April 1, 2008
Efficiency Review…a progress report (or, why the delay)
In the following letter, Mr. Walker of Berkshire Advisors (the consultants conducting the city’s Efficiency Review) explains that progress on providing recommendations has largely been put on hold until various city departments submit the information necessary to complete the analysis. He also notes that he’s been apprised that the required information will be provided within the next two weeks.
Addressed to the members of the Efficiency Study Selection Committee, in reply to a request for a progress report:
Thank you for your letter dated March 27, 2008 expressing your concern with the progress of our management review of the Petersburg City Government. We appreciate your frustration with the study’s progress and through this letter will explain the reason for the delay in completing the engagement.
As you know, the scope of this engagement was ambitious. Our goal is not simply to develop a list of discrete recommendations that city can implement to improve operational efficiency but to create an overarching management system and approach that the city can use to determine how to best use its scarce resources to serve Petersburg residents.
Our approach to developing this management system and approach is divided into three parts. First, the city must define what its “core” service offerings should be. That is, what are the most basic services the city government must offer its residents and what is the minimum acceptable level at which these services are to be provided. Next, the city should establish reasonable goals for providing services that exceed these core levels and develop an approach to determining the relative value of service offerings that exceed the core offerings. Finally, the cost of providing both the core services and services at a higher level should be calculated and resource allocation decision made that reflect both the cost of improving service above the core level and the benefit or value associated with these improvements.
As your consultants we can develop models that link the cost of service offerings with the level of service desired (both for core service offerings and for services that exceed this “baseline” level of service) in many areas (and can estimate the cost of achieving different service levels where the relationship between service levels and cost are difficult to model precisely). What we hesitate to do, however, is to determine what the core level of service in Petersburg should be and how desired levels of service that exceed these minimums should be set. While we can provide input into those decisions we strongly believe that such decisions should be made by policy makers and department managers.
Our progress in completing the study has been delayed because we have not yet received the feedback from city leaders with regard to how core services should be defined and at what level “baseline” and “desired” levels of service should be set. In particular, to date, only two council members have completed a survey we developed to help define core service offerings and, after repeated requests, several departments have not responded to our request to detail the level at which “baseline” and “desired” services should be set. (While most departments provided needed feedback some time ago, after making repeated requests to the city manager – and in some cases the department heads themselves – feedback on service levels has not yet been received from the following departments: police; finance, libraries; museums/tourism; city assessor; and economic development.) Please note that after receiving the requested information from the department heads we plan to ask the city council to complete a second survey that will be used to value the alternative service offerings.
We have essentially put our work on the project on hold until we receive the requested information from the city council and department heads. While much of the information needed to model service offerings has been developed, inevitably some follow-ups will be needed to develop these models and we want to plan future trips to Petersburg to gather all the needed information in as expeditious a manner as possible. It should take about six weeks to complete our analysis after we receive the requested information from the city council and departments.
I have discussed the need for this information with the City Manager a number of times over the past several months. I spoke with him again this morning and he has assured me that we will receive the information we need from the departments by the end of this week and that the remaining information from the city council will be provided within two weeks. After we receive this information we will prepare the follow-up survey for the city council and will complete our analysis.
I will let you know when we receive the information we have requested from the city and the city council. At that time, I’ll also provide an anticipated date for completing the engagement.
Again, I appreciate your concern about the study progress. We remain fully committed to providing a study report that the city can use to improve its short-term performance while providing a framework for improving the management of the city over the long-term.
Sincerely,
Michael H. Walker
Principal
My first reaction is unprintable…..
Oh wait! I get it.. it’s APRIL 1st!!!!!
HA!! HA!! HA!! HA!! HA!! HA!!
this is a joke right????
Right?
Who needs efficiency in Petersburg city government when it is much easier just to raise the assessments on real estate?
Cynical as it may sound, people do get the government they deserve. Look at which party’s been running this town for the last 50 years.
If you build a culture of dependency, that’s what you get. If we want Petersburg to attract business, let’s get some business people in government.
I would agree that we need some fresh blood in the city government or at least more accountability. However, business savvy people can be found in either party.
Side Note:
I mean look at the last 8 years of the Federal Gov’t certainly that party has NO right what-so-ever to claim any type of fiscal prowess considering the deficit and that the country is essentially bankrupt?
So, let me get this right. The efficiency study can not be completed until the people who’s efficiency is being studied submit requested information? They are tardy in delivering the information therefore putting the study on hold? Do we mean to say that our city leaders can not define what core services are?
I agree with post #4 that “people do get the government they deserve.” I know some people disdain the idea of screaming at the city leadership, but if we don’t at least, raise our voices to a noticeable “ahem!”…. then we will get what we deserve.
History shows that city leadership will wait us out, and their silence will drown out our silence with a deafening no sound response to any questions asked of them.
I, for one, will raise my voice to those city leaders and council members who have failed to respond to the repeated request of the efficiency committee, whose lack of attention to the request has delayed progress on establishing an efficient process for our city government to adopt.
I’d better stop before my post get’s like post #1’s first reaction, unprintable.
If they can sit idly by while raising the real estate taxes to the highest level of any community in the commonwealth, we certainly ought to be able to raise our voices.
We can raise our voices to the pitch that will draw people to the polls to vote. We can raise our voices to the pitch that will draw people to the point of doing something besides grin and bear. We can raise our voices to the pitch that will demand accountability and transparency in our government. We can raise our voices to the pitch that will bring people to the table to discuss the 2009 fisal year budget before it gets rubber stamped by council.
All we have to do is tell the truth, and we can do that in a WHISPER… it will still sound like a scream.
I found out this information to late to be able to put together a proper statement for the council meeting last night.
I will be checking up on this and if the information needed by the review has not been provided I plan on making my thoughts very clear at the next council meeting. I hope others would also.
Akin S.
“All we have to do is tell the truth, and we can do that in a WHISPER… it will still sound like a scream.”
Now, you’re talking.
The question then remains “how good are the ears of the people of petersburg?”
Clumsily phrased, I know.
Don’t forget that when Washington DC was just about the worst city in N. america, they elected Marion Barry. I don’t remember the DC voters getting rid of him, I think it was the feds that did it, if I recall correctly — to loud jeers of “racism!”
Well, once he got out of jail, the last big cesspool in DC decided he was good enough to represent them –anacostia.
But DC has changed, and so has the leadership. Both have gotten better.
The ears have to change first, I think. You either improve those ears, or you bring in some new ears.
There are two reasons we don’t have better leadership:
1. not every competent person wants the job.
2. the competent look at themselves, then look at the voters — and figure that the voters won’t see themselves in him/her. The incompetent WANT someone who will promise to bail them out. The competent want someone who will make it easier for them to create wealth without anyone bothering them too much or taking much of the created wealth away.
Do the math.
Also, look at louisiana.
The guy who’s the mayor of New Orleans botched the evacuation (remember the buses?) Screamed like a madman at the feds so everyone would not look at his inepitude too closely, then cowered like a child in the top floor of city hall.
Who did the voters vote for in the next election?
Have you been following the Congressman William Jefferson story?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_J._Jefferson#Former_aides_plead_guilty
Many people (probably mostly rebpublicans) are hopping mad that the supreme court are allowing the case against jefferson to be thrown out, since it is abundantly clear he is guilty.
Well, what these people don’t understand is that it is the framer’s intent that the representatives be responsible to the PEOPLE, not the justice dept. That is, if they are crooks, and it is pretty obvious, they will get voted out of office.
Didn’t happen in that jazz-loving state though — the people knew what they were voting for, and voted to keep the corrupt guy as representative of a highly corrupt population.
I guess that was also the framer’s intent, as the slavers and the jim crowers always got re-elected too.
Good news for louisiana is that they hired bobby jindal. I hope he doesn’t disappoint.
Good news for us is that central VA seems to be developing a high “creative class” rating:
http://creativeclass.com/whos_your_city/maps/
This being in spite of the backward-looking culture that predominates herearounds by the lovers of blues, and of grey uniforms.
Want your schools to perform better? Well, apparently you should throw out democratic leadership and powerful teachers’ unions, since the bluest areas of the country do the poorest on at least one measure:
http://creativeclass.typepad.com/thecreativityexchange/2008/04/urban-schools.html
Also explains why the biggest supporters of school vouchers are inner-city african americans — THEY WANT TO FLEE LIBERAL FAILURE!
Rant over.
Why not come together and create a “reform slate” in the next council election? We can field a candidate in every ward. It will test whether Petersburg voters want positive change or more of the “same ole same ole” from the present crowd. Akin Smith is a natural leader for that movement. Why don’t we gather around him and do this one good thing?
If anybody ever gathers around me, they would be able to depend for certain that I will voice the decisions of the group and not my own. Leadership is made up of those who are willing to follow the process of democracy in the group.
Let us not be like the politicians who stood upon the highway and byway. When seeing the great parade of marchers moving in massive numbers through the city, they turn to one another and say, “Let’s find out where they are going so that we can lead them.”
Au’ contrare. Let us learn of the issue and participate in the problem by stepping into the solution, together… both sides of the aisle along with those who are independent of both sides of the aisle.
Simple, yet not always easy. Needed, yet not always wanted. Always doable, yet not always done.
I suspect there are a great number of natural leaders in those who gather at this watering hole. Let us focus on the issues, leadership will emerge.
I second the motion for Akin’s nomination.
Anyone else willing to step up in other wards?
(I would volunteer myself in a heart murmur except for the fact that I am barred from such a position by my employment. That and I am man enough to admit that I might not be qualified for the job.)
I can speak though, and if a topic arises (such as the efficiency review) where I can hold councils feet to the fire I will do so.
Some questions first.
What ward does atkin s. live in? Not all city council members are the same, and some have a mark against them, but have the right ideas, in general.
We saw a well-liked man run against the mayor in her ward. Even though he ran as a democrat, had a coffee-complexion, and was a “change candidate” — he only got like 40% of the vote.
I saw that as a victory for him, given the circumstances.
When Dialio ran against dance, he ran as a Son of Petersburg, VSU grad, and an independent.
He had a LOT of appeal over dance, but the democrats painted him as a carpetbagger because he had been smart (and able) enough to move away from petersburg and towards opportunity. They said that even though he was a independant, he was either a crypto-republican or in their pockets.
They also spead fear amoungst the corrupt school system that he was going to try to get Petersburg’s schools privatized (there may have been some truth to this, but it was nothing for the AVERAGE petersburger to be frightened about, just the substandard teacher or the redundant administrator)
The guy ran a GREAT campaign. Ran right over Dance. Still, he only got 40% of the vote.
Many people hoped he’d stay after being defeated, pay his dues, and all that. I don’t think he did, probably thinking the community wasn’t worth his time.
Or maybe the democrats just drove him out with their criminal case against him…
Here are some articles written by Diallo in 2001:
http://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.696/pub_detail.asp
http://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.1695/pub_detail.asp
http://liberty.pacificresearch.org/docLib/20070202_grand_theft_education.pdf
An article that quotes him:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1568/is_9_33/ai_82078814/pg_1
http://www.nationalreview.com/murdock/murdockprint053101.html
Apparently, I am correct about his sentiment about petersburg. He seems to be tired of fighting the liberals in education, and tired of the good fight in general, as he is now in the music industry:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=40762974
He seems a little ashamed of his petersburg roots. Note that his hometown is listed as “Planet Rock” and he does not list VSU under schools, even though he was class president there. He does list indiana university though.
So, if petersburg chooses someone who has worked in a failing system forever over a guy with talent and energy, and knowlege of how to try and change education for the betterment of minority kids, what hope is there for the community unless we change the community first?
If I were to look at the myspace site independent of anything else, I interpret things differently. He is VP of a music company. Why list u-grad if you have a grad degree? For example, consider someone with a UT Austin u-grad degree and a Carnegie Mellon grad degree. Now put that person in Mexico — the UT connection will be of interest locally, the CMU one not so much. Now put that person in NYC; the CMU association will do a lot more for that individual than the UT one, professionally/socially speaking. All of which to say: when one has a multi-faceted background, rather than put the whole enchilada out there all the time, one can leverage certain elements of their background as most relevant to their given audience.
Similarly, the ‘Planet Rock’ could just be a hipster way of saying he’s got music in his roots/blood — he could be from anyplace on the planet, and ‘Planet Rock’ would still be his home?
Total speculation on my part. I’m just saying that it’s hard to infer much from the myspace site as far as Pburg goes.
That said, I totally agree with “So, if petersburg chooses someone who has worked in a failing system forever over a guy with talent and energy, and knowlege of how to try and change education for the betterment of minority kids, what hope is there for the community unless we change the community first?”
Thanks. Here’s more:
http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-04-03-0248.html
Is it any wonder that the counties around richmond want to do ZIPPO to help richmond out? Noone wants to subsidie failure and mis-management. The liberals in richmond will try to distract attention from their failures by saying its “racism” — but wait until some well meaning folks from outside the system start trying to clean up the mess — the same folks will say that “cleaning up” is racism too! Unless ‘cleaning up’ is defined as higher salaries for their incompetent and wasteful staff.
BTW, I wouldn’t compare VSU to UT austin in ANY way. It’s REALLY unfair to UT austin.
http://www.petersons.com/blackcolleges/profiles/virginia.asp?sponsor=2904
CLASS OF 2000–01 PROFILE
Number of applicants: 3,570
Number accepted: 2,549
Number enrolled: 942
Median SAT score: 800
Median ACT score: 17
Average high school GPA: 2.50
Transfer applicants: 333
Transfers accepted: 285
Transfers enrolled: 169
[median SAT of 800?, don't you do better than that if you pick randomly?]
http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/profiles/admissions.asp?listing=1023590<id=1&intbucketid=
Texas is a good school, with good students. If you are an african american, with an ‘A’ average, you can get in, no matter your high school or SAT scores. Then, it’s up to you.
VA state originally had a good purpose. Now that segregation is gone (now, it’s the opposite, qualified asian students are rejected in favor of black students with lower scores) most blacks students that are qualified for higher education go to good schools. VSU has become another vehicle for social promotion. DO I think VSU should be shut down? No. It’s a nice facility. It think they should raise their admittance standards, gradually, but steadily.
You can’t tell high school kids, “if you don’t do well here, don’t worry, VSU will take you.”
You’ve got to light a fire under people’s butts to get them to achieve.
[...] In a letter posted to this site April 1, the Efficiency Review consultants explained 1) that they were not able to proceed with their analysis until several city departments and city council representatives provided information on what they deem to be ‘core’ vs. ‘desired’ levels of service, and 2) that they were told all necessary information would be provided to them within two weeks. As of this morning: the consultants have received the required information from all city departments except the police department (which is said to be working on same), and they have received no additional core service questionnaires from city council members (only two of the council representatives have submit the requested questionnaires). Posted by brenda p at 10:18AM under City Council, community | Tags: Efficiency review [...]
And one month and 3 days later, where are we? What two of the city council members have submitted the requested questionairre?