneously do more and better. First, it skimps on the kind of careful vetting, civic engagement, and project management that lays the foundation for success. This strain is particularly acute at the funnel of twice - monthly City Council meetings and on the City's key executive leaders. There is only so much time during Council sessions and only so much time in the workday /workweek. Putting too much pressure on this funnel makes it a chokepoint instead. Council meetings go into the wee hours and executive managers find themselves spread too thinly. Minor oversights and omissions can cascade into costly missteps. The strain of keeping on top of bubbling pots and constantly shifting projects and policies between the front and back burners multiplies the risk of boil -overs and burned fingers. All this can, over time, erode external trust and internal pride. Working harder won't solve the problem. Working smarter can. 3of7 0 This starts with being strategic about being strategic. Not everything is of equal importance. Not everything is of equal urgency. Balancing the important and the urgent must be intentional and transparent. That means being clear about what is truly important, sticking with that framework, and delivering the promised results on time and on budget. In the short run, it means being realistic about what can be realistically done. The organization has the capacity to do almost anything. However, it does not have the capacity to do everything Setting the top priorities is clearly the responsibility of the Council. With this retreat, staff seeks the Council's active participation in identifying which of the many significant things the City is already doing should rise to the top priorities for the upcoming years. Once those are identified, staff will work with the Council to clearly identify the measures for tracking progress toward achieving those strategic goals. It should not be overlooked that today's Santa Monica is the product of the cumulative pursuit of strategic goals even if they were not always formally identified as such. Big moves over several years and multiple budget cycles have decisively shaped the City's physical landscape and organizational structure as well as the community's quality of life and standard of living. The rehabilitation of the Pier, the creation of the Third Street Promenade, securing construction of the Expo line to its terminus in Downtown are all tangible examples of game changers that have influenced the City. Prudent fiscal management to achieve AAA credit rating, fostering of active civic engagement, and the partnership with the Santa Monica School District and college are examples of less visible but equally important strategies that have had consequential impact. A list of a number of such strategic projects and policies in recent years can be found in Attachment A. In preparation for this Council session, members of the City's Leadership Team (managers, department heads, and CMO staff) worked in small interdepartmental 3n§ 1VA Packet Pg. 9 groups to identify the many strategic initiatives underway throughout the organization and the associated SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant & Timely) metrics which foster accountability by identifying tangible outcomes and setting deadlines for achieving them. Members of the department head team (department heads and CMO staff) reviewed and prioritized items, which were grouped in the following categories: mobility affordable housing emergency preparedness homelessness planning and development sustainability technology capital improvement and infrastructure wellbeing communication The team then identified the strategic initiatives that once achieved will make a difference and improve the quality of life in Santa Monica. Staff is now presenting the Council with the following 12 strategic initiatives and associated SMART metrics for consideration (see attachment B for detailed goals and metrics) and seeks the Council's direction on the top three to five strategic goals as well as the appropriate SMART metrics to focus on over the next three to five years. The metrics, by and large, are reflected in the FY2015 -2017 adopted biennial budget. Others appear on departmental work plans. A few arose through the recent discussion of strategic initiatives and SMART metrics. All are suggestions for the Council's consideration. Based on Council direction during the retreat, staff may fine tune some of the metrics. 1. Providing world -class customer service to the community 2. Establishing a new model for mobility 3. Addressing homelessness 5 of 7 Packet Pg. 10 4.A 4. Maintaining an inclusive and diverse community 5. Securing local control of the City land occupied by the Santa Monica Airport 6. Achieving water, energy and climate change sustainability goals 7. Safeguard Bergamot and the Civic Auditorium assets as cultural hubs 8. Providing affordable community -wide gigabit speed fiber and wi -fi connectivity 9. Strengthening downtown as a community hometown with local- serving and cultural amenities 10. Expanding and improving the resilience of community infrastructure 11. Taking community civic engagement to the next level 12. Building on the partnership with SMMUSD and SMC to emphasize Santa Monica as "a learning community" from Cradle to Career and beyond This first cut is meant to give the Council a basis to mix, match, trim and change these suggestions to a list of three to five clear choices for top priority strategic goals and associated SMART metrics. Based on Council's direction, staff will adjust to ensure that the goals and metrics are met within the desired time frames. This may involve shifting appropriate resources to the identified initiatives, modifying the timelines on other projects, or other efforts necessary to achieve the stated goals. It bears repeating that essential City services and programs, work to meet Council's adopted policy goals, and day -to -day service delivery will continue. Progress on the City's strategic goals and SMART metrics will be reported during the annual budget adoption process at the time the proposed budget is considered. Alternatives The Council could identify more or less of the presented strategic initiatives, could create and prioritize different initiatives, and /or develop alternative SMART metrics. 6of7 Financial Impacts and Budget Actions There is no immediate financial impact or budget action necessary as a result of the recommended action. Clearly, however, the identification of top priority strategic goals and the commitment to achieving them will significantly influence future budgetary allocations. And, current budgets and programs may need to be adjusted at mid -year or other times to implement the strategic goals. Prepared By: Rick Cole, City Manager Approved Forwarded to Council 1 ,,'�7 MCK Cole, City Manager bi I Wzu 15 W o e, -City manager MM015 Attachments: A. Priority Projects Over Time B. Strategic Goals and SMART Metrics 7of7 Attachment A Strategic Projects and Priorities That Have Shaped Santa Monica • Establishing Rent Control • Rebuilding the Santa Monica Pier • Creating the Third Street Promenade • Developing and maintaining affordable housing • Becoming a tourist destination • Establishing the Special Office District • Operating a regional municipal transit system (Big Blue Bus) • Adopting and implementing the Sustainable City Plan • Earning a AAA bond rating • Supporting citizen engagement and neighborhood organizations • Developing and maintaining parks and green space • Partnering with SM -MUSD and Santa Monica College • Developing CityNet (fiber optic system) and City wi -fi • Offering General Fund grants to human service and arts organizations • Being a Lifelong Learning Community • Investing in capital infrastructure • Implementing the Housing First model of homeless service delivery • Adopting the LUCE • Developing a Cradle to Career program • Building a local Wellbeing Index • Growing community resilience and emergency preparedness • Drafting the Downtown Specific Plan • Embedding the Expo light rail line in the City • Working towards local control of the Santa Monica Airport • Building new libraries (Main Library and Pico Branch Library) • Nurturing Silicon Beach • Earning a Class 1 rating for the Fire Department 4A.a Packet Pg. 13 Attachment B Strategic Goals and Metrics 1. Providing world -class customer service to the community 2. Establishing a new model for mobility a) Achieve a 1% reduction in Santa Monica -based PM Peak Hour Vehicle trips between 2015 and 2019. b) Achieve 1.70 citywide employer AVR by 2017, and 1.75 by 2019. c) Achieve a 20% increase in PM Peak Hour Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts between 2015 and 2019. d) Achieve a 10% decrease in reported crash rate involving people walking and biking from 2014 numbers e) Create a Transportation Management Organization that will promote and market transportation information, incentives, and other strategies to reduce single- occupancy vehicle trips and increase active transportation and transit. f) Increase BBB ridership by 6% in first year of Expo Line operation. 3. Reducing homelessness a) w Create 30 new, permanent supportive residences by 2020. b) Ensure 100% of all field and first responder personnel have undergone mental health training to improve the quality of N documentation collected and better connect homeless individuals to 6 local and regional resources by June 2018. c) 70% (206 of 295) of the vulnerable individuals on the Service Registry will be permanently housed by June 2017. ¢ d) In collaboration with County agencies and local hospitals establish a ai sobering center within SPA -5 by December 2017. e) Secure 5 new medical detox beds by January 2017. n f) Implement a pilot street -based medical substance abuse treatment o program by January 2017. v 4. Maintaining an inclusive and diverse community by increasing housing accessibility 2 a) Create a stable funding source for affordable housing by placing a w C funding initiative on the 2016 ballot that would increase City w revenues by approximately $12 million per year. Use the additional v revenue to leverage financing for construction or rehabilitation of 150 affordable homes by 2020. ¢ 5. Securing local control of the City land occupied by the Santa Monica Airport 6. Achieving water, energy and climate change sustainability goals Packet Pg. 114 4A.b a) Reduce citywide water demand by 20% by December 31, 2016 b) Achieve a 20% reduction in community greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. c) Achieve water independence for the City of Santa Monica by December 31, 2020. d) Increase solar installations in the city by 500 kilowatts annually. e) Increase green food waste diversion by 5% a year. 7. Building on Bergamot and Civic Auditorium assets as community and regional cultural hubs 8. Providing affordable community -wide gigabit speed fiber and wi -fi connectivity a) Increase number of fiber optic network circuits by 12% by June 30, 2016 and 5% more by June 30, 2017. b) Expand free public internet access by increasing the availability of free internet Wi -Fi hot zones and major corridors by 25% by June 30, 2017. 9. Strengthening downtown as a community hometown with local- serving and cultural amenities a) By 2021, create an additional gathering place within downtown that can support locals- focused community events such as winter -time ice skating, concerts, and recreational and cultural programming. 10. Expanding and improving the resilience of community infrastructure a) Complete an average of 1/4 mile of new sidewalk, sidewalk widening or significant improvements annually. b) Rehabilitate 7 miles of streets per year. c) Repair 25,000 square feet of sidewalks per year. d) Apply 900 sidewalk patches and repair 800 potholes per year. e) Perform approximately 200,000 square feet of general asphalt repairs per year. f) Replace 3,000 linear feet of water main each year. g) Replace an average of 3,000 linear feet of wastewater main each year. 11. Taking community civic engagement to the next level a) Rather than have people come to the City, have the City go to people. Pilot Policy and a Pint in 2016, a six - events -a -year program with educational and entertaining topics relevant to everyday life. Topics revolve around the intersection of government, business, community, built environment, and personal responsibility; tie to current events and forthcoming community issues. b) Implement electronic chit submissions by February 2016. c) Develop an interactive Council Agenda that incites community participation, and provides an alternative to attending Council meetings by May 2016. Packet Pg. 15 12. Building on the partnership with SMMUSD and SMC using City library, human services, and other resources to emphasize Santa Monica as "a learning community" from Cradle to Career and beyond a) Improve the readiness of children in Santa Monica for Kindergarten. Based on the Early Development Instrument, increase the percentile of children developmentally On Track in All Developmental areas 10% by 2019. 00 0 i Packet Pg. 16