Risk Assessment of the Organization

City Council Priority: Risk Assessment of the Organization

At the Council Goal Setting in March 2019, the Council expressed a desire to assess the risk of the organization. This priority seeks to improve risk management and the high cost of claims and insurance for the City. Effective risk management prioritizes review of the major sources of claims are and evaluates our operational practices vis-à-vis best practices. Thus, the Council has directed an assessment of the Fire Department, Public Works and Police's operating practices to identify if and how they might be improved to reduce legal and financial risk to the City. The City has already taken significant steps in this direction, with the creation of a Risk Management Division under the City Manager's Office, and the appointment of a Risk Manager.

These assessments will evaluate the departmental policies, practices, tactics, and capacity, all of which have a potential nexus to risk-related costs for Police, Public Works and Fire.

An independent firm, The OIR Group has been selected to perform the Police Department Assessment. Led by a veteran former federal civil rights prosecutor, the OIR Group team features some of the nation's most experienced police practices and oversight professionals. OIR's areas of service include performing comprehensive assessments of law enforcement agencies, critical incident review and analysis, conducting and evaluating training, policy assessment, complaint and internal investigations, etc. They have conducted reviews for the City of Portland, City of Davis, and BART, among others. For more information on The OIR Group, visit their website here.

The City is currently in the process of exploring options for obtaining the needed resources to complete the upcoming Fire and Public Works assessments. Additional information will be provided on these various assessments over the coming months.

UPDATE – DECEMBER 12, 2019: VALLEJO RANKS WELL FOR FISCAL HEALTH

The California State Auditor released a study identifying California cities in financial crisis this fall.

This study found that cities like Oakland, Richmond, and El Cerrito are at high risk of fiscal challenges, while Vallejo was placed at a moderate level.

Vallejo's fiscal health is ranked better than San Diego, Fremont, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Jose, and 67 others. Ten financial indicators were used to calculate risk: liquidity, debt burden, general fund reserves, revenue trends, pension obligations, pension funding, pension costs, future pension costs, other post-employee benefit (OPEB) obligations, and OPEB funding.

UPDATE – NOV. 13, 2019: PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT RECEIVES TWO AWARDS FOR STREET IMPROVEMENTS

A. City Awards from Solano Transportation Authority

The City of Vallejo's Public Works Department received two awards at the Solano Transportation Authority's 22nd Annual Awards Dinner on Nov. 13, 2019.

B. Downtown Streetscape Project and Sonoma Boulevard Safety Improvements

The first award recognizes the Downtown Streetscape Project, Phase 4, which improved the insertion of Sacramento Street and Maine Street with signage, decorative paving, lighting, and many other improvements. Public Works was awarded the Safety Project of the Year for the Highway Safety Improvements Project on Sonoma Boulevard, from Georgia Street to Florida Street. Traffic calming measures were incorporated, which include: reduced lanes, an added bike lane, and buffer zones. These projects improve safety and reduce risk for the city.

UPDATE – OCTOBER 4, 2019: RISK ASSESSMENT FOR WATER AND PUBLIC WORKS BEGINS

On October 4, 2019, a Risk Consultant began working on the assessment for Water and Public Works and is in the gathering data stage of the project.

UPDATE – JULY 2019: CITY CONTRACTS WITH OIR

In July 2019, the City contracted with OIR to conduct an assessment of the police department.

UPDATE – JUNE 17, 2019: RISK MANAGEMENT DIVISION IMPLEMENTS ERGONOMICS PROGRAM

On June 17, 2019, the Risk Management Division developed and implemented an in-house ergonomics program to help mitigate risk of injury for office staff. Services include desk set-ups, full ergonomic evaluations by certified staff, demo equipment, and partial reimbursement for equipment ordered.

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