County accepts KPMG review of Public Works and commits to 18 reforms

The Marin County Board of Supervisors voted Nov. 18 to accept an organizational and operational assessment of the Department of Public Works conducted by KPMG and directed staff to begin implementing an associated roadmap and a limited personnel allocation.

The study, presented by KPMG project director Alex Rothman, identified 18 opportunities and an implementation plan with more than 50 action steps to improve service delivery, clarify structure and modernize technology. "Our report includes 18 opportunities and a corresponding implementation plan," Rothman said during the presentation, summarizing the consultant team's findings.

County Executive Derek Johnson said the report provides "a clear, evidence‑based approach, where we are, where we need to go," adding that recommendations will be tied to the county's upcoming budget process so financial and staffing needs can be addressed. The presentation highlighted four priority areas selected for initial focus: structured customer intake and feedback; stronger, data‑driven performance management (KPIs) for permit and service turnaround; a holistic capital improvement plan; and technology modernization including unified systems for DPW and the Community Development Agency.

KPMG also outlined structural options for repositioning two functions: relocating procurement (options included Department of Finance or Office of the County Executive) and relocating the Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) to better align with fire or environmental health. The firm recommended starting an asset‑management program and offered a suggested timeline beginning in fiscal Q3 2026 and extending 24 months.

Director of Public Works Chris Blanc said many recommendations are already underway, noting the new GoGov system rollout and other administrative improvements. "Many of the recommendations from the report are already in progress," Blanc said, citing work‑order management and document standardization as immediate steps.

Supervisors asked about district differences, staffing implications and how technology changes would affect residents and employees. KPMG and county staff said outreach included more than 45 internal interviews and roughly a dozen external stakeholder interviews. They emphasized that improved systems would allow the county to route requests directly to the appropriate teams rather than funneling them through supervisors' offices.

Public commenters raised questions about the use of artificial intelligence and data privacy in modernization efforts; county staff said pilots are being run with an explicit focus on data security and a cross‑department team is developing policy and safeguards.

Action: The board approved a motion to accept the Organizational Excellence Report, authorized a fixed‑term assistant director of finance position to support implementation, and requested staff integrate the report's recommendations into the February budget process. The motion passed on a roll‑call vote with all supervisors voting yes.

Next steps: County staff will develop an implementation roadmap, refine roles and responsibilities with departments identified in the report, and return to the board with budget recommendations and progress updates in mid‑year and at the February budget hearings.