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Pacific Grove consultant finds understaffing, recommends multiyear planning and new midlevel roles
Summary
A consultant hired by the city presented a yearlong organizational diagnostic that found understaffing across departments, aging infrastructure, outdated technology and limited succession planning. City leaders and residents called for quick follow-up on IT, recreation and public works capacity.
A consultant hired by Pacific Grove presented a yearlong organizational diagnostic on Feb. 19 that concluded the city is “a little city trying to do big‑city things,” finding understaffing across nearly every department and recommending multiyear capital, vehicle and IT plans and several new midlevel positions.
The outside reviewer, Rick Otto of MRG, told the council the study assessed “service gaps and operational challenges” and recommended 21 actions, including adding a senior management analyst in the city manager’s office, replacing the city’s finance technology platform and creating a library manager position.
Otto said the assessment relied on staff interviews and data analysis and deliberately did not factor in fiscal or political constraints. “Our job was to look at the best structure for the organization,” he said.
The report singled out public works, community development and police for more in‑depth reviews. Otto said public works in particular has a “very large span of control” and recommended the council evaluate whether recreation should be a standalone department. For police, Otto recommended a detailed staffing and deployment study timed to the incoming police chief.
Residents who spoke during public comment supported the diagnostic and urged the council to act. Carmel Garcia, a local resident, urged the city to create a dedicated recreation manager and to move ADA/504 responsibilities to human resources. Don Murphy and other commenters urged the city to start with process reviews and contract audits before adding staff.
Council members said the report gives the council and the manager a baseline for upcoming goal‑setting and budget choices. Council member Garfield asked staff to highlight “low‑hanging fruit” — changes that are lower cost but yield measurable improvements — and Mayor Smith said the city should prioritize IT upgrades so staff can be more productive.
The consultant will work with the city manager to produce a prioritization of recommended steps and to identify where deeper organizational dives are needed. Council members repeatedly urged early action on information technology and on measures that would improve recruitment, retention and midlevel succession planning.
Ending: The report is intended as a road map, not a budget. City staff expect to return to council with prioritized, implementable steps and cost estimates that the council can weigh against the city’s fiscal constraints in the coming budget cycle.
