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Council divided on $100,000 staffing assessment; some members call it an investment, others question value
Summary
The finance committee recommended a $100,000 citywide staffing assessment to analyze organization structure and identify efficiencies; council members debated scope, expected savings and whether the review would produce actionable results.
El Segundo’s finance committee proposed a $100,000 third‑party staffing assessment to review citywide positions and organization structure; council members debated the merits and scope during the May 5 budget workshop.
Supporters framed the assessment as an investment in efficiency and long‑term planning. A council member who helped initiate the request said the assessment would provide “a global picture of what it looks like, maybe what it could potentially look like five years down the road,” and argued the review could identify both overstaffed and understaffed areas.
Opponents questioned whether a $100,000 external review would realistically deliver actionable savings when — staff and several council members said — pension growth is expected to drive long‑term expenditures regardless of short‑term headcount adjustments. One council member said bluntly, “I’m lost on this one, I’ll be honest,” and another warned that the city must be clear about what it would do if the consultant recommended adding positions as well as cutting them.
City staff proposed that if the council authorizes the assessment it will return to the finance committee with a detailed scope of work and that the scope would be reviewed by council before the RFP is released. City Manager Daryl and the finance director said the review would be scoped to prioritize cost‑savings opportunities and organization‑level tradeoffs rather than an open‑ended audit.
Ending: The council left the $100,000 staffing assessment as a line item under consideration and directed staff to develop a scope and return to the finance committee and council with a defined set of objectives and milestones before issuing an RFP.
