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Calistoga staff report highlights hires, HR improvements and IT overhaul
Summary
City Manager outlined organizational changes: two new full‑time hires (Police Chief Matthew McCaffrey and a public‑works administrative hire), a strengthened HR function, workspace modernization and IT projects including a new website and ERP financial system to replace a 43‑year‑old system.
City Manager and department leaders used the March 18 council meeting to summarize staffing gains, internal improvements and a multi‑year information-technology overhaul intended to modernize city operations and public services.
Lede details: The council heard that the city has added two full‑time hires: Matthew McCaffrey as Calistoga’s new police chief and Leanne Williams as a public‑works administrative employee. The city manager said the manager’s office employs six staff, the city has 71 full‑time employees and more than 100 workers including part‑time staff.
Why it matters: Council members and staff characterized the prior organization as “fragile” in 2022, with important single‑point failures in payroll, IT and human resources. The city manager said leadership hires and new HR staffing have created stronger internal controls and better succession planning.
IT and facilities work: Deputy/Assistant staff summarized an IT assessment completed in February 2022 that identified 15 projects. Staff reported completing or starting roughly two‑thirds (10) of those projects and highlighted two major items: a new public-facing website expected this fall and a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) financial system to replace an unsupported legacy system (described in the meeting as “MOMS,” a 43‑year‑old finance system). Staff said the new financial system will provide real‑time data, advanced reporting and reduced manual processes.
Quotes and staffing context: City Manager said hiring director‑level staff and creating a human-resource manager position addressed long-standing gaps, including lack of cross‑training and payroll backup. Assistant City Manager Salaya described his role overseeing police, fire and HR and noted active projects including the Lincoln Avenue sidewalks and dispatch contract negotiations.
Ending: Staff said they will continue converting the city to modern phone systems (Microsoft Teams calling), complete workspace modernization to house teams together, and return with additional IT and human‑resources metrics as projects are completed.
