B 450 A 9 B

City of Carlsbad, California
Parks & Recreation Department Operational Assessment Report

July 9, 2012
BESTVALUESERVICESPROJECT:PARKS&RECREATIONOPERATIONALASSESSMENT

CityofCarlsbad,CA
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 1

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 10
Project Background ................................................................................................................................. 10
Summary of Project Objectives & Scope ................................................................................................ 11
Summary of Project Activities/Methodology ............................................................................................ 12
Continuum of Options Considered .......................................................................................................... 14
Cost Sharing Arrangements .................................................................................................................... 15
Outsourcing and/or Managed Competition ............................................................................................. 16
Explanation of Data Utilized .................................................................................................................... 16
Department Organization ............................................................................................................................ 18
Budget Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 18
Overview of Outsourced Activities & Contract Management .................................................................. 23
Overview of Memorandum of Understanding ......................................................................................... 34
Department Staffing .................................................................................................................................... 40
Department Management Structure and Organization ........................................................................... 40
Staffing by Line of Business .................................................................................................................... 45
Availability ............................................................................................................................................... 50
Line of Business Analysis............................................................................................................................ 59
Parks Maintenance Overview ..................................................................................................................... 63
Cost of Service ........................................................................................................................................ 63
Parks Maintenance: Future State Alternatives ............................................................................................ 66
Operational Efficiencies .......................................................................................................................... 68
Custodial Services: Current State Analysis................................................................................................. 71
Description of Activities ........................................................................................................................... 71
Cost of Service ........................................................................................................................................ 72
Service Statistics ..................................................................................................................................... 73
Benchmarks & Industry Standards ......................................................................................................... 74
Current Outsourcing Activities ................................................................................................................. 74
Custodial Services: Future State Alternatives ............................................................................................. 75
Managed Competition Candidates .......................................................................................................... 75
Direct Outsourcing .................................................................................................................................. 75

CityofCarlsbad,CA
TableofContents(cont.)
Hardscape/Specialty Maintenance: Current State Analysis ........................................................................ 76

Cost of Service ........................................................................................................................................ 76
Hardscape/Specialty Maintenance: Future State Alternatives .................................................................... 84
Managed Competition Candidates .......................................................................................................... 86
Direct Outsourcing .................................................................................................................................. 86
Landscape Maintenance: Current State Analysis ....................................................................................... 88
Cost of Service ........................................................................................................................................ 89
Landscape Maintenance: Future State Alternatives ................................................................................... 98
Managed Competition Candidates ........................................................................................................ 100
Direct Outsourcing ................................................................................................................................ 100
Trails/Open Space/Preserve Maintenance: Current State Analysis ......................................................... 103
Description of Activities ......................................................................................................................... 103
Cost of Service ...................................................................................................................................... 104
Service Statistics ................................................................................................................................... 107
Benchmarks & Industry Standards ....................................................................................................... 108
Current Outsourcing Activities ............................................................................................................... 110
Trails/Open Space/Preserve Maintenance: Future State Alternatives...................................................... 112
Operational Efficiencies ........................................................................................................................ 112
Tree Maintenance/Management: Current State Analysis ......................................................................... 114
Cost of Service ...................................................................................................................................... 114

CityofCarlsbad,CA
Tree Maintenance/Management: Future State Alternatives...................................................................... 122

Recreation: Overview ................................................................................................................................ 125
Aquatic Services: Current State Analysis.................................................................................................. 126
Cost of Service ...................................................................................................................................... 126
Aquatic Services: Future State Alternatives .............................................................................................. 135
Historical Parks Services: Current State Analysis .................................................................................... 140
Cost of Service ...................................................................................................................................... 140
Historical Parks Services: Future State Alternatives ................................................................................. 144
Recreation Services: Current State Analysis ............................................................................................ 146
Cost of Service ...................................................................................................................................... 146
Recreation Services: Future State Alternatives ........................................................................................ 153
Rental Services: Current State Analysis ................................................................................................... 157
Cost of Service ...................................................................................................................................... 157

CityofCarlsbad,CA

Rental Services: Future State Alternatives ............................................................................................... 162
Senior Services: Current State Analysis ................................................................................................... 164
Cost of Service ...................................................................................................................................... 164
Senior Services: Future State Alternatives ............................................................................................... 169
Appendices ............................................................................................................................................... 172
Appendix 1: Work Breakdown Structure ............................................................................................... 172
Appendix 2: Current Contract Listing .................................................................................................... 196
Appendix 3: Comparable Jurisdictions & Survey .................................................................................. 199

CityofCarlsbad,CA
ExecutiveSummary
The City of Carlsbad (hereinafter, the city) is known for providing an extremely high quality of service.
The city consistently receives a high level of satisfaction from residents in its annual public opinion survey.
The most recent survey, from 2011, showed that 98 percent of residents rate the citys quality of life as
good or excellent, and 94 percent are satisfied with the job the city is doing providing services. The
challenge facing the City of Carlsbad is how to maintain these excellent ratings while addressing the very
real concerns of a volatile economy and increasing labor and related variable costs. To address this
challenge, the city recently created a Best Value Services program. This program aligns with the citys
strategic focus area of being a sustainable organization i.e., being an adaptable, responsive, and
efficient organization that delivers cost effective, high quality services. In other words, a sustainable city
organization is one that provides the best quality at lowest cost.
The program is intended to evaluate service delivery methods and costs for all city operations except
sworn public safety services. In December 2011, the city selected Baker Tilly to assist with the Best Value
Services program. The first step in this program is an operational assessment of all the services provided
by a particular department. This report summarizes the results of the operational assessment of the Parks
& Recreation Department. The recommendations contained in this report are intended to:
Evaluate department performance in relation to best practices and accepted industry standards;
Quantify current resource allocations and expenditures by functional area within lines of business.
(i.e., Line of Business: Parks Maintenance Pest Control (functional area);
Ensure that the citys resources and strategic priorities are aligned;
Determine the feasibility of alternative service delivery approaches, and enhance collaboration
and coordination with other entities; and
Position the city to continue the delivery of high quality services within Parks & Recreation at the
lowest cost to taxpayers.
Baker Tillys strategy in assessing operations was to look at the full continuum of options available to the
city. The following provides an overview of some of the options considered during this analysis and the
criteria used to make the assessment:
> Productivity Enhancements: The options to consider under this category of improvements
focus on enhancing the productivity of the organization. There are a number of different ways to
look at improved productivity. They include:
- Usage of technology to reduce processing times; enabling the reallocation of resources
- Process re-engineering allows staff to decrease the number of steps to complete a process. It
may also include a reduction in the number of departments participating in a process, the
elimination of approvals in order to streamline tasks, and the development of staff
specializations so that fewer participants in a process are needed.
- Lean government refers to the application of lean production principles and methods to
identify and implement the most efficient and value added way to provide government
services.
> Cost Sharing Arrangements: Consolidation of services and functions offers municipalities the
opportunity to realize significant savings while preserving, or even enhancing, service levels.
There are many examples of intergovernmental cooperation, ranging from joint purchasing
through full consolidation of formerly separate organizations. These arrangements offer a number
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
of advantages beyond cost reduction: standardization, reduced processing times and greater
organizational communication. The options considered under these arrangements focus on the
citys ability to work with other units to share services, or whether or not options for consolidation
exist.
> Managed Competition: Although managed competition has existed for decades, it has only
recently seen increased implementation. Managed competition is a process used by local
governments to identify the most cost-effective method for quality service delivery. It calls for
carefully comparing the costs and benefits of contracting with private business or another
government entity against the costs and benefits of providing the service in-house.
We use two criteria for determining whether or not managed competition is an option at the city:
- Where the gap between the current cost of service (internal) and the cost of a potential
vendor (external) is narrow enough that the city might be able to negotiate with bargaining
units to lower overall cost of service or it is feasible that City employees could lower costs
based on changes in service delivery approach. Negotiation strategies may include:
increasing staff availability for work, decreasing crew sizes while maintaining safety and
quality, and eliminating some bargaining agreement items (e.g., call back pay, duty
availability). Baker Tilly selected items for managed competition based upon our professional
opinion in identifying gaps which may be addressed by a competitive process. The city,
however, may elect to use a different process depending upon circumstances.
- When there are less private sector providers available.
> Outsourcing: This option considers whether or not there is a vendor in the market who can
perform the services in a more cost efficient manner. The cost savings under this option lies
primarily in the difference between the public sector and private sector benefit rates. Outsourcing
options are typically considered where the gap between what a vendor may charge for a service
is substantially less than what the city is currently paying for it. Additionally, a substantial number
of third party providers exist in the respective area.
The review completed in this report spans the full continuum of options available to the city relative to the
delivery of Parks & Recreation services. A total of 48 opportunities with a range of $2.3 million to $4.7
million annually in estimated potential savings, revenue enhancements or resource reallocations are
included in this report. Please note that not every opportunity has a tangible savings associated with it.
Some are opportunities for increasing the efficiency of staff and do not necessarily translate to dollar
savings.
In summary, our analysis indicates the following options would provide the most significant savings to the
city:
> Consideration of outsourcing of the entire parks maintenance function the parks
maintenance function encompasses all lines of business associated with parks maintenance
activities (e.g., tree maintenance, landscape maintenance, hardscape maintenance, trails, open
space and preserve maintenance). The city has the opportunity to reduce the cost of providing
parks maintenance through the use of a third party. This cost impact is derived from differences in
the current level of salary and benefits, the reduction of non-productive hours paid, and the
economies of scale from a larger parks maintenance operation. Based on comparison of actual
labor costs and initial vendor quotes, the potential savings to taxpayers ranges from $1,700,000 -
$3,866,000. These cost estimates are preliminary; however, the magnitude of stated cost
difference is so significant it warrants a formal process to assess actual cost savings for
outsourcing this function. The city should use a work breakdown structure or other mechanism to
scope the work for equivalent levels of service. We provide a work breakdown structure for the
city in Appendix 1 of the report. This provides a detailed listing of the type, frequency and quality
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
of work to be performed. Additionally, actual realization of any cost savings is also dependent
upon effective performance contract management.
> Consideration of outsourcing of individual lines of business within parks maintenance if
the city determines that it does not wish to pursue outsourcing of the entire park maintenance
function, the analysis indicates that consideration of outsourcing two specific lines of business
may also result in high quality service at a lower cost.
- Landscape maintenance if the city were to outsource routine parks maintenance (i.e.,
mowing, weeding, pest control, irrigation maintenance) based on a comparison of public to
private sector labor costs the potential exists to save approximately $925,700 per year.
- Tree maintenance if the city were to outsource tree maintenance, based on information
from comparing city and a vendor quote, potential savings is estimated at nearly $700,000 a
year.
> Consideration of managed competition for hardscape and trails in these two areas, the
gaps between the current cost of delivering a service and what a vendor could potentially charge
is narrow enough to use managed competition as a strategy for reducing the overall costs of
service.
> Consider a wider span of control for Parks & Recreation while both parks and recreation
are in alignment with the defined span of control, we would recommend that the city adopt a ratio
of 10 employees per manager in order to gain further efficiencies.
> Alignment of labor costs with productive hours productive hours, in this case, is defined as
the number of hours available in comparison to number of hours paid. Currently, the city pays for
a higher than average amount of unproductive hours (i.e., vacation, leave) in many areas of
Parks & Recreation. In comparison to the Bureau of Labor Statistics national standard of 92.6%,
the city has an average availability ratio for full time employees of 85.5%. This means that, on
average, the city is paying for 7.1% more unproductive hours than is seen in other sectors for
similar work. The city can address this by either increasing part time staff or using private sector
vendors to provide work.
> Alignment of fees charged with market rate and demand the city is known for providing an
exceptional quality of life experiences for its residents through Parks & Recreation programming
and facilities. Currently, the city lags behind other regional government entities by 75% in rental
rates. Adjusting fees by even 25% could mean an additional $125,000 in revenue. This
adjustment could be done over a period of years to ease the effect on residents. Similarly, fee
levels for aquatics programming are lower than government comparables for all programs, with
the exception of the masters program. An increase in fees for yearly passes and rentals to non-
public entities could result in $34,500 in additional revenue. Additionally, focusing pool scheduling
on higher fee activities could result in an additional $30,500 annually.
> Enhanced use of technology the city can reduce operational costs and enhance resource
allocation decision-making by using available technology to provide service and manage
operations.
- Promoting On-line Registrations currently, only 35% of registrations are completed online. If
the city were to increase the amount of online registrations to 50%, it could decrease
operational costs by $18,000. An increase to 80% could reduce cost by $100,000. Most
governmental entities are targeting 80% or more online transactions for routine transactions
such as registrations, permit applications, etc.
- Consistent Use of Hansen for Work Management and Performance Tracking the Hansen
work order system is a powerful system for tracking operational performance. Currently, the
parks maintenance function is inconsistent in how it uses the system to capture data. In
conducting this analysis, we found that there was not one line of business that used this
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
system to consistently track work assignments, completion or costs. The city can realize the
full potential of this investment by consistently entering and closing work orders to more
effectively monitor changes in work levels, identify issues with response times or approaches,
and support justification for budget requests. Similarly, a consistent method for tracking and
reporting in-house and contractor performance in comparison to metrics is not evident.
Ensuring vendors are meeting performance expectations is critical to ensuring anticipated
cost savings and retention of required levels of service.
The following represents a detailed listing of all opportunities contained in this report. We break them out
into three separate charts: Opportunities related to administration, parks maintenance and recreation
services:
List of Opportunities Administration (Contract Management, Bargaining Agreement & Staffing)

Opportunity Amount
Area & Type of Beginning on
Option (Annual Unless
Opportunity Page Number
Otherwise Noted)
Contract Management & Outsourcing
Operational Eliminate ambiguities in contract Does Not Apply
Efficiency administration by ensuring that the
Department in charge of contract oversight
is the one assessing the quality of work.
Third party assessments should be
eliminated where possible.
Operational Reduce duplication of Hansen work order TBD
Efficiency data entry through the use of mobile
computing platforms
Operational Establish a rigorous performance Does Not Apply
Efficiency contracting process by which all contracts
have work type, frequency and quality
(performance standards) clearly defined.
The city should then use these performance
metrics to establish satisfaction with vendor
services.
Operational Develop contract management training and Does Not Apply Page 23
Efficiency a cohesive policy for contract managers to
improve consistency and effectiveness of
contract management.
Operational Consider establishing positions that are Does Not Apply
Efficiency dedicated to contract oversight. This would
relieve some of the responsibilities of other
staff and create a specialization in contract
management which would allow the city to
more effectively monitor vendor
performance.
Operational Employ "dual contract" management Does Not Apply
Efficiency approach to improve contract oversight and
effectiveness
Operational Establish opportunities for vendor input at Does Not Apply
Efficiency the onset of contracts and foster a
collaborative contractor environment
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
List of Opportunities Administration (Contract Management, Bargaining Agreement & Staffing)

Opportunity Amount
Otherwise Noted)
Memorandum of Understanding
Bargaining Item Consider eliminating standby pay. As staff $ 22,000 per year
are compensated for any overtime hours
(with minimum guarantees), we would
argue that staff are adequately
compensated.
Bargaining Item Complete a full analysis of spending on TBD
uniform and equipment reimbursement.
Some uniforms are currently rented and the
city should consider if this can be expanded
or, if the city might be able to keep some of
these items in stock, as opposed to
reimbursement. Page 34
Bargaining Item Consider moving to a lump sum longevity TBD
payment as opposed to a salary step. By
moving to a lump sum longevity payment,
the city would reduce the long term costs.
Lump sum longevity payments do not factor
in to the hourly rates of staff and would
reduce the costs of overtime, call back pay,
etc. Many municipalities have moved to this
method of payment to reduce long term
costs.
Department Staffing
Operational Establish a benchmark of 10 for span of TBD
Efficiency control.
Operational Consolidate the existing three commissions Does Not Apply
Efficiency into a single commission to free up Page 40
approximately .6 FTE
Bargaining Item Consider a conversion from multiple TBD
categories of leave to a single category of
Paid Time Off (PTO).
Parks Maintenance List of Opportunities

Opportunity Amount
Otherwise Noted)
Parks Maintenance General
Direct Outsource all parks maintenance activities $ 1,700,000 to
Page 66
Outsourcing $ 3,866,000
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CityofCarlsbad,CA

Opportunity Amount
Otherwise Noted)
Operational Reduce duplication of Hansen work order $ 20,000
Efficiency data entry through the use of mobile
computing platforms
Operational Eliminate duplication of tree inventory data $ 7,000
Efficiency between Hansen and contractors system
Custodial Services
Operational Move maintenance of exterior block houses No tangible cost
Efficiency and restrooms to Property & Environmental savings to Parks & Page 75
Management Department Recreation
Hardscape/Specialty Maintenance
Operational Consolidate contracts for one time activities $ 13,900
Efficiency into citywide master contracts
Operational Fully utilize vendors for specialized services No tangible cost
Efficiency
Page 84
Managed Perform managed competition for $ 216,000
Competition hardscape activities
Operational Utilize alternative materials for Carrillo TBD
Efficiency Ranch parking lot
Landscape Maintenance
Operational Expand the use of synthetic turf to enhance $ 71,300
Efficiency users experience and achieve potential
cost savings
Operational Implement cost containment on fuel Deferred to
Efficiency Property &
Environmental Page 98
Management
Direct Outsource landscaping activities $ 925,700
Outsourcing
Direct Outsource pest control activities that are $ 14,400 to $17,900
Outsourcing currently conducted in-house
Trails/Open Space/ Preserve Maintenance
Operational Expand use of Volunteer Trail Program to $ 6,700
Efficiency meet trail development goals, enhance
existing trails or reduce costs Page 112
Managed Conduct managed competition for trail $ 111,300
Competition maintenance activities
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CityofCarlsbad,CA

Opportunity Amount
Otherwise Noted)
Tree Maintenance
Direct Outsource tree maintenance activities $ 690,000 Page 122

Outsourcing
Recreation Services List of Opportunities

Opportunity Amount
Otherwise Noted)
Aquatic Services
Operational Increase fee levels $ 34,500
Efficiency
Operational Focus pool use on high revenue generation $ 30,500
Efficiency activities
Operational Centralize registration and marketing Not available
Efficiency
Operational Expand the use of consortium or master Not available
Efficiency contract based purchasing for pool supplies
Direct Outsource routine pool maintenance $ 41,200 Page 135
Outsourcing
Direct Increase part time and/or contractual staff $ 0-107,000
Outsourcing
Direct Outsource custodial for pool and aquatics Include as part of
Outsourcing park bathrooms Property &
Environmental
Management
review
Historical Parks Services
Operational Enhance coordination with Friends of No tangible savings
Efficiency Carrillo Ranch
Operational Coordinate grant writing among city No tangible savings Page 144
Efficiency departments
Direct Outsource educational programming, visitor $ 21,900 - $60,100
Outsourcing services and tours
Recreation Services
Operational Promote online registrations
$43,800 - $112,400
Efficiency
first year to Page 153
$46,800 - $140,400
annually
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CityofCarlsbad,CA

Opportunity Amount
Otherwise Noted)
Operational Reduce percent of fee revenue provided to $ 25,000
Efficiency instructors from 65% to 60%
Direct Outsource traditional summer and spring $ 10,500 - $21,500
Outsourcing camp programs
Direct Outsource coordination of classes and TBD
Outsourcing sports programming
Rental Services
Operational Centralization of staff $ 93,900
Efficiency
Operational Adjust rental rates $ 125,000
Efficiency Page 163
Direct Rental support services TBD
Outsourcing
Senior Services
Operational Administrative support reduction $ 25,900
Efficiency
Direct Outsource transportation services $ 12,500 per year Page 170
Outsourcing $ 30,000 one-time
Direct Outsource congregate meal support $ 21,000
Outsourcing
In quantifying potential fiscal impact, it is important to note that:

1) These estimates are not accurate projections of actual savings, but rather are intended to be
preliminary estimates used to determine whether or not an area appears to warrant consideration
for a different service delivery approach.
2) In those instances where direct outsourcing is recommended and a cost savings is estimated, this
estimate is derived from vendor cost projections developed based on a detailed work breakdown
structure for that specific line of business or activity which details service levels as currently
performed by the city. Vendors who responded indicated that visual inspections of facilities and
assets would be necessary to provide a final estimated cost.
It is important to note that some of these recommendations can be implemented in short order without
significant disruption to service or effort, and others may take time to transition service delivery and/or
negotiate key third party contracts.
While many of these options offer significant opportunity to reduce the operating budget relative
to Parks & Recreation services, of equal importance is the need to ensure that any change in
service delivery approach or provider does not reduce the level of service provided to the public.
In order to address the issue of maintaining service levels, we have assumed the following in completing
the analysis:
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Any estimate of cost from a vendor uses the work breakdown structure verified by the city as the
current approach and performance metrics for providing that service.
The city will hold the contractor to the same level of performance using its experience in
performance management with the modifications indicated below.
The use of contractors for providing selected services takes advantage of their expertise in
providing specialty services (e.g., operational efficiencies, economies of scale in materials
purchased, etc.).
Again, it is important to note that, until the city makes decisions about the specific course of
action to follow and official request for proposal or bid processes are completed, the estimates
included herein are not guarantees of actual savings, but rather estimates of potential savings.
The most critical element related to the maintenance of existing service levels will be the presence of a
solid and robust performance management framework for both internally and externally delivered
services. This will require:
Enhancement of the existing performance management framework for vendors and third
party contracts while the city has a solid vendor performance management framework, we
anticipate that this framework will need to be strengthened through more explicit performance
metrics, enhanced formality of the contract performance management hierarchy (i.e., who is the
daily sign off, who is monitoring performance), and regular comparison between service and cost
levels to ensure cost effectiveness without impact on service levels.
Increased formality of internal performance management frameworks the level of work
performance tracking and specificity of how and by whom operational statistics are kept will need
to be formalized to focus on the most critical measures and quantifying the level of effort required
relative to various service levels (e.g., if there is a different expectation in terms of service level
that warrants a higher level of work effort, that will need to be clearly defined).
Focus of internal efforts on those services best performed internally may allow an actual
enhancement to service levels given the narrower spectrum of services provided.
There are no guarantees that service levels will not be impacted in any manner; however, through the use
of sound performance contract negotiation and management, the introduction of clear operational
statistics tracking, and the ability of the city to partner with vendors to provide services in select areas by
taking advantage of vendor specialization and expertise, the city should be well positioned to carry out its
Best Value Services program.

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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Introduction
ProjectBackground
The city is located 35 miles north of the City of San Diego on the Southern California coast. The city has a
population of 105,3281 and serves an area of 42 square miles. With three lagoons, more than 46 miles of
trails and 40% of the city set aside as open space, Carlsbad has been widely recognized for its
responsible approach to growth management and maintaining an excellent quality of life for residents.
Carlsbad is a popular tourism destination, home to LEGOLAND, the Flower Fields, and nearly seven
miles of coastline. The city is also known as the nations golf industry capital and a hub for leading high
tech and biotech companies.
The city incorporated in 1952 and has a council/manager form of government. The City Council consists
of a mayor and four council members. As a full service city, Carlsbad provides water, sewer, library,
recreation, police and fire services, in addition to traditional city services. For FY 12, the city has an
adopted budget of $260 million.
In annual citywide surveys, Carlsbad residents have consistently indicated a high level of confidence in
their city government and give the city high marks in everything from quality of life to safety, parks,
libraries and other important services. In the 2011 public opinion survey, 98 percent of residents cited the
quality of life in Carlsbad as good or excellent; 94 percent of residents were satisfied with the job the city
is doing; and 84 percent of residents expressed confidence in Carlsbad city government to make
decisions that positively affect the lives of community members.
While the city has not been affected by the economy to the same degree as other municipalities across
the country, the city is committed to examining its ability to deliver high quality services as it consistently
has, for the best price possible. The city has a long standing track record of political stability and fiscal
responsibility, holding a AAA credit rating from Standard & Poors. According to the General Accounting
Office (GAO), there will be a fiscal imbalance for state and local governments for the next 50 years.
Government debt as a percentage of the gross domestic product has ballooned to 90.4% the worst
since the 1950s2. To compound this problem, citizens nationwide are facing nearly $3 trillion in unfunded
state and local workers retirement liabilities, according to a study by Northwestern University3. The city
itself is currently dealing with an approximately $86 million actuarial unfunded liability on its pension plan.
The citys Best Value Services program seeks to ensure that taxpayers are receiving the most efficient
and cost-effective delivery of high quality city services.
1
2010 US Census
2
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07362sp.pdf
3
http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/faculty/rauh/research/NMRLocal20101011.pdf
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
SummaryofProjectObjectives&Scope
In September 2011, the City Council approved a framework for its Best Value Services program. The
focus of this program is on ensuring the most cost effective delivery of high quality local government
services within the City of Carlsbad. The program is intended to evaluate service delivery methods and
costs for all city operations, except sworn public safety services. In December 2011, the city selected
Baker Tilly to assist with the Best Value Services program. The focus of the current phase is to conduct
an operational assessment. The following provides an overview of the scope:
Assist in documenting current service levels/scope of work

Design operational assessment
Conduct operational assessment and prepare report with recommendations
- Complete a preliminary cost analysis
- Benchmark lines of business/major services against best-in-class service providers,
including:
Informal cost estimates from private companies
Quality and cost data from other public agencies
Best practices/industry standards
Other considerations, as needed
- Prepare written report and recommendations
Include relevant qualitative factors
Conduct briefings with City Council, city management and staff, as needed
Through this operational assessment, Baker Tilly takes a single department, Parks & Recreation, and
provides an overview of the work activities, operational cost and approach to service delivery. The
assessment also compares the city on these elements to other similar jurisdictions and national
benchmarks (as available). For certain aspects of service, Baker Tilly provides high level data on what the
city could expect to pay a private vendor for the same services. Lastly, Baker Tilly provides
recommendations on a continuum of options available to the city. The next section discusses the
methodology used to accomplish these objectives.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
SummaryofProjectActivities/Methodology
In December 2011 and January 2012, Baker Tilly consultants and city staff worked to determine the first
city departments to undergo an operational assessment (Phase 2) and the timing of the assessments.
The citys Best Value Services Steering Committee reviewed the list of options for the first assessment
and decided to focus the effort on the Parks & Recreation Department. The chart below lists the various
lines of business activities included in this review.
Lines of Business/
Department Description
Major Service
Aquatic Services Aquatic programs, classes, & rentals
Building Maintenance Painting, building repair, and construction
Custodial Services Exterior restrooms and block houses, trash & litter
service, dog station re-stocking
Hardscape/Specialty Sidewalks, retaining walls, playground, and sports court
Maintenance maintenance
Historical Parks Services Carrillo Ranch art program with the schools, collection,
museum services, Magee programs, Stagecoach park
ruins, tours, and visitor services
Landscape Maintenance Irrigation, natural and synthetic turf, pest control, shrub,
groundcover, stormwater pollution prevention, and
undeveloped parkland maintenance
Recreation Services Camps (traditional & specialized), classes (preschool,
Parks & youth, adults & seniors), special events, triathlon, sports
Recreation (youth & adults), teen programs, and community center
programming
Rental Services Community center rooms, athletic fields, historic sites,
and parks & picnics, community garden lease
management
Senior Services Health & wellness services, hobbies & programs, meals
program, and Senior Center programming
Trails/Open Preserve management and trail maintenance

Space/Preserve
Maintenance
Tree Maintenance/ Comprehensive urban forest management
Management
In February 2012, the city and Baker Tilly staff held a kickoff for the project. Meetings focused on
developing an understanding of the project scope with city managers and supervisors, as well as with
front line staff. Also during this site visit, Baker Tilly consultants presented staff with an information
request to provide insight as to the state of the Parks & Recreation Departments financial transactions,
personnel activity and performance. The following serves as a summary of the data reviewed:
FY09-11 expenditure and revenue data, including capital costs

FY12 budget data, including capital costs
Current contracts
Operational and workload statistics
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Policies and procedures for work

FY 09-11 personnel data related to salary paid, benefits paid, leave time taken (vacation, sick
leave, etc.), leave time earned (compensatory & overtime), etc.
FY09-11 overhead costs
Customer service data
Bargaining agreements
This data was used to facilitate the first round of interviews with Parks & Recreation staff in March 2012.
These interviews focused on:
What functions are included in each?

Line of Business What other functions/services that this line of business relies on heavily
Description are provided by others in the department or city?
Which services are provided through contractors? Why?
Verify total budget/expenditure breakouts and trends
Staff allocations
Volunteers
Resource Allocation Current equipment allocations (parameters around
ownership/maintenance)
Capital investments anticipated
Contracts which ones are primary to each function?
How are things reported? (i.e., what does each statistic represent)
Operating Statistics Trends in service levels/customers
Trends in costs/revenues
What are current key performance indicators?
Typical cycles
Service/Program Key regulations/requirements
Performance How are they tracked/who reviews/how frequently?
Service quality assessment how/by whom/how frequently?
Contractor reporting
Accountability systems (e.g., work order, scheduling, etc.)
Organizational hierarchy
Key policies/procedural oversight parameters
Operations
Contract oversight framework how do you ensure best value for
Management
contract life?
Potential improvements
Future plans/current initiatives
The data gathered allowed Baker Tilly consultants to conduct the following activities:
Inventory of activities: In order to appropriately identify all the tasks under the responsibility of the
Parks & Recreation Department, staff utilized the data gathered from the interviews and reports to
complete the Work Breakdown Structure presented in Appendix 1 of this report.
Inventory of contracts: Supplementing the work activities, city staff provided copies of all of the
contracts utilized by Parks & Recreation. These contracts were inventoried, reviewed, and are
presented in Appendix 2 of this report.
Activity by line of business & costing: Staff utilized data from the Finance Department in
conjunction with allocations to the various lines of business (completed by Parks & Recreation
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
analysts) in order to calculate the amount of time spent in each of the lines of business. City staff
then provided data on the fully loaded personnel costs4 in order to calculate the personnel cost of
service.
Performance metric analysis: Staff reviewed the performance metrics that city staff collect on a
regular basis regarding their daily work. These were analyzed for patterns and issues.
Benchmarking & industry standards: After reviewing the performance metrics that are utilized by
staff, consultants researched the industry standards that are currently utilized in parks and
recreation. We specifically use data from two national surveys conducted by the National
Recreation and Park Association and the International City/County Management Association.
Other line of business-specific standards were utilized in the individual areas as well. These
standards and benchmarks allow us to identify how the citys performance stacks up against
other municipalities.
Understanding that, depending upon the local situation, expectations of service may be greater than the
industry standards are, Baker Tilly consultants contacted 10 municipalities in the Southern California
region for additional comparable data. Because comparison to equivalent quality of service was a
concern, the list of comparables was vetted with city staff to ensure that these are of similar size and
service delivery expectations. We received responses from six local municipalities on their service
delivery approaches, expenditures, as well as their performance standards. These interviews allow us to
compare the citys standards of service against expectations in like communities. The results of this
activity are listed in Appendix 3. All figures obtained from comparable jurisdictions utilized FY11
calculations, unless otherwise noted.
Expenditures by line of business: City Finance Department staff extracted data utilized for the
cost of service functions provided in each of the lines of business. These expenditures are actual.
Development of alternatives: When looking at each of the functional areas, consultants
considered the various options that are available to the city in order to improve upon service
delivery as well as reduce the cost of service. Most of these alternatives are mutually exclusive of
one another and simply represent the full spectrum of options available to the city. Some are
small recommendations which can be implemented immediately, while others are more
comprehensive and require a large investment from the city to achieve the potential results. The
continuum of options are discussed in the next section.
ContinuumofOptionsConsidered
Baker Tillys strategy in assessing operations was to look at the full continuum of options available to the
city. The diagram below provides an overview of the various options that were considered. Productivity
Enhancements and Strategic Resource Alignment are options that the city can consider without any major
structural change to staffing. The options Outsourcing, Consolidated, and Shared Services would require
a shifting of work. This shift can be to an outside entity (outsourcing), or it may mean the city will need to
significantly affect the design of the organizational structure (consolidation and shared services).
Following the diagram, we provide a brief overview of these options.
4
This includes regular salaries, overtime paid, compensatory time paid, sick leave, vacation leave, holiday leave, bereavement
leave, workers compensation, other paid leave, deferred compensation, social security, life insurance, health insurance, vision,
medical, disability insurance, unemployment compensation, auto allowance, cell allowance, uniform allowance, and PERS.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Productivity Outsource, StrategicResource

Enhancements Consolidated& Alignment
FunctionalAnalysis SharedServices ProductivityAnalysis
LeanGovernment CostSharing Governance
ProcessReengineering Arrangements Enhancement
Performance VendorEvaluation& CostsofBargaining
Management Management Agreement
Outsourcingand/or ContractAnalysis
ManagedCompetition RiskAssessment
ProductivityEnhancements
The options to consider under this category of improvements focus on enhancing the productivity of the
organization. There are a number of different ways to look at improved productivity. They include:
> Usage of technology to reduce processing times; enabling the reallocation of resources
> Process re-engineering allows staff to decrease the number of steps to complete a process. It
may also include a reduction in the number of departments participating in a process, the
elimination of approvals in order to streamline tasks, and the development of staff specializations
so that fewer participants in a process are needed.
> Lean government refers to the application of Lean production principles and methods to identify
and implement the most efficient and value added way to provide government services
CostSharingArrangements
Consolidation of services and functions offers municipalities the opportunity to realize significant savings
while preserving, or even enhancing, service levels. There are many examples of intergovernmental
cooperation, ranging from joint purchasing through full consolidation of formerly separate organizations.
These arrangements offer a number of advantages beyond cost reduction: standardization, reduced
processing times, and greater organizational communication. The options considered under these
arrangements focus on the citys ability to work with other units to share services, or whether or not
options for consolidation exist.

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CityofCarlsbad,CA
ManagedCompetition
While managed competition has existed for decades, it has only recently seen increased implementation.
Managed competition is a process used by local governments to identify the most cost-effective method
for quality service delivery. It calls for carefully comparing the costs and benefits of contracting with
private business or another government entity against the costs and benefits of providing the service in-
house.
We use two criteria for determining whether or not managed competition is an option at the city:
- Where the gap between the current cost of service (internal) and the cost of a potential
vendor (external) is narrow enough that the city might be able to negotiate with bargaining
units to lower overall cost of service or it is feasible that City employees could lower costs
based on changes in service delivery approach Negotiation strategies may include:
increasing staff availability for work), decreasing crew sizes while maintaining safety and
quality, and eliminating some bargaining agreement items (e.g., call back pay, duty
availability). Baker Tilly selected items for managed competition based upon our professional
opinion in identifying gaps which may be addressed by a competitive process. The city,
however, may elect to use a different process depending upon circumstances.
- When there are less private sector providers available.
Outsourcing
This option considers whether or not there is a vendor out in the market who can perform the services in
a more cost efficient manner. The cost savings under this option lies primarily in the difference between
the public sector and private sector benefit rates. Outsourcing options are typically considered where the
gap between what a vendor may charge for a service is substantially less than the city is currently paying
for the service.
ExplanationofDataUtilized
As discussed earlier, there are four main sets of data that are continuously utilized throughout the report
to compare city work and financials to counterparts: 1) the International City/County Management
Associations (ICMA) Comparative Performance Measurement Report, 2) the National Recreation and
Park Association (NRPA) PRORAGIS benchmarking database, 3) data self reported by the six Southern
California municipalities participating in our comparables survey, and 4) public & private sector salary data
from the Economic Research Institute (ERI). The following serves as a summary of these data sets:
For the last 16 years, ICMA has compiled a summary of performance data collected from local
governments from around the United States that participate in the ICMAs Center for Performance
Measurement (CPM) comparative performance measurement program. The full dataset includes
responses from nearly 200 cities and counties on 101 questions across 18 service areas. Data
included in this report (FY10) was taken from respondents that provided information about their
parks and recreation programs and fell within the population categories of 25,000 to 100,000 and
over 100,000.
The data from this report provides a solid look at performance metrics for the full range of government
services. For the purposes of this review, we focused our analysis on responses to the Parks &
Recreation questions.
The NRPAs Park and Recreation Operating Ratio and Geographic Information System
(PRORAGIS) benchmarking database is an online database that collects, compiles and reports
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
park and recreation department operating and geographic information. PRORAGIS was
developed as a replacement for NRPA standards that have guided land acquisition and
development for the past 45 years. This information was used to access data from municipalities
nationally, as well as comparably sized cities in California.
The NRPA data used in the context of the report includes responses from the 336 jurisdictions
that participated in 2011. We also evaluated responses from a smaller subset of survey
respondents that could be compared more directly to the City of Carlsbad. This subset of
responses is composed of 7 participants located in California with a population size of 20,000 to
160,000. Data extracted for our analysis is from 2011 unless otherwise noted. The measure of
centrality used in this study was the median of participant responses.
Understanding that national data does not always tell the regional story, our data analysis was
supplemented with data from six local municipalities. These municipalities were vetted with the
Best Value Services Steering Committee. In order to ensure their participation in the study, we
agreed to blind the name of their municipality. In the survey, participants provided data on over
130 different data points on parks and recreation financial and service levels. This information is
used in conjunction with the national data to provide a basis of comparison for benchmarking and
performance for the city. The following chart provides some demographic information on the
participants in this survey:
Area Income per

City Population (sq. miles) Capita
Comparable A 59,518 19.99 $ 34,336
Comparable B 62,979 14.89 $ 39,167
Comparable C 85,186 52.978 $ 63,015
Comparable D 47,811 39.17 $ 29,788
Comparable E 63,522 19.47 $ 34,169
Comparable F 83,781 24.39 $ 35,768
City of Carlsbad 105,328 39.11 $ 34,863
The ERI Salary Assessor database is a source of public and private sector salary information for
a broad sample of positions. We specifically utilized the Consultant Edition of the software. The
data is updated quarterly, and the data we used for our analysis is from April 1, 2012. The
following webpage describes the Salary Assessor database:
http://www.erieri.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=ERISA.Main. Data was limited to organizations
similarly sized to the city.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
DepartmentOrganization
In this section, we provide a high level overview of some of the activities that occur within each of the
functional areas and are analyzed herein. We provide analysis of budget information, current outsourcing
and contract management, collaborative purchasing, and collective bargaining language impacts. The
information presented supplements the analysis within each of the lines of business.
BudgetOverview
The city has focused on practicing sound financial management in the midst of the current economic
downturn and has been successful in their efforts. The citys leadership has consistently pursued a path
of limiting the impact on core city services by limiting expenditures or growth for non-core city functions. In
addition, the citys leadership did not create any new programs, services, or positions in the FY12 budget.
The city has budgeted $256.5 million for the operating and capital budget (all city departments), with
projected revenues of $230.6 million. This total city operating budget represents an increase of
$5.5 million, or 2.9% over the previous year. This is partially due to increases in the Water Enterprise
fund, resulting from increases in the cost of purchasing water and recycled water.5
The following presents an overview of the last four years of expenditures and budgeted items for the
Parks & Recreation Department.
Parks & Recreation Department Budget Summary6
FY09 Actual FY10 Actual FY11 Actual FY12 Budget

Personnel $ 7,387,475 $ 7,386,284 $ 7,550,970 $ 7,848,987
% Change -0.02% 2.23% 3.95%
Maintenance and
Operations $ 5,989,020 $ 5,976,353 $ 5,654,890 $ 6,625,346
% Change -0.21% -5.38% 17.6%
Capital Outlay $ 317,948 $ 61,842 $ 81,683 $ 0
% Change -414.13% 32.08% N/A
Total $ 13,694,443 $ 13,424,479 $ 13,287,543 $ 14,474,333

% Change -2.01% -1.02% 8.93%
The Department encompasses a wide array of services from maintenance of parks and trails to recreation
programs for seniors and youth. The Parks & Recreation Department FY12 total operating budget is
approximately $14.5 million. It is important to note that the Parks & Recreation budget is part of the larger
Community Services budget which totals $25 million for 2011-2012. The Departments budget represents
58% of the total Community Services budget (which includes Library and Arts) and approximately 6% of
the citys overall $256.6 million budget. As expected, personnel costs have consistently been the largest
portion of the overall Parks & Recreation Budget, averaging approximately $7.4 million or 55% of total
Parks & Recreation budget/actual expenditures from FY09 through FY12.
5
City of Carlsbad FY 2011-2012 Operating Budget & Capital Improvement Program, pg. A-1.
6
City of Carlsbad FY 2011-2012 Operating Budget & Capital Improvement Program
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
The marginal growth in overall Parks & Recreation costs reflects an overall city strategy of estimating
conservative revenue growth. For the last several years, the city has employed principles including:
Minimize service impacts to residents

No new positions and no growth in maintenance and operations
No new programs, unless under a legal mandate
Significant personnel increases should be included in department budget projections
Personnel and operating reductions should be identified in order to offset known budget
increases
Exercise prudence in budgeting
The city budget also indicates that an Expenditure Control Budget process is used for budgeting, where
each department is given a block appropriation containing sufficient funds to provide the current level of
services for the upcoming year.7 These blocks are commonly increased by an index to account for
inflation and growth. For FY09 and FY10 budget years, the city decreased budgets in response to
decreasing revenues. This decrease can be seen in the 2% reduction in actual expenditures in FY 2010.
The following year, the city kept block growth flat, attempting to limit cost increases and do more with
fewer resources. Moving forward, the city permitted growth in budget totals as long as they were
accompanied by operational reductions. This can also be seen in the Parks & Recreation budget, as
expenditures for FY11 decrease by 1% from the prior year actual expenditures, while Maintenance &
Operation (M&O) costs decreased by a greater percentage of 5.38% to accommodate the increase in
personnel costs. From FY08 to FY11, the Parks & Recreation budget experienced an overall decrease of
approximately 3% in expenditures.
The Parks & Recreation budget increased by 8.93% between the FY11 and FY12 budget year primarily
due to increasing expenditures for habitat maintenance costs of the municipal golf course and shifting
some landscaping and maintenance expenditures from the Property and Environmental Management
Department (PEM) to Parks & Recreation. This was not due to an actual increase in anticipated spending.
Overall expenditures as a percentage of the total budget by category remain relatively consistent among
personnel, maintenance and operations, and capital outlay expenditures.
However, what is missing from these numbers is the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)
unfunded liability. The citys actuarial unfunded liability is $86 million. To address this unfunded liability,
the city has been budgeting $1.4 million/year to bring this amount current. This unfunded liability is not
currently figured into any of the costing calculations discussed throughout this report.
From a direct labor resource allocation and cost perspective, the department consists of the following
resources:
Parks & Recreation Personnel Summary
FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12
Full Time Positions 73.5 72.95 71.95 70.95
Hourly/FTE Positions 61.65 61.76 61.76 61.76
Total FTEs 135.15 134.71 133.71 132.71
Overall, the department has reduced total full time equivalents by approximately 2.5 full time equivalents
(FTE) since 2009. While the Department experienced a decrease in some full time staff for areas such as
7
Ibid.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
landscaping, the decreases were offset by staff transfers from other departments such as Property &
Environmental Management (PEM). Overall staffing shifts are discussed in each line of business section
of the report.
Small decreases in staff numbers for the Department appear to have had minimal impact on overall
personnel cost reductions. As staff numbers have decreased by approximately 2.5 FTE from FY09 to
FY12, personnel costs have increased from approximately $7.4 million to $7.8 million. This is due in part
to the transfer of two positions transferred from external departments to the Department. The FY11
budget reflects the transfer of an Associate Engineer position to provide support for beach and open
space programs, and in FY12, the Special Events Coordinator position into the Department.
The Carlsbad FY12 budget identifies three sources of revenue:
General: General fund including but not limited to tax levy, donations, intra-governmental sources,
intergovernmental sources, and fee revenue.
Special Revenue: Grants or donation revenue that has been allocated to a specific program or
purpose.
Maintenance Assessment: Revenues from the Street Tree Assessment District and the Median
Assessment District.
General Revenue makes up the largest portion of fund sources for Parks & Recreation and has averaged
over 90% of total fund sources since FY09. The level of General Revenue remained constant despite the
economys impact on the largest sources of General Revenue: property tax, sales tax, and transient
occupancy tax.
FY 2013 Budget
At the time of this analysis, the city was in the FY13 budget development process. In interviews with staff,
they indicated that, independent of the Best Value Services project, they had been exploring how to
reduce costs of service delivery for the Parks & Recreation Department. In order to illustrate these efforts,
the following table highlights the items submitted in the FY13 request. These represent reductions in
addition to what is recommended within the current analysis.
Efficiency Savings
Redistributed workload of 4.26 FTEs through retirements and terminations and $ 261,000
the heightened convergence strategy, or by adding to existing contracted
services
Restructured and re-bid parks and athletic field maintenance contract $ 97,000
Re-bid preserve maintenance contract $ 34,000
Reduction in part time hours during peak and non-peak times (5.04 FTEs) $ 100,000
Efficiencies through staff cross training and outsourcing of score keepers and $ 60,000
sports officials (2.59 FTEs)
Use of lower level assistant for pre-school part time staffing $ 7,000
General reductions in M&O spending $ 17,000
Total FY13 Savings Identified $ 576,000
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
The estimated savings for FY13 are significant when compared to FY12. With the reductions, personnel
costs would be reduced by approximately $361,000, and M&O costs by $215,500. The strategies for cost
reductions are a continuation of strategies employed by the city since FY09:
Consolidation, sharing, or elimination of positions

Not filling personnel vacancies and replacing work with part-time staff or contracts
Identification of reductions in expenditures
Creating the best value contracts by negotiating costs
Descriptions of cost savings are described in more detail within each line of business analysis, based on
available information.
Parks & Recreation Budget - Industry Comparison
To understand how the citys Parks & Recreation budget compares to other municipalities, we examined a
2012 study by the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA).8 This study represents the first
annual compilation of key financial data for Parks & Recreation agencies in the United States and
examined over 200 entities of various sizes and across many regions. The following chart provides a high
level overview of operating expenditures for survey respondents.
OperatingExpenditure
Ranges
Lessthan
Morethan $500,000
$10million 14%
18%
$500,000to
$1.0million
10%
$5.0million
to$10.0
million $1.0million
13% to$5.0
million
45%
In comparing this data, the city is on the higher end of the spectrum in terms of operating expenditures.
The city is in the upper quartile of the respondents with operating expenditures of just over $14 million. To
more closely assess this data, we compare operating expenditures as a function of population density.
The NRPA study indicated that the average parks and recreation expenditures for communities with a
population density of more than 2,500 per square mile is $5,125,010. The city, with a population density of
2,507 citizens per square mile and expenditures of over $13 million, is in line with the upper quartile of
8
2012 Parks & Recreation National Database Report, National Parks & Recreation Association
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
NPRA study information.9 The upper quartile average in expenditures for municipalities over 2,500 in
population per square mile is approximately $17 million. This is likely due to the broad and diverse range
of services that the city provides via Parks & Recreation, the citys status as a tourist attraction, and its
mild, year-round climate.
The table below presents detail on the operating expenditures by population density.
Average Expenditures Based on

Population per Square Mile
All Responses 1,501 to 2,500 More than 2,500
Lower Quartile $ 1,027,201 $ 2,335,266 $ 1,854,444
Median $ 2,659,668 $ 4,667,446 $ 5,125,010
Upper Quartile $ 6,157,247 $ 10,386,867 $ 17,114,754
Conclusion
The city has effectively managed its budget and expenditures amidst a national crisis of reducing
revenues and increasing expenditures. This is all done while holding steady services to the public.
Additionally, Department management and staff have shown a commitment to identifying cost savings in
operations and executing these plans.
The city appears to be well positioned to meet most Parks & Recreation infrastructure growth plans.
Citywide, the City of Carlsbad has sought to maintain a strong fiscal position for infrastructure projects by
placing a portion of the general fund revenue each year (currently at 6.5%) into the Infrastructure
Replacement Fund. The city will be able to use these funds to ensure that Parks & Recreation and
city-wide infrastructure growth and repairs are completed in a timely manner. In addition to the security of
the Infrastructure Replacement Funds, the city and its citizens have pursued policy measures, such as
the 2002 Proposition C, that have designated funds for Parks & Recreation infrastructure projects like
Alga Norte Park. Despite these measures, a few Parks & Recreation projects identified in the Capital
Improvement Plan remain unfunded (Cannon Lake Park, Hosp Grove/Buena Vista Lagoon, Pine Avenue
Park, and Robertson Ranch). Despite these general challenges, and a lack of revenue growth in the
current economic climate, the city continues to provide a diverse set of Parks & Recreation services to its
residents.
9 .
Carlsbad population density is calculated using the population of 105,328 and 42 square miles
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
OverviewofOutsourcedActivities&ContractManagement
As public sector entities struggle to meet budget challenges, they are contemplating alternative service
delivery approaches including shared service arrangements, consolidated operations, and service
delivery through outsourced providers. Each of these approaches has merit and can be an effective way
to retain service levels while effectively managing costs. However, careful consideration of the
advantages, disadvantages, and realities of outsourcing are of utmost importance prior to entering into an
outsourced service arrangement.
Outsourcing can take many forms, but typically falls into one of the following four categories:
A service contract fee based arrangement to manage part of a municipal service for a short
period of time (less than two years)
A management contract performance based fee for managing a municipal function for the
midterm (3 to 6 years)
A concession contract multi-year contract (20 to 25 years) to provide service requiring
significant capital investment as part of transition or start up
A lease contractor will lease assets from the municipality for a multi-year period
Approximately 80 percent of all U.S. cities outsource some services10. Outsourcing is not simply limited to
private vendors; services can be outsourced to other public or nonprofit entities as well. When correctly
applied and executed, it can maximize performance, increase operational efficiency, and better deploy
resources to meet critical goals. However, it should only be applied carefully and selectively to those
areas where significant cost and efficiency gains can be attained11. Scholarly studies have demonstrated
several factors commonly inhibit the potential success of outsourcing. These factors include12:
Limited or no competition among potential vendors
Contracted products and services that are difficult to specify and describe in written contracts
Vendors that have special knowledge or skills about the product that is unavailable to public
managers
Public managers that have a hard time monitoring vendor performance once the contract has
been let
Regardless of the form, municipalities must keep in mind that by outsourcing, you do not eliminate the
responsibility for the quality, responsiveness, or cost of a service. It is simply a transfer of the location of
the staffing for the service from internally to externally. As quality of service is paramount to the city,
ensuring that any vendor understands service expectations and can meet these standards is critical.
If an entity is clear about why it is entering into an outsourced service agreement and has clearly defined
the specific outcome sought through this arrangement, there can be numerous benefits, including:
Reduction to long term liabilities The entity is not obligated to cover long term benefits such
as pensions and health care upon retirement, thus reducing long term costs.
10
Outsourcing in State and Local Governments: A Literature Review and a Report on Best Practices. University of Tennessee
Center for Business and Economic Research. September 21, 2006.
ftp://ftp.nashville.gov/web/sserv/Outsourcing_Lit_Review_Final_0926.pdf
11
Outsourcing Methods & Case Studies: City of Colorado Springs. Public Financial Management, Inc. April 10, 2009.
12
Contract-Management Capacity in Municipal and County Governments. Public Administration Review. March/April 2003,
volume 63, issue 2.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Reduced labor costs The hourly rate paid for service may be lower than the cost of a public
sector compensation plan, thus resulting in reduced recurring costs and an ongoing positive
budget impact.
Industry specific expertise and contacts Often individuals and entities providing outsourced
services have significant experience in a specific activity or service, and therefore, are considered
experts with special insight in running that type of operation efficiently and effectively (e.g., NAPA
only does parts management for fleet operations).
Many times, municipal managers will assume that the outsourcing of operations will be more cost
effective than performing services in-house; this is not always the case. Public sector managers must
carefully weigh the particulars relative to service expectations and cost structures for these types of
arrangements. Some potential pitfalls of outsourcing include:
Hidden costs Watch for additional fees, precluded services, situational rate increases, etc.
Asset disposal Existing assets such as systems or equipment may need to be liquidated at a
loss. Even newly acquired capital may no longer be useful if the vendor provides such assets.
Transfer of knowledge The methods and quality of services provided are often linked to
historical practices. If these practices are not effectively communicated, changes in service
quality may be felt. Likewise, if a vendor does not communicate its processes, the public entity
may have difficulty managing outcomes.
Overview of Carlsbad Outsourcing for Parks & Recreation Services
To conduct this analysis, the city provided a complete list of routine and non-routine contracts from FY 09
11. Based on this information, the city managed 96 total parks and recreation contracts with a total
actual cost of approximately $2.3 million during FY 2011.13 These contracts cover the full scope of
services offered by the Parks & Recreation Department. For parks maintenance activities, contracts have
been made to provide landscaping, tree pruning, plant restoration, buoy maintenance, and several other
services. These contracts are made primarily with external vendors. For recreation activities, contracts
range from individual instruction of sports classes to providing senior meals. Recreation contracts are a
combination of contracts with individual service providers, recreation vendors that provide a large variety
of courses and programs, and a few maintenance contracts for pool services.
The choice to contract these services is for a variety of reasons. For parks maintenance activities, staff
may not have the required licenses, equipment, or it is simply found to be more cost effective. For
recreation activities, contracts provide expertise on program and course subject areas that staff do not
have.
Benchmarked Outsourcing
Outsourcing has increasingly become a valid alternative for governments, but it has been done in such a
quick manner that benchmarking statistics are not readily available. To measure the citys performance,
we turn to the survey of comparable municipalities that we conducted. Of the six respondents, one did not
provide enough detail to be compared here (Comparable B).
13
Represents total contract value (actual), not expenditures.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Comparison of Contracting Levels for the City of Carlsbads Regional Peer Group14
City of Comparable Comparable Comparable Comparable Comparable

Category Carlsbad A C D E F
Parks & Recreation $10.0M $3.5M $14.2M $5.6M $6.1M $8.1M
Direct Expenditures
Outsourced Contract
$2,287,601 $1,806,173 $4,895,670 $582,000 $2,200,535 $2,104,077
Value
Percentage of
Contract
Expenditures as a
23% 52% 34% 10% 36% 26%
Total of the Parks &
Recreation Direct
Expenditures
-Landscape
maintenance
-Electrical
-Major -Plumbing
concrete -Tree
repairs trimming
-Pest control -Janitorial -Parks and
-Preserve -Concrete facility -Restroom
management services maintenance cleaning
Examples of All -AC services
-Adult sports -Medians Not -Major
Outsourced maintenance -General and roadside answered repairs
Activities -Youth sports activities property maintenance -Class
-Senior meals maintenance -Enrichment instructors
-Aquatics pool and classes
repairs construction
- Some tree -Recreation
trimming contract
instructors
-Adult sport
officials
Overall, the city contracts slightly less than most of its regional peers, at a rate of 23% of direct
expenditures (not including overhead). Of the municipalities surveyed, all but one reported higher levels
of contracting than the city. For municipalities with higher levels of contracting, overall this can be
attributed to higher levels of outsourcing parks maintenance activities. In addition, most municipalities
outsource some level of recreation courses and enrichment activities.
City of Carlsbad-Specific Outsourced Activities
The city employs a wide range of professional service contracts in several categories including: Senior
Services, Parks Maintenance, Recreation, and Aquatics. Appendix 2 provides a detailed listing of all the
outsourced contracts utilized by the city. In FY11, the city executed approximately $2.3 million in
outsourced contracts for operations in Parks & Recreation.
14
Comparable A expenditures do not include aquatics costs. Comparable D expenditures do not include parks maintenance costs.
Comparable E expenditures do not include recreation or aquatics costs.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Parks maintenance contracts make up the larger portion of contracts both in terms of quantity and value,
representing 61% of total contract expenditures for FY 11. Also, the majority of contract value is part of
ongoing contracts, where a vendor consistently provides the same service; as opposed to one time
contracts, where the contractor is limited in duration and service. Over 90% of contract value for FY11 can
be associated with ongoing contracts. This appears to indicate that the city uses contracts strategically.
That is, contracts are used for planned services rather than reactive needs. Also, this puts the city in a
positive position to estimate contract costs in budgeting. Since such a large portion of the contracts are
for multiple years, there is greater predictability in contract expenditures on an annual basis.
Contract Management
Based on our experience, we believe the most successful outsourcing programs are highly organized.
Good governance can also deliver improved service levels, streamlined administration, easier
performance monitoring, and a cultural shift toward better performance and management of internal
projects throughout an organization. One study estimates that 2-5% in savings is likely when strong
governance structures are put in place15.
A successful contract-management approach often contains the following organizational capacities:16
Feasibility Assessment Capacity The capacity to determine whether to make or buy the good or
service (is a service appropriate for contracting)
Implementation Capacity The capacity to bid the contract, select a provider, and negotiate a
contract
Evaluation Capacity The capacity to evaluate the contractors performance
Governments spend a considerable amount of time on selecting a vendor, but often forget that after a
vendor has been selected, the focus must shift to managing the contract, which includes monitoring
vendor performance, communicating with service recipients, and executing incentive programs17.
Contract management programs often become ad hoc and are often not routinized until the end of the
contract term.
In a 2006 industry survey about managing outsourcing relationships, more than half of public sector
professional purchasers and buyers and 60% of service providers felt at least 30% of their annual
contract value was at risk because of poor or nonexistent governance. In other words, cost savings would
not be realized because of ineffective contract management. Contracting is not a one-size-fits-all
proposition. The success or failure of any alternative service-delivery arrangement likely depends on how
well governments can manage the entire contract process, from assessing the feasibility of contracting
through implementation to monitoring and evaluationactivities that require strong government
contracting capacity. Governments investing in contract management capacity may be better positioned
to harness the promise of effective contracting while avoiding its pitfalls. 18
Unfortunately, no research has been conducted to indicate how contract management capacity can
improve contract performance (contract management capacity includes the people required to manage
the contract, the skills that these individuals will need in order to effectively oversee the contract, and the
available technology which allows for the management and tracking of data). Best practice and
experience indicates that developing an authentic collaborative relationship with the contractor is the best
15
Government Technology, 2009
16
Public Administration Review. March/April 2003, volume 63, issue 2.
17
Managing Public Service Contracts Public Administration Review. 2006.
18
Public Administration Review. March/April 2003, volume 63, issue 2.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
way to achieve long-term performance benefits. 19 Additionally, analyses suggest governments adjust
their contract management capacity in response to specific problems that threaten to undermine contract
performance. Specifically, these problems include:
Dissatisfaction with previous contract outcomes

Contracting for the provision of public goods and services with high transaction costs
Contracting more with private firms than with nonprofits or other governments
Contracting in the presence of significant political opposition from important constituent groups
Tools for Contract Management
As part of the comparable municipality survey, participants were asked to identify best practices for the
selection and monitoring of contracts. This was done to ascertain how other municipalities are managing
contract performance and staying on top of their vendors. The table below provides a synopsis of the
responses provided.
Category Comparable Comparable Comparable Comparable Comparable Comparable

A B C D E F
Parks:
Evaluate
Parks: Low
quality and
bid and Recreation:
price
performance Focus on
best service Focus on
Selection of Focus on Aquatics: Not
Recreation best
Contracts best service Identify answered
and Aquatics: service
community
Aquatics: Focus on
need and
Focus on low bid
look for
best service
instructors
Checklist
Parks: Use
based on
Monthly of inspectors
requirements
inspections and written
and Aquatics: Use of
with reports
specifications Monthly inspectors
Measurement allowable
performance Use of and regular
of Contract deductions Recreation
Aquatics: reports, inspectors meetings
Performance to payments and
Participant annual with
if service Aquatics:
comments meetings contractors
expectations Participant
and
not met and staff
attendance
evaluations
Most municipalities identified best service or a combination of best service with low bid as the primary
means to select contracts. In this respect, the city compares with its regional peer group. However, in our
experience, best value and quality in respect to contracting is only as good as the monitoring that is
performed on the contract.
19
Contracting Capacity and Perceived Contracting Performance. Public Administration Review. 2009.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Each of the municipalities contacted reported having some method of contract performance
measurement. All of the methods described are common tools used for performance review. These tools
are strengthened by a solid scope of work that clearly defines the work to be performed, its frequency and
quality. Compared to its peers, the city appears to have adopted many of the practices already employed.
Based on our initial assessment and an understanding of how the city compares to its peer group, the city
appears to be managing contracts well, but has several opportunities for improvement. For example, the
city appears to use some contract management tools inconsistently across its many contracts, such as
the use of performance requirements. Performance guidelines are listed in parks maintenance activities
such as with the landscaping and tree contracts. However, required levels of performance are not used in
contracts for recreational class instructors. The following section provides an overview of contract
management tools the city is currently using, and recommendations for improvement.
Contract Administration
In many municipalities, contracts are managed through a combined effort of a centralized procurement
office and direct oversight by the applicable department. This separation of responsibilities can create
efficiencies. By allowing centralized and specialized staff trained in contract development and negotiation
to focus on developing a sound contract and enforcement mechanism, department staff are free to
manage the day-to-day activities of the contract. This includes monitoring quality and performance of the
vendors.
For Parks & Recreations contracts, the city uses a decentralized procurement approach where contracts
are both developed and managed at a department level. For some Parks & Recreation services, contract
administration becomes more complex as different departments act as contract administrators. For
example: the Sadler Electric and T&J Janitorial contracts are administered by the Property &
Environmental Management (PEM) Department, yet work is at times directed by Parks & Recreation staff.
In some circumstances, this difference in contract administration and alignment of the service to the
appropriate department is a result of the recent reorganizing of the Parks & Recreation Department.
Responsibilities for certain services have not fully transitioned to the appropriate department. An example
of this is seen with the cleaning of block houses, where PEM and Parks & Recreation continue to discuss
which specific activities should be handled by each department.
This misalignment has a direct impact on the services provided by the Parks & Recreation Department.
First, Parks & Recreation does not have direct ability to manage the relationship with the contractor. This
may prevent timely issue mitigation, imposing contract penalties, and fostering a trusting relationship with
the contractor. Parks & Recreation is also unable to directly control contract renewals or development of
new contract language. An example of this is seen in Custodial Services. Currently, the janitorial services
contract for maintenance of the exterior restrooms and block houses is maintained by PEM. Although
PEM serves as the primary point of contact on this contract, Parks & Recreation staff check on the
work/services performed. When there are problems with performance or quality, Parks & Recreation staff
must work through PEM to resolve them. Second, confusion is also created with budgeting for these
contracts and may result in underfunding Parks & Recreation services.
Parks & Recreation should work with city management and other departments to clearly delineate
responsibility (oversight and enforcement) of gray area services to a single department (such as the
Custodial Services example described above). Administration of contracts providing these services
should be aligned to the assigned department as well. Parks & Recreation can benefit from this change
by having more direct control over contractors providing services under their purview and effectively
budget for these services.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Opportunity
Eliminate ambiguities in contract administration by ensuring that the Department in

charge of contract oversight is the one assessing the quality of work. Third party
assessments should be eliminated where possible.
Defining Contract Performance
A common best practice for municipalities is to clearly identify performance outcomes in contracts. If
performance is not clearly defined in the contract, it can be difficult to determine if the contractor is not
meeting, or perhaps exceeding expectations. Clearly defining performance reduces risk for municipalities
because it holds contractors accountable for their work and permits the use of incentives and penalties for
not meeting expectations.
The city employs this tool in many of its contracts, most consistently being utilized in larger parks
maintenance contracts. For example, the West Coast Arborist contract provides very specific direction on
the frequency of work, location of work, and even defines how the work should be performed according to
city requirements and industry standards. In these types of contracts, the city has positioned itself to
closely monitor contract performance.
The city also uses a variety of support tools to measure contract performance. In many contracts, the city
provides examples of evaluation forms that will be used to measure performance via routine inspections.
These forms set clear expectations between the contractor and the city on what will be evaluated and the
methodology used. The city is able to keep a record of performance over time and use this information to
actively mitigate poor performance and make contract renewal decisions in the future.
While these type of performance definition and evaluation tools are readily applicable, and often
necessary, for large scale and complex services like landscaping and tree maintenance, it can be
extended to other types of services as well. For these large maintenance contracts, specific frequencies
for activities and response times are indicated in the contracts. However, the city does not currently
identify specific performance expectations in its standard contract for individual instructors of enrichment
classes and youth sports. In addition, for other small maintenance-type contracts, such as the Knorr
Systems contract for pool maintenance, work duties are very loosely defined and no clear performance
expectations are indicated. For example, no completion times or reporting requirements are described.
Quality could also be defined in terms of outcomes such as the appearance of the pool once the work is
completed.
Detailed performance outcomes may not be required for all types of contracts. As performance outcomes
increase, additional oversight and management are required to monitor performance. In general,
performance outcomes should be written into all contracts. Special focus should be placed on new
contracts or for existing outsourced services where performance becomes an issue. For example,
additional performance expectations should be written into individual instructor contracts that require a
certain satisfaction rating from participant reviews.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
When defining performance expectations or performance outcomes, use of explicit requirements is a best
practice. This includes:
> Requirements in terms of results translated into production methods/metrics,

> Clear definitions of performance measurement methods and goals, (i.e., Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs), efficiency and effectiveness measures)
> Description of how the contractors performance will be evaluated in a quality assurance plan
> Positive and negative incentives based on key metrics (including plan for frequency of review and
by whom)
Opportunity
Establish a rigorous performance contracting process by which all contracts have

work type, frequency, and quality clearly defined. The city should then use these
performance metrics to determine satisfaction with vendor services.
Contract Oversight
To actively manage and monitor contract performance, the city uses a variety of staff types and levels to
perform this function. In some cases, specialized contract management staff carry out the day-to-day
oversight and inspections, such as the Parks Inspector II position. This position spends a significant
portion of his/her time inspecting contractor work and meeting with contractors to discuss performance.
For other types of parks maintenance contracts, higher level staff split their time between contract
management and other duties. This is the case for contracts like Habitat Restoration Services, which is
managed by the Parks & Recreation Associate Engineer. For recreation services, a similar pattern is
seen. For recreation programs, a recreation supervisor oversees individual instructor contracts. However,
the Recreation Services Manager oversees contracts for senior services and the resident caretaker
agreement for Carrillo Ranch. Staff members do not receive special training to manage contracts.
Providing consistent guidance for contract managers and a standardized oversight process may improve
the consistency in which contracts are managed.
Overall, the city appears to allocate adequate oversight to its many types of contracts. The city assigns
responsibility to different levels of staff depending on the intensity of oversight required to efficiently
manage contracts. For example, for parks maintenance activities, such as landscaping, which requires
frequent inspections, responsibility is assigned to a specialized staff member who has the time and
experience to execute the task efficiently.
During the site visit interviews, the citys staff indicated that, while the current contract oversight structure
is meeting existing contract demands, staff are being stretched to their limits in availability. These duties
are not a core part of their position function but rather, add-on activities. Staff indicated that the city would
have to increase the number of staff to manage contracts with additional increases in contracting.
The city demands the highest quality services from its contractors, and to meet that level of service,
significant contract oversight and monitoring is required. As the city considers the potential to increase
contracting, it must also consider developing the oversight infrastructure in parallel to the increase in
contracts. This will need to be accomplished through a combination of increased or dedicated staff and
policies and procedures to manage the numerous contracts.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Opportunity
Develop contract management training and a cohesive policy for contract

managers to improve consistency and effecitiveness of contract management.
Opportunity
Consider establishing positions that are dedicated to contract oversight. This

would relieve some of the responsibilities of other staff and create a specialization
in contract management, which would allow the city to more effectively monitor
vendor performance.
The city may also consider making slight modifications to its oversight structure. A best practice for
managing contracts is using dual contract management points. This system of contract management
and oversight includes a centralized contract manager reviewing the bigger picture relative to outcomes,
and a department specific manager reviewing daily tactical information and metrics. The table below
outlines an example of how roles and responsibilities are shared between these two roles.
Central Purchasing Manager Department Contract Manager

Monthly
Review Tactical Metrics/Outputs
Reconcile Charges & Fees to Services
Sign off on vendor payment Rendered
Review Complaints
Quarterly
Assess overall Financial Performance (up Review Tactical Metrics/Outputs
charges, extra fees, etc.)
Review trends and identify needed changes Trend performance relative to metrics
or contract amendments
Trend complaints
Annually
Review actual fiscal impact Summarize key variances from anticipated
costs, performance
Review outcomes and summary of outputs, Review vendor summary of outputs,
efficiency, and effectiveness measures efficiency, and effectiveness measures, and
recommend performance objectives for next
year
Define performance measurement objectives Define performance measurement objectives
or changes or changes
Determine financial penalties and rewards
In many respects, the city is using a similar structure with a lead manager (such as the Parks
Inspector II position) with support being provided by higher level staff (Parks Supervisor or Trees
Supervisor) when needed. However, increased institutionalization of this system by developing formalized
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
policies, procedures, processes, and tools can increase the effectiveness of the citys contract oversight
function.
Opportunity
Employ "dual contract" management approach to improve contract oversight and

effecitveness
Contract Incentives and Disincentives
The use of contract incentives and disincentives is also a best practice used to improve contract
performance. Incentives may come in many forms including monetary bonuses or guaranteed contract
renewals if certain performance criteria are met. Also, disincentives can be effective in deterring poor
performance and are commonly seen as a monetary penalty if performance is not met.
The city uses a series of disincentives in many of its contracts. Most common is a standard contract term
that states the city can retain 10% of contract amounts until the service is completely and adequately
delivered. This term appears in the majority of vendor (not individual instructor) contracts. However, the
city uses this tool primarily for large capital projects and not smaller maintenance projects. For example,
the city used this tool for bathroom renovations in the parks. This baseline disincentive is likely to have
the greatest impact near the end of the contract, but may have minimal impact during early phases of the
project. The city may consider applying this contract term only to applicable large projects, rather than all
maintenance contracts. If the term is not used actively for a contract type, it should be removed to avoid
confusion or weaken the effectiveness of the tool.
To mitigate this risk, the city uses monetary penalties for poor performance that occur at each regular
invoicing period for some of its parks maintenance contracts. For example, in the T&J Janitorial Contract,
a percentage of payment may be reduced if a 95% or higher inspection rating is not achieved. These
types of disincentives encourage contractors to provide consistent performance throughout the duration
of the project.
Finally, the city also uses contract renewal terms to incentivize contract performance. For most vendor
contracts, the city offers an initial base period with multiple year options for the future. Contractors have
an incentive to perform well with the opportunity to maintain contract relationships, and even increase
payment if higher costs can be justified in option years. Contract renewal appears to be at the discretion
of the city and guaranteed renewals are not offered as part of the contract terms.
While the city uses a variety of disincentives to improve contract performance, it should consider
expanded the use of incentives. The use of incentives offers a way to proactively encourage positive or
higher than expected performance, rather than reacting to negative performance. Contractors can be
rewarded for focusing on how to continually offer Best Value Services to the city. Examples may include:
Monetary bonuses for:

- Exceeding minimum performance requirements
- Identifying cost saving opportunities
- Recommending and implementing enhancements to parks, rather than solely executing
maintenance activities
Increasing pay or bonuses for high performing, or returning. class instructors
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
The city may also consider the expanded used of routine performance disincentives. Having contract
terms that reduce routine payments encourages consistent performance for the duration of the contract.
These types of disincentives are best applied to long-term contracts that perform routine and regular
activities for the city, as opposed to one-off type activities.
Finally, the city may consider the use of guaranteed renewals for contracts if objective performance
criteria are met. If clear performance expectations are set with the contractor, it will have a precise
understanding of what needs to be achieved to renew the contract, as opposed to a subjective opinion of
the citys staff. This can instill a sense of accountability for some contractors. This strategy should be used
with caution as some contractors may simply meet the expectations and not exceed expectations to have
their contract renewed.
Vendor Input
Proactive involvement of contractors in municipal service evaluations and reporting functions can improve
the relationship with the municipality and create additional benefits. As contractors are more involved in
assessing quality and identifying financial impacts of decisions, they can have clearer expectations for
their work.
The city currently uses regular meetings with vendors to identify issues and solutions for the work
contractors are responsible for. In many contracts, the city clearly defines the frequency which these
meetings will occur between the contractor and assigned city project manager. For most contracts, these
are monthly meetings. Vendors have an opportunity to use these meetings to express concerns, report on
performance, and identify areas for improvement. Based on the needs of the city, these appear to be
meeting the citys current needs. More frequent meetings may be required for higher profile services or
poor performing contractors, as needed.
Strong vendor communication is a practice that should be continued and strengthened if possible. All
communications must be clear and multidirectional. With their expertise, vendors may have suggestions
for improving service. As long as the city opens the lines of communications with vendors, the potential
for higher quality is possible. The city must also be responsive in replying to vendor questions or
performance issues. If issues are not addressed quickly, the vendor will not have an opportunity to
improve performance. Overall, for reporting to be effective, two-way and consistent dialogue is critical.
Opportunity
Establish opportunities for vendor input at the onset of contracts and foster a
collaborative contractor environment.
Conclusion
Overall, the tools available for the city to improve contract management performance are interrelated and
have tradeoffs. As performance expectations increase, the amount of time, effort, and infrastructure
required to monitor performance increases as well. The city has the contracting experience to manage
additional contracts moving forward. Difficult decisions will have to be made though, about the benefits
and costs of increasing the infrastructure required to meet the potential growth of contracting.

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CityofCarlsbad,CA
OverviewofMemorandumofUnderstanding
Currently, the city has one collective bargaining agreement which affects work in the Parks & Recreation
Department. This agreement is with the Carlsbad City Employees Association (CCEA). The agreement is
effective through December 31, 2012.
Bargaining agreements are often the main driver of service delivery costs as they set the hours, wages,
and special pay types that employees are entitled to. Many times, municipalities will cite these
agreement-related costs as the reason for considering outsourcing services. Baker Tilly staff reviewed the
most recent agreement and met with city staff to discuss the work rules that provide the greatest barriers
to delivering cost effective services. The following charts represent a summary of these issues, as well as
an approximate cost impact of each. Please note that the cost impacts are approximate and may have
some variance.
Article 14, Section 1: Overtime

Any employee required to perform in excess of forty (40) hours in a seven (7) day
cycle and/or in excess of an employee's scheduled work day shall receive
Bargaining Item
compensation at the rate of time and one-half his/her regular rate of pay, except as
outlined in Section 2 below. The regular rate of pay shall be calculated in
conformance with the FLSA.
One of the methods by which municipalities have managed overtime costs is
through the assignment of multiple shifts or work schedules. As we discuss
below, the city manages seven day a week coverage, minimizing the amount of
overtime needed.
Description/Issues
Overtime can increase the cost of service if it is used in excess and to the point
where productivity is at risk. This does not appear to be a problem for the city.
Currently, the city averages 1,866 hours, or approximately .9 FTE. We would
consider this an acceptable amount.
Most of the costs associated with overtime expenses shown in the table below are
for first responders at Parks & Recreation activities. The overtime earned by Parks
& Recreation employees is minimal. The data below represents the last three years
Cost Impact of overtime costs for Parks & Recreation staff.
FY09 Cost FY10 Cost FY11 Cost

$96,686 $88,409 $90,161
Article 14, Section 3: Call Back Pay

Call back duty occurs when an employee is ordered to return to duty on a
non-regularly scheduled work shift. Call back does not occur when an employee is
held over from his/her prior shift or is working prior to his/her regularly scheduled
shift. An employee called back to duty shall be credited with a minimum of two (2)
hours work commencing at the time of the page, except an employee shall not be
Bargaining Item
entitled to said minimum if the assignment has been scheduled in advance and the
employee is provided with at least seven (7) calendar days notice of said
assignment. The two (2) hour minimum also will not apply if the work is performed
on the phone or remotely via computer and takes 30 minutes or less to complete,
in which case the employee shall be credited for a minimum of thirty (30) minutes
work.
There are two main issues with call back pay: First, when callbacks arise less
Description/Issues
than two hours prior to the start of normal working hours, staff would actually
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
receive overtime for normal work hours. For example, if a staffer receives a
callback at 6 AM when they would start at 7 AM, they are receiving overtime
during the regular working hours. Second, if the work performed takes a small
amount of time (i.e., less than 30 minutes to complete) staff receive two hours
of call back pay. The city does have protections in place for instances such as
these in the case of remote work completed via computer.
Cost Impact Data is not available; the city does not track these items separately and is unable
to account for the number of times callbacks have occurred, nor when they are
within two hours of a normal shift.
Article 14, Section 4: Compensatory Time

In lieu of receiving overtime pay pursuant to Section 1 above, an employee may
elect, subject to department approval, to receive compensatory time off on a time
and one-half basis. No employee shall accrue more than eighty (80) hours of such
compensatory time.
Should any employee exceed eighty (80) hours of accrued compensatory time,
Bargaining Item
he/she shall be paid at time and one-half his/her regular rate. An employee may
use such compensatory time within a reasonable period after making the request if
the use of compensatory time does not unduly disrupt the operations of the
department. At any time, an employee may elect to "cash out" any portion of
his/her accrued compensatory time balance at his/her regular rate of pay by
requesting this "cash out" on his/her time card.
Compensatory time avoids a payout of overtime hours and is often used to
supplement vacation/personal leave. The current requirement to limit
compensatory time to 80 hours reduces the citys financial liability. There are
Description/Issues many municipalities which do not limit the maximum number of hours staff may
keep, increasing the future financial burden of the municipality to the cash out
wage of the future salary as opposed to the wage at the time the compensatory
time was earned.
Deferred. The cost impact of this is difficult to calculate as staff do not cash out at
the salary they earned the compensatory time; rather, they cash out at the salary at
the time of cash out. However, the compensatory time hours earned is sufficiently
low enough to not be of significant impact. Below is an accounting of the hours by
Cost Impact
fiscal year:
FY09 FY10 FY11
1,163 724 551
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Article 14, Section 7: Training Time

Training time outside normally scheduled work hours shall be compensated
pursuant to Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 785.27, et seq. Travel
Bargaining Item
time outside normally scheduled work hours shall be compensated pursuant to
CFR Section 785.33, et seq. When feasible, the Department will adjust the
employee's work schedule to minimize the impact of travel and training time.
If training time is conducted outside of, and in addition to, normal working
hours, this time would be compensated at the appropriate overtime rate.
Description/Issues However, city staff indicate that they do not incur overtime related to training as
they simply adjust working hours to accommodate all training opportunities.
None staff schedules are adjusted to accommodate training and eliminate
Cost Impact overtime.
Article 14, Section 10: Standby Pay

Bargaining Item Wear a city-provided pager and carry a city-provided cellular phone during standby
assignment; Accept $30.00 per day for each day on standby assignment.
The current agreement allows for staff to receive overtime compensation for
any time worked outside of normal work hours and ensures a minimum level of
overtime for callbacks. This provides adequate compensation for any time
incurred after hours. This provision gives an employee additional compensation
just for having a city pager and/or phone.
Description/Issues Usually, one person from landscaping and one from trees are assigned
standby pay each day. The following summarizes the number of standby days
that were paid for the last three years.
FY09 FY10 FY11

716 723 725

Cost Impact
$21,480 $21,676 $21,750
Article 15: Working Out of Classification

Whenever the needs of the city require an employee to temporarily perform the
duties of a higher classification than that in which the employee is currently
Bargaining Item employed for a period of more than twenty-one (21) calendar days, the employee
shall receive additional pay. In such cases, the employee shall be paid at an
appropriate level which will assure an increase of not less than five percent (5%)
greater than the salary of his/her current position.
Out of classification pay appropriately compensates individuals for acting up
in a position. The city has a clause that minimizes the effect of this item by
restricting it only to a period of time greater than three weeks.
Description/Issues
In FY09, there were 6 people receiving this type of pay; FY10 there were 10
staff; and, in FY 11 there were no employees receiving out of classification pay.

Cost Impact
$2,516 $324 $0
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Article 17: Bilingual Pay

The city will provide additional compensation to an employee, designated by the
Human Resources Department, in the amount of $40.00 per pay period for the
performance of bilingual skills. The determination of the number of
Bargaining Item persons/positions to be designated as bilingual is at the sole discretion of the city.
In order to qualify for and receive bilingual pay, employees must pass a bilingual
proficiency test in the Spanish language as determined appropriate by the city. This
Article shall not be subject to the grievance procedure.
Currently, there are a limited number of staff receiving bilingual pay, limiting the
impact of this bargaining item. The following chart provides an overview of the
number of employees receiving bilingual pay:
Description/Issues
FY09 FY10 FY11
12 11 10
FY09 FY10 FY11

Cost Impact
$7,200 $7,010 $5,980
Article 18: Uniforms and Equipment

The city shall continue to purchase safety boots or safety shoes for classifications
as determined by the city. The city shall establish, subject to consultation with the
affected employees, a voucher system to purchase safety footwear from
city-approved vendors. Individual acquisitions made outside the voucher system
must be pre-approved for reimbursement after review by the employee's
supervisors. Acquisition of safety footwear shall be limited to a maximum of two (2)
Bargaining Item
times per year not to exceed a cost of $150 per acquisition. In special
circumstances as determined and pre-approved by the employee's supervisor,
safety footwear acquisition requiring an expenditure over $150 may be made one
(1) time per year, not to exceed a cost of $200. The city will reimburse any
employee who is required to wear safety glasses and/or goggles up to one
hundred seventy-five dollars ($175) in a calendar year for the cost of prescription
lenses for such glasses and/or goggles.
To minimize costs resulting from this contractual item, the city could consider
maintaining stock and issuing the uniforms directly to staff. Currently, the city
Description/Issues does have a contract with a rental service to provide some uniforms for staff.
However, staff still receive reimbursement for some items, and it is these that
we suggest can be reviewed for efficiencies.
The costs provided here reflect only those costs associated with employee
reimbursement related to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU); they do not
include costs from rental companies.
Cost Impact
$10,549 $37,841 $25,094
The city has been able to mitigate the costs of these items in a number of different ways. The primary
effort is seen in the maintenance of a flexible and seven-day-a-week schedule for staff. By maintaining
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
the current schedules of 10/40, 5/80 and 9/80, the Parks & Recreation Department has spread staff
coverage across the seven days, and as a result, minimizes the cost of overtime and call backs. Without
such a staffing strategy, the citys costs for overtime and call backs would be upwards of 50% more.
In addition to these bargaining items, staff have expressed concerns with the bifurcation of the
Maintenance Worker positions. Here, staff in Maintenance Worker I are automatically promoted to
Maintenance Worker II after 12 months. The costs of this issue have not been factored into this analysis.
To affect a change to this would require a major negotiation change to the contract.
The table below summarizes the cost impact of each of the items described. In total, the city has
identified issues averaging over $175,000/year. This represents 3.5% (average) of the expenditures for
regular salary costs for Parks & Recreation employees. In general, this is lower than the typical industry
posting. Recent projects that Baker Tilly consultants have worked on have anywhere between 9% 12%
cost impact on bargaining items. The City of Carlsbads is approximately one-third of our experience.
FY 2009 FY 2010 Three Year

Bargaining Item FY 2011 Cost
Cost Cost Average
Overtime $ 96,686 $ 88,409 $ 90,161 $ 91,752
Training Time $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00
Standby Pay $ 21,480 $ 21,676 $ 21,750 $ 21,635
Working Out of Classification $ 2,516 $ 324 $ 0.00 $ 947
Bilingual Pay $ 7,200 $ 7,010 $ 5,980 $ 6,730
Uniforms and Equipment $ 10,549 $ 37,841 $ 25,094 $ 24,494
Tool Reimbursement $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00
Longevity Pay $ 35,347 $ 40,631 $ 15,008 $ 30,329
Total Cost for All MOU Items $ 173,778 $ 195,891 $ 157,992 $ 175,887
Regular Salary Costs (Actuals) $ 4,925,632 $ 5,112,677 $ 5,135,529 $ 5,057,946
Cost Impacts as % of Salary Costs 3.5% 3.8% 3.0% 3.5%
Overall, we consider the costs associated with the MOU to be reasonable and do not substantially affect
the cost of service. In an effort to reduce these numbers, we suggest the following recommendations:
Opportunity
Consider eliminating standby pay. As staff are compensated for any overtime hours
(with minimum guarantees), we would argue that staff are adequately compensated.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Opportunity
Complete a full analysis of spending on uniform and equipment reimbursement.

Some uniforms are currently rented, and the city should consider if this can be
expanded or, if the city might be able to keep some of these items in stock, as
opposed to reimbursement.
Opportunity
Consider moving to a lump sum longevity payment as opposed to a salary step. By

moving to a lump sum longevity payment, the city would reduce the long term costs.
Lump sum longevity payments do not factor into the hourly rates of staff and would
reduce the costs of overtime, call back pay, etc. Many municipalities have moved to
this method of payment to reduce long term costs.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
DepartmentStaffing
DepartmentManagementStructureandOrganization
Current Management Structure
The City of Carlsbad Parks & Recreation Department has experienced an unusually high level of turnover
in the Director position over the past several years. In times of transition between Directors, having a
robust and experienced level of senior management has been helpful. There is some concern, however,
that this level of management staffing has become too robust.
The figure below represents the current management structure of the citys Parks & Recreation
Department. This does not include all employees, or even all employees with supervisory responsibilities,
but attempts to depict the levels and structure of the top management positions.
Organization Chart of Management
Parks and
Recreation Director
Park Recreation Recreation

Parks Development Services Services
Superintendent Manager Manager Manager
Parks Trees Rec. Area Rec. Area Rec. Area Rec. Area Rec. Area
Supervisor Supervisor Manager Manager Manager Manager Manager
Throughout the report, we make reference to traditional parks and traditional recreation activities. The
Carlsbad Parks & Recreation Department used to be organized along such lines. In the figure above,
traditional parks positions are shown in green and traditional recreation positions are shown in blue. To
clarify these terms, traditional parks activities include such as things as landscaping, custodial services,
hardscaping, tree maintenance, and the like; while traditional recreation items include activities such as
educational programming, facility rental, and athletic programming.
The table below shows specifically how the lines of business are treated when we use these terms in the
report.
Custodial Services, Hardscape/Specialty Maintenance, Landscape Maintenance,

Parks
Tree Maintenance/Management, and Trails/Open Space/Preserve Management
Aquatic Services, Historic Park Services, Recreation Services, Rental Services, and
Recreation
Senior Services
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
While the organizational chart depicting current management positions appears to be predominately blue
(representing recreation), the total staff effort in terms of hours is more heavily devoted to parks activities.
As depicted in the figures below, the average hours worked per year expended were 40% towards parks
activities and 60% towards recreation. The number of the top level management positions is similarly
divided; roughly 37.5% toward parks and 62.5% towards recreation.
While, typically, all management positions are compared to total staff, the top management positions are
considered separately in this report for three reasons: 1) recent changes have been made in this
management level, 2) vacancies exist, and, 3) concerns regarding the number and type of top
management positions were expressed during field work. These figures include filled and vacant manager
positions. Of note, one of the Recreation Area Manager positions shown is currently vacant.
Management Analysis
Using the organizational chart identified earlier in this chapter, we identify the number of management
positions below. Please note that the .5 position identified in Parks and .5 in Recreation represent an
even split of the Parks & Recreation Directors time to these areas.
Parks Recreation
# % # %
Management Positions 4.5 37.5% 7.5 62.5%
Hrs/Yr of Effort (Average 2009-11) 92,583 40.4% 136,324 59.6%
Span of Control: Manager to Employee Ratios
The management structure discussion in the previous section raises questions about the appropriate
number of management positions required for the various functions. A common approach to analyzing
such concerns involves calculating the span of control.
Simply put, span of control is the number of employees overseen by one manager; or, the number of
direct reports a manager has. A narrow span of control means that each manager oversees only a small
number of employees, while a wide span of control means that a larger number of employees report to
each manager. The table below compares Parks & Recreation to a number of other industry benchmarks.
Span of Control Comparison
As you can see from the table below, the span of control for Carlsbad Parks is not quite as wide as other
comparable city parks departments in California (10 direct reports per manager), but is wider than others
when you compare it to the average of comparable public sector entities and industry recommendations
together. Given the available research, we would set a range for span of control at 7 10. While both
Parks and Recreation staff fall within this range, the city may be able to gain further efficiencies by
adopting a span of control at the higher end of this range. This would bring the city in alignment with the
comparables in the area.
Page 41

CityofCarlsbad,CA
Spanof
PercentMgmt. Control
CityofCarlsbadActuals(200911)
CarlsbadParks 11.9% 7.4
CarlsbadRecreation 11.0% 8.1
PointsofComparison
SelectionofCACityParksDepts 9.1% 10.0
SelectionofCACountyParksDepts 17.7% 4.6
PrivateIndustryA 10.0% 9.0
PrivateIndustryB 10.2% 8.8
KingCo,WA 15.4% 5.5
CityofPaloAlto,CA 14.5% 5.9
CityofPortland,OR 13.3% 6.5
CityofSeattle,WA 13.7% 6.3
SeattleParksandRecDept. 18.5% 4.4
StateofTexas 8.3% 11.0
NationalPerformanceReview 6.3% 15.0
AverageofComparables 14.6% 6.9
Opportunity
The city should consider establishing a benchmark for span of control. We would
recommend a level of 10 FTE per each manager.
Governance
Like other departments in the city, the Parks & Recreation Department has a Director and a management
structure that is ultimately accountable to the City Manager. In the Parks & Recreation Department,
however, there are also three advisory committees or commissions:
Parks & Recreation Commission

Senior Commission
Beach Preservation Committee
Each of these bodies meets once monthly. Parks & Recreation personnel attend these meetings and
provide supporting information and occasionally conduct analysis as well to respond to specific requests.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
The Department estimates that a total of roughly 1.2 FTE of time is expended in support of these
commissions annually. Of this, 0.6 FTE is expended in support of the Parks & Recreation Commission,
and 0.3 FTE is expended in support of each of the other commissions.
Of the respondents to our survey of parks and recreation departments in comparable municipalities, 75%
report to only one board or commission. Nationally, 37% of parks and recreation departments have an
advisory board, 46% have a governing board, and 17% do not report to a board or commission20. While
the national figures do not specifically state the number of oversight bodies per department, it is
interesting to note that while the City of Carlsbads Parks & Recreation Department reports to three
different advisory boards, 17% report to no boards at all.
Opportunity
Consolidate the existing three commissions into a single commission to free up

approximately .6 FTE.
Opportunity
Consolidate the existing three commissions into a single commission to free up

approximately .6 FTE.
Structural Changes
A number of structural changes and position reductions have already happened across the various lines
of business. For example, the current pool facility employs approximately 9 FTE positions. This number
has decreased by roughly 1.5 FTE during the past two years through the elimination of part time
positions. Also, a Maintenance Worker I/II position was eliminated and replaced with a contracted position
for a savings of $5,000 in the past fiscal year. In addition to these changes, the Department has also
recently executed, or planned, the following actions to yield efficiencies in the coming fiscal year these
cost savings will show up in future years actual costs. They represent an example of the work that the
Department has undertaken independent of this analysis to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
Parks/Trees Maintenance Division:

Redistributed the workload of 4.26 FTEs (1 Tree Trimmer II Retired; 1.5 Maintenance Worker II
Retired/Resigned/ Unfilled; 1 Maintenance Aide Terminated; and .76 Hourly Grounds Aide
20
PRORAGIS Budget and Funding Report. National Parks & Recreation Association. Report run April 13, 2012.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Unfilled) by increasing the efficiency of maintenance crews and adding areas to existing contracts
reducing annual potential expenditures by $260,631.
Re-structured and re-bid the agreement for Parks and Athletic Fields Landscape Maintenance
Services reducing the annual not-to-exceed value of the previous agreements by $97,230.
Re-structured and re-bid the agreement for Maintenance, Management, and Monitoring of
City-Owned Habitat Management Plan Preserve Lands reducing the annual not-to-exceed
value of the previous agreement by $191,796.
Recreation Division:
Savings in the amount of $277,696 was identified through full time staffing efficiencies, reduced
maintenance and operations costs to reflect current spending levels, and increased usage of
contractors.
The community coordinator full time position will be shared with the Communications Department
to help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing efforts.
A coordinated effort between full time and part time staff at the community centers led to a
reduction in part time hours during non-peak time. ($100,000)
Youth and Adult Sports continue to find efficiencies through cross training of staff and outsourcing
the score keepers and sports officials. ($60,000)
Preschool part time staffing requirements and pay was evaluated and, in some cases, a lower
level assistant could be hired to lead to a savings in expenses. ($7,000)
Staff continues to closely monitor best value practices, redistributing resources to reduce M&O
spending where applicable. ($17,000)
Continue to manage the operation of the Senior Center with existing staff resources. Parks &
Recreation Administration will not recommend filling the Recreation Area Manager vacancy.
($93,696)
Conclusions
The Department should be applauded for having an appropriate span of control but should consider
whether progress can be made in order to create additional savings. One option to consider is eliminating
the vacant Recreation Area Manager position and restructuring the Recreation Area Managers into a
structure that considers more than just geography. In terms of governance, the analysis also points to a
high number of commissions to which the Department reports. These improvements could better focus
the efforts of the Recreation Area Managers, reduce the total cost of services and increase the efficiency
of the organization.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
StaffingbyLineofBusiness
Effort in Full Time Equivalents (FTE)
The City of Carlsbad primarily uses the term FTE (full time equivalent) when discussing part time or
hourly staff effort. In this case, the city calculates 2,000 hours per year as one FTE. For employees hired
in a full time capacity, the city takes a different approach. Instead of calculating these employees as
equivalents, they describe this staff effort in terms of number of positions. Each of these full time
positions is calculated at 2,080 hours per year. With this methodology, Carlsbads FY12 budget reports
the following staff levels for the Parks & Recreation Department.
FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13

Actual Budget Budget Budget
Full Time Positions (2,080
73.0 72.0 71.0 68.4
hrs = 1 FTE)
Hourly Positions (2,000 hrs =

61.7 61.8 61.8 56.6
1 FTE)
Total FTE in Parks &

134.7 133.8 132.8 125.0
Recreation
While the total level of Parks & Recreation Department staff appears to be trending downward, the level
of FTE per 1,000 residents is roughly 50 percent higher than the national figures21 and regional figures for
jurisdictions of similar size. The table below provides national data for jurisdictions both smaller and larger
than Carlsbad in terms of population. It also provides the data for the average of comparable California
municipalities surveyed. National figures are from fiscal year 2010 and California comparables are from
fiscal year 2011.
Total Dept. FTE per

1,000 population
Carlsbad (Population 105,328) 1.28

Population 25,000-100,000
0.82
(median)
Population over 100,000 (median) 0.76
CA Comparables Surveyed 0.88
Another way to look at the current staffing for the Parks & Recreation Department is by ratio of full time to
part time or hourly staff. According to information from the National Recreation & Parks Association
(NRPA) database22, Parks & Recreation Departments were staffed 61% by full time employees and 39%
by part time employees in 2011. Using Carlsbads 2011 figures from the FY12 budget, the split for the
Carlsbad Parks & Recreation Department was 54% full time and 46% part time. This means Carlsbad
uses part time staff more heavily than the national average, as shown in the following figure. One of the
benefits of using a higher percentage of part time staff is the decreased cost of benefits.
21
Comparative Performance Measurement FY 2010 Data Report. ICMA Center for Performance Management. August 2011
22
PRORAGIS Budget and Funding Report. National Parks & Recreation Association. Report run April 13, 2012
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
UseofHourlyStaff
100%
39% 46%
90%
80%
70%
PartTime
60%
FullTime
50%
40%
30%
NationalAverage CarlsbadParks&Rec
While the budget figures give an overview of staff effort, the information is not as detailed as the actual
payroll data. With that in mind, we used three years of actual payroll data provided by the city to conduct
our staffing analysis. Specifically, we used three complete years of data from FY09 through FY11. This
data allowed us to look more closely at staff levels over time by each of the ten lines of business identified
by the Parks & Recreation Department for analysis (Aquatic Services, Custodial Services,
Hardscape/Specialty Maintenance, Historic Park Services, Landscape Maintenance, Recreation Services,
Rental Services, Senior Services, Tree Maintenance/Management, and Trails/Open Space/Preserve
Management).
Unfortunately, the city does not currently code payroll data by line of business. Instead, both hours
worked and paid are tracked by individual employee number and by organizational key, or org key.
These org keys correspond to a variety of items. An org key can represent specific activities, such as
Senior Transportation, Youth & Adult Sports, or Special Events, or an org key can represent a location,
such as Stagecoach Community Center, or Carrillo Ranch.
In order to translate the payroll data into hours worked and hours paid by business line, conversion
calculations were required. We worked in conjunction with Parks & Recreation Department Analysts to
construct two conversion worksheets. One worksheet mapped each full time employees hours uniquely
across business lines, based on that employees responsibilities. The other worksheet mapped the part
time employees hours across business lines, based on the total time recorded by each org key. The table
below shows the results of these calculations.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
2009 2010 2011

Lines of Business
Hours Worked FTE Hours Worked FTE Hours Worked FTE
Aquatic Services 21,086 10.4 20,193 10.0 18,189 9.0
Full Time 5,460 2.6 6,047 2.9 5,526 2.7
Part Time 15,626 7.8 14,146 7.1 12,663 6.3
Custodial Services 14,771 7.2 14,213 6.9 13,754 6.7
Full Time 9,957 4.8 9,887 4.8 8,843 4.3
Part Time 4,814 2.4 4,327 2.2 4,911 2.5
Hardscape/Specialty Maintenance 10,750 5.2 10,019 4.8 10,247 5.0
Full Time 9,064 4.4 8,485 4.1 8,551 4.1
Part Time 1,686 0.8 1,534 0.8 1,696 0.8
Historic Park Services 5,126 2.5 4,962 2.4 4,275 2.1
Full Time 1,868 0.9 1,876 0.9 1,869 0.9
Part Time 3,258 1.6 3,086 1.5 2,406 1.2
Landscape Maintenance 44,815 21.8 43,829 21.3 42,443 20.6
Full Time 32,766 15.8 32,813 15.8 30,054 14.4
Part Time 12,049 6.0 11,016 5.5 12,388 6.2
Recreation Services 77,639 38.5 72,719 36.0 71,986 35.6
Full Time 17,941 8.6 18,369 8.8 18,645 9.0
Part Time 59,699 29.8 54,350 27.2 53,341 26.7
Rental Services 18,440 9.1 17,853 8.8 18,372 9.0
Full Time 8,479 4.1 8,530 4.1 8,311 4.0
Part Time 9,961 5.0 9,323 4.7 10,061 5.0
Senior Services 20,621 10.2 18,600 9.2 18,913 9.3
Full Time 6,295 3.0 6,003 2.9 6,029 2.9
Part Time 14,327 7.2 12,597 6.3 12,884 6.4
Trails/Open Space/ Perserve Mgmt. 7,539 3.6 7,533 3.6 9,427 4.5
Full Time 7,214 3.5 7,250 3.5 9,088 4.4
Part Time 325 0.2 282 0.1 339 0.2
Tree Maintenance/ Mgmt. 15,601 7.5 16,502 8.0 16,308 7.9
Full Time 14,046 6.8 14,628 7.0 14,816 7.1
Part Time 1,554 0.8 1,873 0.9 1,492 0.7
Total Effort 236,387 116.0 226,422 111.0 223,914 109.8
Full Time 113,090 54.4 113,888 54.8 111,732 53.7
Part Time 123,297 61.6 112,534 56.3 112,181 56.1
Again, it is important to remember that these figures represent hours logged in the payroll system as
worked. Hours budgeted, but not worked, such as vacation or sick time, would not enter into this
calculation. Similarly, if a full time or part time position remained vacant for any portion of time, this would
reduce the hours of effort represented in the table above. For example, according to budget figures, total
FTE in 2010 was 134.7, but actual hours worked in 2010 equates to only 111.0 FTE of effort, a difference
of 23.7 FTE. An actual reduction in staffing of this size would only be possible if there were no leave time
granted and no frictional productivity loss related to employee turnover. This is not a realistic possibility.
Instead, some municipalities have attempted to realize reductions in staffing costs through contracting
with external service providers, or shifting existing staffing strategies to include more hourly part time staff
and fewer full time employees.
The following chart demonstrates the mix of part time, full time and volunteer effort by line of business
over the past three years using data from payroll and volunteer tracking reports (actual figures). This
information will be discussed in more detail within the current state analysis section of each line of
business.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Staffing Trends
The previous figure gives a sense of the variety of staffing approaches taken by the different lines of
business. In general, the parks maintenance activities rely far more heavily on full time staff than part time
staff and utilize little to no volunteer effort. The Trails/Open Space/Preserve Management line of business
is the only one using volunteers for maintenance activities. The recreation side relies more heavily on part
time staff than full time staff, and regularly utilizes volunteers. The strongest example of volunteer use is
in the Senior Services line of business, in which the hours of volunteer effort nearly equal the hours of
effort by paid staff.
When looking at the department in aggregate, there has been an overall reduction in paid hours, however
this appears to be driven by the larger lines of business (Recreation Services, Landscape Maintenance,
Senior Services and Aquatics). The smaller lines of business generally maintained, or slightly increased,
paid hours.
The figures below show the trends in terms of total effort for the Department as a whole.
Effort in Hours Worked 2009 2010 2011

Full Time Effort 113,090 113,888 111,732
Part Time Effort 123,297 112,534 112,181
Volunteer Effort 9,114 10,940 12,423
Total Effort 245,501 237,362 236,336
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
As you can see above, the total paid effort decreased each year, while the volunteer effort increased. The
net effect of these changes was still a reduction in hours of effort department wide, and reflects a
successful effort by the Department to reduce costs while maintaining services.
Conclusions Regarding Staffing by Line of Business
The Department has done well to reduce personnel expenditures over the three years included in our
analysis. When compared to both regional and national figures; however, the Department still appears to
be staffed quite generously. In any future efforts to identify opportunities for moderating staff size and
personnel expenditures, the Department should consider how time is recorded and tracked in payroll
data. This will enhance reporting capabilities to support management decisions regarding staffing levels.
In addition to the level of staffing, the analysis included type of staffing. It revealed that the recreation
lines of business utilized more part time staff than did the parks maintenance lines of business. As the
benefits costs associated with part time staff are lower, cost savings could be possible by increasing the
proportion of part time staff used in park maintenance.
Another note of success for the Department is the increase in hours of volunteer effort each year. This
growth may have offset some of the reductions in paid effort, while allowing service levels and quality to
remain unchanged in the eyes of the public.

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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Availability
Personnel costs are by far the largest expense category in most municipal budgets. Therefore, highly
effective municipalities must closely monitor staffing costs and productivity to maintain performance
standards at the lowest overall unit cost of service. In this analysis, we use availability instead of
productivity as a proxy measure for efficiency.
Availability is different from productivity in that availability is not measured by the number of units
produced per employee (output), but rather by the number of available hours, compared to the number of
hours paid. Available hours are hours worked by the employee, excluding leave time. Calculating an
availability ratio (hours worked over hours paid) allows you to quantify the current effort in any given area.
You can determine how many hours, rather than how many bodies it takes to complete a given set of
tasks. The availability ratio can also allow the city to review how employees use the leave time allotted to
them and consequently predict the future availability of staff to perform work. This measure can also help
the city consider options for future staffing, including number and type of employees needed.
As stated in the section on staffing by line of business, actual payroll figures for FY09 through FY11 were
the source of both hours worked and hours paid, and two crosswalks were used to translate this data to
hours by business line. Once the hours were allocated to the appropriate business line, total hours
worked (by both part time and full time staff) were divided by total hours paid to calculate the availability
ratio for each business line. These ratios were then compared to standards published by the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics (BLS) in related industries.
Each year, the BLS calculates and publishes ratios of hours worked to hours paid by industry. The
industries are grouped into North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) supersectors. Each
supersector is a compilation of multiple similar industry codes used by the NAICS. There are thousands of
codes, but analysis is typically published on the sector or supersector level. There is no Parks &
Recreation supersector in the BLS data, but there are clear parallels. The Natural Resources supersector
closely aligns with park maintenance activities and the Leisure and Hospitality supersector closely aligns
with recreation activities. The ratios for these two supersectors are shown individually throughout the
analysis as is the average ratio calculated across all NAICS supersectors. These points of comparison
gauge the availability of each of the business lines.
Analysis of Leave
The employees at the city receive different types of leave dependent upon their classification and
longevity. The chart below represents the average leave received by full time employees per year by an
employee who works 8 hours per day for 5 days per week after 5 years of employment.
Leave Type Estimated Days/Year

Holidays 13.0 days
Vacation 15.2 days
Sick Leave 12.2 days
Total 40.4 days or 8 weeks
The table above only represents typical categories of leave accrual. It does not include compensatory
(comp) time, executive leave, bereavement leave, workers compensation, or other leave such as military
leave, administrative leave, and jury duty. From FY09 through FY11, the Departments full time employees
utilized an average of 345 hrs of leave per employee per year. This means that between holidays,
vacation, sick and other leave, the average full time employee was unavailable for work roughly 8.6
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
weeks per year. The chart below demonstrates how the leave time was utilized across the Parks &
Recreation Department from FY09 through FY11.
HOLIDAY
35% BEREAVEMENT
1%
WORKERSCOMP
1%
OTHERLEAVE
10%
VACATION
33%
SICK
20%
As shown above, approximately one third of leave taken by full time employees in the Department was for
holidays, one third was for vacation, and the remaining third was for other categories of leave. This nearly
equal use of vacation and holiday time by Department employees, 33% and 35% respectively, essentially
matches national figures.
The average state and local government worker is granted 11 paid holidays per year and 15 vacation
days per year after 5 years of service.23 A 2010 survey indicated that the average worker in the US used
approximately 78% of granted vacation24. The average expected vacation use would then be 11.7 days,
approximately equal to the 11 holidays granted on average. Full Time employees working for a full year25
in the Carlsbad Parks & Recreation Department used an average of 13 holidays and 12.5 vacation days
per year between 2009 and 2011. The table below provides additional detail concerning the average
annual leave usage by full time staff in the Parks & Recreation Department.
Leave Type Days Used

Vacation 12.50
Sick 8.16
Holiday 13.06
23
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee Benefits Survey, March 2010
24
CNN Money. $67 Billion in Vacation Days, Out the Window. May 25, 2011. Available at
http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/25/pf/unused_vacation_days/index.htm
25
Employees who were hired midyear or were on payroll less than 12 months for other reasons were excluded.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Leave Type Days Used

Bereavement 1.36
Workers Compensation 3.40
Other Leave (Includes Compensatory and
Executive Leave) 4.64
Total 43.12
The employees of the Parks & Recreation Department use slightly more holiday time and vacation time
than the national averages. Two of the 13 holidays granted to department employees are floating
holidays. Without these, the Department would more closely align with the national average of 11. In
terms of vacation, the higher usage by the Department could be attributed to staff longevity, resulting in
greater access to vacation days.
Across all 50 states, the median number of sick days accrued per year by state employees is 12 days,
and all federal civilian employees receive 13 days per year26. With these public sector entities in mind, the
12.2 days accrued per year by the average Parks & Recreation employee seems reasonable. As for use
of sick days, the average American worker uses 5.6 sick days per year27, but federal government
employees approaching retirement, use on average between 8 and 9 days of sick leave per year.28 In
comparison to these figures, the 8.16 sick days per year used by the average Carlsbad Parks &
Recreation employee seems high. The sick leave granted and used by the Department seems especially
high when compared to the private sector.
The following figure shows the average number of sick leave days provided to full-time private industry
workers in plans with fixed annual paid sick leave days, by years of service, in selected industries. The
data is from the March 2009 National Compensation Survey (NCS)29. The industries groups created by
NCS for this survey which most closely align with parks and recreation activities are the leisure and
hospitality industry and the construction industry. Unlike the BLS supersectors mentioned earlier, there is
no natural resources category in this survey.
26
Congressional Research Service. Sick Leave: Usage Rates and Leave Balances for Employees in Major Federal Retirement
Systems. March 20, 2008.
27
Wolters Kluwer Law & Business. CCH 2007 Unscheduled Absence Survey. October 10, 2007.
28
Congressional Research Service. Sick Leave: Usage Rates and Leave Balances for Employees in Major Federal Retirement
Systems. March 20, 2008.
29
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Paid Sick Leave: Prevalence, Provision, and Usage among Full-Time Workers in Private Industry.
February 29, 2012.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Sick Leave Days Provided Per Year by Industry and Years of Service
Not only does the NCS collect the amount of sick leave provided by industry, but it also collects the
average amount of sick leave used for each job. Workers in industries most closely aligned with parks
and recreation activities, the leisure and hospitality industry and the construction industry, used only about
2 days of sick leave per year. This is a significantly lower number than the 8.16 sick days per year used
by the average City of Carlsbad Parks & Recreation employee.
With this disparity in mind, we recommend that the city investigate absence control programs. Examples
of absence control programs include: buying back unused sick leave, giving bonuses for low
absenteeism, and requiring verification of illness. The most effective of these approaches, according to
national survey results is the creation of paid leave banks.30 The table below provides additional detail on
other options.
Absence Control Program Effectiveness Rating* Percent Use

Paid Leave Banks 3.6 60%
Disciplinary Action 3.4 89%
Buy Back 3.4 53%
Bonus 3.3 51%
30
Wolters Kluwer Law & Business. CCH 2007 Unscheduled Absence Survey. October 10, 2007.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Absence Control Program Effectiveness Rating* Percent Use

Verification of Illness 3.2 74%
Yearly Review 2.9 82%
No Fault 2.9 59%
Personal Recognition 2.6 57%
*(1: Not Very Effective to 5: Very Effective)
The city may wish to further explore the benefits of a conversion from multiple categories of leave to a
single category of Paid Time Off (PTO). For example, the city could reduce absenteeism by transitioning
to a pool of PTO hours, rather than the current segregated types of leave (sick, vacation, personal, etc.).
This would, in turn, increase the amount of time available and increase the efficiency of service delivery.
A study conducted by the World at Work organization found that in 384 different organizations using a
PTO plan, 55% reported that the switch improved absenteeism.31 In a different study, this gain in
efficiency is quantified. The National Center for Policy Analysis reported that employers spent an average
of 14.6 percent of their payroll on absentee costs. This was markedly higher that the 8.7% absentee cost
associated with employers that used a PTO plan.32 That means the ratio of hours worked per hours paid
could be expected to increase by approximately 5.9 percent, providing over two additional hours per week
for each employee.
As an example of potential annual savings, the following calculation shows what 5.9 percent gains in
efficiency in an organization with 71 full time employees, compensated at an average of $25 per hour
could mean.
5.9% X 40 hrs/wk X 52 wks/yr X $25/hr X 71 employees = $217,828/year
Opportunity
We recommend that the City consider a conversion from multiple categories of

leave to a single category of Paid Time Off (PTO).
Availability by Business Line
As mentioned in the previous section, the amount of leave used relates directly to employee availability.
From FY09 through FY11, the availability ratio (hours worked over hours paid) for full time employees of
the Parks & Recreation Department was 85.5%. Availability ratios can be impacted by the bargaining unit
31
World at Work, Paid Time Off Programs and Practices, (2010). Available at http://www.worldatwork.org/waw/adimLink?id=38913
32
National Center for Policy Analysis, Employee Time-Off Costs Plenty, (2002), available at
http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=6528
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
status and the seniority of full time staff, which both dictate the amount of available leave. The figure
below shows the availability ratios for each business line when looking only at full time employees.
Availability of Full Time Employees Only
90%
88%
86%
84%
82%
80%
2009
78%
2010
76% 2011
Hardscape/SpecialtyMaintenance
TreeMaintenance/Management
CustodialServices
LandscapeMaintenance
AquaticServices
HistoricParkServices
SeniorServices
Trails/OpenSpace/Perserve
RecreationServices
RentalServices
Management
The Parks & Recreation Department uses a significant amount of part time employees. Since part time
employees are not granted paid leave benefits, such as vacation or sick leave, they are, essentially,
100 percent available. When part time employee hours and full time employee hours are considered
together, the Departments availability ratio increases from 85.5% to 91.7%. With that in mind, business
lines which more heavily utilize part time staff may have a higher overall availability percentage. This
relationship will be seen later in the analysis.
The following figure shows the availability ratios by lines of business when all employee hours, full time
and part time, are included in the calculation. This is the methodology used by the BLS in their ratios.
With this approach, the variability between years is less dramatic, indicating that the effort required to
perform the functions of each business line is relatively consistent from year to year. Also, a pattern
appears to emerge with the traditional parks activities having lower availability than traditional
recreation activities.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Availability of All Employees (Part and Full Time Together)

100.0%
95.0%
90.0%
85.0%
80.0% 2009
2010
75.0%
2011
LandscapeMaintenance
Hardscape/SpecialtyMaintenance
RecreationServices
TreeMaintenance/Management
AquaticServices
HistoricParkServices
SeniorServices
RentalServices
CustodialServices
Trials/OpenSpace/Perserve
Management
As mentioned previously, business lines which more heavily utilize part time staff may have a higher
overall availability percentage. When comparing these availability ratios to the National Standards from
the BLS, the business lines with higher utilization of part time staff fair better than the NAICS sectors and
the business lines with lower utilization of part time staff fair worse against these benchmarks in terms of
availability. The following table ranks the business lines in order from most available to least available and
includes the NAICS sectors. The 2011 BLS ratios have not yet been published, so an average of the 2009
and 2010 results were used to ensure a meaningful comparison.
FY10
Business Line / Sector
Average
Aquatic Services 96.20%
Recreation Services 96.00%
Historic Park Services 94.90%
NAICS: NATURAL RESOURCES 94.10%
NAICS: LEISURE AND HOSPITALITY 93.60%
Senior Services 93.60%
Rental Services 93.10%
NAICS: ALL SECTORS 92.60%
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
FY10
Business Line / Sector
Average
Custodial Services 90.90%
Landscape Maintenance 89.30%
Hardscape / Specialty Maintenance 87.00%
Tree Maintenance/ Management 85.60%
Trials/Open Space/ Preserve Management 84.10%
Across the Department, the total number of part time hours worked and the total number of full time hours
worked are roughly equal. However, when looking at individual business lines, the use of part time staff
varies considerably. The traditional parks activities use fewer part time staff than the traditional recreation
activities. The following table provides the percent of hours worked by part time staff compared to total
hours worked in each business line.
Percentage
Business Line
Part Time
Recreation Services 72.2%
Aquatic Services 68.2%
Senior Services 64.1%
Historic Park Services 57.6%
Rental Services 50.0%
Custodial Services 29.7%
Landscape Maintenance 25.0%
Hardscape / Specialty Maintenance 13.8%
Tree Maintenance/ Management 8.7%
Trials/Open Space/ Preserve Management 3.3%
The relationship between the use of part time staff used and the availability ratio is very clear when the
business lines are ranked by each of these measures: the larger the share of part time staff used, the
higher the availability ratio. This correlation is almost one to one.
In the same way that part time staff have high availability ratios, so do contracted staff. For most intents
and purposes, every hour paid is an hour worked. If the city were to contract for services, the contracted
hours would have a similar impact on availability ratios as the hours worked by part time staff. Specific
options involving contracted services are discussed under the lines of business, but in general
productivity (measured by availability ratios) could be enhanced through any of the following:
Reducing the number of full time staff and increasing part time staff hours
Reducing the number of full time staff and increasing contracted hours
Reducing the number of full time staff and making no other changes
Keeping staffing constant, but converting to a system of Paid Time Off for full time staff
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Conclusion
As shown in the Staffing by Line of Business section, the Department uses roughly equal amounts of part
time staff hours and full time staff hours to deliver services. While that section referenced the reduced
benefits costs of part time staff as compared to full time, this section raises the increased availability
potential in part time staff over full time. With that in mind, the various lines of business should consider in
what ways they might be able to increase their percentage of part time staff. In considering alternative
service delivery options (such as contracting for services) a key consideration is the level of availability - a
key measure in productivity and the amount of paid per hour worked. Toward that end, we recommend
tracking availability on a monthly basis. This will allow you to observe seasonal differences.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
LineofBusinessAnalysis
In the upcoming sections, we look at the current state of each line of business individually. We group the
lines of business into two major groups: Parks Maintenance and Recreation Services. We provide detail
regarding the following topics:
Description of Activities
Cost of Service33
Service Statistics
Benchmarks and Industry Standards
Current Outsourced Activities
We then present possible future state alternatives for each line of business. Within each alternative, we
highlight the following information:
Area of Opportunity
Description of the Alternative
Estimated Savings/Reallocation/Revenue
The city may wish to consider moving forward with any number of the alternatives described. In most
cases, they are not mutually exclusive. Some alternatives may be feasible to select and implement in the
short term, while others may require a phased approach.
The key questions to be answered by this section include:
What level of resources is currently committed to this function?

What service level expectations have been set?
How do we compare to our peers relative to overall cost and approach to the delivery of these
areas?
What are the industry trends in this area? What best practices exist?
What can we do to lower the cost to the residents of the city, while preserving current service
levels and standards of quality?
After assessing the current state of activities, we present alternatives for the future. These are
categorized as Operational Efficiency (OE), Managed Competition (MC) or Direct Outsourcing (DO). We
also identify an Opportunity Amount which may be a savings amount, a reallocation amount or a
revenue opportunity. The specifics regarding each are included in each line of business section. Note that
ranges are provided for some opportunities, as there is a variance on the range of
savings/reallocation/revenue. The following chart provides an overview of all the opportunities
recommended in the Future State sections of the chapters ahead.
33
All cost of service data is calculated utilizing actual expenditure data provided by the citys financial staff and validated by
departmental budget analysts.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA

Opportunity Amount
Otherwise Noted)
Parks Maintenance General
Direct Outsource all parks maintenance activities $ 1,700,000 to
Outsourcing $ 3,866,000
Operational Reduce duplication of Hansen work order $ 20,000
Efficiency data entry through the use of mobile Page 66
computing platforms
Operational Eliminate duplication of tree inventory data $ 7,000
Efficiency between Hansen and contractors system
Custodial Services
Operational Move maintenance of exterior block houses No tangible cost
Efficiency and restrooms to Property & Environmental savings to Parks & Page 75
Management Department Recreation
Hardscape/Specialty Maintenance
Operational Consolidate contracts for one time activities $ 13,900
Efficiency into citywide master contracts
Operational Fully utilize vendors for specialized services No tangible cost
Efficiency
Page 84
Managed Perform managed competition for $ 216,000
Competition hardscape activities
Operational Utilize alternative materials for Carrillo TBD
Efficiency Ranch parking lot
Operational Expand the use of synthetic turf to enhance $ 71,300
Efficiency users experience and achieve potential
cost savings
Operational Implement cost containment on fuel Deferred to
Efficiency Property &
Environmental Page 98
Management
Direct Outsource landscaping activities $ 925,700
Outsourcing
Direct Outsource pest control activities that are $ 14,400 to $17,900
Outsourcing currently conducted in-house
Trails/Open Space/ Preserve Maintenance
Operational Expand use of Volunteer Trail Program to $ 6,700
Efficiency meet trail development goals, enhance
existing trails or reduce costs Page 112
Managed Conduct managed competition for trail $ 111,300
Competition maintenance activities
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CityofCarlsbad,CA

Opportunity Amount
Otherwise Noted)
Tree Maintenance
Direct Outsource tree maintenance activities $ 690,000 Page 122

Outsourcing

Opportunity Amount
Otherwise Noted)
Aquatic Services
Operational Increase fee levels $ 34,500
Efficiency
Operational Focus pool use on high revenue generation $ 30,500
Efficiency activities
Operational Centralize registration and marketing Not available
Efficiency
Operational Expand the use of consortium or master Not available
Efficiency contract based purchasing for pool supplies
Direct Outsource routine pool maintenance $ 41,200 Page 135
Outsourcing
Direct Increase part time and/or contractual staff $ 0-107,000
Outsourcing
Direct Outsource custodial for pool and aquatics Include as part of
Outsourcing park bathrooms Property &
Environmental
Management
review
Historical Parks Services
Operational Enhance coordination with Friends of No tangible savings
Efficiency Carrillo Ranch
Operational Coordinate grant writing among city No tangible savings Page 144
Efficiency departments
Direct Outsource educational programming, visitor $ 21,900 - $60,100
Outsourcing services and tours
Recreation Services
Operational Promote online registrations
$43,800 - $112,400
Efficiency
first year to Page 153
$46,800 - $140,400
annually
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CityofCarlsbad,CA

Opportunity Amount
Otherwise Noted)
Operational Reduce percent of fee revenue provided to $ 25,000
Efficiency instructors from 65% to 60%
Direct Outsource traditional summer and spring $ 10,500 - $21,500
Outsourcing camp programs
Direct Outsource coordination of classes and TBD
Outsourcing sports programming
Rental Services
Operational Centralization of staff $ 93,900
Efficiency
Operational Adjust rental rates $ 125,000
Efficiency Page 163
Direct Rental support services TBD
Outsourcing
Senior Services
Operational Administrative support reduction $ 25,900
Efficiency
Direct Outsource transportation services $ 12,500 per year Page 170
Outsourcing $ 30,000 one-time
Direct Outsource congregate meal support $ 21,000
Outsourcing
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
ParksMaintenanceOverview
For the purposes of this report and to facilitate an effective comparison with national data, we are defining
parks maintenance as a composition of activities that fall within the Landscaping, Trees, Hardscape,
Trails/Open Space/Preserve, and Custodial lines of business. In addition, this grouping permits a
comparison of a bundled set of services that a vendor may provide. In this section, we discuss parks
maintenance costs in general and make observations and recommendations that cross Landscaping,
Trees, Hardscape, Trails/Open Space/Preserve, and Custodial lines of business.
CostofService
As defined, the cost of service for the parks maintenance includes the collective costs for the
Landscaping, Trees, Hardscape, Trails/Open Space/Preserve, and Custodial lines of business. An overall
view of the parks maintenance expenditures reveals relatively stable costs from FY09 to FY11. The
increase of approximately $900,000 in direct costs can be partially attributed to large increases with the
Trails/Open Space/Preserve line of business. Here a shift in staff and maintenance and operations costs
contributed to the overall increase. Other specific shifts in cost are described in more detail in each
separate line of business discussion. Overall, indirect costs remained relatively constant from FY09 to
FY11 indicating limited changes in overhead cost and allocations to parks maintenance activities. The
primary source of revenue for the parks maintenance activities is from the tree and median maintenance
assessment district. The revenues are dedicated specifically to certain street tree areas and medians.
Revenues have remained relatively consistent from FY09 to FY11 due to limited increases in the
assessment.
Direct Costs FY09 Actuals FY10 Actuals FY11 Actuals
Personnel $3,662,025 $3,832,972 $4,054,016

Maintenance and Operations (Direct
Costs) $2,211,976 $2,276,629 $2,794,940
Capital Outlay $186,036 $34,384 $65,120
Subtotal Direct Costs $6,060,037 $6,143,985 $6,914,076
Indirect Costs FY09 Actuals FY10 Actuals FY11 Actuals
Organization wide centralized services34 $868,924 $868,924 $868,924

IT Overhead $125,190 $154,200 $120,342
Fleet Overhead $555,292 $562,027 $541,982
Other Overhead $185,078 $228,755 $230,283
Subtotal Indirect Costs $1,784,825 $1,864,248 $1,811,873
Total Direct & Indirect Costs $7,794,521 $7,957,891 $8,675,608
Value of Volunteer Services FY09 Actuals FY10 Actuals FY11 Actuals
Volunteer Services $37,225 $45,648 $52,227
34
Organization wide centralized services includes those overhead costs from the citys Cost Allocation Plan. Other Overhead
includes departmental-specific overhead attributed to this line of business.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Revenue FY09 Actuals FY10 Actuals FY11 Actuals
Revenue (all sources) $846,859 $915,772 $843,029
Between FY09 and FY11, the total number of parks maintenance related full time staff realized a net
decrease of approximately 0.61 FTE. This was due to terminations and other personnel departures
combined with the transfer of staff from other departments to Parks & Recreation. In total, part time staff
increased between FY09 and FY11. Additional discussion of shift in personnel will be discussed in each
line of business section of the report.
2009 2010 2011

Total Paid Effort 45.33 44.64 44.72
Full Time 35.12 35.13 34.30
Part Time 10.21 9.52 10.41
Volunteer Effort 0.79 0.98 1.12
By including all direct costs for parks maintenance activities, we created a comparison of parks
maintenance services cost by landscaped acreage. It is important to note in this comparison that the
volume and scope of the parks maintenance activities may vary greatly between municipalities. For
example, Comparable A did not include median acreage or costs in its survey response. However, this
comparison can provide a relative perspective on how much municipalities are spending for the total
acreage maintained. More detailed cost comparisons for each line of business will be made in
subsequent sections.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
City of NRPA
35 Comp. A36 Comp. B Comp. C Comp. E Comp. F
Carlsbad National
Total Direct
Parks Not
$ 6,914,076 $ 1,744,971 $ 3,173,533 $ 5,699,685 $ 6,145,938 $ 5,622,582
Maintenance available
Costs
Total
Landscaped Not
Acreage 475 335 228 561 241 424
available
(Includes parks
and medians)
Parks
Maintenance
$ 14,556 $ 13,452 $ 5,209 $ 13,919 $ 10,160 $ 25,544 $ 13,261
Cost Per
Landscaped Acre
Regional municipalities and the city all have relatively comparable costs per acre for all parks
maintenance services. With the exception of two outliers (Comparable A and E), all comparable
municipalities and the NRPA national mean range between approximately $10,000 and $15,000 per
landscaping acre. The city is approximately $1,000 above the NRPA national upper quartile average of
$13,452 per landscaping acre. We believe the use of the upper quartile estimate is the best comparison
due to the citys high per capita income level and status as a tourism center.
Comparable As costs are likely to be lower due to the lack of several key costs in the calculation including
medians, custodial, and hardscape. Unfortunately, insufficient information is available from Comparable E
to determine why costs are high relative to other municipalities. This can most likely be explained in that
the scope of parks maintenance activities for Comparable E is broader than other comparable
municipalities. For example, the scope of custodial duties for the Parks & Recreation Department may
expand to other facility types than just restrooms. Other specific costing data for Comparable E including
landscaping and trail costs appear to be reasonable and will be discussed in subsequent sections of the
report.
In comparison to other municipalities, the city appears to be doing well in providing parks maintenance
services at a realistic price. As discussed, the slightly higher than above average costs are likely due to
the higher service levels needed as a tourism area and a deliberate choice of the city to excel in parks
maintenance service provision. Also, the citys decision to maintain high profile and larger parks through
in-house services, rather than contracting, may also contribute to the higher costs as staff spend extra
time in these areas to maintain a higher level of service than other landscaped areas. Comparable F
reported using a similar strategy of outsourcing smaller parks. Its costs per landscaped acre of $13,261 is
comparable to the city.

35
National Recreation and Parks Association PRORAGIS study. Data represents upper quartile of respondents. Median was $4,837
and lower quartile $2,454.
36
Does not include median acreage. Comparable municipality A did not include median acreage or costs for median landscaping,
hardscape, or custodial in its submission.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
ParksMaintenance:FutureStateAlternatives
Opportunity Amount
Area & Focus Option (Annual Unless
Otherwise Noted)
DO Outsource all parks maintenance activities $ 1,700,000
to
$ 3,866,000
OE Reduce duplication of Hansen work order
data entry through the use of mobile
computing platforms $ 20,000
OE Eliminate duplication of tree inventory data
between Hansen and contractors system $ 7,000
In this section, we explore operational improvements, outsourcing, and managed competition

opportunities that cross parks maintenance lines of business. In subsequent sections, individual
recommendations are made for each parks maintenance line of business.
Parks Maintenance Full Outsourcing Model
A potential method of cost savings for the city is to completely outsource all parks maintenance activities
including custodial, hardscape, landscape, trails, and tree maintenance services. We do not recommend
including preserve management in this potential bundle of services, because of the cost effectiveness of
the current preserve management structure. The strategy of outsourcing all parks maintenance services
is occurring within San Diego County. Comparable A indicated that all parks maintenance activities were
currently contracted.
Assuming strong contract management, cost savings may be achieved by bundling services with a
single vendor. The vendor would provide some level of discount for the large volume of services being
provided. An additional benefit for the city with this strategy is having fewer vendor contracts to manage,
as most services would be provided by a single vendor. At the same time, there is some risk involved. If
the one vendor does not meet performance expectations, the effect may be realized in all parks
maintenance services and not isolated to a single line of business.
In order to identify the potential cost for a complete and bundled outsourcing of parks maintenance
activities, we contacted ten national vendors to provide a cost estimate based on the citys FY 2011 scope
and levels of service. We provided vendors a worksheet (Appendix 1 Work Breakdown Structure) that
contained a volume of work and service levels based on the citys service level in FY11. Only one vendor
agreed to participate and provided a cost estimate for custodial, hardscape, landscape, trails, and tree
maintenance services. This is a well established national vendor with over 60 years of experience that
provides parks maintenance activities for municipalities across the county, and over nine municipalities in
the Southern California region alone.
The vendor cost estimate is based off of the citys service levels in FY11. However, the city should see
this calculation as potential for savings, and not an expectation for actual savings. First, the vendor
explicitly stated that visual inspections of the work areas would be required to provide a more accurate
estimate. Second, additional vendor estimates would strengthen the estimated cost. Finally, a formal
Request for Information (RFI) or Request for Proposals (RFP) process is required to fully vet the potential
cost savings.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
The potential for cost savings exists in all parks maintenance functions based on other data discussed in
the parks maintenance section of this report. Primarily, there is a significant difference between personnel
costs (i.e., salary and benefits rate paid) between the city and private parks maintenance providers in
Carlsbads region. While we provided a complete work breakdown structure describing volume of parks,
specifics relative to park acreage and amenities, and required frequency of work tasks to be comparable
to the current city levels, it is not possible to expect this cost savings to be considered final until a full RFI
or RFP process is completed. The vendor estimated that routine parks maintenance services would cost
approximately $2.8 million, which includes personnel, equipment, and supply costs (excluding preserve
management).
Direct Costs
Vendor Fees $ 2,800,000
Equipment & Supplies Included
Subtotal Direct Costs37 $ 2,800,000
Indirect Costs
Ongoing contract management tasks
(city staff time and resources) $ 848,000
Other Overhead Tasks38 $ 364,643
Qualitative/Soft Costs Included
Subtotal Indirect Costs $ 1,212,643
Total Direct & Indirect Costs
Vendor Option $ 4,012,643
We estimate that a total of nine city staff members would be required to provide oversight for the
comprehensive parks maintenance contract, at an approximate cost of $848,088.39 In total, the overall
cost of outsourcing all parks maintenance activities based on the vendor estimate and required staff
oversight would be approximately $3.6 million.
Cost Comparison
Current Internal Cost $ 7,879,000
Fully Outsourced Option $ 4,012,643
Potential Savings $ 3,866,357
In FY11, the city spent approximately $7.9 million on routine parks maintenance activities, excluding
preserve management and onetime costs for hardscape projects.40 Compared to the citys cost, the
completely outsourced parks maintenance model is approximately $3.9 million less. Based on available
data, we believe that this is an upper boundary for potential savings the city could experience if it were
able to achieve a highly competitive price quote from a vendor.
To ensure the city does not overestimate potential savings, we also offer a lower estimate. In looking at
the minimum cost savings that may be achieved through managed competition or direct outsourcing in
parks maintenance activities, we estimate that the city could achieve approximately $1.7 million in
37
Estimate is an average of the vendors high and low estimate for comprehensive parks maintenance services.
38
Calculated by developing a per employee overhead rate: FY11 Overhead ($1,811,873) divided by FY11 Effort (44.72) = $40,516.
Multiplied by 9 overhead employees.
39
Cost for contract management based on nine FTEs at an average loaded personnel cost of $94,232.
40
Total parks maintenance estimate excludes preserve management costs of $733,871 and $62,771 in estimated one-time
hardscape projects. City estimate includes indirect costs.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
savings.41 This is calculated by using the lowest estimate of ERI salary data presented in each of the
lines of business. The following chart provides a summary of this data:
No managed competition or
Custodial
outsourcing
Hardscape $ 215,985
Landscape $ 925,732
Trails $ 111,337
Trees $ 466,797
Total $ 1,719,851
OperationalEfficiencies
More Consistent Use of Hansen
Currently, the Department uses the Hansen Work Order System with the trees, landscaping, hardscape,
and trails lines of business. The system has the potential to serve multiple purposes including issuing
work orders from a centralized management structure, recording completed work, and serving as a data
archive for workload of specific activities.
In addition, Hansen is being used to track the citys tree inventory. Each tree has a unique city asset
identification number that is tracked in the system. Once work is completed on a tree by city staff or
contractors, city staff enter information into Hansen that updates the trees size, health, and diameter at
breast height (DBH). For work orders issued in Hansen for contractor services, the citys staff take these
orders to the contractors for the work to be completed.
The use of a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is becoming a very popular tool to
manage asset inventories, schedule work orders, and track activity costs. According an NRPA study, only
25% of respondents nationally reported using a CMMS system for the parks operations. However, the
NRPA indicated that 75% of California municipalities that responded to the survey use a CMMS in their
Parks & Recreation operations. Several comparable municipalities surveyed also reported using a CMMS
system.
City of NRPA NRPA Comp. Comp. Comp. Comp. Comp. Comp.

Carlsbad CA National A B C D E F
Does the
department use a
75% 25% Yes-
Computer-aided Yes- Yes- Not
report report No Quest No No
Maintenance Hansen Comcate answered
yes yes System
Management
System (CMMS)?
The city has clearly invested in a powerful tool that not all municipalities have elected to purchase. The
city should seek to use this investment to its fullest potential.
41
Lower estimate of potential savings is calculated by adding the estimated savings using differences in Carlsbad and private sector
total compensation for the landscaping, hardscape, and trails/open space/preserve, and trees lines of business. Each potential
savings opportunity is discussed in the individual line of business discussions.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
One significant area of improvement for the use of Hansen is the consistent and complete entry of work
orders in the system, and documenting work statistics once the work is completed. Several key statistics
can be used by the city including quantity of work performed and hours of worked performed. These
statistics have the potential to be tracked at relatively detailed levels. Based on observations of Hansen,
the system has a variety of activity codes that can track specific activities as opposed to routine
maintenance. The city can use these valuable service statistics to monitor changes in work levels,
identify opportunities for improvement, and support justification for budget requests through a
demonstration of resource needs. Unfortunately, the city does not appear to be using this functionality in
Hansen consistently, or is using other means to track activity quantity and hours for parks maintenance
activities outside the system. This gap in accurate and complete performance data leaves the city in a
vulnerable position in justifying or demonstrating the work completed. These types of statistics are also
essential to perform activity-based costing.
Redundant Data Entry in Hansen
To be sure, documenting accurate workload statistics takes time and resources to complete. Based on
the staff interviews, parks maintenance staff spent a considerable amount of time entering Hansen data
prior to the use of the Senior Office Specialist for data entry efforts. With this shift, parks maintenance
staff are able to spend more time on performing services in the field rather than data entry. However, the
current system of data entry is a duplication of effort. In many circumstances, staff are entering data on
paper forms, which is then being entered into Hansen by the Senior Office Specialist.
Parks maintenance staff reported using three ruggedized laptops to perform mobile activities for Hansen.
If additional mobile computing devices could be purchased for more staff, staff would have an opportunity
to directly enter work data in an electronic format, rather than enter data on a paper form. Many mobile
computing platforms can make data entry easier than paper forms. Dropdown menus, or pre-selected
options for certain work activities, permit users to quickly enter work data with a few key strokes.
In addition to the ease of use with mobile computing technology, there is a potential for cost savings
through the reduction in duplicative data entry. The city estimates that approximately 48% of the Senior
Office Specialists time is spent on Hansen data entry, or approximately 1,000 hours per year. Of this
time, 75% is spent on paper based work order sheets, or 750 hours per year. If parks maintenance staff
could enter time directly in an electronic format, the data entry by the Senior Office Specialist could be
eliminated or significantly reduced.
Time Allocation of the Senior Office Specialist
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Estimated reallocation: Including all personnel costs, time spent on paper work order entry is valued at
approximately $20,000 per year. We estimate that an initial technology investment could be as low as
$4,80042 to conduct direct entry of Hansen data in the field. The time spent on data entry would be
reallocated to other pressing tasks.
Redundant Data Entry: Tree Management
Another consideration that the city must make is how to capture service statistics if services are
outsourced to a greater extent. This is especially true for the Trees line of business as the city maintains a
master tree inventory in Hansen. Technically, this is a duplication of effort as contractors also maintain
tree inventories in their systems for trees they maintain. The city should examine its tree inventory
process and identify ways to eliminate the dual maintenance of data. The city may be able to accomplish
this by either requiring the tree vendor to make their inventory information available as part of the
contractual agreement, or require the vendor to update inventory information directly into the citys
system. If the second option is selected, the city would have to provide access to the Hansen system and
arrange necessary security controls.
Estimated reallocation: By reducing the duplicative tree inventory data, time spent by the Senior Office
Specialist on this activity could be reallocated to other work items. The value of this activity is estimated to
be approximately $7,000 per year.
42
Estimate assumes that eight area lead workers would be provided with an iPad at a cost of $600 per device. Estimate does not
include other potential software or technology upgrades.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
CustodialServices:CurrentStateAnalysis
The Custodial Services line of business is the smallest component of all the areas we examined in this
analysis. The efforts in this area are focused on:
Carrillo Ranch site maintenance

Supplemental cleaning and monitoring of exterior restrooms and block houses
Recycling and trash collection from cans around the city and in the business district
Dog station maintenance and waste removal
While this line of business has a small footprint, many of the activities we discuss here are highly visible
to the community and thus, extremely important to the overall mission of the Department. The main
difficulty with some of the activities in this line of business is that they overlap with activities performed by
other city Departments, and constitute a dilution of effort and, potentially, the overall efficiency of the city
in delivering these services.
DescriptionofActivities
The greatest effort in this line of business is directed to recycling and trash collection. Staff who collect
trash also conduct parks maintenance activities; they do not exclusively perform trash/recycling collection.
In this area, trash is collected from parks, facilities, beach areas, trails, and the downtown district. There
are 271 total cans throughout the city. There are recycling cans, concrete cans, and big belly containers.
Big belly containers reduce collection frequency by 80%, freeing up resources and reducing costs. Some
areas require trash collection more than once per day; i.e., high traffic and tourism districts. Approximately
85% of the FTE effort in custodial services goes towards trash collection
Maintenance at Carrillo Ranch is conducted primarily by the resident caretakers. The resident caretakers
spend approximately 25 30 hours per week performing grounds maintenance, building/facility
maintenance, and security oversight. In the past, the caretakers had been provided a $5,000/year stipend
in addition to the rental value of the two bedroom / two bath, 1,750 square foot home (utilities included).
The appraised value of lodging is reported at $22,800 annually. In 2012, upon rebidding these services,
the city removed the stipend and allowed only the lodging in return for services rendered. During the three
weeks per year that the resident caretakers are allowed to take a vacation, parks maintenance staff will
conduct maintenance at Carrillo Ranch.
Custodial staff also supplement the cleaning and monitoring of exterior restrooms and block houses in
Parks & Recreation facilities. Currently, Monday through Friday, the restrooms for these facilities are
maintained by a vendor who is contracted through PEM. Because these facilities are open seven days
per week, custodial staff will check the facilities for cleanliness and conduct cleaning activities as needed
during the times when the contract staff is not working; i.e., Saturday and Sunday. This includes
refreshing supplies and dealing with vandalism.
Lastly, the custodial staff will maintain the dog stations and waste removal. Dogs are not allowed at the
parks, except for the single dog park that exists in the city; dogs are allowed on trails. At the trails, dog
stations exist at trail heads in order to provide users with a place to get bags for waste removal and a
container to dispose of it.
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CostofService
The following shows the historical costs for Custodial Services:
Personnel $ 471,491 $ 485,462 $ 483,321

Maintenance and Operations (Direct Costs) $ 108,487 $ 112,568 $ 123,811
Capital Outlay $ 0 $ 0 $ 0
Subtotal Direct Costs $ 579,978 $ 598,031 $ 607,132
Organization wide centralized services $ 78,578 $ 78,578 $ 78,578

IT Overhead $ 9,504 $ 13,283 $ 9,799
Fleet Overhead $ 65,436 $ 69,115 $ 65,049
Other Overhead $ 10,267 $ 14,895 $ 17,317
Subtotal Indirect Costs $ 163,785 $ 175,871 $ 170,743
Total Direct & Indirect Costs $ 743,763 $ 773,902 $ 777,785
Volunteer Services $ 0 $ 0 $ 0
Revenue (all sources) $ 1,819 $ 1,777 $ 1,796
Costs in the custodial services line of business have remained fairly stable over the last few years.
Increases in personnel services are related to the salary increases in accordance with the citys salary
schedule, and not an increase in staffing.
In fact, as evidenced by the chart below, effort related to custodial services has decreased.
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2009 2010 2011

Full Time 4.79 4.75 4.25
Part Time 2.41 2.16 2.46
The largest increase in costs for custodial services is seen in M&O. The increase in this area is due to the
vandalism that the city experiences in the block houses and restrooms; often the city will need to replace
urinals and partitions due to vandals. To minimize the costs for custodial, the city has made their facilities
as low maintenance as possible; mirrors are stainless steel, toilet paper dispensers are extra large, and
hand dryers are utilized in the facilities.
ServiceStatistics
Unfortunately, as discussed in many of the different sections in this report, the city does not collect many
service statistics, particularly in the custodial services area. However, the table below provides some
information on the frequency of work in this area.
Type of Work Frequency Service Level

Collect trash from parks, facilities, Collect trash daily; twice per day as 12,012 hours annually; 231
beaches, trails, and downtown needed in high traffic/tourism district hours/week; 32.9 hours/day
district (80 cans). There are 271 total
cans throughout the city
Ensure cleanliness of garbage cans Clean quarterly No service levels defined.
and recycling receptacles by
pressure washing all cans
Refill dog bags and remove waste 60 - 65 stations citywide: 20 lbs. of dog waste removed on a
from stations Pick up twice per week from trails weekly basis - Lake Calavera only.
Pick up from dog park daily
Pick up from downtown daily
Pick up from beaches daily
Cleaning picnic tables and trash On request No service levels defined.
removal as needed for events
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Trash collection is distributed among all of the crews; that is, trash collection is not the sole focus of a
particular employee. It is integrated with other park maintenance activities. The maintenance of the dog
stations is varied in tracked information as well as who completes the work. As part of its contract for
maintaining the preserves, the Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM) will remove the dog waste
from Lake Calavera and recently began collecting statistics on this. The city does not track service levels
for the remaining dog stations.
Lastly, staff do not collect statistics on the amount of work that they complete related to the cleaning of
picnic tables and trash removal at the end of an event. While deposits are collected in order to reserve
park facilities, the city does not typically require deposits for all facilities due to the discrepancy in costs.
For example, the rental of a facility may be $36 and the allowable deposit $200; in practice, staff have not
been collecting a deposit on a low-cost rental. Discussion of this as a future state alternative is in the
Rental Services section.
Benchmarks&IndustryStandards
As this line of business is very limited in its coverage and functionality, there are no industry standards
that exist relative to this line of business.
The utilization of a resident caretaker to maintain the grounds at Carrillo Ranch is a best practice that
others should consider implementing. The city receives 25 30 hours of work for the provision of $22,800
in property rental and utilities. Using the low end (25 hours) of the work estimate, this would equate to
$17.53/hour. Using FY11 personnel and hours worked figures; the average fully loaded hourly rate for
custodial staff is $35.14. Hence, the city is saving $17.61/hour. On a 25 hour work week, that is a savings
of $22,893 per year. Interestingly, this is just $93 more than the in-kind property and utilities that the city
provides to the resident caretaker.
CurrentOutsourcingActivities
Given the limited nature of this line of business, the current outsourcing opportunities in this area are
small. The following chart represents the contracts from FY11:
FY11
Company Description
Expenditures
Mark & Diana Stein Carrillo Park Overseer $ 2,618

T&T Janitorial, Inc. Custodial maintenance agreement $ 15,227
Note that the expenditures for the resident caretaker agreement are for the $5,000 stipend that was under
the previous agreement which expired earlier this year. In the future, no cash will be paid to the resident
caretaker. The Janitorial agreement is managed through PEM. Any issues with the vendors performance
are reported to PEM for their action. Parks & Recreation staff do not deal directly with the vendor.
In the comparable survey, the municipalities were asked about the services that they outsource. Across
the board, maintenance of restroom facilities is outsourced by the three responding comparables.
Comparable A Comparable B Comparable F
Restrooms
Which custodial Litter
Outdoor bathroom All janitorial services for all
activities are Site furniture cleaning
maintenance buildings
contracted? Playground / volleyball sand
raking
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CustodialServices:FutureStateAlternatives
Opportunity
Amount (Annual
Area & Focus Option
Unless Otherwise
Noted)
OE Move maintenance of exterior block houses and restrooms to No tangible cost
PEM savings
Move Maintenance of Exterior Block Houses and Restrooms to PEM
Currently, PEM manages all facilities throughout the city, except for the block houses and restrooms at
Parks & Recreation. Further, they are in charge of the contract with the vendor (T & T) who conducts
janitorial services Monday through Friday. However, these facilities are open and maintained seven days
a week. On Saturdays and Sundays, Parks & Recreation staff supplement vendor activities. Further,
issues with vendor performance must be dealt with through PEM. The structure of this arrangement is not
efficient and has been an issue that the city has been trying to resolve for some time now. Restrooms for
all other city facilities are managed by PEM.
As this is a low cost activity which already has a vendor with the city, we would recommend moving the
care for these facilities to PEM. This would enhance operational efficiency of the activity. Further, we
would recommend extending the contractual service time to seven days a week. This would be an
increase to the cost of the contract that is operated by PEM and would not have an impact on the budget
for Parks & Recreation.
ManagedCompetitionCandidates
No managed competition opportunities have been identified for custodial services.
DirectOutsourcing
As previously discussed, the largest activity in this line of business is trash collection. As these activities
are a portion of a greater line of work, parks maintenance, we feel that the opportunity with the greatest
value to the city is rolling the trash/recycling collection services into a larger packet of outsourced parks
maintenance activities. This opportunity was discussed in the general Parks Maintenance section of the
report.

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Hardscape/SpecialtyMaintenance:CurrentStateAnalysis
The Hardscape line of business encompasses an incredibly diverse range of activities that span all parks
areas in the city including parks, trails, preserves, sports courts, and other areas under the Departments
oversight. Hardscape activities are carried out through a combination of dedicated staff (1 full time and
2 part time), and staff in other functional areas conducting Hardscape-related activities as part of their
routine work. Specifically, these activities include, but are not limited to:
Inspection and maintenance of tot lots and playground equipment

Maintenance of sports courts and fixtures such as tennis court surfaces, nets, windscreens,
basketball courts, and hoops
Some concrete repairs such as crack repair and grinding
Installation and repair of light fixtures, many replacements for fixtures on the Coastal Rail Trail
Some electrical repairs
Minor repairs to stand alone block houses in parks
Fence repair and replacement
Maintenance of park wooden bridges
Repair of water fountains and other water fixtures
Maintenance of retaining walls
In general, work completed by in-house staff is supplemented by contractors when in-house staff do not
have the necessary equipment or availability. Typically, these projects can be classified as larger
improvement projects such as significant concrete repairs, structural replacements to block houses or
major capital improvements. Staff report that approximately 80% of all concrete work is contracted. Not all
capital projects are coordinated through the Parks & Recreation Department. Some larger capital
improvements are coordinated through PEM. When possible and practical, citys staff may rent
equipment, such as cement mixers, to supplement in-house equipment rather than purchase capital
equipment that is infrequently used. Much of the hardscape work is also reactive. Planned repairs are
balanced with issues that arise on a daily basis.
City staff have placed a significant focus on safety and prioritize hardscape repairs accordingly. This is
especially true for playground equipment and tot lots where inspections are completed weekly and repairs
made as soon as issues are detected.
CostofService
Overall, costs for the Hardscape line of business have fluctuated significantly since FY09. This is primarily
due to the nature of the line of business; many of the expenses are one-time costs that are unpredictable
and dealt with on a reactive basis. This is consistent with the general trend in each of the cost categories.
The table below provides an overview of the last three full fiscal years of expenditure data. While
personnel costs and overhead have remained relatively consistent or decreased, M&O and capital costs
have fluctuated significantly.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Personnel $ 458,116 $ 461,191 $ 476,268

Maintenance and Operations
(Direct Costs) $ 510,181 $ 523,095 $ 548,272
Capital Outlay $ 169,457 $ 32,405 $ 62,771
Subtotal Direct Costs $ 1,137,755 $ 1,016,691 $ 1,087,311
Organization wide centralized

services $ 212,290 $ 212,290 $ 212,290
IT Overhead $ 17,280 $ 24,151 $ 17,816
Fleet Overhead $ 104,628 $ 92,153 $ 86,732
Other Overhead $ 29,786 $ 42,110 $ 48,033
Total Direct & Indirect Costs $ 1,501,739 $ 1,387,395 $ 1,452,184
Between FY10 and FY11, M&O costs increased by approximately $25,000. An examination of the
expenditure data indicates that this increase can be most attributed to an increase in the Miscellaneous
Professional Services object code. This increase appears to encompass several non-routine contracts
that occurred in FY11, including concrete construction, tennis court resurfacing, and a major construction
project. City staff also state that increases in maintenance costs are due to increasing levels of vandalism,
primarily concentrated on the Coastal Rail Trail.
The capital outlay between FY09 and FY11 also varied significantly. These significant changes can be
traced to two object codes: Capital Outlay <10k New and PW Capital Outlay.
Significant Shifts in Capital Outlay for Hardscape Line of Business
2009 2010 2011

Capital Outlay <10k New $ 37,362 $ 2,681 $ 7,140
PW Capital Outlay $ 118,988 $ 26,068 $ 55,631
In FY09, the higher than average capital costs were due to a purchase of new security cameras for the
parks and a major restroom renovation. In FY10, capital expenditures included the installation of hand
railings. Finally, in FY11 capital costs were primarily due to additional bathroom renovations.
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The city spent less on fleet costs each year since FY09. This approximate $20,000 in savings occurred
from the replacement of a water truck, due to underutilization, with a water trailer. Also, the reduction in
the use of larger trucks and a shift to smaller maintenance trucks contributed to the cost savings.
Revenues for the Hardscape line of business were driven primarily from allocations from the median and
tree maintenance assessment. Revenues from this source remained consistent across years due to
limited increases in the assessment. A jump in revenue for FY10 is due to donations from the park bench
memorial program.
Since FY09, personnel costs have remained relatively consistent for the Hardscape line of business.
Interestingly, a significant portion of hardscape activity hours comes from personnel outside of the 1 full
time and 2 part time staff dedicated to the Projects and Repair Crew. Over 40 staff members in the Parks
& Recreation Department have time allocated to the Hardscape line of business performing field work,
contract administration, and administrative tasks. No new staff were reported to have been added to this
line of business, thus the fluctuations in hours worked are due to small shifts in workload between FY
2009 and 2011. The overall increase in personnel cost during this period is most attributed to step
increases in staffs salary.
2009 2010 2011

Full Time 4.36 4.08 4.11
Part Time 0.84 0.77 0.85
City staff developed an estimated time allocation for sub-activities within the Hardscape line of business.
Based on these estimates, staff time is distributed relatively evenly between the many activities
completed as part of this line of business. Staff time is most concentrated in contract management,
general park fixture maintenance, and playground surface maintenance.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Estimated FY11 Hardscape Activity Time Distribution
Estimated Effort in
Tasks % of Total Hours
Hours/Yr
Hardscape contract management 1,825 18%
General park fixture maintenance 1,011 10%
Playground surface maintenance 926 9%
Retaining walls/fencing maintenance; for
parks and trails 758 7%
Playground equipment maintenance and
inspection (tot lots, swings, etc.) 758 7%
Sports court surface maintenance 758 7%
Sweeping/Washing 674 7%
Block house restroom maintenance and
repair 674 7%
Facility equipment cleaning and
inspections 674 7%
Park lighting maintenance 590 6%
Graffiti removal 590 6%
Sports court equipment maintenance 253 2%
Drinking Fountain Cleaning 253 2%
General electrical work 168 2%
Sidewalk maintenance and repair (interior
to parks) 84 1%
Park bench maintenance 84 1%
Park bridge maintenance 84 1%
General masonry 84 1%
All Subfunction Hours and Cost 10,248 100%
Currently, staff do not expend a significant amount of hours on the following activities:
Sidewalk maintenance and repair

Park bench maintenance (concrete)
General electric work
These are areas where the city has contracts to supplement the work performed by in-house staff due to
a lack of expertise or equipment to carry out all necessary functions. For example, large concrete repairs
are performed by contractors due to a lack of specialized equipment.
ServiceStatistics
Unfortunately, the city does not appear to be tracking a significant amount of service statistics for the
Hardscape line of business.
In Hansen, staff are using the following categories to record hardscape related time:
Furnishing repair
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Graffiti removal
Safety repairs
Special projects
Park building repairs
However, as with all other parks maintenance activities, city staff state that not all hours and activities are
being recorded in Hansen, or the categories are being used inconsistently. The inconsistent use of
categories can be seen especially within Hardscape as several of the above mentioned categories do not
appear to have been used in FY11. Therefore, Hansen workload data may be incomplete and not
considered here for analysis.
Moving forward, an increased focus on consistently recording in Hansen not only staff time allocated to
specific activities, but also a quantitative count of the type of activity and outcomes could help the city
understand staff workload and materials costs for this large and diverse set of activities. For example,
hours spent on replacing light fixtures, but also the number of light fixtures replaced.
The city measures satisfaction of Hardscape as part of the Maintenance Assessment Program and
Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey. In FY11, 96% of citizen survey respondents rated park maintenance as
good or excellent. Also in FY11, 95% of ratings were above a 7 on a 10 point scale for the service delivery
rating.43
The city has an incredibly diverse set of amenities that it provides to its citizens, and which are
maintained through the Hardscape line of business. Some amenities counts are tracked through national
surveys with the NRPA and ICMA. To supplement these national counts, we were able to obtain some
amenity counts from two regional municipalities.
The most common amenity counts are summarized in the table below.
ICMA ICMA
National National
Amenity City of Comparable Comparable NRPA CA NRPA
Over 25,000 to
Type Carlsbad C F FY10 National
100,000 100,000
Median44 (Median)
Tennis
29 22 20 17 18 45 9
Courts
Basketball
20 14.5 14 23 13 38 8
Courts
Skate Not Not 100% has 58% has Does Not Does Not
1
Park answered answered amenity amenity Apply Apply
Play Not Not Does Not Does Not

48 66 20
Structures answered answered Apply Apply
43
City of Carlsbad State of Effectiveness Report
44
ICMA Comparative Performance Measurement, FY10 Data Report.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
ICMA ICMA
National National
Amenity City of Comparable Comparable NRPA CA NRPA
Over 25,000 to
Type Carlsbad C F FY10 National
100,000 100,000
Median44 (Median)
Does Not Does Not Does Not Does Not

Population 105,328 85,186 83,781
Apply Apply Apply Apply
Does Not Does Not
Tot Lots 14 33 41 27 12
Apply Apply
Not Not 100% has 72% has Does Not Does Not
Volleyball 3
answered answered amenity amenity Apply Apply
In general, the city is consistent with regional comparable municipalities in providing amenities. A few
exceptions are noted below.
Tot Lots: One significant outlier is the number of tot lots provided by Comparable F which greatly
exceeds both the citys count and the NRPA survey totals.
Skate Park: The NRPA California 2010 data indicates that 100% of municipalities reported having
a skate park, compared to 58% nationally. Based on this data, skate parks appear to be a
common amenity for California municipalities.
Play Structures: While limited regional information is available, the city appears to provide a
similar number of play structures when compared to the ICMA national median value (If
compared to an average of the median values for populations over 100,000 and from 25,000 to
100,000.The average of the two data points is 43).
Volleyball: Similar to skate parks, 100% of California municipalities reported having volleyball
courts in the NRPA 2010 survey. Only 72% reported having the amenity nationally. This indicates
that volleyball courts appear to be a very common amenity given the climate and beach proximity.
Other notable amenities provided by the city that were not tracked as part of the national surveys include:
200 picnic tables

120 park benches
1,372 parking lot stalls for park areas
Overall, the citys amenities do not exceed those of other communities.
As mentioned earlier, the city supplements in-house hardscape work with contracts. In some
circumstances, hardscape activities are performed by landscaping vendors who maintain certain parks.
For example, Nissho of California performs some hardscape duties at the same areas that it performs
landscaping activities. Other significant routine activities, such as sports light maintenance and general
electrical work, are performed through the Fluoresco and Sadler Electric contracts. The table below
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
presents a listing of the contracts utilized by the Hardscape line of business over $1,000 in FY11. A
complete listing of all contracts used across all fiscal years is in Appendix 2.
FY11 Actuals
Company Description Allocated to
Hardscape
Fluoresco Lighting & Signs Ball field lighting maintenance $ 13,009
Landscape maintenance work at specified

Nissho of California, Inc $ 28,572
street medians and parkways
Perform routine, recurring, and usual

electrical maintenance work necessary for
Sadler Electric $ 57,196
the protection and preservation of city owned
or maintained electrical systems.
Mark & Diana Stein Carrillo Park Overseer $ 1,309
Blair Rasmussen
Construction $ 31,289
Construction
Court Concepts Inc. Court surfacing & repairs $ 4,995
Dan Vaughn Construction Concrete construction $ 10,842
Ferandell Tennis Courts Court surfacing & repairs $ 10,319
Musco Sports Lighting Sports lighting programming $ 3,200
Poolmaster Ornamental fountain maintenance $ 3,505
Pro Installations Inc. Restroom floor resurfacing $ 9,950
RDO Equipment Company Equipment maintenance $ 10,595
Right Of Way Engineering

Utilities coordination/services $ 2,740
Services Inc
Scott Fence Fencing $ 13,660
Of these contracts, there does not appear to be significant vendor repetition for any one type of service.
For example, for multiple concrete repair contracts, there are several different vendors. If this were the
case, the city may be able to experience cost savings through the development of a master contract for
certain services. However, based on available data, the city appears to be acquiring non-routine
contracted services efficiently though the prescribed method; including minor public works contracts,
letters of agreement, or standard contract agreements.
Benchmarking Contracting Activities
Contracting specific hardscape activities has the potential to generate cost savings because special
equipment or training may be required. For many municipalities, it is not cost effective to own certain
types of equipment or have full or part time staff trained to perform some activities.
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As part of the comparable municipality survey, municipalities were asked to identify contracted activities
for parks maintenance. Hardscape related activities are identified in the table below. Also, concrete
repairs appear to be a very common activity that is outsourced. Municipalities were also asked to indicate
why concrete repairs were outsourced.
Comparable Comparable Comparable Comparable

City of Carlsbad
A B C F
Raking sand
Large
Large concrete repairs Electrical
concrete
Plumbing
All Parks and projects
Outsourced Electrical AC Services
maintenance Facilities Light fixtures
Activities Sports field lighting General
activities Maintenance and bulb
property
replacement
Some irrigation maintenance
All activities in
small parks
Why Requires specialized

Requires
Outsource equipment More cost More cost Insufficient
specialized
Concrete effective effective in-house staff
equipment
Repairs? More cost effective
Overall, the city is consistent with most municipalities in the types of hardscape services that are
contracted. More specifically, the citys outsourced hardscape activities are similar in scope to
municipalities that perform some hardscape activities in-house. Large concrete repairs, electrical
maintenance, and sports light fixtures appear to be a common outsourced activity for these municipalities.
Some activities mentioned that the citys Parks & Recreation Department does not currently outsource
include sand raking and air conditioning repairs.
Specifically, all surveyed municipalities reported outsourcing some level of concrete repair and most
consistently indicated it was more cost effective than performing these services in-house. This information
indicates that the city is already contracting most hardscape services that other municipalities contract.
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Hardscape/SpecialtyMaintenance:FutureStateAlternatives
Opportunity
Amount (Annual
Area & Focus Option
Unless Otherwise
Noted)
OE Explore opportunities for city-wide master contracts with
hardscape related activities $ 13,900
OE Fully utilize vendors for specialized services No tangible cost
MC Perform managed competition for Hardscape activities. $ 216,000
OE Utilize alternative materials for Carrillo Ranch parking lot TBD
City Wide Master Contract for Hardscape Activities
Within the Department, there appear to be some opportunities to develop larger, master contracts for
common services like concrete repair or plumbing services. Larger contracts would allow the city to
maximize its buying power by obtaining a better price for services by combining the full buying power of
all city Departments into a single contract. For example, concrete repairs may be a commonly contracted
activity for the Transportation, PEM, and Parks & Recreation Department. Or, to further maximize buying
power, the city could consider a cooperative purchasing agreement with local municipalities to combine
purchasing power into a single agreement.
Estimated Savings: The city should conduct an examination of city-wide contracting practices to identify
opportunities for developing master contracts across departments. Hardscape services appear to be an
ideal candidate for a cross-departmental master contract. Our experience with master contracts and
cooperative purchasing agreements indicates that the city could save between 5 - 15 percent on this
recommendation. Below is a summary of contracts that we believe have an opportunity for city-wide
master contracts.
FY11 Hardscape Contracts with Potential for City-Wide Master contract
FY11 Actuals Allocated to

Company
Hardscape
Sadler Electric $ 57,196

Blair Rasmussen Construction $ 31,289
Dan Vaughn Construction $ 10,842
Pro Installations Inc. $ 9,950
RDO Equipment Company $ 10,595
Right Of Way Engineering Services, Inc $ 2,740
Scott Fence $ 13,660
45
Total $ 138,511
45
Total does not include multiple contracts under $1,000.
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Assuming that 10% is saved from the FY11 contract value, we estimate $13,851 savings per year. This
amount has the potential to fluctuate as unexpected improvement projects may occur on an annual basis
increasing the costs, as well as the potential savings, if a city-wide master contract is established.
Fully Outsource Activities Completed by Both In-House Staff and Vendors
Currently, city staff are performing some hardscape activities that are concurrently performed by private
vendors. These activities all account for a very small portion of staffs time and could feasibly be
completed by contracts already managed by the city.
Activity % Staff Time Applicable Contract

Sidewalk maintenance and repair 1% Dan Vaughn Construction
Park bench maintenance (concrete) 1% Dan Vaughn Construction
General electrical work 2% Sadler Electric
As city staff are not spending a great deal of time on these activities, but are required to maintain relevant
equipment, training, or certifications, it may be an inefficient use of staff time and city resources to
continue performing these tasks in-house. Rather, staff time could be devoted to the other pressing tasks.
Additionally, staff time could be saved by not having to travel to various locations to perform these
infrequent activities.
We recommend the city explore the option to completely outsource these activities. The city should
examine the capacity of current contracts to take on responsibility for these tasks and the cost savings
potential. The city may also be able to gather a small one-time benefit for liquidating unnecessary
equipment related to concrete or electrical repairs if these activities can be fully outsourced.
Alternative Materials for Carrillo Ranch Parking Lot
Based on the site visit interviews, city staff report substantial issues with maintaining the parking areas of
Carrillo Ranch. The current material used is a decomposed granite (DG) surface. During heavy rains,
water can shift the surface material, causing erosion. Degradation of the surface can create
inconveniences for park guests, as parking areas may need to be closed off for renovation. The city must
also expend resources to maintain this surface after each major rain event to maintain the integrity and
appearance of the parking lot surface.
We recommend that the city consider the use of alternative parking lot materials to reduce maintenance
costs. Vendors currently offer a wide variety of material types for parking lots that have the potential to
dramatically reduce maintenance costs, keep a natural appearance for the historic park, and be
semi-permeable to meet environmental conservation objectives.
Options for the city to consider include a stabilized decomposed granite which costs approximately $6 per
square foot for installation. This surface has some stability advantages over the standard decomposed
granite surface and may require occasional filling. Another option is a stamped concrete surface which
costs approximately $9 per square foot for installation.46 This surface is significantly more stable than
decomposed granite and will not require maintenance, other than occasional repairs, for many years.
Stamped concrete surfaces come in a variety of colors and patterns such as brick, cobblestone, or
crushed rock, which can maintain a natural appearance and is semi-permeable when compared to a solid
concrete or asphalt surface.
46
Cost estimate provided by Echo Pacific Construction on 5/25/12.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
DirectOutsourcing
We have not identified any opportunities for direct outsourcing of Hardscape activities.
The comparable municipality survey data indicates that these municipalities are either outsourcing all
hardscape activities as part of a complete parks maintenance outsourcing strategy, or outsourcing a few
hardscaping activities due to lower cost or lack of equipment to execute the task. For municipalities
outsourcing some activities, the remainder of the workload is completed through in-house staff.
Also, during the site visit interviews, hardscape staff mentioned that there is a continuous to-do list for
hardscape activities and staff work on these items as they are able. This is common for hardscape
activities where a portion of the work is routine (such as playground inspections) and other activities are
reactionary (such as water fountain repair). Currently, the city appears to be in a state where the
reactionary activities are at a high level and there is not sufficient in-house staff to complete outstanding
to-do items.
One significant advantage of outsourcing more or all hardscape activities is the potential for a flexible
workforce size. The city could establish contract terms where vendors would increase the amount of labor
as needed to meet requests in a timely manner. As reactive work needs increase, vendor hours can be
increased to quickly meet the unexpected demand and complete the to-do list of tasks more quickly than
in-house staff.
Another advantage of outsourcing is the reduced future liability of benefits such as pensions and health
care costs. As hardscape activities amount for the majority of effort, this has the potential to be significant
savings if outsourced.
However, due to the fact that there appear to be opportunities for city staff to generate cost savings
through increases to staff productivity and availability, we recommend that the Hardscape line of business
be considered for managed competition.
As mentioned in the availability section of this report, there are numerous ways staff can increase
productivity and enhance availability ratios. Currently, the Hardscape line of business has an availability of
87%. This indicates that, due to use of benefit leave time, staff are being paid for hours that they are not
working by a significant degree. This difference in availability between staff that spend time on hardscape
activities and a national benchmark is approximately 5.6%.
NAICS: All
Hardscape FY10 Difference
Sectors
87% 92.60% 5.60%
Through managed competition, the city staff could have the opportunity to become more competitive with
private vendors. It is anticipated that CCEA would be able to effect cost reductions in this area through a
management of the amount of leave time that staff take (increase the availability of staff), or a reduction in
the amount of time or size of crews needed to complete standard work items.
Estimated Savings: In order to begin establishing a benchmark for savings, we look to the salary gap
between public and private workers in this area. We believe that the Maintenance Worker II position
represents a balanced salary of staff that perform hardscape activities. The average salary for these
employees at the city is approximately $55,288. Industry data suggests that both public and private sector
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
employees with similar skills and experience as a General Maintenance Worker are paid less than city
staff.
Private47 Public
City of %
Carlsbad Salary Difference Salary % Difference
Salary for General
Maintenance Worker $ 55,288 $ 44,48248 22% $44,45349 22%
Estimated Total
Compensation for
General Maintenance
Worker $ 93,843 $ 59,15250 45% $74,83751 23%
Based on this information, the difference between the citys salaries and those of the private sector
averages is approximately 45%. Benefits for city staff include pension (PERS) costs. If we use this gap as
a starting point for targeting savings (45% - the difference in benefit rates), the target would be $215,985
per year.
Because this gap relatively low, we recommend that the city consider working with CCEA to determine
whether or not CCEA would be amenable to managed competition. The options for bridging the $216,000
gap include:
> Increase availability of staff, thereby reducing replacement costs

> Consider whether or not reduced crew sizes are an option
> Consider whether or not there are other bargaining concessions that can be made to reduce the
overall cost of service
47
Public and private salary estimates based on ERI data and estimates from Salary.com. Base salaries were calculated using a
general maintenance worker position with 10 years of experience in the Carlsbad region. Total compensation is calculated from
Bureau of Labor Statistics March 2012 Employer Costs for Employee Compensation report. National data indicates that for the
service occupation set, salary is 75.2% of total compensation for private sector, and 59.4% for the public sector.
48 Salary for private sector general maintenance worker based on ERI April 1, 2012 dataset (recreation entities subset). Salary is
based on a general maintenance worker with 10 years experience.
49 Salary for public sector general maintenance worker based on ERI April 1, 2012 dataset (government support services subset).
Salary is based on a general maintenance worker with 10 years experience.
50 Based on national Bureau of Labor Statistics March 2012 Employer Costs for Employee Compensation report, salary for a
private sector worker in the service occupation is 75.2% of total compensation. Total compensation estimate for a private sector
general maintenance worker was calculated as follows: ($44,482/0.752).
51 Based on national Bureau of Labor Statistics March 2012 Employer Costs for Employee Compensation report, salary for a public
sector worker in the service occupation is 59.4% of total compensation. Total compensation estimate for a public sector general
maintenance worker was calculated as follows: ($44,453/0.594).
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
LandscapeMaintenance:CurrentStateAnalysis
Landscaping activities comprise the largest number of staff and highest total expenditures for parks
maintenance related activities. In FY11, landscaping activities covered approximately 475 acres of
developed parks, undeveloped parks, and medians. Currently, landscaping activities are completed
through a combination of in-house and contracted work. The city has adopted a strategy to cover larger
parks, more frequently visited areas, and high profile downtown areas, using primarily in-house staff
Landscaping work consists of a wide variety of activities ranging from mowing, fertilization, weeding, pest
control, and irrigation maintenance. The frequency and level of service can vary greatly, depending on the
type of surface that is maintained. For example, on active maintenance fields (i.e., soccer field), which
include natural and synthetic sports fields, certain maintenance activities must be performed more
frequently than on a passive surface (i.e., open park field) such as mowing and irrigation.
Irrigation and stormwater pollution prevention is one of the landscape maintenance activities that has
become increasingly more important and costly. Approximately $300,000 to $400,000 dollars are spent
each year on water for irrigation purposes across the city. In response to increasing costs and
government regulation, the city has instituted strict water conservation guidelines and improved irrigation
systems to reduce water waste. For example, the installation of the Calsense irrigation control has
reported to save a significant amount of water by using advanced methods of adjusting watering levels
based on weather.
Stormwater pollution prevention is also a very important activity for the city. Most Department staff
undergo training regarding stormwater pollution prevention and must incorporate conservation practices
in their daily work. Close coordination is also maintained with the San Diego Regional Water Quality
Control Board to monitor runoff and mitigate issues as soon as they are detected. The city has employed
Best Management Practices (BMPs) based on industry standards to meet the challenge of preventing
water pollution. Overall, the city has taken large measures for water conservation activities and has
incorporated best practices in their daily work.
Currently, the city has approximately 109 acres of undeveloped parkland. These areas require
significantly less work than developed park areas and medians. Activities primarily include infrequent
mowing, fire fuel reduction, and some weed abatement. Most activities for undeveloped parkland are
executed through a contract maintained through the Fire Prevention Office which provides mowing and
fire fuel reduction services across the city, even for areas not under the purview of the Department.
Beach Areas
The city performs landscaping activities for some beach areas. Some of these beach accesses are under
control of the city. For example, the city has a beach access leased from the State of California with five
stairways on the north side of the city. The city has also undertaken landscaping activities that it is not
officially accountable for, but to maintain the overall beauty and appearance of the citys landscaping. For
example, some beach access areas or areas adjacent to the beaches that are under the control of the
State occasionally receive a small level of landscaping from the city.
Medians
In addition to parkland, the Department provides landscaping services for approximately 65 acres of
street medians. Landscaping activities are very similar to those in developed park areas: shrub
maintenance, irrigation, mulching, mowing, and other activities.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Shifts in Work Strategy
In FY12, the city began a trial of a heightened convergence strategy where Parks & Recreation staff are
pulled away from their primary crew assignments and converge on a single park area. In theory, this
strategy will result in a more efficient and thorough completion of routine park maintenance. As a greater
number of staff are located on a park site, certain duties that may be normally overlooked by a smaller
number of regularly assigned staff will be accounted for. City staff report that this strategy appears to be
working, based on early estimates. Time savings were stated to be approximately ten hours a week or
520 hours a year. Staff also admitted that additional studies must be conducted to provide a solid
recommendation on the strategys effectiveness. We recommend that the city continue to monitor this
strategy closely and document the necessary data points to create an accurate comparison of the status
quo and the new strategy. The city should be certain to collect time estimates to complete work, isolate
landscaping maintenance labor costs, and identify savings from the added preventative maintenance
benefits of the strategy.
Despite the limited data demonstrating cost savings, the city does not suffer from a common problem we
have encountered in other municipalities-excessive time spent to/from worksites. A 2010 audit of North
Las Vegas demonstrated that maintenance workers spent an average of 2.5 hours per day driving, as
opposed to working inside the parks.52 While this was not reported as a concern prior to implementation
of the heightened convergence strategy, the strategy has been reported to improve the efficiency in which
staff are strategically deployed. The city, in this respect, has been able to avoid this common operational
inefficiency.
In addition, Parks & Recreation management have instilled an ethic of continuous enhancement or
refurbishment. Staff are asked to identify ways to improve the condition of parks, rather than just
performing assigned duties.
CostofService
Landscaping is the largest line of business expenditure for the Department, occupying approximately
25 percent of all expenditures in FY11. Since FY09, the city appears to have maintained relatively stable
costs, despite significant increases in water and fuel costs. The city has been able to focus on water cost
savings through increased water conservation techniques, such as the use of advanced irrigation
systems.
FY09 FY10 FY11

Direct Costs
Actuals Actuals Actuals
Personnel $1,706,489 $1,736,263 $1,696,811

Maintenance and Operations (Direct Costs) $1,058,336 $1,139,726 $1,250,207
Capital Outlay $1,723 $309 $641
Subtotal Direct Costs $2,766,548 $2,876,298 $2,947,659
52
City Auditors Report, City of North Las Vegas: Audit of Parks Maintenance, December 22, 2010.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
FY09 FY10 FY11

Indirect Costs
Organization wide centralized services $301,012 $301,012 $301,012
IT Overhead $27,764 $37,953 $31,425
Fleet Overhead $249,626 $262,948 $250,577
Other Overhead $62,742 $75,233 $76,900
Subtotal Indirect Costs $641,144 $677,145 $659,914
Total Direct & Indirect Costs $3,407,692 $3,553,443 $3,607,573
FY09 FY10 FY11

Value of Volunteer Services
Volunteer Services $0 $0 $0
FY09 FY10 FY11

Revenue
Actuals Actuals ** Actuals
Revenue (all sources) $0 $57,198 $0
Between FY09 and FY11, the city experienced steady growth in M&O costs, with the largest increase
occurring between FY10 and FY11. These costs increased for a few primary reasons. First, expenditure
data indicates over a $100,000 growth of landscaping contracts between FY10 and FY11. Second, staff
report a significant increase in water costs during this period. According to expenditure data, water
expenditures increased by approximately $40,000 between FY10 and FY11.53 Finally, steady increases in
commodities, supplies, and fuel have all contributed to the growth of M&O expenses for landscaping
activities.
The city realized cost savings for fleet vehicles by shifting to a smaller truck as opposed to a large flatbed
truck in FY11, resulting in an approximate $12,000 savings. Similar cost savings were experienced in
other parks maintenance line of business for switching to smaller fleet vehicles.
Personnel costs experienced a slight increase between FY09 and FY10 due to salary increases of
existing staff. Shifts between FY10 and FY11 can be explained through changes in staffing levels.
53
Part of total ($57,198) is based on organization key 1615024 Landscaping District Medians and 14610 Parks Maintenance, object
code 7753 Water. The remainder is revenue from the median and trees maintenance district.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
2009 2010 2011

Full Time 15.75 15.78 14.45
Part Time 6.02 5.51 6.19
From FY10 to FY11, several full time staff members resigned or were terminated, and no new full time
staff were hired. The city backfilled this loss in full time staff work hours through an increase in part time
staff. This can be seen with an increase in part time paid effort between FY10 and FY11. The net result in
these personnel shifts was an approximate $39,500 savings between FY10 and FY11. Approximately
$300,000 in revenue from the Median and Trees maintenance districts were allocated to the Landscaping
line of business in FY11. These revenues remained relatively consistent from FY09 to FY11 due to limited
increases in the assessment.
As mentioned, activities within the Landscape line of business are very diverse. However, an estimate of
staffs time spent on specific activities reveals that workload is concentrated in approximately three
activities: irrigation system maintenance, natural turf maintenance, and specialty turf maintenance. Not
surprisingly, there is a correlation between expenditures and staff hours for active and passive turf
maintenance as these activities are equipment, material, and labor intensive.
Estimated Effort in
Tasks Hours/Year % of Total Hours
Specialty natural turf maintenance (active) 6,992 16%
Irrigation System Maintenance 5,438 13%
Natural turf maintenance (passive) 4,661 11%
Contract Management 3,598 8%
Planters and Ground Cover Maintenance 3,496 8%
Tree maintenance (for work up to 15 ft.) 3,496 8%
Shrub Maintenance 3,107 7%
Stormwater pollution prevention 2,719 6%
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Estimated Effort in
Tasks Hours/Year % of Total Hours
Synthetic turf maintenance 2,331 5%
Irrigation of Vegetation 1,165 3%
Mulching 1,165 3%
Irrigation System Testing 777 2%
Shrub replacement 777 2%
Disease and pest control 777 2%
Undeveloped parkland maintenance 777 2%
Erosion prevention 777 2%
Fire mitigation/brush removal 388 1%
All Subfunction Hours 42,441 100%54
Also of note is the amount of staff time spent on contract management. Approximately 54% of the citys
Landscaped acreage is maintained through contracts, but requires only 8% of Landscaping staff hours to
manage the contracts.
Maintenance Cost Differences in Acreage Types
As previously mentioned, the cost to maintain different landscape types varies greatly. Undeveloped
parkland maintenance accounts for approximately 1 percent of overall Landscaping maintenance costs in
comparison to developed parkland, which in total accounts for 80% of overall Landscaping costs.
Cost for Landscaping Maintenance by Surface Type55
% of Total
Field Type Costs (Direct and Indirect Costs) FY11 Actuals Landscaping
Costs
Developed Parkland
(Excluding Athletic Fields) $ 1,948,089 54%
Developed Parkland
Sports Fields (Grass) $ 865,818 24%
Sports Fields (Synthetic) $ 72,151 2%
Undeveloped Undeveloped Parkland $ 36,076 1%
Medians Medians $ 685,493 19%
Total $ 3,607,573
Transfer of Facilities Expenditures
In FY12, PEM transferred approximately $76,000 of funds to cover the costs of facility acreage managed
by the Parks & Recreation Department. The activities were conducted or overseen by Parks & Recreation
staff through contract management; however, the expenditures came from the PEM budget and have not
appeared in the Parks & Recreation expenditure data. With the transfer of budgetary responsibility for
these costs, city staff expect an increase in M&O costs in FY12.
Consideration of the Median Assessment District
54
Total is rounded to 100%.
55
Cost breakdown is based on estimates provided by Carlsbad Management Analyst.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
A significant concern for the city is the underfunded status of the Lighting and Landscape District 1. The
city has aspirations to upgrade center trees on College Boulevard and El Camino Real. Also, there are
plans to replace and retrofit irrigation planters in median areas. City staff indicated that the City Council
considered these proposals and elected to forgo these improvements due to the lack of funding in the
Lighting and Landscape District 1. To compensate for routine maintenance costs, the city has transferred
funds from the General Fund to cover the costs not met by the Median Assessment District. This transfer
has ranged between $321,000 and $166,000 since 2009.
Lighting and Landscape District 1 Transfer from General Fund
To overcome this gap, the city must either raise revenues through the assessment district or identify cost
savings measures as the assessment district should be self-funded. The Department will be unable to
meet its improvement goals if funds continue to be taken from the general fund.
ServiceStatistics
During FY11, the citys staff provided Landscape services for approximately 476 acres. Unfortunately, as
with many parks maintenance activities, the city does not record detailed service statistics for
Landscaping activities. While staff do record time in Hansen, most hours are recorded in the Routine
Maintenance category and do not provide much insight into the various types of work. Unfortunately, a
specific understanding of what activities were conducted using this information cannot be determined.
As part of an overall parks maintenance evaluation, the city also measures satisfaction of Landscape
services as part of the Maintenance Assessment Program and Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey. In FY11,
96% of citizen survey respondents rated park maintenance as good or excellent. Also in FY11, 95% of
ratings were above a 7 on a 10 point scale for the service delivery rating.56
Across US municipalities, most provide some level of Landscaping services. The scope and cost of these
services can vary greatly though, depending on the amount of landscaping that must be maintained.
56
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Unfortunately, national data does not appear to be available that identifies the amount of landscaping
area that must be maintained. However, the amount of park acreage a municipality has is more frequently
mentioned.
Using data from two national surveys from the ICMA and NRPA, the city is slightly higher regarding the
percentage of developed parkland acreage managed. This indicates that the city is mostly consistent with
balancing the development of park acreage for the use of its citizens, but is also maintaining an inventory
to be developed when funds become available. A comparison of total park acreage and park sites is likely
unreliable due to the wide variety and size of municipalities that participated in the survey.
ICMA ICMA National

National Over 25,000 to NRPA National
Carlsbad
100,000 100,000 (Median)
(Median) (Median)
Total Park Sites 21 N/A N/A 20
Total Park Acreage

(Developed and 410.7 3,469.1 728.4 494
Undeveloped)
Developed Parkland
74% 71% 68% 70%
Acreage %
An examination of regional peer municipalities provides a more accurate comparison of available park
acreage. Compared to its regional peers, the city has a lower acreage per 10,000 population. Limited
data is available to establish a national baseline. However, as a reference, major metropolitan areas
outside the region all have more park acreage per 10,000 population than the city (Los Angeles 62.2, San
Francisco 66.0, Phoenix 273.)57 Also, the city has fewer park sites than most of its regional peers. This is
because the citys parks are typically larger than other municipalities. The city focuses on maintaining
larger parks as opposed to more numerous smaller pocket parks. It is important to note that available
acreage may be due to geography or topography, and is not necessarily a choice of the municipality.
However, total acreage available does affect a municipalitys total landscaping cost in absolute terms. For
this reason, we calculate a cost per acreage to gauge how efficiently a municipality maintains the
acreage. Please note, state owned and managed beaches are not captured in the Carlsbad acreage
count. This calculation will be discussed in the next section of the report.
Compared to its regional peers, the city has a higher total number of baseball/softball fields, but a lower
number of soccer fields, on average. The prevalence of synthetic fields is slightly lower, but comparable to
the one other municipality that indicated having synthetic fields. The city is one of two municipalities that
reported having a dog park available to citizens.
57
Per Square Mile Website. Accessed May 21, 2012. http://persquaremile.com/2011/01/27/parkland-per-person-in-the-united-
states/
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
City of
Comp. A Comp. B Comp. C Comp. E Comp. F
Carlsbad
Total Park Sites 21 18 37 56 21 37
Total Park Acreage
410.7 335 193 372 176.6 364
(Developed and Undeveloped)
Acres of Parkland per 10,000
39.0 56.3 30.6 43.7 27.8 43.4
Population
Developed Park Acreage 302 276 193 276 176.6 255
Undeveloped Acreage 108.7 59 0 96 0 109
City of
Comp. A Comp. B Comp. C Comp. E Comp. F
Carlsbad
Park Hardscape %
(of Developed Park 9% 19%58 12% 19%59 29% 25%
Acreage)
Developed Parkland
74% 82% 100% 74% 100% 70%
Acreage %
Baseball/Softball 24
13 8 18 14 19
Fields (4 synthetic)
12
Soccer Fields 2 (synthetic) 1 20 12 2 (synthetic)
(5 synthetic)
Football Fields 0 0 0 1 2 0
3 (synthetic);
Multiuse field 13 natural 2 0 0 0 18
grass
Dog Parks 1 0 0 0 0 4
Contracted Sports
0% 100% 100% 74% 100% 0%
Fields %
Overall, the city is providing a relatively average level of sport field amenities when compared to regional
peers. The outsourcing of sports field maintenance corresponds to a municipalitys strategy in outsourcing
landscaping activities. For municipalities that outsource most landscaping activities, sports fields are also
maintained through contracts. Here, the city lags far behind 4 of the 5 comparable municipalities who
outsource between 74 100 percent of the maintenance of these fields.
Benchmarking Costs of Landscaping
In order to gauge the relative cost efficiency in which municipalities are conducting landscaping activities,
we asked regional municipalities to indicate the direct costs for landscaping activities in addition to the
acreage maintained. The city is the second lowest cost per acre maintained when compared to its
regional peers, at a rate of $6,572 per acre. The cost per acre between the municipalities varies greatly
and is as high as $13,204 per acre. Several factors may affect this calculation and are discussed below.
58
Percentage of park area as hardscape was estimated using an average of other municipalities (19%) for Comparables A and C.
59
Ibid.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
City of Carlsbad Comp. A Comp. B Comp. C Comp. E Comp. F
Total Landscaping 475.7 335 228 561 241 424

Acreage Reported
(Park, Median)
410.7 335 193 372 176.6 364
Park Acreage
Medians (Acres) 65 0 35 189 64 60
Contracted
Landscaping 54% 100% 100% 83% 100% 42%
Acreage %
Total Landscaped
Acreage Not 448.52 28360 205 50961 189 360
Hardscape
Landscaping Direct
Costs (Includes
Developed
Parkland,
$ 2,947,659 $ 1,547,73362 $ 2,066,168 $ 5,699,685 $ 1,960,652 $ 4,756,80263
Undeveloped
Parkland, Sports
Fields, and
Medians)
Landscaping Cost $ 6,572 $ 5,464 $ 10,104 $ 11,192 $ 10,353 $ 13,204

Per Acre
FY11:
Geographic No in-house
Method of
Ownership Geographic resources for Group Style
Deploying In-house Not answered Not answered
Current: Group ownership landscape (Convergence)
Resources
Style maintenance
(Convergence)
Compared to its regional peers, the city appears to be providing landscaping services at a relatively low
cost. This is impressive, considering that Carlsbad is in a high tourism area and may elect to spend more
on landscaping services to maintain a higher overall appearance.
The composition of the citys landscaping contracts in FY11 centered on the Nissho of California contract,
which comprised approximately 79% of contract expenditures that year. Another large landscaping
contract with Westturf Landscape accounted for $37,000 in costs. Several other small one-time contracts
were used for small services such as equipment maintenance, pesticide application, and utility services.
60
Hardscape acreage was not provided by the municipality. We estimated 19% hardscape acreage based on the average of other
municipalities.
61
Hardscape acreage was not provided by the municipality. We estimated 19% hardscape acreage based on the average of other
municipalities.
62
Landscaping costs were calculated by allocating 90% of stated personnel costs to stated operations and contract costs for
landscaping.
63
Landscaping costs reflect FY 2012 budget total for landscaping.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
The chart below provides an overview of the FY11 contract expenditures over $1,000.
FY11 Actuals Allocated

Company Description
to Hardscape
Agricultural Pest Control, Inc. Agricultural pest control $ 10,316
Landscape maintenance work at

Nissho of California, Inc specified street medians and $ 242,860
parkways
West Coast Arborist, Inc. Tree trimming maintenance services $ 2,627
Westturf Landscape Landscape maintenance work at

Maintenance / Sergio specified parks, facilities, and trails $ 37,214
Graham areas
Harris & Associates Assessment District Engineering $ 1,564
Lawnmowers Plus Equipment maintenance $ 5,131
Plant-Tek Inc Pesticide application $ 4,191
Superior Onsite Service Inc Equipment maintenance $ 2,367
Underground Service Alert Utilities coordination/services $ 2,640
The city has clearly streamlined its use of landscaping vendors; a small, select group of vendors are
selected to provide a large amount of services. This has likely resulted in cost savings by bundling a
large amount of landscaping services in a single contract. Having a small number of contracts for a
service may also improve efficiency in coordination. Less time is spent by city staff managing multiple
vendors in multiple areas.

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CityofCarlsbad,CA
LandscapeMaintenance:FutureStateAlternatives
Opportunity Amount
Area & Focus Option (Annual Unless Otherwise
Noted)
OE Expand the use of synthetic turf to enhance users
experience and achieve potential cost savings $ 71,300
OE Implement cost containment on fuel Deferred to PEM
DO Outsource landscaping activities $ 925,700
DO Outsource pest control activities that are currently
conducted in-house and develop master contract for
pest control activities $ 14,400 to $17,900
Use of Synthetic Turf
The use of synthetic turf in arid areas such as the city has become a very popular option for
municipalities. Synthetic turf has several benefits for municipalities, including cost savings. Cost savings
are typically generated through lower maintenance costs and reduced water usage. With the removal of
mowing, seeding, irrigation, weeding, pest control, and other activities needed for natural turf, and
replacing activities with less frequent sweeping, cleaning, and repairs, municipalities have the potential for
significant savings through the use of synthetic turf.
City of Comparable Comparable Comparable Comparable

Carlsbad A B E F
Considering Yes, Cost
Yes, longer No, Already Yes, Wear and
expansion of savings, Yes,
play period, have 5 tear,
synthetic turf? appearance, Demand
wear and synthetic playability in
Reason for and wear- from citizens.
tear. fields wet weather
consideration ability
Three comparable municipalities stated that they were interested in the expanded use of synthetic turf.
Only two municipalities reported currently having synthetic turf fields (Comparables B and F). One
municipality stated that they were not interested in the expanded use of turf because they already had
five synthetic fields. Clearly, the use of synthetic turf is a strong trend for the citys region.
A key benefit to the use of synthetic turf is the wear-ability of the surface. Where natural turf athletic
fields can become degraded with frequent use, synthetic fields are able to hold up with more frequent
use.
It is important to note that, while synthetic turf provides many benefits and cost savings, there is a
significant upfront cost. Estimates from two national vendors ranged between $4.00 and $7.50 per square
foot for an athletic field quality turf with an eight year warranty.64 For a high school soccer field, this could
cost between $344,000 and $645,000 for installation.65
64
Average calculated from estimates provided by estimates from Turf Solutions and Artificial Turf Supply
65
Calculation based on 86,000 square foot area.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Estimated Savings: Based on an analysis conducted by Comparable B, the potential for cost savings
from maintenance costs alone by converting from a natural turf field to a synthetic field would result in
cost savings due to maintenance costs alone.
Cost Benefit of Using Synthetic Turf66
Natural Turf Synthetic turf

Annual soil prep and sod replacement Annual maintenance,
sweeping, cleaning,
Weekly mowing antimicrobial, litter removal
Weed control Turf repair and rubber infill
Interseeding, dethatching, aeration, Field installation cost
top dressing, vercutting ($369,744 spread over 7
Maintenance and Irrigation system maintenance years)
Installation Activities
Trash and debris removal, daily
inspection
Pest control
Damage and repair work
Irrigation water
Annual Maintenance Cost $ 83,266 $ 78,476
Cost per sq ft $ 1.06 $ 1.00
Potential Annual Cost to
Maintain 4 Carlsbad
Multipurpose Fields67 $ 632,323 $ 596,061
Based on the Comparable B study, the estimated maintenance cost savings per square foot is about
$0.06. This savings includes the installation cost of a 78,538 square foot athletic field for $369,744, or
$4.70 a square foot. This cost is reasonable based on the cost range that was provided by two national
turf vendors. The costs are assumed to be spread over the course of seven years. It is important to note
that if installation costs were substantially higher for the city, the estimated cost savings may not be
achieved. Further, we assume that the city is able to use existing synthetic turf capital equipment to
achieve comparable maintenance costs.
During the site visit interviews, the city expressed interest in converting four existing natural grass
multiuse fields to synthetic turf. Assuming Carlsbad is able to achieve the same cost savings as
expressed in the Municipality B report, the city would save $36,263 per year by converting these four
multiuse fields.
In addition to the annual maintenance costs savings, the city estimated that an additional $35,000 to
$40,000 could be generated in additional revenue. This additional revenue would come from expanded
leagues, tournaments, and classes and are possible because of the increased usability of a synthetic
field (no need to restrict field usage due to substantial maintenance such as turf restoration).
66
Cost benefit analysis based on study conducted by Comparable B.
67
Estimated maintenance cost for Carlsbad calculated using square foot cost savings from Comparable B study and multiplying by
149,133 (average size of multiuse field) for 4 fields.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Combined, the lower maintenance costs and additional revenue could save the city $71,263 per year
from the conversion of four multiuse fields. While the upfront cost of a synthetic field turf is high, the
increased usability, lower maintenance costs, and potential for additional revenue can result in cost
savings for the city.
Fuel Cost Savings
A large portion of costs related to landscaping are fuel costs. This includes the cost of fuel to transport
equipment to and from park locations, as well as operating equipment at the park sites. As fuel costs
continue to fluctuate, the city may be able to exercise cost containment strategies. Several strategies
have been employed by other municipalities, such as reducing the number of take-home vehicles,
greening of vehicles, use of GPS technology to identify more efficient routes, and regional cooperative
fuel purchases.68 We plan to address this important cost savings measure during the analysis of the citys
Fleet and PEM functions.
There are no managed competition candidates for Landscaping.
DirectOutsourcing
Landscaping
In the southern California region, there is a movement towards outsourcing landscaping activities.
Municipalities are making this move for cost savings reasons.
Based on industry costs for landscaping activities, there appears to be a strong opportunity to directly
outsource these activities. We recommend direct outsourcing and not managed competition for the
following reasons:
There is a large gap between salary and benefit rates between the city and industry benchmarks
for landscaping activities.
There is a gap in availability for landscaping staff when compared to industry standards. This
indicates that staff are being paid for a significant number of hours that are not productive hours
in the field.
NAICS: All
Landscape FY10 Difference
Sectors
89.3% 92.60% 3.3%
Estimated savings: An examination of industry data indicates that both private and public sector
landscaping maintenance employees in the region are paid less than the citys employees. The average
salary for a Maintenance II worker is approximately $45,243. With benefits, the total compensation for a
Maintenance II worker is $75,796. Benefits include city staff pension (PERS) costs. When compared to
both the private and public sector workers, the difference in salaries is 55% and 32%, respectively, for
total compensation. Privatizing these services could save the city approximately $925,732.
68
Cost-Saving and Cost Containment Strategies for New York States Local Government. Office of the New York State Comptroller.
June 2009.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Private69 Public
City of % %
Carlsbad Salary Difference Salary Difference
Salary for Maintenance
Worker II/Senior $ 45,243 $ 32,56770 33% $ 32,55671 33%
Total Compensation for
Maintenance Worker II/Senior $ 75,796 $ 43,30772 55% $ 54,80773 32%
Pest Control
Pest control services appear to be a specific outsourcing opportunity for reasons other than just cost
savings. During the site visit interviews, staff expressed several concerns over the in-house pest control
activities. The following provides a highlight of the major concerns identified:
Storage of dangerous chemicals

Liability for stormwater run off
Extensive and costly training for in-house staff
Fully converting pest control to a contracted activity would finalize a trend that has been occurring for
several years. Previously, the Parks & Recreation Department had over 20 employees certified as
applicators; currently, there are only five certified applicators. Of the surveyed municipalities, most were
moving towards a fully outsourced pest control model.
The following provides an overview of the survey respondents:
Comparable A Comparable B Comparable C Comparable F
N/A: Pest control

Reasons for Requires special
More cost More cost performed by both
outsourcing pest licenses or
effective effective in-house and
control certifications
contractors
Of the four municipalities that responded to the question on pest control, three used a fully outsourced
model and one used a combination of in-house and contract labor. Both cost effectiveness and the desire
to avoid needed special licenses and certifications are consistent with the citys considerations for
outsourcing pest control.
69
Public and private salary estimates based on ERI data and estimates from Salary.com. Base salaries were calculated by
averaging the ERI salaries of a Groundskeeper and Gardener position with 10 years of experience. Total compensation is
calculated from Bureau of Labor Statistics March 2012 Employer Costs for Employee Compensation report. National data indicates
that for the service occupation set, salary is 75.2% of total compensation for private sector, and 59.4% for the public sector.
70
Salary for private sector maintenance worker II based on ERI April 1, 2012 dataset (recreation entities subset). Salary was
estimated by averaging the salary of a gardener ($30,802) and groundskeeper ($34,331), both with 10 years experience.
71
Salary for public sector maintenance worker II based on ERI April 1, 2012 dataset (government support services subset). Salary
was estimated by averaging the salary of a gardener ($30,794) and groundskeeper ($34,317), both with 10 years experience.
72
Based on national Bureau of Labor Statistics March 2012 Employer Costs for Employee Compensation report, salary for a private
sector worker in the service occupation is 75.2% of total compensation. Total compensation estimate for a private sector
maintenance worker II was calculated as follows: ($32,567/0.752).
73
Based on national Bureau of Labor Statistics March 2012 Employer Costs for Employee Compensation report, salary for a public
sector worker in the service occupation is 59.4% of total compensation. Total compensation estimate for a public sector
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Unfortunately, pest control vendors did not respond directly to our question about pest control costs. In
order to estimate the potential cost of a fully outsourced pest control model, we believe that doubling the
size of the current contract total would be more than sufficient to cover all current in-house and contract
pest control activities. In addition, we believe that no more than 0.05 FTE would be required to manage
the pest control contract.
Cost Estimate for Fully Outsourced Pest Control Model
Direct Costs
Vendor Fees $ 34,896
Subtotal Direct Costs $ 34,896
Indirect Costs
Ongoing contract management tasks (city staff time and
resources) $ 4,712
Other Oversight Tasks Not applicable
Qualitative/Soft Costs Undetermined
Subtotal Indirect Costs $ 4,712
Total Direct & Indirect Costs Vendor Option $ 39,608
Based upon fully loaded staff time and other direct costs (contractor, supplies, etc.), we estimate the
current cost of pest control at $54,057.74
Cost Comparison
Current Internal Cost $ 54,057
Fully Outsourced Option $ 39,608
Potential Savings $ 14,449
The resulting potential savings is $14,449 a year with a fully outsourced pest control model. The city may
also consider developing a city-wide pest control contract with other departments to achieve additional
cost savings. Assuming that the city could save an additional 10% through the development of a master
contract with PEM for pest control, the savings could increase to approximately $17,900.75 Note that the
savings identified here would not include the savings of the reduced staff from PEM, if the city fully
outsourced all pest control activities.
74
Fully loaded staff estimate is based on an approximate Maintenance Worker II personnel costs of $94,000 per year with an hourly
rate of $47.11. Currently, an estimated 777 hours are spent on pest control activities.
75
Development of master contracts save 5-15% on average based on our experience. An additional 10% savings is added to the
estimated contract cost of $34,896, bringing the estimated cost to $31,406.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Trails/OpenSpace/PreserveMaintenance:CurrentStateAnalysis
The trails/open space/preserve management line of business consists of two diverse activities:
maintenance of the 38 miles of city managed trails and management of 688 acres of open space and
preserve. For trails, work is primarily completed by in-house staff and through the coordination of
approximately 500 annual volunteers. These maintenance activities occur on a year-round basis and are
completed to enhance users experience and maintain a safe, obstruction free surface. Specific activities
range from weeding, removal of fallen trees, pavement sweeping, repair of special structures like water
bars, proactively engaging the public to notify them of trail closures, and working with home owners
associations for new trail development.
As mentioned, a significant amount of trail maintenance is completed through the citys volunteer
program. The activities are coordinated through the citys central volunteer management program. The
city also employs the use of a citywide Trails Community Volunteer Leader and Trail Captains. The roles
and responsibilities of these individuals include, but are not limited to:
Assist city staff in volunteer training workshops

Provide monthly trails inspection form
Report major maintenance or safety issues
Share volunteer resources76
These volunteer leaders take a lead role on certain sections of trail to monitor its condition, conduct
routine maintenance, and organize larger scale volunteer activities. The fifteen trail captains are in close
coordination with city staff and act as the eyes and ears of the Department for much of the trail system.
An additional tool used by the city to manage trails is the Adopt-A-Trail program. This program provides
opportunities for organizations and corporations to assist in the development and maintenance of city
trails.77 The city creates opportunities for organizations to participate through sponsorship and volunteer
activities.
In addition to the management of trails, the city manages approximately 688 acres of preserve and open
space. These areas cover large portions of the city and include areas of the municipal golf course, urban
forests, and the Lake Calavera Preserve. The majority of preserve activities are contracted out by the city
and performed by a few vendors that have strong relationships with the city. These vendors carry out a
wide array of preservation and maintenance activities, including acting as security patrols, conducting bird
and endangered species surveys, habitat restoration, erosion control, and invasive plant removal.
The citys staff contribute to the preserve management through coordination with other government and
non-profit entities. For example, the city has routine interaction with the California Game Preserve and a
non-profit group, Preserve Calavera. Unfortunately, the citys staff report that due to State budget
challenges, the citys staff perform some activities that are the responsibility of the State, such as weeding
in State-managed beach areas. The City of Carlsbad strives to build the relationship with these
government and non-profit entities, so that the citys standards of maintenance can be kept at a high
level. Finally, Department staff interact internally with PEM and the Preserve Steward to meet overall city
goals of preserve management.
76
Carlsbad Citywide Trails Volunteer Responsibilities document.
77
City of Carlsbad Adopt a Trail Program Guide
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
CostofService
The total cost of service for the Trails/Open Space/Preserve line of business in FY11 was $1,168,197,
which includes both direct and indirect costs. Since FY09, costs have been steadily increasing for
personnel costs. The increase in personnel costs is due to the transfer of personnel from other
departments to Parks & Recreation, and a shift of staff time to the line of business in FY10. These shifts
are described below.
Personnel $ 284,679 $ 376,909 $ 548,892

Costs) $ 175,743 $ 147,007 $ 391,835
Capital Outlay $ 7,587 $ 1,362 $ 1,068

services $ 113,253 $ 113,253 $ 113,253
IT Overhead $ 45,334 $ 33,979 $ 26,946
Fleet Overhead $ 64,198 $ 65,822 $ 64,100
Other Overhead $ 14,134 $ 19,824 $ 22,103

Total Direct & Indirect Costs $ 704,928 $ 758,156 $ 1,168,197
Volunteer Services $ 37,225 $ 45,648 $ 52,227
Revenue (all sources) $ 0 $ 0 $ 10,034
The largest increase in personnel costs occurred between FY10 and FY11 and can be attributed the shift
of the Associate Engineer position and City Preserve Management responsibilities from the Community
and Economic Development Department to the Parks & Recreation Department. This transition was
completed in July 2010. This shifted approximately $162,000 in personnel costs to the Department, 80%
of which was allocated to the Trails/Open Space/Preserve line of business. The primary function of this
staff member is the supervision and oversight of the preserve maintenance contracts, monitoring lagoon
areas, and beach restoration. The increase between FY09 and FY10 can be partially attributed to the
increased allocation of the assigned Management Analyst to this line of business and negotiated pay
increases for staff.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Also, the overall increase in M&O costs between FY10 and FY11 can be attributed to expenditures for the
Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM) contract that occurred only in FY11 (approximately
$163,000). There were no reported expenditures for this contract in FY09 and FY10. Also, the significant
increase is due to the transfer of a preservation grant from the Planning Department to Parks &
Recreation in FY11. This grant is valued at approximately $190,000.
Trail activities are performed primarily by one full time staff member and two part time staff members on
Mondays and Fridays. Dedicated trail staff are also present for volunteer activities, which typically take
place Saturday mornings.
Due to the fact that the vast majority of preserve and open space activities are executed through
contracts, staff time is mostly dedicated to contract management activities. Contract management tasks
are carried out by five staff (Associate Engineer, Management Analyst, Park Planner, Senior Office
Specialist, and the Parks Superintendent).
2009 2010 2011

Full Time 3.47 3.49 4.37
Part Time 0.16 0.14 0.17
To obtain a more detailed breakout between the different work activities of trails and preserve
management, the citys staff provided work breakdown structure information we used to calculate the
specific hours for each sub activity within the Trails/Open Space/Preserve line of business.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Tasks Effort in Hours/Yr % of Time

Contract Management (Preserve, Trails) 1,446 15%
Coordinate and manage trail volunteers 1,197 13%
Trails pavement sealing/ repaving 1,117 12%
Weeding 1,038 11%
Special structure (water bars, culverts,
retaining walls, wash crossings,
overpasses, bridges, signs) repair/
maintenance 958 10%
Vegetation removal 878 9%
Monitor trail condition through inspection 559 6%
Pothole filling 479 5%
Public interaction 399 4%
Preserve-Public coordination 399 4%
Trail construction 319 3%
Clean drainage system 160 2%
Unpaved trail tread maintenance 160 2%
Remove fallen trees 80 1%
Pavement sweeping 80 1%
Dog station replacement/repair 80 1%
Trail edging repair/replacement 80 1%
All Subfunction Hours 9,42778 100%
The most time-consuming and costly activities include weeding, special structure maintenance, trails and
pavement sealing, and vegetation removal. Through these activities, the citys staff maintain the integrity,
beauty, and safety of the trails. Combined, these activities consume approximately 46% of the labor hours
in the Trails/Open Space/Preserve line of business.
In 2011, the city documented 2,230 hours of trail volunteer work. Based on information gleaned in our
interviews, this number may be low due to hours not recorded by volunteers. Based upon the data
available, for every hour put in by the citys staff, 1.7 hours are produced by volunteers.
Overall, the Trails/Open Space/Preserve line of business appears to use very little capital equipment,
according to expenditure data. Based on the nature of the service, this makes sense. For most trail
activity, hand tools can be used. Some larger equipment would be required for pavement sealing and
other more costly activities. In general, decisions regarding the sale or leasing of capital equipment for
this line of business will be limited if the city elects to outsource these services.
In years since FY09, very little revenue has been generated for the city under this line of business. Only
$10,000 was reported for FY2011. However, based on statements by staff during the site visit interviews,
this amount appears to be significantly under-represented. Staff stated that many of the trails donations
are received via in-kind donations such as in the form of t-shirts, or may be recorded in other funds, such
as special events. The city has limited ability to budget for trails and preserve activities due to a lack of a
cash balance with these revenues. We recommend that the city improve its tracking of trails and preserve
donations to fully capture these revenues and develop a process to allocate these funds specifically to
trails and preserve projects.
78
Total differs slightly due to rounding.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Volunteer Costs
The Volunteer and Adopt-A-Trail programs appear to provide a significant benefit for the city. The citys
staff articulated that if volunteers ceased to provide services, the city would not have sufficient staff to
maintain the trail system. In addition, the city has estimated significant cost savings through the volunteer
program. For example, a city estimate indicates that one new mile of multi-use trail construction with the
use of volunteers would cost approximately $3,000 - $75,000 per mile, depending on the type of trail.
Without the use of volunteers, the same mile of trail may cost as much as $132,000.79 For FY 2011, the
calculated value of volunteer services was $50,000. Clearly, the volunteer program and Adopt-A-Trail
program are an essential part of the city carrying out trail maintenance activities at a lower cost than
without.
Coastal Rail Trail Costs
The Coastal Rail Trail, approximately 0.7 miles long, consumes a large portion of trail costs. This trail is a
heavily used portion of trail frequented by walkers and bikers. Staff estimate that approximately 60
70 percent of all trail vandalism takes place on this trail segment. Due to the many amenities on this trail,
such as light bollards, each incident of vandalism can cost the city hundreds of dollars. Steps have been
taken by the city to curb vandalism, such as doubling the private security presence from three to six days
per week, and coordinating with the police department to increase patrols in the trail area..
Isolation of Trails and Preserve Costs
While trail and preserve activities are found in the same line of business, we believe that due to the
significant difference in the nature of the tasks performed, costs should be isolated for each activity type.
Also, by isolating these costs, the city will be able to more easily identify costs saving opportunities. We
worked with the citys staff to isolate the costs identified above. The citys staff used a split of 44% for trail
activities, and 56% for preserve activities in FY 2011.
FY11
Direct and Indirect Costs FY09 Actuals FY10 Actuals
Actuals
Trail Costs Only $ 507,548 $ 432,149 $ 434,326
Preserve/Open Space Costs Only $ 197,380 $ 326,007 $ 733,871
One can see a very different trend between trail and preserve activities through this separation. As the
Department took on greater responsibility, contracts, grants, and staff related to preserve management,
costs increased significantly since FY09 (over $355,000). However, the increased costs do not represent
an increase in overall spending for the city. Rather, these funds were a transfer of responsibility for the
citys habitat preserve. During the same period, trails costs decreased by about $70,000. This decrease
can be most likely attributed to a decrease in trail construction and greater efficiencies gained through trail
maintenance and the Volunteer program.
ServiceStatistics
The city tracks very few specific service statistics for trail activities. Partially, this is due to the limited use
of Hansen to track specific activities. According to staff, the majority of work activities are recorded under
the Routine Trail Maintenance category. As with other parks maintenance activities, we continue to
recommend the increased use of Hansen to track a greater level of detail for service statistics.
79
City of Carlsbad Adopt a Trail Program Guide
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
While, activity data is limited, the city has established goals for trail maintenance cost, new trail
development, and citizen satisfaction with the quality of the trail system. Currently, the city has a goal of
keeping trail maintenance costs under $6,090 per mile. Based on our calculations, the citys fully loaded
direct cost per trail mile (does not include indirect costs), including coastal rail trail costs, is approximately
$8,808.
Additionally, the city has a goal of expanding the trail system by four miles per year. In the same FY11
budget year, the city reported that only 0.3 miles of trail were incorporated into the system from trail
improvements and the acceptance of an irrevocable offer. Overall, trail development was low due to a
decline in private development.
Finally, the city tracks customer satisfaction related to the trail system. The city reported that 88% of all
respondents rated the trails satisfaction as good or excellent on the City of Carlsbad public opinion
survey.80 The city has a goal of maintaining a 90% rating for this measure. The citys staff have indicated
that it is difficult to obtain a higher rating due to the populations high demand for more trails.
Based on information provided by the citys staff, there appears to be no specific service statistics related
to Preserve activities. The city currently maintains 688 acres of preserves.
Since 2004, the city has added over 20 miles of trail.81 Compared to a national average, the city has more
total trails for its population than the average municipality.
NRPA
City of
Comp. A Comp. B Comp. C Comp. E Comp. F National
Carlsbad
(Median)
Not
Trail Mileage Total 4782 40.5 9.5 13.3 60 36.63
answered
Trail Mileage per Not
4.46 6.80 1.51 2.09 7.16 Not applicable
10,000 population answered
Not
Dirt (Miles) 31.3 No info 0.5 11.1 0 Not applicable
answered
Crushed Gravel Not
0 No info 3 0 33 Not applicable
(Miles) answered
Not
Paved (Miles) 6.7 No info 6 3.2 27 Not applicable
answered
Direct Cost Per 83 84 Not
$8,808 $3,393 $1,916 $18,340 $3,450 Not applicable
Trail Mile answered
When compared to its regional peers, the city has the second highest total mileage count, and the third
highest miles of trail per 10,000 population. The city is also just above the average miles of trail per
10,000 population within its peer group (average is 4.41). Also, when compared to its peers, the city has a
significantly larger proportion of dirt trails compared to all trail types. This ratio is consistent with the above
80
Ibid.
81
City Wide Trails Program 5 Year Maintenance and Operations Plan.
82
Carlsbad manages only 38 of the 47 miles of trail available. The remainder is managed by private organizations or the Streets
Department.
83
Cost per trail mile is calculated using 38 miles of trail managed by the City of Carlsbad divided by total direct trail costs. If indirect
trail costs are added, the cost per trail miles increases to $11,430.
84
Comparable A total trails cost was calculated by allocating $32,400 of the parks maintenance personnel costs to trail activities as
directed by the survey point of contact.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
average amount of open space and preserve area when compared to its regional peer group. In these
preserve areas, unpaved trails are often used to maintain the natural landscape and enhance
environmental preservation.
Unfortunately there is limited national data identifying the average cost per trail mile. A July 2005 report by
the Rails to Trails Conservancy discussed the challenges with identifying trail maintenance costs. The
report states, First, the trail may be part of a larger budget for a single park or even an entire parks and
recreation department.85 Knowing these limitations, the report indicated an average M&O cost for the
100 respondents of the study: 86
M&O Cost Per Mile

Asphalt $ 1,458
Non-Asphalt $ 1,478
The city by comparison has an M&O cost per mile of $2,440 in FY 2011. Also, the city is higher in cost
(direct costs) per mile when compared to its regional peer group. These higher costs are likely due to the
nature of the citys trails. The $8,808 per mile cost (direct costs) was calculated by including all direct trail
costs and includes costs associated with the Coastal Rail Trail. As indicated earlier, the Coastal Rail Trail
experiences a large portion of vandalism which increases the overall cost per trail mile. Finally, the city
has a larger proportion of dirt trails than other municipalities (82% of 38 miles of trail maintained by the
city). While significantly more expensive to install, once constructed, asphalt trails may require lower
maintenance as demonstrated in the Rails to Trails study.
Due to the diverse nature and definition of preserve areas, it is difficult to establish national or even
regional benchmarks for preserve management. As part of our comparability study, only one municipality
reported having preserve acreage. The table below summarizes this data:
City of NRPA National

Acreage Type Carlsbad Comparable F (Median)
Preserve Acreage 688 38 1740
Preserve Acreage per 10,000
Population 65.3 4.5 N/A
Preserve Direct Cost (FY11) $ 425,993 $ 247,000 N/A
Preserve Direct Cost Per Acre $ 619 $ 6,500 N/A
When compared to this municipality, the city has significantly more preserve acreage per 10,000
population. When compared to the national average, the city has more than a thousand fewer acres than
the national average. However, because these are national figures, rural regions of the country may be
skewing these results as they likely have significantly more preserve acreage than more urban
municipalities. In terms of cost, the city is likely less expensive due to the strong relationship and high
degrees of use with its current preserve maintenance vendors (compared to in-house activities), and cost
efficiencies realized through a larger tract of preserve acreage. Overall the city appears to be a regional
leader in providing a large amount of natural area for its citizens to enjoy through hiking, water sports, and
nature viewing.
85
Rail-Trail Maintenance and Operation: Ensuring the Future of Your Trail A Survey of 100 Rail-Trails, Rails to Trails
Conservancy, July 2005.
86
Ibid.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
The majority of contracted services are related to preserve management activities. Large preserve
management contracts such as the Center for Natural Lands Management and the two Habitat
Restoration Services account for 62% of contract expenditures for this line of business in FY11. The table
below indicates Trails/Open Space/Preserve applicable contracts over $1,000.
FY11 Actuals Allocated to

Company Description Trails/Open
Space/Preserve
Agricultural Pest Control, Inc. Agricultural pest control $ 1,146
California Conservation Corps Urban forest thinning 2011/12 $ 25,020
Habitat management services to the
Center for Natural Lands city to help fulfill the goals of the
$ 163,526
Management Preserve Management Plan
(PMP)
Offshore profile survey services
Coastal Frontiers Corporate $ 19,161
along the Carlsbad coastline
Lake Calavera
Habitat Restoration Sciences $ 23,619
5-Acre Habitat Restoration Project
Lake Calavera
Habitat Restoration Sciences $ 8,462
1-Acre Mitigation Project
Locator Services DBA Able
Security services $ 14,446
Patrol and Guard
Merkel & Associates, Inc Lagoon buoys maintenance $ 34,175
landscape maintenance work at
Westturf Landscape
specified parks, facilities, and trails $ 2,326
Maintenance / Sergio Graham
areas
Habitat West, Inc. Preserve restoration/monitoring $ 5,299
P.B.A. Ltd Engineering Services $ 1,500
SANDAG Beach Sand Nourishment $ 14,691
The citys staff report that they have an outstanding relationship with the preserve management
contractors and meet frequently to achieve mutually agreed upon goals. For example, with the CNLM
contract, city staff are in contact with the vendor three times per week and conduct monthly meetings to
go over restoration projects. The city staff report that this strong relationship and the quality of service
provided by the vendors has led to positive preserve management results during recent years.
Based on discussion with the citys staff, the current strategy of contracting preserve management
activities appears to be the most cost effective choice providing the highest service. Reasons to maintain
this partnership include:
Lack of competition from other organizations and current option has been determined to
be the most cost effective after years of contracting
Strong existing relationship that promotes collaboration
Lack of expertise of staff to carry out preserve management activities
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Current contractor has wealth of experience
In addition, the non-profit contractor primarily responsible for providing the preserve management
services recently restructured their contract with the city, lowering the cost starting in FY 2013. The
current contractor appears to be a strong strategic partner in supporting the city achieve its preserve
management goals.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Trails/OpenSpace/PreserveMaintenance:FutureStateAlternatives
Opportunity Amount
Otherwise Noted)
OE Expand use of Volunteer Trail Program to meet trail
development goals, enhance existing trails, or reduce
costs $ 6,700
MC Conduct managed competition for trail maintenance
activities $ 111,300
Expanded Use of Trail Volunteer Program
As stated earlier in the report, the Trails Volunteer Program appears to be saving the city a significant
amount of money each year. The program also appears to be effective in maintaining the trails with close
support from city staff. Due to the success of the program, we recommend that the city consider
expansion of the program to increase trail rehabilitation activities and reduce trail costs.
The use of volunteers to reduce trail maintenance costs is also demonstrated in an analysis by the Rails
to Trails Conservancy. The analysis indicates that the annual cost for government-run trails was
approximately $2,000 per mile and volunteer run trails approximately $700 per mile.87 The difference in
costs is primarily due to the payment of workers in the government run scenario versus the volunteer
scenario which includes primarily materials costs and minimal management.
Estimated reallocation: If we assume that an additional 200 trail volunteer hours can be generated with
minimal increases to staff time required to manage those volunteers, $6,700 of additional staff costs
would be reallocated to other activities.88
DirectOutsourcing
We did not identify direct outsourcing opportunities for the Trails/Open Space/Preserve line of business.
As discussed earlier in this section, we do not believe there are additional opportunities for managed
competition or direct outsourcing for preserve maintenance activities. The fact that almost all preserve
management activities are already outsourced, and the strong relationship with current vendors and their
expertise do not suggest changes in the current model are necessary or cost effective.
However, we believe there are opportunities for trail maintenance and construction. During initial
discussions with two national and two local parks maintenance vendors (provide landscaping and tree
maintenance), vendors stated that they had limited experience in trail maintenance or development.
Typically, trail maintenance by these vendors would include basic landscaping, vegetation removal, and
tree clearance, but limited work on repairing trail structures or fixtures.
87
Rail Trail Maintenance and Operation Ensuring the Future of Your Trail-A Survey of 100 Rail-Trails. Rails to Trails Conservancy,
2005.
88
Based on hourly personnel cost rate of Trails Maintenance Worker II position of $33.50
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
There are a couple national or landscaping specific vendors expressed specific background in trail
construction. There are some trail specialty vendors that conduct trail construction across the country.89
However, these vendors do not appear to be geographically located near Carlsbad. The specialty vendors
are typically hired to perform trail construction and then end the contract, and not provide ongoing
services including volunteer management. This represents an opportunity for the city to expand the
current market to include more consistent and long term services in this area.
Because of the limited nature of the vendor pool and the narrow gap in current cost of service vs. the
private sector rates (see below), we recommend that trail maintenance be considered for managed
competition.
Estimated Savings: Based on industry data, there is a measurable difference in personnel costs between
the city and private contractors. For the purposes of comparison we use the Maintenance Worker II
position for Carlsbad as a reference point. We believe this positions average salary represents a
balanced rate of the various positions that perform trail activities.
Private90 Public
City of % %
Carlsbad Salary Difference Salary Difference
Salary for Maintenance
Worker $ 45,243 $ 32,56791 33% $ 32,55692 33%
Total Compensation for
Maintenance Worker $ 75,796 $ 43,30793 55% $ 54,80794 32%
If we use the gap in private sector vs. city pay (55%) as a benchmark for savings, we place that cost at
approximately $111,337 per year.95 Because this gap is relatively low, we recommend that the city
consider working with CCEA to determine whether or not CCEA would be amenable to managed
competition. The options for bridging the gap include:
> Increasing availability of staff thereby reducing replacement costs;

> Considering whether or not reduced crew sizes are an option;
> Consider whether or not there are other bargaining concessions that can be made to reduce the
overall cost of service.

89
Website www.trailbuilders.org contains a list of trail contractors for proposals on trail projects.
90
Public and private salary estimates based on ERI data. Base salaries were calculated by averaging the ERI salaries of a
Groundskeeper and Gardener position with 10 years of experience. Public and private total compensation estimates is based on
data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics March 2012 Employer Costs for Employee Compensation report. National data indicates
that for the service occupation set, salary is 75.2% of total compensation for the private sector and 59.4 for the public sector..
91
Salary for private sector maintenance worker II based on ERI April 1, 2012 dataset (recreation entities subset). Salary was
estimated by averaging the salary of a gardener ($30,802) and groundskeeper ($34,331), both with 10 years experience.
92
Salary for public sector maintenance worker II based on ERI April 1, 2012 dataset (government support services subset). Salary
was estimated by averaging the salary of a gardener ($30,794) and groundskeeper ($34,317), both with 10 years experience.
93
Based on national Bureau of Labor Statistics March 2012 Employer Costs for Employee Compensation report, salary for a private
sector worker in the service occupation is 75.2% of total compensation. Total compensation estimate for a private sector
94
sector worker in the service occupation is 59.4% of total compensation. Total compensation estimate for a public sector
95
Estimate is based on calculated personnel costs for trails only of $204,073 in FY11. Calculation is based on difference of 54.56%
which is rounded to 55% in the comparison table.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
TreeMaintenance/Management:CurrentStateAnalysis
The city has placed an increasing focus in recent years on maintaining the beauty and condition of its
urban trees. The city takes great pride in the quality of its trees and has achieved a Tree City USA
designation for seven straight years. City staff also stated that they strive to meet or exceed International
Society of Arboriculture (ISA) standards in the maintenance of their tree inventory.
Since 2004, the Department has increased the frequency in which its trees are pruned as part of a
proactive maintenance program. This increase in proactive maintenance was chosen to increase the
beauty and safety of trees, but also decrease the amount of reactive or emergency maintenance required.
Parks maintenance activities for trees include a variety of median, parks, street, and facility trees. These
trees, depending on their species or location in the city, are now pruned on a two to four year cycle. Most
trees except for those in urban forest areas like Hosp Grove are included in this city-wide pruning
program. More frequent pruning occurs for species like eucalyptus or trees that are located in high
visibility areas such as the downtown district or larger parks.
Activities for tree maintenance include a combination of routine maintenance and responses to service
request or emergencies. Routine activities primarily include pruning, watering, fertilization, inventory and
root pruning. Other less frequent activities that are often completed on an as-needed basis include
staking, guying, stump removal, and tree planting. The majority of activities are completed through a
combination of in-house staff and contracted work. The breakdown of this work will be discussed in the
current contracts section of the report.
Unlike trail maintenance, tree activities are not supported to a great extent by volunteer activities.
However, the city does have one tree related volunteer event each year on Arbor Day. The city is still
trying to increase the completeness of recording the volunteer hours for this event. Unfortunately, a
precise count of the volunteer hours for these days does not appear to be available.
CostofService
For FY11, the city expended a total of $1,669,779 on tree maintenance services. Of these costs,
personnel costs (50%) and M&O costs (29%) were the two most significant cost categories.
Personnel $ 741,249 $ 773,145 $ 848,723

Capital Outlay $ 7,269 $ 309 $ 641

IT Overhead $ 25,308 $ 44,834 $ 34,356
Fleet Overhead $ 71,403 $ 71,988 $ 75,523
Other Overhead $ 68,148 $ 76,693 $ 65,930
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CityofCarlsbad,CA

Since FY09, M&O costs experienced the largest growth of approximately $122,000. This is consistent
with the citys strategy of increasing overall contracts to increase the frequency of proactive tree
maintenance across trees under the Departments purview. Proactive maintenance is also commonly
referred to as preventative maintenance. This increase can be associated primarily with increases to the
West Coast Arborist Contract. The large increase in M&O costs, and specifically contract costs between
FY10 and FY11 should be seen as a cost peak according to city staff. During FY11, a higher than normal
number of trees were maintained to catch trees up to the proactive pruning schedule. Staff expect that
contract costs for future years will be lower than FY11.
Fleet costs have remained relatively consistent for the city since FY09. During the site visit interviews, no
significant changes in equipment needs were reported during this period or new major pieces of capital
equipment were purchased. Tree maintenance activities do rely on capital equipment including boom
trucks, chippers, and power tools.
Revenues for tree activities in designated street tree areas and medians are primarily sourced from the
median and tree maintenance assessment districts. Revenues from the assessment districts remained
relatively consistent due to limited increases in the assessment.
As mentioned, personnel costs are approximately 50% of the overall tree maintenance costs in FY11 and
have remained relatively consistent since FY09. An increase of approximately $100,000 in personnel
costs since FY09 is reflected in a small increase in FTE work hours and a small decrease in part time
hours worked. Thus, overall personnel cost increases are partially due to negotiated salary increases
during this period.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
2009 2010 2011

Full Time 6.75 7.03 7.12
Part Time 0.78 0.94 0.75
Because levels dedicated tree staff have remained consistent since FY09, additional work hours for tree
activities are coming from cross line of business work (staff primarily dedicated to landscaping, trails,
hardscape, or preserve work).
For these personnel, their time is spent primarily on general tree pruning (45%) and contract
management (35%). Again, this is consistent with the overall strategy of tree services, balancing the
completion of tree activities through a combination of in-house work and contract management.
Estimated Effort in
Tasks % of Staff Time
Hours/Yr
General Tree Pruning 6624 45%
Contract Management 5216 35%
Tree Inventory 2496 17%
Tree Training and Preservation 96 Less than 1%
Tree Watering and Irrigation 96 Less than 1%
Tree replacement 96 Less than 1%
Respond to emergencies 96 Less than 1%
Tree and Stump Removal 96 Less than 1%
All Subfunction Hours and Cost 14,816 100%
As part of our analysis we calculated the difference between in-house and contracted tree maintenance
activities. Our analysis indicates that proactive and reactive tree maintenance can be achieved at a lower
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
cost with contracted staff. Proactive and reactive maintenance include pruning activities that are part of
the proactive maintenance plan and responding to maintenance requests during normal business hours.
Emergent activities primarily include emergency responses that occur after normal business hours.
For emergent activities, City staff receive additional compensation for after hours work, thus the hourly
cost is higher when compared to proactive and reactive activities. However, overall lower hourly costs are
achieved due to the fact that approximately 95% of emergency tree requests can be completed by a
single in-house staff member, whereas outsourced vendors must contain a full crew complement of three
FTE regardless of the nature of the emergency request.
Hourly Tree Maintenance Costs
Proactive and
Emergent Salary City Estimate of
Reactive Salary and
City Hourly Cost Break-Out and Benefits Vendor Hourly Rate
Benefits Hourly
Hourly Rate (All Service Types)
Rate
Tree Trimmer Lead Worker $ 49.0496 $ 62.47
Tree Trimmer II $ 45.1997 Not applicable Includes 3 person crew,

Part-Time Grounds Person $ 16.49 $ 0.00 truck, chipper, and
Stakebed Truck Not applicable $ 29.40 contract management/
inspection
Aerial Truck $ 88.21 $ 0.00
Chipper $ 1.59 $ 0.00
$ 200.52 $ 91.87 $ 172.80
Total City Hourly Costs
Difference With Vendor Cost $ 27.72 $ (80.93) Not Applicable
Using these calculations, the difference between the citys salary and benefits hourly rate and the hourly
rate of a contractor for proactive and reactive maintenance is approximately $28.Regarding emergent
activities, we estimate that the difference is approximately $81-that is, $81 less expensive per hour to
complete these activities when compared to a vendor.
These calculations make a strong case for contracting proactive and reactive activities assuming that
contractors are able to provide an equivalent level of service as in-house staff through strong contract
management. However, evidence seems to indicate that using in-house staff for emergent activities may
be more cost effective and provide a higher level of service through faster response time. Police dispatch
is able to contact tree staff directly improving the overall response time. City staff estimated that
approximately 96 hours were spent on emergent activities in FY10. Assuming the $80.93 per hour cost
savings for use of in-house staff for emergent activities, the city saves approximately $7,769 per year by
completing this activity in-house.
Consideration of the Tree Assessment District
Similar to the Median Assessment district, the city reports significant challenges with the Tree Assessment
District covering costs for its intended purpose: the maintenance of street trees. For FY12, the city
estimates that it will have to make a transfer from the General Fund to cover a funding gap with the Tree
Assessment District. The city does not yet have information on the extent of the gap. The city should
96
Hourly rate calculated using Tree Trimmer Lead worker total compensation of $102,000.
97
Hourly rate calculated using Tree Trimmer II total compensation of $94,000.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
identify additional revenue through the District or identify cost savings opportunities as the District should
be self-funded.
ServiceStatistics
Based on current inventory counts, the Department has primary responsibility for approximately 20,000
trees. Approximately 14,500 have been inventoried for the purposes of the proactive maintenance cycle.
Another 5,500 trees located in urban forest areas are part of a two year inspection cycle but do not
receive the same level of maintenance as the inventoried trees.
The city has been able to track tree activities with some precision in recent years. Through the use of
Hansen, reporting requirements by contractors for tree services, and the use of GIS systems, the city has
been able to monitor tree pruning activity and report counts. In Hansen, staff are using five primary
categories to report workload: tree pruning, tree planting, stump removal, tree removal, and clearance
pruning. Despite this, city staff report that some tree pruning counts may not be fully captured using these
categories or reporting may be inconsistent among staff. For this reason, we have recommended not
using this data for the purposes of this report. City staff provided refined tree counts and are depicted in
the table below. The table depicts tree counts based on location (parks/facility, street trees, median, or no
specified zone) and if the tree was maintained via contract or in-house staff. 98
Percent of Trees Contracted

FY09 FY10 FY11
Park/Facility 0.35% 0.06% 25.0%
Tree
Street Tree 61.8% 65.7% 59.7%
Median 0.00% 0.00% 68.0%
No Zone N/A 100.00% N/A
Specified
Total %
27.6% 22.7% 45.6%
Contracted
Tree Costs
FY09 FY10 FY11
$1,107,747 $1,127,688 $1,330,178

Total Direct Tree Costs
$711 $418 $353
Direct Cost Per Tree
From the data, key insights can be generated for the citys tree maintenance program:
The total number of trees maintained from FY09-11 has increased dramatically: approximately
2,200 trees or a 59% increase. This increase is a result of an increased proactive maintenance
approach for the citys tree inventory.
98
Tree pruning count does not include maintenance on approximately 5,000 trees in urban forest areas.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
The percentage of trees maintained by contractors versus in-house staff has increased from 27.6%
to 45.6%. The increase in proactive maintenance was met through additional contracted support.
While total tree costs have increased, the direct cost per tree has decreased by approximately $358
since FY09.
These patterns appear to be consistent with the activities that the city has undertaken to achieve the best
value in service.
Overall increase of proactive tree pruning program since 2004 and incorporation of median trees
into the proactive program.
Increased reliance on contractors to meet larger volume of tree pruning needs.
The cost per tree decrease may be due to a variety of reasons, most notably efficiencies generated
through volume of trees maintained, reduced costs for reactive services through prevention (benefit of
proactive tree pruning program), and lower costs for contractors with routine tree maintenance.
In terms of maintenance standards, the city adheres to and strives to exceed the International Society of
Arboriculture (ISA) standards. This organization provides best practices, information sharing, and
certification for tree care professionals. The city also follows the California state standard that requires a
boom truck be operated with at least two crew members.
We rely primarily on regional comparable municipalities for analysis of tree cost and productivity.
Unfortunately, a great deal of national or international data is not available due to the many differences in
climate and trees species maintained around the world. A total of three of the six municipalities reported
complete tree information as part of their survey responses which includes an annual tree maintenance
count and cost. An additional three municipalities provided supplemental information on the structure of
their tree pruning program.
Comparable Comparable Comparable Comparable Comparable

Carlsbad
A B C E F
# Total Trees No No
19,925 35,000 15,500 No information
Maintained information information
# Tree Maintained No
3,750 3,100 12,340 2,000 No information
Annually information
% of Trees
Maintained by 46% 100% 100% 93% 100% 50%
Contractors
Annual Tree
Maintenance Direct $1,330,178 $46,99799 $140,000 $1,071,698 $416,080 $30,000
Cost
Direct Cost Per Insufficient Insufficient
$353 $45 $87 $208
Tree Maintained information information
99
Comparable A tree cost calculated by allocating 3% of parks maintenance personnel costs to tree activities.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Comparable Comparable Comparable Comparable Comparable

Carlsbad
A B C E F
Proactive- 3 Proactive-
Proactive- 2-4 Proactive-
Proactive- 3-6 year cycles Block
year pruning pruning,
year cycles based on grid trimming
Type of Tree cycle damage
Reactive depending on pruning and based on
Maintenance depending on control; Fall
park and tree service annual
tree species and winter
species request budget: 2000
and location pruning cycle.
pruning trees per year
Combination-
Contracted-
Primarily in- large projects
For large Contracted-
house- requiring a
storm events, Contractor is
contracted bucket truck
Emergency Tree city staff to called once
when Contracted Contracted are
Response organize staff
necessary for contracted;
contract ascertains
volume and smaller
crews and city need
equipment projects are
staff crews
in-house
In-house
crews
In-House Crew 3 person
Not applicable Not applicable scheduled on Not applicable No information
Structure crew
as needed
basis
Many municipalities reported that they were unable to report the number of trees pruned per year. One
municipality stated that it is undergoing a process to inventory its trees and would be able to track this
quantity in the near future. First, this indicates that the city appears to be a regional leader in tracking tree
maintenance data. This information should continue to support the city in its decision making around tree
maintenance. Compared to its peers, the city appears to be equipped to make more informed choices
about its tree pruning program.
Another key observation is the very large variance in the amount of expenditures for tree maintenance.
Based on comparable statements, this can be partially attributed to the scope of tree maintenance
services provided by either the Parks & Recreation Department or PEM. In some circumstances,
municipalities only reported tree maintenance costs and tree counts related to their department.
Comparable A, for example, did not report costs for its median trees. In this respect, the Department
appears to manage a much larger scope of trees (medians, facilities, parks, and street) when compared
to its regional peers. Unfortunately, insufficient data is available to associate the centralization of tree
maintenance to potential cost savings.
Surveyed comparable municipalities were asked to describe the type of maintenance performed,
structure of emergency tree response, and crew sizes. Based on our experience, these factors are
common drivers of tree maintenance costs. All but one surveyed municipality reported using a form of
proactive tree maintenance with frequencies varying from two to six years. Proactive maintenance
appears to be a trend that the city has adopted. Also, the survey confirms the citys assertion that it has
one of the most frequent tree pruning cycles in its region.
The city is unique in providing emergency tree services in-house. This trend is most likely explained in
that most other municipalities have fully outsourced tree maintenance operations and have limited in-
house staff to perform this service.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Compared to three peer municipalities who reported sufficient information to estimate a per tree cost, the
city has the highest per tree cost and the cost per tree varies significantly between these municipalities.
There are several explanations for this difference in cost:
The citys annual tree count does not fully include trees maintained in the urban forest areas
which inflates costs
The city has the lowest percentage of contracted tree maintenance when compared to peer
municipalities. This may indicate potential cost savings with increased contracted tree maintenance.
The city has the highest reported frequency of tree pruning when compared to peer municipalities.
More frequent pruning will likely result in higher short term costs, but may result in longer term cost
savings.
To confirm these hypotheses, additional information would be needed from comparable municipalities to
understand the impact of contracting on cost. Also, additional data would be needed from the city to
determine the long-term savings impact of more frequent tree pruning. The city should continue to track
the number of trees pruned and more specifically, the frequency and cost of reactive and emergent
maintenance. The city should experience a downward trend in these costs in coming years.
Understanding these cost savings will help the city determine the benefit/cost of the increased frequency
of tree pruning.
The majority of the citys tree maintenance contract activities are with two vendors. The California
Conservation Corps is a state sponsored program for young adults that boosts employable skills and
enhances the states natural resources. The work performed by corps members for the City of Carlsbad
focuses on urban forest areas and includes fire fuel reduction and some tree pruning. The city has been
able to obtain a very low rate for these services when compared to a private provider.
The second large contract with West Coast Arborist provides tree maintenance services for locations
throughout the city. Several other small non-routine contracts provided services in years prior to 2011.
The table below depicts contracts over $1,000 that are applicable to the Trees line of business.
FY11 Actuals
Company Description
Allocated to Trees
California Conservation
Urban forest thinning 2011/12
Corps $ 100,080
Landscape maintenance work at
Nissho of California, Inc
specified street medians and parkways
$ 14,286
West Coast Arborist, Inc. Tree trimming maintenance services
$ 260,085
Westturf Landscape landscape maintenance work at
Maintenance / Sergio specified parks, facilities, and trails
Graham areas $ 2,326
Harris & Associates Assessment District Engineering $ 4,148
Plant-Tek Inc Pesticide Application $ 1,796
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
The city performs contract management for these tree maintenance contracts via ten total staff members.
The majority of contract management costs originated from four staff members, Parks Trees Supervisor,
two Tree Trimmer Leadworkers, and the Parks Superintendent. Tasks include regular meetings with
contractors and on-site inspections of the tree contractors work.
TreeMaintenance/Management:FutureStateAlternatives
Opportunity Amount
Otherwise Noted)
DO Directly outsource tree maintenance
activities and continue to use in-house
staff for emergent activities $ 690,000
No operational efficiencies were identified for the Tree line of business.
We have not identified the Tree line of business as a candidate for managed competition.
DirectOutsourcing
Based on data from the city and Comparable Municipalities, the Tree line of business is a candidate for
direct outsourcing. We believe there are several compelling reasons for this direction:
The majority of activities conducted within the Tree line of business are proactive and reactive
maintenance which can be conducted at a lower cost though contracted maintenance
The city has already moved in a direction of outsourcing tree activities to meet the increased
proactive pruning demand and quality has been achieved through strong contract management
Comparable municipalities are using a similar strategy of outsourcing the majority of tree
maintenance activities
The city does not appear to have a significant opportunity for cost savings through a proactive
management approach as it is already utilizing the program
As stated, one significant advantage that in-house staff possess with tree maintenance is lower emergent
tree maintenance costs and better response times due to the connection with police dispatch. In a new
fully outsourced model, city staff would still be present to manage contracted tree maintenance activities.
These staff should be trained tree maintenance staff that double as contract managers. These staff could
continue to perform the small number of simple emergent requests that come up each year (95% of
emergent requests are fulfilled with one staff member). Larger emergent maintenance requests that
require special equipment or larger volume of staff could be met through contracted services. Also, in-
house tree staff could continue to set the tree pruning schedule to meet the citys priorities.
If the city considered outsourcing additional tree services, the cost of maintaining this equipment may
need to be questioned. An option the city may have to consider is selling the equipment or leasing it to the
contractor or other entities.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Estimated savings: Based on data provided by one vendor who responded to our cost estimate
information request, there appears to be a substantial opportunity for cost savings through outsourcing.
Below is an estimate of a fully outsourced tree maintenance program. This estimate was based on FY11
activities to facilitate a comparison of costs with the city.
Direct Costs
Indirect Costs
Ongoing contract management tasks
(city staff time and resources) $ 329,812
Other Oversight Tasks Included
Qualitative/Soft Costs Included
Total Direct & Indirect Costs

Vendor Option $ 979,812
Currently, the equivalent of approximately 2.5 FTE manages existing tree contracts. If tree maintenance
moved to a full outsourced model, we believe that an additional FTE would be able to accommodate the
additional oversight requirements. The cost estimate for 3.5 FTE to manage a fully outsourced tree
maintenance model is $329,812.100
Cost Comparison
Current Internal Cost $ 1,669,779
Fully Outsourced Option $ 979,812
Using these estimates, we see that the difference between the status quo and the fully outsourced tree
maintenance model is approximately $369,000. Using the high cost estimate provided by the vendor, the
estimated savings is $200,729.
To support the potential cost savings estimate, we can look at industry data to compare salary rates of
city staff, public employees in the region, and private entities in the region. Based on this data, there is a
33% difference between the average salary of a Tree Trimmer II compared to public and private
employees in the region. There is a greater difference of 55% comparing total compensation with private
sector employees. These estimates support the evidence for cost savings through outsourcing.
100
Based on contract management personnel cost of $94,232 per FTE.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Private101 Public
City of %
Carlsbad Salary Difference Salary % Difference
Salary for Tree
Trimmer $ 52,279 $ 37,462102 33% $ 37,443103 33%
Total Compensation
for Tree Trimmer $ 87,909 $ 49,816104 55% $ 63,035105 33%
With strong contract management, we believe that the city can achieve significant cost savings through a
fully outsourced tree maintenance model.
101
Public and private total compensation estimates based data from Bureau of Labor Statistics March 2012 Employer Costs for
Employee Compensation report. National data indicates that for the service occupation set, salary is 75.2% of total compensation
for private sector, and 59.4% for the public sector.
102
Salary for private sector tree trimmer based on ERI April 1, 2012 dataset (recreation entities subset) for a tree trimmer with 10
years of experience.
103
Salary for public sector tree trimmer based on ERI April 1, 2012 dataset (government support services subset) for a tree trimmer
with 10 years of experience.
104
Based on national Bureau of Labor Statistics March 2012 Employer Costs for Employee Compensation report, salary for a
private sector worker in the service occupation is 75.2% of total compensation. Total compensation estimate for a private sector
tree trimmer was calculated as follows: ($37,462/0.752).
105
sector worker in the service occupation is 59.4% of total compensation. Total compensation estimate for a public sector tree
trimmer was calculated as follows: ($37,443/0.594).
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Recreation:Overview
Recreation contains five separate lines of business: Aquatic services, historical parks services, recreation
services, rental services and senior services. These lines of business are extremely diverse in nature and
require a significantly different service focus and competency. From the management of swim lessons to
the preservation of historical parks, this area of municipal services requires effective facilities
management and maintenance, as well as effective program management.
The changes in demographics will have a significant impact on this municipal service area from the
programs offered at senior centers, to the way in which facilities are marketed and most importantly the
manner in which cities communicate and conduct business with their residents. Trends relative to private
and non-profit partnerships for both programs and facilities are vastly changing the way in which
municipal recreation services are provided. Also, the work of consumer trends researcher Rich Luker106
indicates that many residents are increasingly looking for more community engagement and recreational
activities as a key component of where they live. As such, despite the fact that recreation may not be
what some consider a core municipal services, a continuum of high quality recreation services is an
expectation of residents.
Our findings and recommendations take these trends and challenges into consideration and offer options
for the city to consider in offering recreation programming which offers quality of life in a cost effective
manner.

106
Simple Community, Dr. Richard Luker, 2009
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
AquaticServices:CurrentStateAnalysis
The citys current aquatics facilities consist of a single, 30 year-old, 25 meter pool that was built jointly
with the School District. The pool is managed by city staff, but the facility is located adjacent to a high
school and is programmed around high school events and aquatic program needs. The high school is one
of several organizations which rents space for its team and uses the most pool time.
The primary activities at the pool include swim lessons, master classes, team and club rentals and
recreational swim. The pool director has a complex system for scheduling the pool to try to maximize pool
use, but must give priority to the high school when it comes to scheduling. During an average year, the
pool is used by individuals as well as organized groups.
The city is currently in the process of planning for a Community Park Aquatic Center (Alga Norte) to be
built in 2013 that would include multiple pools, sports facilities and play areas. The new facility will
increase pool space significantly and stretch current aquatics resources given that the facility is about
three times the size of the current facility, with considerably different amenities. This will significantly
impact revenue potential, and also will have a substantial impact on available programming and
operational costs. It is anticipated that current annual aquatics attendance of 86,000 will increase. The
city needs to continue to plan carefully to ensure a balance between expended resources and optimized
revenue.
CostofService
Based upon policy decisions related to fees, the pool is not currently self sufficient in terms of generating
enough revenue to truly cover its cost of operation. It costs roughly $660,000 in direct costs to operate the
pool on an annual basis, whereas revenue equates to approximately $364,000 (FY11). This leaves a gap
of approximately $300,000 when considering revenue to expenditures. With the addition of indirect costs,
the total cost to operate the pool is approximately $835,000 annual, widening the revenue to expenditure
gap to $471,000.
Personnel $ 469,440 $ 483,329 $ 487,896

Costs) $ 151,032 $ 144,142 $ 174,812
Capital Outlay $ 499 $ 0 $ 534

services $ 128,919 $ 128,919 $ 128,919
IT Overhead $ 13,595 $ 26,766 $ 29,619
Fleet Overhead $ 0 $ 0 $ 0
Other Overhead $ 5,307 $ 11,818 $ 12,630
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Total Direct & Indirect Costs $ 768,792 $ 794,974 $ 834,411
The current pool employs approximately 9 full time equivalent positions (2.66 are full time and 6.33 are
part time). This number has decreased by roughly 1.5 FTE during the past two years through the
elimination of part time positions.
2009 2010 2011

Full Time 2.63 2.91 2.66
Part Time 7.81 7.07 6.33
The total direct cost for these employees is approximately $488,000 annually. In addition, the aquatics
facility has approximately 486 hours of volunteer effort committed annually, worth approximately $11,000
in the equivalent of staff costs.
Thus, for the current 10 lane 25 yard pool, it takes approximately 9 city staff FTE, plus 486 volunteer
hours annually to operate the current pool facility. This number of required staff hours is likely to increase
considerably with the next facility.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Revenue
Total revenue generated by the pool is roughly $344,183 on average annually. In FY11, revenue
generated reached an all time high of $364,365. In addition to revenue from aquatics programs, rentals
and lessons, the aquatics center also generates revenue from lagoon permits.
Actual History 2008 2009 2010 2011 Average

LAGOON PERMITS $ 24,333 $ 24,202 $ 27,200 $ 31,139 $ 26,718
MISC RECREATION $ - $ - $ - $ 1,543 $ 386
AQUATIC PROGRAMS $ 37,755 $ 39,131 $ 39,026 $ 34,596 $ 37,627
RECREATION SWIM $ 76,981 $ 80,965 $ 75,867 $ 71,423 $ 76,309
AQUATIC LESSONS $ 66,878 $ 87,993 $ 70,455 $ 93,779 $ 79,776
POOL RENTALS $ 103,184 $ 127,277 $ 131,120 $ 131,885 $ 123,367
TOTAL $ 309,131 $ 359,568 $ 343,668 $ 364,365 $ 344,183
The highest revenue generating program per participant is lessons at $4.52 per participant. This is
followed closely by aquatics programs and pool rentals with recreation swim generating almost half a
much as the other programs.
4 Year Revenue Per Participant by Program Average (2007-2010)

Revenue/
Average Revenue Average Participant Participant
AQUATIC
PROGRAMS $ 37,627 8,636 $ 4.36
RECREATION
SWIM $ 76,309 32,774 $ 2.33
AQUATIC LESSONS $ 79,776 17,668 $ 4.52
POOL RENTALS $ 123,367 28,635 $ 4.31
ServiceStatistics
As previously indicated the pool has on average attendance of 87,000 equaling a total of 35,000 lane
hours annually. This attendance has been relatively consistent for the past five years, but is down slightly
from the prior five years.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Attendance Total
89,000 88,837
88,500
88,027
88,000
87,500
87,145
87,000
86,739
86,500
86,000
85,500
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Source: Carlsbad Program Summary Full Ed
The aquatics staff did a good job maintaining attendance overall in 2010-11 given the poor weather. Many
other area pools saw their attendance drop by 10 percent or more.
Examining the various uses of the pool in terms of usage, lane hours by activity is as follows:
Fiscal Rec & Misc. Carlsbad Carlsbad

Year Lap Lessons Masters Programs DSD NCA Girls CUSD Boys TOTAL
2007-08 17,021 1,895 3,133 112 623 3,072 616 4,717 1,836 33,025
2008-09 18,355 1,903 3,500 290 597 2,894 664 4,622 1,976 34,802
2009-10 18,731 1,866 3,464 129 615 2,894 617 5,289 2,103 35,708
2010-11 18,848 2,252 3,368 201 559 2,978 1,087 5,556 1,419 36,268
Average 18,239 1,979 3,366 183 599 2,960 746 5,046 1,834 34,951
% of
Total 52% 6% 10% 1% 2% 8% 2% 14% 5%
By far, the highest use of the pool is for the Recreation and Lap swim (52%). This is followed by use by
the high school (14%) and the Masters Swim program (10%).
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
LaneHourUsesbyProgram20072011
CarlsbadBoys
5%
CUSD
14%
CarlsbadGirls
2%
NCA
Rec&Lap
8%
52%
DSD Masters
2% 10%
Lessons
Misc. 6%
Programs
1%
The total pool size is 6,150 square feet; resulting in an average attendee per day to pool space ratio of
approximately .04.
Where available, the aquatics industry tends to focus their use of metrics on either: a) per
participant/attendee revenue, cost and space use; or b) cost of maintenance or operations. Some specific
metrics referred to in the industry include:
Attendees/space
Population/ pool (as expressed by 1 pool/10,000 of population)
Daily revenue per attendee
Maintenance cost/square feet of center
Energy cost/square feet of center
These metrics are more common in other countries, especially those with more consistent and temperate
climates. In the U.S., relevant metrics would need to be regionally based to make sense given the vast
variances in electric rates, climate, etc. However, the USA Swimming Foundation does list metrics on their
website which indicate the following:
For a 50 meter pool, they estimate the following:
50 Meter
Industry Metrics Pool 10 Lane/25 Yard Pool
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
50 Meter
Industry Metrics Pool 10 Lane/25 Yard Pool
Sq Ft of Space 12,300 6,150
Operational Costs* 244,440 141,120
Rental Income 666,540 414,000
Revenue/sq ft $ 54.19 $ 67.32
Expense/sq ft $ 19.87 $ 22.95
*USA Swimming Foundation
Industry standards indicate that the average population per pool is:
Pool Type City of Median Population/Pool

Carlsbad
Outdoor- competitive (CA only)107 105,328 107,000
Outdoor competitive 42,180
(nationwide)
Outdoor Non competitive 38,362
Source: NRPA 2010 survey
Overall, the City of Carlsbad compares to available industry metrics as follows:
City of Carlsbad Industry Comparison

Population/Pool 105,328 42,180 More
Operational Cost/Sq Ft $ 107.84 $ 22.95 More
Revenue/Sq Ft $ 53.93 $ 67.32 Less
Best practices relative to aquatics management include:

Optimization of pool scheduling
Minimization of chemical use
Close monitoring of water and electricity usage and costs
Limitation of pool down time for maintenance closures
Scheduling of pool hours to coincide with highest use (i.e., more staff and open hours in
the summer, reductions in the winter)
Balance between open swim, group use and programming
Municipal pools that have obtained self recovery status have typically moved away from the historical
competitive pool only design to a more recreational and amenity filled water park model.
The city would be wise to set specific metrics and performance targets for the entire aquatics program
(i.e., all complexes).
Comparable Analysis
107
Data taken from 2010 NRPA survey due to insufficient 2011 data
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
The median population per pool for Carlsbad is significantly higher than the other comparables. All
comparables, with the exception of one, are close to the industry standard of 42,180 population per pool.

Carlsbad B C D F
Population 105,329 62,979 85,186 47,811 83,781
# of Pools 1 3 2 1 2
Median
Population/Pool 105,328 20,993 42,593 47,811 41,891
The addition of the Alga Norte Facility will bring the city in line with industry standards.
When comparing Carlsbad to other communities, the aquatics facility:

Spends at the higher end on labor cost/attendee
Spends on the higher end of total operational cost/attendee

Carlsbad B C D F
Annual Attendees 86,739 95,000 32,288 200,000 57,000
Total Direct Cost $ 663,242 $ 816,132 $ 265,733 $ 676,610 $ 164,200
Direct Labor Cost $ 487,897 $ 375,558 $ 182,635 $ 436,800 $ 143,300
Total
Cost/Attendee $ 7.65 $ 8.59 $ 8.23 $ 3.38 $ 2.88
Labor
Cost/Attendee $ 5.62 $ 3.95 $ 5.66 $ 2.18 $ 2.51
In comparing Carlsbad to other communities, the aquatics facility generates on the higher end of total
revenue per attendee, but on the lower end when comparing net revenue per attendee.

Carlsbad B C D F
Annual Attendees 86,739 95,000 32,288 200,000 57,000
Total Revenue $ 331,684 $ 184,485 $ 125,000 $ 200,390 $ 215,900
Revenue/Attendee $ 3.82 $ 1.94 $ 3.82 $ 1.00 $ 3.79
Net Revenue/Attendee
(Labor Only) $ (1.80) $ (2.01) $ (1.80) $ (1.18) $ 1.27
Also, from a comparability stand point, the City of Carlsbad has higher total revenue per square foot.

Carlsbad B C D F Average
Pool Size 6,150 8,732 23,550 12,300 9,900 13,62
Attendees 86,739 95,000 32,288 200,000 57,000 96,072

Total Revenue $ 331,684 $ 184,485 $ 125,000 $ 200,390 $ 215,900 $181,444
Revenue/Square
Foot $ 53.93 $ 21.13 $ 5.31 $ 16.29 $ 21.81 $ 16.13
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Possible factors impacting these figures:

Despite the smaller size of the pool, the city has significant attendance through effective
scheduling.
Given the size limitations and the age of the pool, the cost to run it is higher than other
newer and larger facilities.
A review of a fee comparison conducted by the city in 2012 indicates that fees for both residents (R) and
non-residents (NR) are lower than other surrounding communities in all categories with the exception of
Masters Programs.
City of Municipality Non-Profit Market

Carlsbad Average Average Private Average
Daily Admit (Adult) 3.00 3.17 8.67 N/A 5.92
Daily Admit - NR 4.00 4.00 N/A N/A 4.00
Yearly Pass 180.00 293.33 552.00 492.00 445.78
Yearly Pass - NR 270.00 365.00 582.00 N/A 473.50
Group Lesson/hr - R 10.00 8.92 20.50 16.31 15.24
Group Lesson/hr - NR 14.00 10.67 25.33 16.31 17.44
Private Lessons/hr 25.00 N/A N/A 40.00 40.00
Private Lesson/hr - NR 35.00 N/A N/A 40.00 40.00
Masters/Month - R 40.00 50.00 43.00 36.00 43.00
Masters/Month - NR 60.00 55.00 62.00 45.00 54.00

Rental
School 8.00 10.00 22.22 N/A 16.11
Nonprofit 11.00 9.50 22.22 N/A 15.86
For profit 12.00 10.53 22.22 N/A 16.38
Commercial 12.00 13.84 22.22 N/A 18.03

Source: 2012 City of Carlsbad Fee Survey (R Resident; NR Non-resident)
The pool currently contracts for approximately $33,000 annually in maintenance and program services as
follows:
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Service Annual Amount
Programs/courses $ 28,000
Maintenance $ 5,345
In looking at what other entities are doing relative to outsourcing, of the four respondents, one has an
agreement with the local school district for the district to provide all pool maintenance. Additionally, one of
the comparables contracts out restroom cleaning. The city currently uses the Property & Equipment
Management division (PEM) for weekly cleaning of the bathrooms, but relies on lifeguard staff to conduct
the daily cleaning. This is an issue that should be explored as part of the PEM assessment. The amount
indicated above for maintenance refers to one time specialized maintenance required for pool equipment.
Similar to the city, three of the four comparables contract for specialized instruction (i.e., aerobics, diving)
programming.
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AquaticServices:FutureStateAlternatives
This analysis has identified the following in potential options and savings related to the citys Aquatics
facilities.
Opportunity Amount
Area &
Focus
Otherwise Noted)
OE Increase Fee Levels $ 34,500
OE Focus Pool Use on High Revenue Generation Activities $ 30,500
OE Centralize Registration and Marketing Not available
OE Expand the Use of Consortium or Master Contract Based Not available
Purchasing for Pool Supplies
DO Outsource Routine Pool Maintenance $ 41,200
DO Increase Part time and/or Contractual Staff $ 0 -107,000
DO Outsource Custodial for Pool and Aquatics Park Bathrooms Include as part of PEM
review
Increase Fee Levels for Aquatics Activities
As stated previously, the city tends to charge less than the market average for all offerings other than
Masters Lessons. Also, when comparing fee levels with the municipal areas, the city is significantly lower
in terms of yearly passes, master programs and school and commercial rentals when compared to other
municipalities.
Given that the city provides services to tax-paying residents, it is understandable that it might feel the
need to set rates below market; however, a closer look at the fee schedule indicates an opportunity to
increase fees slightly for some of the higher revenue generating areas, and still be well at the lower end
of market. This would allow the city to close the gap between operational expenses and revenue
generated.
Estimated Revenue: If the city would increase fees for yearly passes to even a comparable level with the
existing municipal average rates, it could generate an additional $22,188 in revenue annually. Likewise,
increasing the rates paid by schools and commercial renters of the pool could result in $12,337 of
additional revenue for a conservative total revenue increase of $34,500. The table below presents a
summary of this data:
Current Proposed Current Projected Revenue

Rate Rate Revenue Revenue Increase Assumptions
50% of total Rec/Lap
Revenue
85% of rec/lap swim
Yearly Pass - R $ 180 $ 290 $ 31,875 $ 51,354 year Res
15% of rec/lap swim
Yearly Pass - NR $ 270 $ 400 $ 5,625 $ 8,333 $ 22,188 year NR
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Current Proposed Current Projected Revenue

Rate Rate Revenue Revenue Increase Assumptions
Rental - School $ 8 $ 10 $ 61,684 $ 71,964 50% of rentals
Rental -
Commercial $ 12 $ 14 $ 12,337 $ 14,393 $ 12,337 10% of rentals
Total Rental Fee Increase - two items $ 34,524
The city should set a policy of reviewing these fees annually or at least biannually to ensure they are
recouping cost of operations and in line with market.
Focus Pool Use on High Revenue Generation Activities
Currently pool scheduling revolves around school use which results in the lowest net revenue per hour.
Approximately six (6) hours per day are reserved for school use from September through mid-June. While
the pool director and supervisor have worked diligently to effectively schedule the pool, they are
somewhat limited in their ability to meet the goals of a sustainable pool given the need to give the school
first priority.
# of Lanes Total Cost of Net

Fee Per Facility Direct Revenue
Per Participants Revenue Labor Per
Hour Possible Per Hour Per Hour Hour Assumptions
School Rental $ 8 10 $ 80 $ 12 $ 68 1 lifeguard on duty
Group Lessons 2 instructors & 10
R* $ 15 10 $ 150 $ 24 $ 126 participants per class
Group Lessons 2 instructors & 10
NR $ 17 10 $ 170 $ 24 $ 146 participants per class
2 students & 5
instructors per
Private Lessons $ 25 10 $ 250 $ 60 $ 190 session
Other Rentals $ 12 10 $ 120 $ 12 $ 108 1 lifeguard on duty
*American Red Cross Standards indicate the need for 100-120 sq ft per lesson participant which equates
to roughly 1 lane per student.
Estimated Savings: It is understood that there is not an unlimited supply of those seeking private lessons
in the Carlsbad area, however, if the pool were to increase its available private lesson pool time they
would increase their net revenue per hour approximately $122 (i.e., $190 - $68). Assuming a reallocation
of 5% of current pool time for the schools and use of these hours for private lesson pool time, this could
result in an increase of $30,500 in net revenue annually.
Current Estimated Lane Proposed Hour Annual Revenue

Hours Reallocation Change
School Time 5,000 $ (250) $ (17,000)

Private Lessons <20 $ 250 $ 47,500
Total Revenue Impact $ 30,500

Assumes hour reallocation is in addition to current private students
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Two other things that the city should consider to optimize pool resources:
Centralize Registration and Marketing and hire a dedicated group sales person for parks
facility rentals.
Expand the use of Consortium or Master Contract based purchasing for Pool
Maintenance Supplies and Equipment
Both of these items allow the city to take advantage of the economies of scale from a larger purchasing or
service delivery approach (i.e., specialized expertise and increased volume typically result in increased
efficiencies).
No managed competition opportunities have been identified.
DirectOutsourcing
Outsource Routine Pool Maintenance Monroe Street
As the city contemplates the addition of the Algae Norte Aquatic Center, it is considering the potential to
outsource maintenance functions relative to that site. At the same time, the city should consider the
possibility of also contracting for routine and regular maintenance of pool equipment and facilities. These
functions are currently performed primarily by the Recreation Supervisor Aquatics with assistance from
the Aquatics Supervisor as needed.
Estimated Reallocation: Based on conversations roughly .4 of an FTE is dedicated to maintenance

activities. This equates to approximately $41,200 in salary and benefits costs related to pool maintenance
activities.
Other comparable municipal pools have partnership in which the schools actually run their pools.
Additionally, there are several vendors out there that provide routine and preventative pool maintenance
for municipalities including pool specialty firms as well as large national maintenance firms. Firms in the
San Diego area include: American Pool Enterprises, Knorr Systems, as well as independent
maintenance contractors. Also many engineering firms are getting into maintenance activities with some
even specializing in aquatics operations (Weston & Sampson Environmental & Infrastructure consultants).
Rate structures vary depending on pool size, geographic location, pool age and condition, and frequency
of activities. In general, these companies have proven the ability to save clients money by ensuring
appropriate use of chemicals which can lengthen the life of equipment and performance of regular
preventative maintenance to keep facilities and equipment running smoothly and slowing the depreciation
of equipment.
Increase Part time and/or Contracted Staff
At its current pool, the city has 2.66 FTE dedicated to the pool. When comparing this to other comparable
pool facilities, the city has a higher level of full time staff than other entities; however the revenue
generated per staff person is on par with the average of the comparables.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA

Carlsbad B C D F Average
Full Time Staff 2.66 3 0 2 1
Attendees 86,739 95,000 32,288 200,000 57,000

Revenue $ 331,684 $ 184,485 $ 125,000 $ 200,390 $ 215,900
Attendee/Staff
FTE 32,609 31,667 - 100,000 57,000 62,889
Revenue/Staff
FTE $124,693 $ 61,495 - $ 100,195 $ 215,900 $ 125,863
As discussed earlier, in comparing Cost per Attendee, the city is also on the high end when looking at
total labor cost only.
Potential Savings (Deferred): Assuming that the city wishes to get closer to the level of full time staffing of
other entities, it would need to reduce staff by about 1 FTE. A level of 1.66 FTE results in an
attendee/staff FTE level of 52,252 and a revenue/staff FTE level of $199,810. While this could result in
approximately $107,000 in annual savings it would also eliminate a very important backup at the
management level, would require the hire of contracted routine pool maintenance staff and would place
more of a burden on the remaining staff. Another option might be to replace the existing full time staff with
part time staff.
Given the significant increase to the citys aquatics facility size and type of potential programming, it will
be necessary to increase the level of available staff hours to operate the pool considerably once Alga
Norte is complete. In looking at other aquatics facilities, there appears to be a variety of ways in which
programs (i.e., lessons, programs, etc) are staffed. While some choose to manage all instruction in-
house, the majority of municipal facilities nationwide including the comparables tend to use a combination
of both in-house and contracted staff. However, the method of contracting staff varies considerably and
includes:
Contracts with individuals

Contracts/agreements with non-profits
Contracts with for-profit swim schools
Other comparables in the area are primarily teaming with non-profits for programming. They also are
partnering closely with school districts for both instruction and facility rental. On a national level,
municipalities are exploring partnerships with both private and nonprofit entities and are finding mixed
success.
The city will need to first and foremost be concerned with their ability to manage the quality of
programming or instruction offered. If a framework can be established to effectively oversee these
contracts, it may be a way to significantly reduce costs given the hourly rate ($12 on average) for most
lifeguards. However, if the city continues to modify the hourly rate paid to part time staff and is confident
that it has the capacity and labor pool required, contract staff may not be necessary or advisable.
Custodial for Pool Bathrooms
The city currently utilizes the Property & Equipment Management (PEM) division to conduct cleaning on
pool restroom facilities once per week. This function should be considered in the future PEM assessment.
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Specifically, that assessment should explore the question of whether or not some of these custodial
activities might be candidates for managed competition or outsourcing.
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HistoricalParksServices:CurrentStateAnalysis
The City of Carlsbad has three historical park locations, the Carrillo Ranch, historic buildings in Magee
Park and the adobe ruins at Stagecoach Park. Each of these locations is included in the Historical Parks
Services line of business. However, the staff time and resources under this line of business are currently
exclusively dedicated to Carrillo Ranch. The other locations are not operated by the Parks & Recreation
Department but are included in the line of business description only for planning purposes. Some
operational similarities exist between these locations, so future partnerships may be possible.
The Carrillo Ranch has historical significance for three primary reasons: the historic structures (including
handmade adobe), the unique and heirloom botanical specimens, and perhaps most recognizably, the
ownership history. The former owner and namesake of the ranch, Leo Carrillo, was a famous actor,
conservationist, and figure of significance in Hispanic American history. He expanded original adobe
structures on the land he purchased in 1937 to recreate a working Old California-style ranchero.
Since the city acquired a portion of the property in 1977, it has restored and regained pieces to create a
27 acre historic park site for both education and recreational purposes. In addition to opening and closing
the site, overseeing park operations, and providing general visitor services, the Historical Parks Services
line of business includes museum services (cataloging, storage, restoration, exhibit creation), tours
(school groups, walk on groups, scheduled weekend tours), and coordinating the School Art Program.
Activities that take place at the Ranch that are excluded from this line of business are rental services,
special events, grounds maintenance and facility maintenance; these activities are covered under the
respective lines of business. In addition to working with other operational groups within the Parks &
Recreation Department, such as parks maintenance, and other Departments in the city, such as Cultural
Arts and Library, the staff coordinates with external groups, most notably, the Friends of Carrillo Ranch, a
nonprofit group in the area. This group assists with volunteer time, financial support and fundraising.
CostofService
The table below shows the costs and revenues associated with the Historical Parks line of business over
the past three years.
FY09
Direct Costs FY10 Actuals FY11 Actuals
Actuals
Personnel $ 141,633 $ 157,443 $ 173,807
Capital Outlay $ 998 $ 1,065 $ 1,518

IT Overhead $ 27,190 $ 10,302 $ 11,114
Fleet Overhead $ 0 $ 0 $ 0
Other Overhead $ 1,247 $ 4,069 $ 3,102
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Total Direct & Indirect Costs -

Internal Costing $ 297,169 $ 300,953 $ 271,721
Revenue* FY09 Actuals FY10 Actuals FY11 Actuals
Revenue $ 18,751 $ 19,583 $ 33,438

*Rental revenue is captured in the Rental Services line of business.
The table above also shows a noticeable drop in maintenance and operations costs and a marked
increase in personnel costs in FY11. In this year Carrillo Ranch transitioned a contracted curator position
into a part-time curator position. This explains the reduction in maintenance and operations expenditures
and the increase in personnel expenditures in the table above. The capital outlay for this line of business
has increased a small amount each year, only a few hundred dollars. This is insignificant, but likely
related to a planned expansion in programming. All major capital expenditures are part of the capital
projects budget and separate from the Historic Parks line of business. This includes the major renovation
that has occurred at the Ranch.
As you can see in the following chart, full time effort remained constant over the past three years, but the
FTE of part time employee effort decreased each year. The hours of volunteer effort have shown minor
variability from year to year, adding to an average total effort in hours equating to roughly 4 FTE each
year in the Historical Parks line of business.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
2009 2010 2011

Full Time 0.90 0.90 0.90
Part Time 1.63 1.54 1.20
ServiceStatistics
The collection of original furnishings and Leo Carrillo memorabilia totals over 1,200 pieces. These pieces
are catalogued, restored, and otherwise curated by a part time Archivist hired by the Department,
budgeted at 800 hours per year. The Archivist also creates interpretive exhibits and signage. The Ranch
attempts to add one new exhibit to the Ranch per year.
The Ranch is open to the public 36 hours per week. Walk on tours are available during open hours, with
guided tours on the weekend. Guided tours may also be scheduled in advance. The Department does not
consistently track the number of visitors or tours per year, and neither visits nor tours are documented in
the Class system. The Department estimates that approximately 45,000 visits and 3,300 guided tours
take place per year.
The educational tours for school groups are one type of tour that is more consistently documented. Local
schools are encouraged to participate in the School Art Program, a half day of activities at the Ranch.
Between two and three classrooms per month participate in this program, 31 classrooms in total last year.
An educational tour is included as part of the School Art Program. For logistical ease, this results in
roughly 40 educational tours per year. All but two or three per year are Carlsbad schools. In support of the
School Art Program, the Department creates and distributes brochures, books reservations, and prepares
logistics for the visits. Instruction for the art lesson included in the program is funded by the Friends of
Carrillo Ranch.
The Ranch does not charge for the School Art program, nor does it charge admission to the premise or
buildings. There is no fee for scheduled tours or self-guided tours. There are, however, boxes for
donations located at multiple points in the park.
Managing a historical landmark is a unique operational component within the typical Parks & Recreation
Department. According to a recent national survey,108 only 44.2% of Parks & Recreation departments
manage historic properties. Of those managing historic properties, even fewer directly operate these
properties and the programming provided. Historical societies, nonprofit groups, and municipal arts or
library departments are examples of other entities often tasked with the operations of publicly owned
historical sites.
While the Ranch is technically a park facility, its unique historic nature and collection of exhibits make it
more comparable in many ways to a house museum than a traditional park facility. With that in mind, we
looked at a national registry of historic house museums, which listed over 80 such facilities in
California.109 Of the 47 house museums which listed their admission price, the prices ranged from free to
108
National Recreation and Parks Association. Parks & Recreation National Database Report. 2012.
109
Victorian Preservation Association website. www.vpa.org/museumsca. Accessed May 15, 2012.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
$25 for adult admission. Almost all of the museums offered discounts for students and seniors. The
median admission price was $5. The Ranch does not currently charge for admission to the various
facilities with exhibits on the property.
The Department staff have done periodic comparisons of the Ranch to similar historic venues in the area,
primarily focused on comparing facility rental rates for events. We looked at these same sites in terms of
hours of public access. These sites are open to the public an average of 24 hours per week. Carrillo
Ranch is open to the public 36 hours per week.
None. The caretaker contract for Carrillo Ranch is allocated under the Custodial Services line of business.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
HistoricalParksServices:FutureStateAlternatives
Opportunity Amount (Annual
Area & Focus Option
Unless Otherwise Noted)
Enhance coordination with Friends of Carrillo
OE No tangible savings
Ranch
OE Coordinate grant writing between city departments No tangible savings
Outsource educational programming, visitor
DO $ 21,900 - $60,100
services and tours
Coordination with Friends of Carrillo Ranch
One operational efficiency that is difficult to quantify concerns the current governance and interagency
coordination dynamics. As mentioned previously, the Ranch has a special relationship with a nonprofit
group called the Friends of Carrillo Ranch. This entity spearheads fundraising efforts and provides part of
the volunteer effort that supplements the operations of the Ranch. While this support is very meaningful to
the Department, the strategic direction and daily operations can be unintentionally impacted by the group.
This theme was raised at numerous points in our fieldwork. For example, if an asset or a program is
added by the group, the Department may need to expend additional resources to sustain the item or
initiative. The Department should recognize the influence of this group on the direction and goals of the
Ranch and carefully consider operational impacts. The section on Direct Outsourcing discusses this
relationship further.
Grant Writing
In addition to coordination with the Friends of Carrillo Ranch, the Department should explore opportunities
for coordination with other city departments. Some activities in the Historical Parks line of business
overlap with the activities of other departments. For example, grant writing efforts are not currently
coordinated. That means the Cultural Arts Department could be competing for the same historic site grant
as the Parks & Recreation Department.
Based on our review of current operations, there does not appear to be any strong candidates for
managed competition.
DirectOutsourcing
Outsource Visitor Services, Educational Programming & Tours
The Historical Parks line of business seems to have two possible opportunities for outsourcing of
services. The first outsourcing opportunity is related to visitor services, educational programming, and
tours. The Friends of Carrillo Ranch may be a logical partner to take on these services. Alternatively, the
Carlsbad Historical Society gives tours of the historic buildings in Magee Park. This group could also be
contacted as a potential partner.
Estimated Savings: If either group entirely assumed these functions, the gross savings to the Department
would range between $45,832 and $84,056 per year, depending on the degree to which the Department
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
relinquished ownership. Based on the Departments estimates of FY 11 costs related to Carrillo Ranch
programs, $45,832 would represent eliminating only the direct personnel expenditures related to the
programs, while the $84,056 would represent elimination of both direct and indirect costs attributed to the
programs. Assuming that 100% of donations for these programs, averaging $23,924 annually over the
past three years, would be directed to the new program operator, the net savings would range between
$21,908 and $60,132 per year.
The second outsourcing opportunity crosses lines of business. The Rental Services line of business is
meant to include rental coordination at Carrillo Ranch. However, the nature of rental coordination for the
Ranch is more involved than the rental coordination efforts for most other park facilities. Most notably,
there is a high level of customized support for larger events, such as weddings. With this in mind,
separating the rental services provided at the Ranch from the rest of the Departments rental services and
outsourcing it to an event management vendor seems like a viable option. This opportunity is explored in
more detail in the Rental Services analysis.
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RecreationServices:CurrentStateAnalysis
The Recreation Services line of business is one of the more complex lines of business in terms of
activities. The staff in this area coordinate a variety of programming including camps, classes, sports
leagues, preschool, and special events. Many of these services are provided by part time and contracted
individuals. The extreme variety of recreation offerings and fees might seem daunting, but the registration
and revenue tracking is simplified by the use of the CLASS program. This allows for online self service for
participants and reporting by the Department on a variety of variables. This application allows city staff to
schedule classes, manage enrollment, collect fees and conduct planning activities.
In the area of camps, the Department provides three primary categories: traditional day camps, sports
camps, and specialty enrichment camps. The traditional day camps are offered in the spring and summer
during the breaks in the Carlsbad Unified School District schedule in half and full day increments. These
camps are run by Department staff and grouped by age level, from 3 years old to 15 years old. Traditional
camps provide a mix of activities such as music, water play, arts and crafts, teambuilding activities and
sports.
Sports camps and specialty enrichment camps also run during the spring and summer, but these camps
are facilitated by independent instructors, rather than Department staff, and focus on a specific interest
like skateboarding or cooking. Department staff provide program administration such as select offerings,
negotiate contract with instructors, schedule spaces and resources, and provide customer service.
Classes are similar to sports camps and specialty enrichment camps, in that they are taught by outside
instructors and Department staff provide program administration. Classes are shorter in duration and
have a much larger variety of offerings. Department staff continually monitor the success of various
classes in terms of participation and survey feedback to ensure the best use of city facilities and most
valued offerings for the community.
The preschool offerings by the Department are somewhat unique in that they require parent participation
in both supervision and snacks. While parent participation may reduce the number of teachers aides hired
this is somewhat offset by the additional administrative work, such as documentation for parents
(including fingerprint records). These programs are not full time childcare, but rather a learning and
socialization opportunity for children and parents alike.
While camps, classes and preschool have registration and revenue generation structures that are
somewhat similar, the coordination of special events is a unique activity in the Recreation Services line of
business. The Department coordinates eight to ten special events per year, the largest of which is the
annual triathlon. Volunteers are highly utilized for events, but Department staff plan and coordinate all
major operational logistics.
CostofService
The following table provides costs and revenues associated with the Recreation Services line of business
over the past three years.
Personnel $ 1,400,818 $ 1,485,421 $ 1,436,869
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Maintenance and Operations (Direct Costs) $ 1,069,496 $ 953,859 $ 837,115

Capital Outlay $ 33,707 $ 3,144 $ 4,271

IT Overhead $ 108,760 $ 125,436 $ 163,217
Fleet Overhead $ 1,566 $ 10,308 $ 7,977
Other Overhead $ 18,912 $ 50,286 $ 47,851
Revenue** FY09 Actuals FY10 Actuals FY11 Actuals
Revenue (all sources) $ 1,606,015 $ 1,572,750 $ 1,516,435

**Revenue for recreation services includes A/R write-offs (monies that have been on individual accounts that expired
after a year). Also includes outside agencies reimbursing the city for expenses related to special events and are
counted as offsets to expenditures.
As you can see in the table above, direct costs decreased each year and indirect costs increased each
year with a net effect of a slight decrease in total costs each year. The revenue also decreased each year,
pointing to declining participation and shifts in participation toward less expensive and therefore less
profitable offerings. Contributing factors in the participation shifts and reductions include economic
downturn, changes in staffing and loss of a few long-term instructors with faithful participant followings.
The classes that have fared best in these conditions have been the more affordable classes and the
classes that are unique in nature (not also offered by other providers in the area). Sports participation has
also continued to do well, with waitlists for many offerings.
The Department is able to review enrollment figures on a daily basis through the Class system, but at a
minimum these figures are reviewed weekly for payments to instructors. Monthly reports are also
generated to compare Class revenue to the financial system, though the consistent use of these reports
for performance monitoring is unknown.
Department staff meet regularly with instructors to insure compliance with contract expectations. At a
minimum, annual meetings are held with enrichment instructors. A handbook highlighting expectations is
used to guide the conversation.
When performance is reviewed, class offerings are judged on survey results and enrollment figures.
Minimum enrollment numbers are set based on size of the instruction space and maximum student to
teacher ratios set in the instructor agreement. Each agreement is different. Classes are replaced if
enrollment consistently under performs and viable alternative offerings exist to fill the space. New classes
are given a one year grace period to prove successful. Managers network with similar organizations,
consult existing instructors and research online resources to identify new class ideas and instructors.
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Since instructor payment is set as a share of participant fees, the lower revenue is also associated with
lower costs for the payment of contracted instructors. In addition to this unplanned cost reduction, the
Department deliberately reduced M&O expenditures each year as part of budget reduction efforts.
The variation in personnel expenditures over the past three years is curious given the reduction in hours
of effort in each year. As you can see in the following chart, the overall FTE hours decreased each year.
The misalignment between hours of effort and personnel expenditures is related to higher leave usage in
2010 and payouts upon turnover of full time staff.
2009 2010 2011

Full Time 8.63 8.83 8.96
Part Time 29.85 27.18 26.67
ServiceStatistics
For activities in this line of business, service statistics are typically related to participation figures. The
Department uses the CLASS system for tracking registrations. Based on the FY11 net registrations from
the CLASS system (refunds and cancelations excluded), approximately 245 classes, camps or sports
leagues were offered with a total participation of approximately 15,000 combined. The table below shows
the summary:
Participants Offerings
Camps 2,935 91
Classes 9,399 126
Sports Leagues 2,642 28
TOTAL 14,976 245
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The Department reports that approximately 35 percent of these registrations are currently made online,
while the remaining 65 percent are made with the assistance of Department staff. Staff currently assist
registrants by phone and in person at community center locations.
Given the breadth of offerings for camps, sports and other programming, the following tables provide
high-level statistics within the categories of camps, classes and sports leagues. All figures are annual and
are based on FY11, where possible. Each table also includes a low and high figure to account for class
cancelations, transfers in and out, and other such variability.
The table below summarizes camp programs. In the CLASS system, there are categories for camps,
youth day camps, and enrichment camps. As these categories are used inconsistently, some of the data
below is from the Departments recently conducted cost recovery analysis.
Camp Programs Annual Statistic Low High
Traditional Summer Camps Ages 6-11 Participation 650 675

Traditional Summer Camps Weeks of Summer Camp 10 11
Traditional Spring Camps Ages 6-13 Participation 20 40
Traditional Spring Camps Ages 3-5 Participation 10 20
Traditional Spring Camps Weeks of Spring Camp 1 1
Sports Camps Multi-Sport Participation 350 450
Sports Camps Soccer Participation 150 200
Sports Camps Gymnastics Participation 130 150
Sports Camps Basketball Participation 100 150
Sports Camps Tennis Participation 100 150
Sports Camps Golf Participation 50 70
Sports Camps # of Youth Sports Camps 20 30
Sports Camps Dodge ball Participation 20 40
Sports Camps Volleyball Participation 20 40
Sports Camps Flag Football Participation 15 25
Sports Camps Lacrosse Participation 3 5
Specialty Camps Total Participation 400 420
Specialty Camps # of Specialty Camps 15 20
Unfortunately, the categorization of programs within the CLASS system is not consistent. For example,
there is a category for dance, but there are dance classes listed in at least three places: dance, early
childhood, and enrichment class categories. The same is the case for the classification of fitness and
martial arts classes in the system. This should be kept in mind when considering the data below:
Classes Annual Statistic Low High
Dance Dance Participation 1,700 1,800

Early Childhood Pee Wee Participation 1,500 1,600
Enrichment Mix of Dance, Sports, Etc. 1,300 1,400
Fitness Fitness Class Participation 1,650 1,750
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Classes Annual Statistic Low High

Teens LITE Program Participation 30 40
Martial Arts Martial Arts Participation 850 900
Preschool Preschool/Toddler Participation 2,000 2,100
Specialty Participation in Painting, etc. 150 200
The various offerings within youth and adult sports appear to be more straightforward for tracking
purposes. The annual statistics are below.
Sports Leagues Annual Statistic Low High
Youth Sports Tennis Participation 1,000 1,500

Youth Sports Basketball Participation 450 500
Youth Sports Gymnastics Participation 325 350
Youth Sports Soccer Participation 30 40
Adult Sports Volleyball Participation 400 450
Adult Sports Tennis Participation 175 225
Adult Sports Softball Participation 100 150
Adult Sports Basketball Participation 30 35
Adult Sports Softball Participation 25 30
Adult Sports Soccer Participation 20 40
Adult Sports Golf Participation 10 15
In addition to the annual statistics in the three tables above, there are a few other items of note. The
Department coordinates eight to ten special events per year. These typically include the following: Spring
EGGstravaganza, Triathlon, Dinner & a Movie, Holiday at the Rancho, Teen Scene, Snores & S'mores
Campout, and Wild West Fest. Attendance at these events is not routinely tracked.
The exact participation in a few other programming areas is also untracked. One example is the Teens in
Action program, which utilizes Department staff to provide lunch hour activities twice per month at each of
the local middle schools. One middle school has requested weekly Teens in Action programming and
makes a contribution to the Department for this additional level of service.
For the areas where participation is currently untracked, the Department should implement periodic head
counts by the program staff. Counts collected should be entered into the Class system on a monthly basis
to improve reporting and planning capabilities.
The city currently uses a customer satisfaction rating to measure residents satisfaction level with
recreational program offerings. On average, 89 % of residents give a very or somewhat satisfied
response. This number is very close to the citys customer satisfaction rating goal of 90%. The city also
evaluates youth and adult sports programs by using a Teach Respect Unity and Sportsmanship through
Teamwork (T.R.U.S.T.) performance measurement. Exceeding the citys target goal of 90% or higher
rating of very good or excellent, the adult and youth sports programs achieved a 92 % and 98% rating
respectively in FY11.110
110
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Opportunity
We recommend that the Department bolster efforts to track particpation in

currently untracked programs. Periodic head counts entered into the CLASS
system would improve reporting and planning capabilities.
One aspect of the Recreation Services line of business that is well suited for industry comparison is the
fee schedule for programming. Specific interest was expressed during our field work to review the athletic
fees. The table below provides a sampling of common athletic programs and compares them to both the
citys regional peers and national figures.111
NRPA
Fee Per City of Average
A B C D F National
Season/Event Carlsbad (A-F)
Median
Adult Basketball
(per team)
Resident $315 $353 N/A $685 N/A $325 $419 $300
Non-Resident $365 $403 N/A $735 N/A $390 $473 $400
Adult Softball (per
team)
Resident $410 $483 N/A $635 $595 $350 $495 $375
Non-Resident $460 $508 N/A $685 $595 $420 $534 $460
Youth Basketball
Resident $95 $83 $85 $75 $90 $115 $90 $30
Non-Resident $105 $93 $85 $80 $90 $115 $95 $45
Pee Wee Soccer
Resident $70 $73 $95 $70 $75 $77 $30
Non-Resident $80 $83 $95 $70 $75 $81 $45
Examples of Other
Charges/ Add-ons
Late
Registration N/A N/A $30 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Adult
Late
Registration N/A N/A $5 $100 N/A N/A N/A
Youth
Officials $24-
$21-$36 N/A $15 N/A N/A N/A N/A
fee/game Adult $37
Early bird N/A N/A N/A N/A $15 N/A N/A
111
National Recreation and Park Association. Parks & Recreation Fees and Charges Survey Report: 2010.
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NRPA
Fee Per City of Average
A B C D F National
Season/Event Carlsbad (A-F)
Median
discount
As you can see above, the city is generally conservative with athletic fees in comparison to the average of
its regional peers. In fact it is lower than the average of comparable municipalities in every category but
youth basketball. In this category its rates are the second highest in the group. In most categories, Entity
C is highest in fees, but even if this entity is excluded from the comparison, the City of Carlsbad is still
lower on each fee in the sample except youth basketball.
In our survey of comparable municipalities, we also gathered data to calculate the number of residents
served by each recreation or community center on average. When dividing the population by the number
of community centers, the comparable municipalities averaged 36,770 residents per community center. In
comparison, the City of Carlsbad averaged 21,066 residents per community center. That would indicate
that the City of Carlsbad offers a higher than average number of community or recreation centers when
compared to area peers.
A large number of instructional contracts for classes are managed under the Recreation Services line of
business. The contract terms are specific to each class and instructor, but they generally include minimum
and maximum number of participants for a given activity, the duration and frequency of class and a
recommended fee. The instructors generally receive 65% of the fee revenue generated from class
participants. The following table provides an overview of the current contracts for the Recreation Services
line of business.
FY11 Actuals
Allocated to
Company Description
Recreation
Services
Contract - Enrichment Classes
(Approximately 30 individual instructor
contracts, 4 vendor contracts) Enrichment programming $ 451,758
Contract Classes - Youth Sports
(7 individual instructor contracts, 2
vendor contracts) Youth sports instruction $ 54,182
Though the Department manages large number of contracts in this area, the individual contracts are
basically formulaic and brief. Also, many of the same contractors are hired from year to year. These
factors together may explain why the Department estimated only 0.84 FTE per year of contract
management effort to oversee nearly 50 contracts per year in the Recreational Services line of business.
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RecreationServices:FutureStateAlternatives
Opportunity Amount
Area & Focus Option (Annual Unless Otherwise
Noted)
OE Promote Online Registrations $43,800 - $112,400 first yr
$46,800-$140,400 annually
OE Reduce percent of fee revenue provided to instructors
from 65% to 60% $25,000
DO Outsource traditional summer and spring camp
programs $10,500 - $21,500
DO Outsource coordination of classes and sports
programming TBD
Promote Online Registrations
As noted in the Service Statistics section, approximately 35% of participants currently enroll in
programming through the Department website. Increasing self-service enrollment could reduce the hours
of staff effort currently devoted to this support. The city already provides computers for public access in
multiple locations; however, the Department could install three additional kiosks at the highest use areas
to insure sufficient accessibility. A one-time marketing campaign to encourage online registration is also
recommended. With these one-time investments, increasing online enrollment from 35% to 80% is
feasible, though increasing online enrollment from 35% to 50% is likely in the short term. Weve called
increasing online enrollment to 80%, Scenario 1. This would represent a 45% reduction in staff time
related to registration support. Increasing online enrollment to 50% is Scenario 2, representing a 15%
reduction in staff time. Both scenarios are shown in tables below.
Estimated Savings: Currently, the recreation front desk and office aid staff spend 50% of their hours
assisting with registration. Using the FY11 payroll data for these individuals, this equates to $59,861 in
part-time personnel expenditures and $80,563 in full time personnel expenditures, for a total of $140,425
per year. Based on this data, the table below estimates the net financial impact of changes to increase
online registrations related to Scenario 1.
Scenario 1: 80% Online Enrollment
Item Amount Note

Addition of 3 kiosks at $1,000 each $ (3,000) one time cost
One-time marketing campaign $ (25,000) one time cost
Savings from reduced staffing $ 140,425 annual savings
Net Savings $ 112,425
In Scenario 2, a more modest marketing campaign is used, and only 50% online enrollment is achieved.
As you can see below, increasing self-service from 35% to 50% yields an estimated $38,808 in net
savings, but further increasing self-service to 80%, as shown above, yields nearly $80,000 more.
Scenario 2: 50% Online Enrollment
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Item Amount Note

Addition of 3 kiosks at $1,000 each $ (3,000) one time cost
Savings from reduced staffing $ 46,808 annual savings
Net Savings $ 43,808
Reduce Fee Revenue Paid to Instructors
Estimated Revenue: The City of Carlsbad currently provides 65% of fee revenue to instructors. Given
that roughly $500,000 per year is currently paid to instructors, a 5% adjustment to the revenue sharing
split, providing instructors with 60% of the revenue generated, would allow the Department to retain
approximately $25,000 per year in additional revenue without a reduction in class offerings or participation
levels.
There is a risk that current instructors may choose to discontinue providing services over a change in
compensation from 65% of revenue to 60% of revenue. Instructor turnover could represent a reduced
level of service in the public perception. The revenue sharing agreement is different in the aquatics line of
business, as low as 50% of revenue goes to instructors. It could be argued that this variation in revenue
sharing has not seemed to impact quality of instructors or the public perception thereof.
DirectOutsourcing
Outsourcing of Select Camps/Classes
While the Department currently contracts with many direct service providers such as class instructors and
sports officials, there are additional opportunities for direct outsourcing. As mentioned earlier in this
section, the traditional camps are staffed by Department personnel. As shown in the table below, each
traditional camp offered is operating at a loss. The total unrecovered cost to the city each year is roughly
$42,000.
Gross Annual Costs Net

Traditional Camp
Revenue Personnel M&O Facility Overhead Revenue
Pee Wee Summer $ 12,712 $ 13,087 $ 6,500 $ 91 $ 2,400 $ (9,366)
Pee Wee Spring $ 1,080 $ 1,814 $ 636 $ 3,443 $ 1,775 $ (6,589)
Kidz Summer $ 83,312 $ 60,147 $ 18,965 $ 1,970 $ 6,095 $ (3,865)
Kidz Spring $ 6,880 $ 4,669 $ 3,813 $ 9 $ 1,819 $ (3,430)
Explorer Summer &
$ 32,985 $ 33,020 $ 14,196 $ 46 $ 4,418 $ (18,695)
CIT
Total $ 136,969 $ 112,737 $ 44,110 $ 5,560 $ 16,507 $ (41,945)
There are a variety of potential external providers for this service, including local not-for-profit groups and
private companies. With this in mind, two scenarios are presented below. In Scenario 1, an external
provider would operate these traditional camp programs with their own staff and materials, utilizing the
citys facilities and retaining all fee revenue generated with no other costs to the city. Scenario 1 would
cost the city about $31,500, as shown below.
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Scenario 1: City Covers All Overhead and Facility Costs
Direct Costs
Subtotal Direct Costs (Net: vendor would incur all direct costs
but retain all revenue generated) $ 0
Indirect Costs
Ongoing contract management tasks (0.1 FTE of effort) $ 9,423
Other ongoing overhead (facility + other overhead) $ 22,067
In Scenario 2, the external partner would again operate the programs with their own staff and materials,
using some of the citys facilities, but would also provide some of the facility space and some of the
overhead activities. The figures below assume that contract management effort would be the same as the
first, but overhead costs are reduced by half. This assumption is based on current practice in similar
partnerships. In some partnerships, the municipality receives a share of participation fees in lieu of a rent
payment each month. In other partnerships, after a given trial period, any revenue that exceeds program
expenditures is split between the vendor and the municipality.
Scenario 2: City Covers Half of Overhead and Facility Costs
Direct Costs
Subtotal Direct Costs $ 0
Indirect Costs
Ongoing contract management tasks $ 9,423
Other ongoing overhead (half of facility & other overhead) $ 11,034
Estimated Savings: Scenario 2 would cost the city about $20,457 per year. The two scenarios above
represent a range of potential savings to the Department between $10,455 and $21,488 annually over the
current net cost of $41,945 per year, as shown in the following table.
Cost Comparison
Current Internal Cost (Net) $ 41,945
External Option $ 20,457 - $31,490
Potential Savings $ 10,455 - $21,488
Outsource Program Management of Classes and Sports Programming
There are opportunities to contract for program management of all classes and sports programming. The
area has strong vendor candidates for outsourcing of both classes and sports programming. In terms of a
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single vendor for all of these services, the most viable candidates are experienced not-for-profit groups. If
classes and sports programming are contracted separately, there are some for-profit companies that
could provide sports programming alone. The revenue sharing possibility may be higher with the private
for-profit groups, but increasing the number of separate contracts could increase the hours of contract
management effort required by city staff. As an example, the City of Avondale, Arizona contracts with a
private company for operation of all sports programming at a facility owned by the city. The contractor
provides all scheduling and registration, building upkeep, and program management services, then
reports on a regular basis to the city. The contractor collects fee revenue, but returns revenue to the city
at the rate of 15% of all revenue over $1.2 million, 25% of all revenue over $1.5 million and 35% for all
revenue over $1.8 million. This yields estimated revenue of $300,000 per year to the city.
In either case, a partnership with a not-for-profit or a partnership with a private company, cost savings
would depend on the terms of the arrangement. As stated in the discussion of managed competition
options for camps, direct operational costs are typically assumed by the vendor, but in turn, the vendor
retains all fee revenue. Initial conversations with vendors in this market have indicated that not only could
services be provided at no additional direct cost to the Department, but also that future revenue sharing is
a possibility. Often revenue sharing does not begin until after an adjustment period of three years.
An example of an item impacting costs that would vary between vendors is facility maintenance and
utilities. In most successful partnership examples, the municipality retains ownership of facilities, but the
upkeep can be performed by either party. Facility scheduling is another element that can vary from
agreement to agreement. In comparing vendor offers which include such services against offers which
exclude these services, the city should consider current internal costs.
Estimated Savings: To get a sense of potential savings related to scheduling, for example, Department
staff currently spend 2,327 hours per year looking for available time and coordinating time among staff for
programs as well as entering the information into CLASS. This time is valued at $82,157 per year. A
contract package which did not include scheduling services would need to be at least $82,157 cheaper
than a contract package which did include scheduling service.
In terms of costs to residents, the table below provides a fee comparison of the Departments current rates
and those of two potential area vendors. Since camp programs can vary greatly by length, the costs were
normalized into an hourly rate for ease of comparison. Carlsbad figures represent the most popular
programs within each area.
City of
Area Measure Carlsbad Vendor A Vendor B
Sports Camps Cost per Hour $ 7.45 $ 5.43 $ 5.51
Traditional Summer Camp Cost per Hour $ 3.29 $ 4.60 $ 4.89
Specialty Camp Cost per Hour $ 7.95 $ 5.43 $ 6.55
Youth Sports per Participant Cost/Season (8-12 games) $ 105.00 $ 130.00 $ 92.00
Adult Sports per Team (5) Cost/Season (8-12 games) $ 350.00 $ 425.00 $ 520.00
Preschool Cost per Hour $ 22.50 $ 14.00 $ 32.00
As shown in the table above, the citys residents currently pay more for sports camps and specialty
camps per hour than the rates charged by vendors, however they pay less for traditional camps by the
hour than those offered by vendors. For youth sports, adult sports and preschool programming, the
current rates charged by the city fall in between the rates charged by the vendors for similar services.
While the details of the offerings (staff to participant ratio, materials costs, etc.) may vary somewhat, the
comparison demonstrates the possibility for lower costs to resident participants if the city were to
negotiate service delivery by a vendor.
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RentalServices:CurrentStateAnalysis
The Department offers over 100 spaces, such as meeting rooms and athletic fields for rent. The Rental
Services line of business is responsible for the coordination and support of all related rental activities. The
line of business includes rentals for the Carrillo Ranch grounds and facilities but does not include rental of
the Aquatic Center. Other city facilities outside of the Department are also excluded from this line of
business. For example, the library and theater operate their own rental properties.
As mentioned in the Recreation Services line of business analysis, the Department uses CLASS software
for registrations and revenue tracking. Since rentals are a type of reservation, all rentals, with the
exception of community garden rentals, are also entered and tracked in the CLASS System. It could be
argued, however that more customer support and paperwork tends to be associated with rentals than with
program registrations.
Applicants can check availability of spaces online and download forms, such as the Parks & Facility Use
Application. If an applicant is planning for more than 50 people to attend an event related to the rental,
then the renter must complete additional forms. These applicants are assisted by special events staff,
while other applicants are typically assisted by staff specific to the rental facility of interest. Personnel
supporting the Rental Services line of business are not centrally organized or trained.
In addition to processing the rental applications, Department personnel provide assistance to applicants
with liability issues and permitting details. The Department has a tier system of applicant classification.
The type of applicant determines not only the fee charged for the rental, but also the priority given to the
applicant in competitive rental situations.
Most indoor spaces can be reserved up to one year in advance and most outdoor spaces can be
reserved six months out. Athletic fields are booked six months at a time in cooperative discussion with
roughly 10 not-for-profit groups and internal partners representing their programmatic needs such as
special events and camps.
CostofService
The following table summarizes the costs and revenues for the Rental Services line of business over the
past three years. Both the direct costs and the indirect costs have gone down annually. The reduction is
most pronounced in the maintenance and operations cost category. This is primarily related to facility
repair costs. More facility repairs were completed in FY09 than FY10 and even fewer in FY11.
Department staff anticipate that the expenditures will now remain relatively constant in the near term.
Personnel $ 632,268 $ 635,873 $ 621,819

Capital Outlay $ 14,312.00 $ 9,036 $ 4,019
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IT Overhead $ 84,355 $ 105,179 $ 91,031
Fleet Overhead $ 72,394 $ 36,952 $ 27,532
Other Overhead $ 17,555 $ 23,422 $ 23,246.77
As shown in the table above, the personnel costs in the Rental Services line of business were highest in
FY10 and lowest in FY11. The hours of full time employee effort were highest in FY10, and the total paid
effort (part time and full time hours) was lowest in FY11. There were no volunteer hours logged to this line
of business, and the total effort of both part and full time employees equates to roughly nine FTE. Details
are provided in the chart below.
2009 2010 2011

Full Time 8.63 8.83 8.96
Part Time 29.85 27.18 26.67
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ServiceStatistics
The Rental Services line of business oversees roughly 16,000 reservations or bookings per year. Many of
these reservations are booked in a series, so they constitute only one rental transaction. As shown in the
following table, athletic fields were booked for 10,542 occurrences, but the reservations were made in a
total of only 363 rental transactions. As mentioned in the Description of Activities section, all rentals
require some staff support. Though availability can be checked online, paperwork is required for finalizing
the rental.
Bookings/ Total Revenue/

Rental Type Bookings Rentals
Rental Revenue Rental
Athletic Field 10,542 363 29 $ 145,472 $ 401
Carrillo Ranch 44 44 1 $ 93,067 $ 2,115
Parks and Picnics 1,552 946 2 $ 85,793 $ 91
Room 3,545 665 5 $ 188,325 $ 283
Average $ 128,164 $ 722
The Department calculates that 2,558 hours per year are spent booking rentals. This means that $70,097
of the $621,819 total personnel costs for the Rental Services line of business, roughly 11.3% is spent on
the booking process. With 2018 rentals per year, thats an average of 1.3 staff hours per rental. This staff
effort is expended across numerous city locations.
In our research of comparable entities, the City of Carlsbad had one of the most detailed pricing
structures in terms of renter classifications. For example, Carlsbad was the only entity to define different
rental rates for resident not-for-profit groups with unpaid leadership and for resident not-for-profit groups
with paid leadership. In order to streamline the analysis and most closely match Carlsbad's renter
categories with those of other entities, we created four simplified categories of renters for our comparison
table:
City Department
Resident Not-for-profit (NFP) Group
Other Renter: Lowest Rate
Other Renter: Highest Rate
If multiple rates exist for varies departments within the same city or for various resident NFP groups within
the same city, the average (mean) of these rates was calculated for these categories. The two Other
Renter categories are included to give a sense of the range of fees. In some cities, the city Department
rate may be the lowest, in which case, the Other Renter: Lowest Rate category would show the next
lowest rate charged.
The table below contains the results of our rental fee analysis. The national comparison data, sourced
from the recent National Recreation and Park Association study entitled, Parks & Recreation Fees and
Charges Survey Report: 2010, was matched to the rental categories as closely as possible.
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NRPA
City of Comp. Comp. Comp. Comp. Comp. Average
Hourly Rental Rates National
Carlsbad A B C D F (A-F)
Median
Athletic Field Rental
City Department $0 $0 N/A N/A $0 $0 $0 $15
$0
Natural/
Resident NFP Group $5 $8 $40 $11 $20 $17 $30
$12.50
Synthetic
$5
Natural/
Other: Lowest Rate $0 $12 $1 $17 $25 $11 $25
$5
Synthetic
$35
Natural/
Other: Highest Rate $10 $26 $287 $29 $30 $76 $37
$65
Synthetic
Smallest Room Rental
Resident or City Dept. $0 $0 N/A N/A $0 $0 $0 N/A
Resident NFP Group $18 $13 $10 $33 $21 $16 $18 N/A
Other: Lowest Rate $25 $30 $20 $20 $28 $18 $24 $25
Other: Highest Rate $35 $30 $30 $290 $49 $37 $79 $45
Largest Room Rental
Gymnasium Rental
Other Charges
Admin Processing Fee N/A N/A N/A $5 $3 N/A N/A N/A
Per Player Per Season N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A $3-$6 N/A N/A
$14.50
Natural/ $16- $16-
Field Lights N/A N/A $30 N/A N/A
$22 $18 $41
Synthetic
Field Preparation N/A N/A $45 N/A N/A N/A N/A

$65
up to Gym/
Cleaning/Damages N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
$5,000 $40
other
As you can see in the table above, the regional comparables generally charge more for rentals than the
City of Carlsbad. In fact, the sum of these comparable municipal rates are 75% higher than the sum of the
citys rates. In every category sampled, the Departments rates are lower than the average of regional
comparables, with the minor exception of small room rental rates for local not-for-profits. In this case, the
citys rates equal the average of the regional comparables.
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When compared nationally, the citys fees were lower than the national median in most outdoor categories
and slightly higher in few indoor categories. For example, the athletic field rental rates for the city were
lower than the national average in every category, but the large room rental and gymnasium rental were
higher than the national average One reason the national rates for athletic field rental are higher than
those in the city and its regional comparables, could be because locations with harsh winters have fewer
available days for outdoor field rental and therefore these time slots can be offered at more of a premium.
The national data did not list special additional fees, but this category offers another key comparison
between the city and its regional peers. As shown in the table, administrative processing fees or
registration fees (per player per season) are not uncommon, but the city does not currently utilize such a
fee.
None.
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RentalServices:FutureStateAlternatives
Opportunity Amount
Otherwise Noted)
OE Centralization of staff $ 93,900
OE Adjust rental rates $ 125,000
DO Rental support services TBD
Centralization of Staff
The Rental Services line of business is not currently centralized. Staff supporting this function are located
in most Department facilities. The staff are not dedicated to Rental Services, but rather perform these
duties as part of a broader job description. On average, the full time employees supporting the Rental
Services are only 34% mapped to this function. That means that the majority of their time is spent on
other tasks. Typically operational efficiencies can be experienced when an employee becomes expert at a
task through a high volume of specialized work.
Studies show that consolidation of functions similar to rental support can reduce service costs by up to
50%. The Hackett Group estimates 40% savings for financial processes112 and the Computer Sciences
Corporation estimates 25-50% savings for customer service by phone113. Both tasks relate to the Rental
Services line of business.
Estimated Savings: By consolidating the personnel in support of this function by both job duty and
location, a conservative estimate of 25% efficiency would be gained. Given the current total personnel
expenditure in this line of business, 25% reduction in staff effort could save the Department approximately
$93,900 per year.
Rental Rates
A new revenue opportunity is possible through adjusting rental rates. To calculate precise revenue
potential, the Department would need to review trends in revenue by user type for each rental resource.
As noted in the Benchmarking and Industry Standards section, the citys regional peers charge on
average 75% more than the City of Carlsbad for rental facilities. With approximately $500,000 per year in
rental revenue currently, adjusting rates upward by 75% could mean a revenue increase of $375,000 per
year. An increase of this magnitude may not be palatable to the community at this point, but a 25%
increase may be more politically feasible.
Estimated Savings: If implemented in the first year (Option A), a 25% increase in fees would yield
additional revenue of $125,000 per year. If implemented more gradually, at 5% per year, over 5 years
(Option B), the change would be more subtle and the net revenue impact smaller in the first 5 years, but
the resulting rates by the 5th year, would be slightly higher, yielding over $13,000 more annually (because
each years 5% increase is applied to a larger base in option B), See the table below.
112
The Hackett Group, Provided by the Society for Human Resource Management at
http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/pages/cms_019538.aspx , Accessed May, 24, 2012.
113
The Computer Sciences Corporation, Provided by the Government Finance Officers Association at
http://www.gfoa.org/downloads/Feb07main.pdf. Accessed May 24, 2012.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Current Annual Revenue Five Year Future

Options
Revenue Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Total Years
A: 25%
Increase
in First
Year $500,000 $625,000 $625,000 $625,000 $625,000 $625,000 $3,125,000 $625,000
B: 5%
Increase
over 5
Years $500,000 $525,000 $551,250 $578,813 $607,753 $638,141 $2,900,956 $638,141
None.
DirectOutsourcing
Rental support services are a logical candidate for direct outsourcing, however and initial search of
vendors did not yield a viable match. Event coordination services which offer planning and execution of
events for clients typically work with facility owners, but do not operate facility scheduling, booking and
rental services on behalf of facilities.
Certainly expertise exists in private event venues to support their own rental operations, and such
expertise could be translated into municipal rental support, however an example of this was difficult to
find. With that in mind, a successful public-private partnership in rental services would be a leading edge
approach. Given the volume of rental space and rental transactions, the city is in a position to create a
market demand for the right type of vendor.

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CityofCarlsbad,CA
SeniorServices:CurrentStateAnalysis
According to the 2010 Census, the City of Carlsbad has roughly 14,746 residents over the age of 65. The
Parks & Recreation Department provides special programming for these citizens and all those over 50
years old. This programming is part of the Senior Services line of business and includes: a daily
congregate lunch program, home meal delivery, transportation services, a computer lab and fitness
center, and specialized classes and activities.
The congregate lunch program provides a catered meal at the senior center every weekday at noon.
Reservations can be made online or over the phone, but must be made at least 3 hours before the meal.
The meal set-up, service and cleaning is performed by a mix of volunteers and Department staff.
The Department provides transportation to and from the senior center for the congregate lunches.
Transportation is also provided for medical appointments and limited shopping locations. To utilize this
service, participants must be over 60 years old and no longer able to drive on their own.
Meals are also provided for seniors who are homebound. These meals are prepared as part of the
catering agreement and delivered by volunteers. This delivery is not part of the transportation service.
Lastly, the Department provides a wide variety of classes and activities for seniors. Some are offered at
the senior center, and some are offered in other locations. The Department is currently exploring
opportunities to increase access to senior programming in all areas of the city. Some features, such as
the senior fitness center and senior computer lab (equipped with 12 computers) are only located in the
senior center.
CostofService
The table below provides an overview of costs and revenues over the past three years for the Senior
Services line of business.
Personnel $ 487,092 $ 499,966 $ 486,142

Capital Outlay $ 43,192 $ 14,213 $ 5,101

IT Overhead $ 92,710 $ 98,219 $ 86,866
Fleet Overhead $ 39,205 $ 39,983 $ 40,849
Other Overhead $ 8,615 $ 15,967 $ 15,960
Subtotal Indirect Costs $ 467,168 $480,807 $ 470,313
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Volunteer Services $356,713 $410,556 $362,331
Revenue (all sources) $309,047 $315,040 $279,201
At first glance, the Senior Services line of business has done well in terms of cost control, yielding
significant savings in recent years. As shown in the table above, the personnel expenditure category is
the only category of direct costs that does not consistently decline over the past three years for Senior
Services.
The declining expenditures in the other areas can be attributed to special circumstances that yielded
higher than typical expenses in FY09 and lower than typical expenses in FY11. For example, the city
opened an expansion in the senior center in FY09, which included office furniture purchases of roughly
$60,000. This was also the last full year of senior day trips, a program which has since been eliminated
due to the existence of specialty external providers. This program accounted for about $49,000 in fees in
FY09 before its elimination.
The following year, FY10, was a more typical year, but FY11 had unexpected savings. Savings included
$8,000 in heat and light costs and lower than expected catering costs, due to attrition in the home meal
participation, a more variable service component.
The personnel costs in FY10 are most incongruous with the pattern of cost reduction and the number of
hours logged as reflected in the chart below. The fewest hours of effort were logged in 2010 by both part
and full time staff, but the personnel costs do not reflect this. Staff transitions in this area and a vacancy
explain the misalignment between personnel expenditure and hours of effort. The latter is shown in the
chart below.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
2009 2010 2011

Full Time 3.03 2.89 2.90
Part Time 7.16 6.30 6.44
Another notable finding displayed in this chart is that the Senior Services line of business has a very high
level of volunteer support. This is the highest level of volunteer effort in the Parks & Recreation
Department. In fact, in all three years analyzed, the effort in hours logged by the volunteers outpaces the
hours logged by the part time staff.
ServiceStatistics
While the total number of seniors served per year is unclear, the Department does measure service levels
for several activities. The congregate lunch program serves just over 100 meals per day for 250 days out
of the year, totaling about 26,000 meals per year. The home meal program also operates 250 days a year,
with a few special case deliveries on holidays, delivering over 9,000 meals per year. About half of
volunteer hours logged in the Senior Services line of business are in support of these two programs.
About 2,000 volunteer hours per year support home meals and about 6,250 hours per year in support of
congregate lunches.
For each of the 250 days per year that meals are served, the Department provides transportation to and
from the center for congregate lunch. Trips to the grocery store are provided on a weekly basis and a trip
to Wal-Mart is provided once per month. The Department also provides transportation to medical
appointments as needed. In sum, the Department makes over 6,000 trips per year, averaging 20-30 trips
per day. Three vehicles are dedicated to this function, but only two are typically used at a time.
The Department does not require payment for any of these services to the citys seniors but requests a
$3.50 donation for congregate meals, a $4.00 donation for home meals and a $2 donation each way for
transportation services. Guests under 60 years of age are required to pay $5.00 per meal for congregate
lunches at the senior center. The revenue related to these donations and fees is unclear. Tracking and
reporting mechanisms could be improved in this area.
For items requiring registration in the CLASS system, tracking is more effective. This includes senior
classes and fitness center memberships. The Department offers roughly 30 classes per year specifically
for those over 50 years of age. Total class participation ranges from 550 to 600 seniors per year. Some
drop in classes, clinics and activities categorized as professional services are also provided but not
tracked in the CLASS system. These are generally free of charge and often offered as a service by local
medical providers or businesses. Total participation here is unknown, but at least five different classes are
offered per year.
Lastly, the Department offers fitness room passes on a daily, monthly, three-month, and yearly basis. The
monthly pass is the most popular, with 471 passes purchased last year. There were also 123 daily
passes, 49 three-month passes and 2 yearly passes purchased.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Resident satisfaction with senior programming is measured in the annual Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey.
On average, 89% of survey participants indicated they were either very or somewhat satisfied with the
recreation and senior programming provided by the city.114
As mentioned previously, the Senior Services line of business serves individuals over the age of 50. While
this is not an uncommon age to begin senior program eligibility, the U.S. Census Bureau does not publish
the number of individuals over 50 in a given city. It does however provide the number of residents over
65. We used this statistic to compare the City of Carlsbad to other communities in the area in terms of
service level. As shown in the table below, the city provides one senior center for its 14,765 residents over
65, while comparable municipalities on average provide one senior center for every 8,433 residents over
65.
City of Comp.
Carlsbad Comp. A Comp. B Comp. C Comp. D Comp. F Average
Pop. >65 / Sr.
Center 14,746 7,643 8,197 16,162 5,900 4,264 8,775
Sq. Mi. / Sr.
Center 40 20 15 53 39 12 29
Similarly, comparable municipalities average one senior center per 25 square miles, while the City of
Carlsbad, roughly 40 square miles, provides only one center. The national average is one senior center
per 28.9 square miles, as provided by the ICMAs Comparative Performance Measurement FY 2010 Data
Report. Granted, these data points do not account for the size or quality of the facilities, but may suggest
the need for the city to explore adding a new location for seniors, even if it is a dedicated space within
another city facility providing similar services. It is our understanding that the Department may already be
considering such options for the southern part of the city.
In terms of senior program spending, the comparable municipalities surveyed spent an average of $1 in
senior program expenditures for every $3 in recreation program expenditures. For the City of Carlsbad,
this ratio is roughly $1 to every $4.50 spent. This does not necessarily mean that the city is under funding
senior programs. Instead it may simply point to a high level of expenditures on other recreation services.
The table below provides additional detail.
City of Comparable
Carlsbad Average
Senior Budget as a Percent of Total Recreation Budget 22% 34%
Recreation Spending per $1 of Senior Spending $ 4.59 $ 3.15
From a national perspective115, only 70.8% of parks and recreation departments offer senior programs. Of
those which do provide programs, only 72.7% provide meals for seniors. That means only 51.5% of parks
and recreation departments nationally offer meals for seniors. From that standpoint, the Carlsbad Parks &
Recreation Department is in the top half of the nation for department meal service to seniors.
114
115
PRORAGIS Budget and Funding Report. National Recreation and Parks Association. Report run April 13, 2012.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
The Senior Services line of business outsources instruction for senior enrichment classes and food
services. There is only one contract as indicated below. This is the food service contract for both the
congregate lunches and the home meals. This contract describes portion size, nutritional requirements,
and other expectations of the vendor.
FY11 Actuals
Company Description Allocated to
Recreation Services
Contract - Enrichment Classes
(Approximately 3-4 individual instructor
contracts) Enrichment programming $ 9,000
Essenco Food for the Senior Meals
Program $ 203,800
The senior enrichment class contracts are accounted for in aggregate with the other instructional
contracts under the Recreation Services line of business, totaling roughly a half million per year all
together. The terms are specific to each instructor, but generally include minimum and maximum
participants for a given activity, length of class and recommended fee. The instructors generally receive
65% of the fee revenue generated.
In allocating staff time to contract management efforts, the Department estimated that no time under the
Senior Services line of business was devoted to contract management. It is possible that this choice was
related to a combination of two things: 1) the stable and incident-free nature of the current catering
agreement, and 2) the pooling of instructor contract management as a single task under the Recreation
Services line of business rather than the Senior Services line of business. In either case, the city should
reconsider its current level of and approach to contract management, as recommended in the Overview
of Outsourced Activities & Contract Management section earlier in this report.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
SeniorServices:FutureStateAlternatives
Opportunity Amount (Annual
Area & Focus Option
Unless Otherwise Noted)
OE Administrative support reduction $ 25,900
$ 12,500 per year
DO
Outsource Transportation Services $ 30,000 one-time
DO Outsource Congregate Meal Support $ 21,000
Administrative Support Reduction
Department management noted a potential surplus of administrative support staffing across the
Department, due to technology-based efficiencies. These managers are considering a pilot program for
cross-training and cross-utilization of support staff to be followed by a reduction in support staff hours.
The Senior Services line of business would conduct the pilot. If it is successful, the Department could
reduce the hours of effort for administrative support in this and other lines of business, and as a result,
either realize savings or redirect the effort toward other service priorities.
Estimated Savings/Reallocation: According to payroll data, total personnel costs for senior center
administration staff classified as general or hourly (excluding management) totaled $259,301 in FY11.
Based upon our experience, cross-training and utilization can produce 10 percent efficiency. If staff
reduction were realized, the savings would be $25,930 per year; otherwise, we would anticipate that this
amount would be used for a reallocation of staff resources for other activities.
Based on our review of current operations, there does not appear to be any strong candidates for
managed competition.
DirectOutsourcing
Transportation
The transportation program is an excellent candidate for outsourcing as the risk is low and there is an
abundance of vendors providing these services. The current internal costs for transportation service were
estimated using fleet overhead charges, personnel costs related to drivers and small portion of personnel
costs for other Senior Center staff hours logged to senior nutrition transportation. Using this approach the
current costs for FY11 were $89,257.
Vendor estimates for transportation services averaged $72,000 per year, inclusive of fees and equipment.
After adding an estimated 0.05 FTE of contract oversight for this option, the total annual costs for external
provision are shown below. The average personnel costs for Department staff that manage contracts is
$94,232 per year. Assuming this contract could add about 100 hours of work per year for such an
individual, five percent of a full time position was calculated to be $4,712 per year, an indirect cost listed
in the table below.
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Direct Costs
Indirect Costs
Total Direct & Indirect Costs of Vendor Option $ 76,712
Estimated Savings: Compared to the average of potential vendor cost estimates, an annual savings of
over $12,000 could be possible, as shown in the following table. In addition to these ongoing savings, a
one-time source of revenue might also be expected from the liquidation of some or all of the related fleet
assets, currently three vans. Assuming an average resale value of $10,000 for each of the vans, this
would generate $30,000 in savings.
Cost Comparison
External Option $ 76,712
Congregate Meal Program
Like the transportation program, the program activities in Congregate Meal Support are excellent
candidates for outsourcing. These activities include the organization, set-up, service and clean-up of daily
congregate lunches. The activities align well with services that are already contracted and the personnel
costs related to internal staff support have been increasing steadily over the past three years, as shown in
the table below.
Direct Costs FY09 FY10 FY11
Personnel for Senior Nutrition-Congregate $ 33,563 $ 35,749 $ 36,765

M&O for Senior Nutrition-Congregate
$ 9,698 $ 10,085 $ 9,340
(excludes cost for catering contract)
As stated previously, the Department currently contracts with a caterer for the preparation of the meals. It
is possible that the service of meals and the tasks associated with it could be added to the existing
contract or rebid as part of a new expanded catering contract. Typically, caterers calculate fees for
delivery and service and clean-up at 20% of the food costs. While this calculation is more commonly used
in event catering, it provides a sense of the market standard for such activities in food service. Given that
volunteers are heavily involved in the current service efforts, we instead used 10% of the current contract
to estimate potential additional vendor fees. This would mean $20,380 in additional vendor fees for
service and clean-up. We then assumed an additional contract management staff effort of 0.05 FTE per
year. The average personnel costs for Department staff that manage contracts is $94,232 per year, and
five percent of such a position was calculated to be $4,712 per year, an indirect cost listed in the table
below, which shows the combined costs.
Direct Costs
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CityofCarlsbad,CA
Direct Costs
Indirect Costs
Total Direct & Indirect Costs of Vendor Option $ 25,092
Estimated Savings: Given the current costs for both personnel and M&O for congregate meal service
and the estimated future state alternative costs, the potential annual savings would be over $21,000 per
year. The table below summarizes this calculation.
Cost Comparison
External Option $ 25,092
Page 171
DRAFTFORDISCUSSIONPURPOSESONLY
Appendices
Appendix1:WorkBreakdownStructure
The following indicates the activities performed in each functional area within each line of business. This information should be used for any
contracting opportunity. It will ensure that the vendor level of service is consistent with the citys current approach.
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Level 1 - Line Frequency/ Levels/Measures Industry
Work Types Within Description Comments
of Business Completion Time Tracked by the City of Standards
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Programs/Instruction Masters Programs - Daily Revenue/Participant; Revenue/Attendee
/Rec Activities Guarding Cost/Participant or Participant
Programs/Instruction Rec/Lap Swim - Daily Revenue/Participant; Revenue/Attendee
Programs/Instruction Swim Lessons - Daily - Summer Revenue/Participant; Revenue/Attendee
/Rec Activities Instruction Cost/Participant or Participant
Programs/Instruction Rental Pool Use - Daily Revenue/Participant; Revenue/Attendee
Administration Registration Majority online Lane Hours/Program; N/A Can be done at
Revenue/Patron/Activity any recreation
site or remotely
Aquatic from user site
Services Administration Staff Scheduling Weekly Cost to Operate/Day Cost/Attendee or
Participant
Administration Course Fee Collections Majority online Revenue/Activity N/A
Administration Rentals - Scheduling & Yearly and as Lane Hour Use/Program N/A
Contracting needed
Administration Admissions Daily - Lifeguards Revenue/Attendee Revenue/Attendee
Maintenance Pool Maintenance Daily - Pool Cost to Operate/Day Maintenance All in-house
Supervisor Cost/Square Foot
Maintenance Heater As Needed None N/A Contracted
Maintenance Bathroom Cleaning Daily - Lifeguards; Visual Inspection N/A
Weekly - PEM
City of Carlsbad, CA
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Trash & recycling Collect trash from Collect trash daily; 12,012 hours annually; N/A
collection parks, facilities, twice per day as 231 hours/week; 32.9
beaches trails and needed in high hours/day
downtown district (80 traffic/tourism
cans). There are 271 district
cans total throughout
the city
Pressure wash of Ensure cleanliness of Clean quarterly No service levels N/A
trash and recycling garbage cans and defined.
cans recycling receptacles
by pressure washing all
cans
Custodial Maintain dog Refill dog bags and 60 - 65 stations No service levels N/A
Services stations remove waste from citywide: defined.
stations Pick up twice per
week from trails
Pick up from dog
park daily
Pick up from
downtown daily
Pick up from
beaches daily
Supplemental Cleaning of picnic On request No service levels N/A
cleaning tables and trash defined.
removal as needed for
events
Sidewalk Installation of new As needed. No service levels N/A
Hardscape/ maintenance and concrete, grinding to defined.
Specialty repair (interior to smooth surfaces,
Maintenance parks) repairs of cracks and
other safety concerns
Page 173
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Sweeping/Washing Walkways, steps, picnic Contract: Daily. No service levels N/A
hard surfaces, curbs, In-house: As defined.
gutters, and parking needed.
lots cleaned to remove
foreign objects.
Retaining Maintain multiple types As needed. No service levels Regional standard
walls/fencing of barriers including crib defined. for sports field
maintenance; for walls, wooden fencing, fencing
parks and trails chain link fencing;
remove graffiti and
repair structures with
vandalism
Playground Regularly inspect Contract: Daily. No service levels Conduct
equipment playground equipment, In-house: Daily. defined. inspection
maintenance and make immediate according to
inspection (tot lots, repairs to equipment to California
swings, etc.) maintain safety, Playground Safety
conduct routine Regulations
maintenance; maintain standards,
and replace playground inspector must be
surface to maintain certified (CPSR)
standards and safety
(rubber, woodchips,
etc.)
Playground surface Maintain and replace Contract: Daily. No service levels Conduct
maintenance playground surface to In-house: Daily. defined. inspection
maintain standards and according to
safety (rubber, California
woodchips, etc.); clean Playground Safety
surface to remove Regulations
unsafe/unsanitary standards,
debris. inspector must be
certified (CPSR)
Page 174
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Sports court surface Maintain surfaces Contract: Daily. No service levels N/A
maintenance through surface repair In-house: Daily. defined.
and replacement,
sweeping and cleaning
of surfaces
Sports court Maintain sports court As needed No service levels N/A
equipment equipment such as defined.
maintenance tennis nets, poles, and
windscreens; basketball
hoops, nets; shade
structures, bleachers,
etc.
Park bench Maintain parks As needed No service levels N/A
maintenance benches, pour concrete defined.
pad for new
installations
Park bridge Maintain park bridges, As needed No service levels N/A
maintenance address safety issues defined.
General masonry General masonry work As needed No service levels N/A
for park structures defined.
(facades, planters, etc.)
Block house Maintain restroom As needed. No service levels N/A
restroom fixtures such as toilets, defined.
maintenance and sinks, doors, and other
repair items (excludes
cleaning-part of
custodial work);
conduct major repairs if
needed
Page 175
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Facility and Picnic tables, benches, Daily and as No service levels N/A
Equipment Cleaning slabs, barbeques, trash needed. defined.
and Inspections receptacles shall be
cleaned to ensure safe
use.
Park lighting Maintain park lighting As needed. No service levels N/A
maintenance lamps and fixtures defined.
including sports
field/court lighting,
walkway ballards,
walkway lighting,
parking lot lighting.
General park fixture Maintain park As needed. No service levels N/A
maintenance structures and fixtures defined.
such as ornamental
fountains, informational
kiosks, benches, picnic
tables, signage, etc.
Drinking Fountain Clean and disinfect Contract: Daily. No service levels N/A
Cleaning drinking fountains, drain In-house: Daily. defined.
and sand trap.
General electrical General electrical work As needed. No service levels N/A
work in parks areas defined.
Graffiti Removal Removal of graffiti on Contract: Daily. No service levels N/A
parks surfaces or In-house: Daily. defined.
fixtures
Page 176
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Hardscape Contract Management of Ongoing N/A. N/A
Management hardscape contracts
including issuance of
RFPs, regular
inspections of
contractor work,
communication and
coordination with
contractors, etc.
School Art Program Brochure creation and Roughly 2.5 31 classrooms Effective visual
distribution, classrooms/month participate per year. The arts class size is
reservations & prep, number of students and 21 students to 1
learning packet creation learning packets is not instructor
and delivery, tour, & art reported, but is directly
lesson related to the number of
participating classrooms.
The number of
brochures is higher but
also unreported.
Historical Museum Services Curation/archival One new exhibit 1,200 piece collection, N/A Roughly
Parks (catalog, inventory, per year 800 hours/year of $30,000/yr in
Services storage), research, archivist time donations to the
restoration, drafting and Ranch
exhibit creation
Tours Walk on tours, Roughly 40 school Cost per tour is roughly Many historic
educational tours for tours per year, $160 for non-Carlsbad hours museums
third graders, other only 2 non- schools and $450 for charge tour fees,
scheduled tours Carlsbad schools Carlsbad schools. Non- stratified with
per year school guided tours and lower rates for
annual visitor estimates students
are not currently tracked.
Page 177
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Visitor Services Park operations, 8 hours/day for 4 Open 36 hours/week Comparable sites Open 9-5 Tues-
opening, closing, visitor days/week, and 4 open an average Sat, 11-5 Sun
center hours/day for 1 of 24 hours/week
day/week
Administration Grant writing, N/A Approximately 1.35 FTE N/A
programming oversight, of effort toward these
coordination with activities.
Friends of Corrillo
Ranch and other
groups / departments,
expansion / restoration
planning, volunteer
coordination
Irrigation of Irrigate plants, trees, Contract: As Optimum amount of N/A
Vegetation and turf in parkland and needed. water without causing
medians In-house: As soil erosion and run-off.
needed for Follow city Water
optimum plant Efficient Landscape
Landscape
growth. Special Ordinance (WELO).
Maintenance
restrictions apply
for drought
periods or periods
of measurable
rain.
Page 178
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Irrigation System Maintain and repair Contract: As Promote industry N/A
Maintenance irrigation system needed. standard for public
In-house: Repairs safety. Irrigation shall be
and replacements applied at a rate not
as needed. Repair exceeded infiltration rate
or replacement of the soil and sufficient
should take place for plant growth.
within 2 working
days or sooner to
prevent damage
to landscape or
turf. Annual
certification of
backflow devices.
Irrigation System Test irrigation system to Contract: Weekly Protect against runoff N/A
Testing ensure appropriate or when problems and erosion and detect
operation adherence to are noticed. system failure.
water conservation In-house: Weekly
standards or when problems
are noticed.
Page 179
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Planters and Ground Maintenance of planter Contract and In- Planting areas shall be N/A
Cover Maintenance areas and groundcover. house: pruned and maintained
Weekly: Edging to ensure healthy living
and weed control. condition.
Monthly: Trimming Dead, dying, or diseased
and cultivation. vegetation shall be
Quarterly: replaced.
Fertilization. Planting areas shall be
As needed: pest maintained in relatively
control. weed free condition and
clear of undergrowth
(fire hazard).
Invasive species shall be
eradicated.
Maintain to prevent
obstruction of motorist
view.
Mulch shall be
replenished as needed.
Plants shall be fertilized
and watered at intervals
as necessary to promote
optimum growth.
Shrub Maintenance Maintenance of shrub Contract and In- No service levels N/A
vegetation. house: defined.
Weekly: weed
control.
Monthly:
Trimming.
Quarterly:
Fertilization.
As needed: Pest
control.
Page 180
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Shrub replacement Replacement of shrubs Contract: As Incorporate native and N/A
if diseased or dead. needed. drought resistant plans
In-house: As whenever possible. Must
needed. be 5 gallon size or
greater (for slopes under
3:1)
Natural turf Maintenance of passive Contract and In- Clear walkway after N/A
maintenance natural turf areas. house: each mowing.
(passive) Weekly: mowing,
mechanical
edging of turf and
ground cover
edging, weed
control (1 time per
year for pre-
emergent
weeding), clipping
removal, string
trim, visual
inspection.
Quarterly: fertilize.
Aerate/thatch:
Semi-annually.
As needed: Pest
Control.
Page 181
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Synthetic turf Sweeping, grooming, Weekly: sweeping Clear walkway after N/A
maintenance cleaning, and and shell/debris each mowing.
disinfecting of synthetic extracting.
turf. Monthly: grooming
and rubber in-fill
redistributing.
Quarterly: water
rinsing. Semi-
annually: anti-
microbial
spraying.
As needed: seam
separation and
tear repairing,
vandalism/theft
replacing, rubber
in-fill replenishing.
Page 182
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Specialty natural turf Maintenance of active Contract: No service levels N/A
maintenance (active) turf on baseball fields, Weekly: mowing, defined.
soccer, etc. mechanical
edging of turf and
ground cover
edging, weed
control (1 time per
year for pre-
emergent
weeding), clipping
removal, string
trim, visual
inspection.
Quarterly: fertilize.
Aerate/thatch:
Semi-annually.
As needed: Pest
Control. Annual:
Renovation and
Repair
In-house: Same
as contract, plus
semi-weekly
moving and
mechanical
edging during
warm growing
seasons
Page 183
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Fire mitigation/brush Removal of brush and Contract: As Limit disruption to N/A
removal other debris for fire needed. environmentally
prevention and In-house: As sensitive areas while
mitigation. needed. conforming to fire
standards. Mitigate fire
danger to adjacent
structures.
Disease and Pest Maintain landscape Contract: As No service levels All pest control
control areas free of disease needed. defined. must be in
and insects that could In-house: As compliance with
cause or promote needed. Federal, State,
damage to plants. and local laws.
Must be State of
California
Licensed Pest
Control Operator.
Must use
appropriate
extermination
techniques.
Stormwater pollution Employment of best Contract: As No service levels N/A
prevention management practices needed. defined.
(BMPs) to prevent In-house: As
stormwater pollution needed.
(daily activities; meet
regular reporting
requirements
Undeveloped General mowing and Contract: Annual No service levels N/A
parkland weed control for and as needed. defined.
maintenance undeveloped parkland In-house: Semi-
annual and as
needed.
Page 184
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Erosion prevention Reduce erosion Contract: As No service levels N/A
potential through needed. defined.
erosion control planting In-house: As
and slope revegitation. needed.
Tree maintenance Tree maintenance for Contract and In- Maintain 14 ft clearance Conform to
(for work up to 15 ft.) landscapes and house: for branches Society of
medians (for contract Semi-annual. overhanging beyond Arboriculture (ISA)
purposes only); Trimming. curb line into roadway, 8 Standards
responsible for tree Quarterly: ft for branches
work up to 15ft. From Fertilize. overhanding walkways
the ground As needed: and other pedestrian
Restaking, pest paths
control.
In-house: Same
as contract.
Mulching Distribution of mulch on Contract: Daily. Minimum of 3 inches of N/A
exposed soil surfaces. In-house: As mulch to exposed soil
needed. surfaces
Contract Management of Ongoing N/A N/A
Management landscape contracts
including issuance of
RFPs, regular
inspections of
contractor work,
communication and
coordination with
contractors, etc.
Page 185
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Traditional Camps Pee Wee Summer, Pee Sessions/Year: Participation/Year: Pee N/A Pee Wee: 3-5
Wee Spring, Kidz Pee Wee Summer Wee Summer (203), Pee yrs old, Kidz: 6-
Summer, Kidz Spring, (10), Pee Wee Wee Spring (23), Kidz 11 yrs old,
Explorer Summer & CIT Spring (1), Kidz Summer (495), Kidz Explorers: 11-
Summer (10), Spring (55), Explorer 13, Teen (CIT):
Kidz Spring (1), Summer & CIT (990) 13-15 years old
Explorer Summer
& CIT (20)
Enrichment Camps Art, cooking, science, Roughly 30 Participation/Year: 431 N/A
etc. camps/year
Sports Camps Offerings for ages 3-16, Sessions/Year: 25 Total annual N/A
including basketball, participation: 600, at
soccer, cheer, least 10 types of sports
gymnastics, offered
Recreation
skateboarding, golf,
Services
tennis, dodgeball,
volleyball, football, and
multi-sport camps
Classes Dance, martial arts, Varies 5,795 net N/A
fitness, science, art registrations/year
Preschool Parent Toddler 1, Sessions/Yr: Total Participation: NRPA:80% of CA
Parent Toddler 2, Parent Toddler 1 approximately departments offer
Preschool 3, Preschool (36), Parent 1,900/year Annual preschool but only
3 & 4, and Preschool 4 Toddler 2 (63), Revue: approximately 32% nationally
& Kindergarten Preschool 3 (19), $185,000/year
Preschool 3 & 4
(27), and
Preschool 4 &
Kindergarten (31)
Page 186
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Special Events Spring 8-9 events/year Total participation not N/A
EGGstravaganza, consistently tracked
Triathlon, Dinner & a
Movie, Holiday at the
Rancho, Pumpkin
Plunge, Snores &
S'mores Campout,
Teen Scene, and Wild
West Fest
Youth Sports Classes/Leagues Sessions vary by Annual Participation: N/A
include: Basketball, season Basketball (450-500),
Gymnastics, Soccer Gymnastics (325-350),
and Tennis Soccer (30-40), Tennis
(1,000-1,500)
Adult Sports Classes/Leagues Sessions vary by Annual Participation: N/A
include: Basketball, season Basketball (30-35),
Soccer, Softball, Golf, Volleyball (400-450),
Volleyball and Tennis Soccer (20-40), Tennis
(175-225), Golf (10-15),
Softball (25-30)
Other Programming Teen program, Varies Teens in Action N/A
community center participation not tracked
programs
Community Centers Room reservations, 665 rentals/yr and Rentals, booking and N/A
equipment coordination 3,545 revenue tracked by
(tables/chairs), bookings/year location
Rental document assistance
Services Athletic Fields Coordination of specific 363 rentals/year Rentals, booking and N/A
sport, multi-use, some and 10,542 revenue tracked by
special surface athletic bookings location
areas
Page 187
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Parks, Picnics & Reservations for non- 946 rentals/year Rentals, booking and N/A
Community Garden athletic open spaces, and 1,552 revenue tracked by
picnic areas, gazebos bookings/yr location
and community garden
space
Carrillo Ranch Rental coordination and 44 rentals/year Rentals, booking and N/A
event assistance and 44 revenue tracked by
(mostly weddings) for bookings/year location
the pool and cabana
area, the picnic area
and the patio area
Fitness Room Equipment and space N/A Passes/year: 123 daily, N/A Memberships
for exercise activities 471 monthly, 49 three- offered daily,
month, and 2 yearly monthly, 3
passes months, or year
Professional Health screenings, 4-5 different types External organization N/A
Services legal & tax services, of classes/yr provide service
information assistance, (participation not
direct residents to local measured, but receive
service agencies evaluation responses
from class participants)
Seniors
Services Home Meals Deliver meals to Serving days: 250, All volunteer delivery, N/A
seniors meals Volunteer hours/yr:
delivered/yr: over around 2,000, volunteer
9,000, Meals hours/day: 7-8
delivered/day: 32;
2 PT staff plus
kitchen aide
Lunch at the Center Provide daily meals to Serving days: 250, Volunteer hours/year: N/A
seniors at the Senior Meals over 6,000, Volunteer
Center served/year: hours/day: around 25, 2
26,000, PT staff plus kitchen
Page 188
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Meals/day: a little aide
over 100
Transportation Transport for seniors Service days/year: Service area: 41 square N/A
over 60 who can no 250, Trips/year: miles; 3 PT staff ; 3
longer drive, for the Over 6,000, vehicles, only 2 in use at
following: daily to lunch Trips/day: 20-30, a time
at the Senior Center, Vans in use per
Medical appointment day: 2
(as needed), grocery
trips weekly, Walmart
trips monthly
Activity Coordinate and Day trips/year: 3, 1 PT staff N/A
programming facilitate day trips and Enrichment
enrichment classes for classes/year: 80
senior participants
Computer Lab Provide computer Users per year 1 PT staff coordinates; N/A
classes, free internet and class 12 computer stations
access and open lab attendance per with printer access,
year not currently classes taught by
tracked volunteer
Administration Information, scheduling, Classes 1 FT Secretary, 2 PT N/A Class
walk-in services, provided/year: 9 Office Specialists evaluations from
participants
Weeding Weeding on trails Contract: As No service levels N/A
needed. defined.
Trails/ Open In-house: 2 times
Space/ per year or as
Preserve needed.
Maintenance Trail construction Develop new trail as Contract: As Construct to city N/A
directed needed. standards
In-house: As
Page 189
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
needed.
Remove fallen trees Remove downed limbs Contract: As No service levels N/A
and trees from trail needed. defined.
paths In-house: As
needed.
Vegetation removal Clearance of vegetation Contract: As Clearance of vegetation N/A
obstructing trail or needed. 8' above trail grade,
creating unsafe In-house: As trees pruned to main
conditions needed. stem and not into branch
collar; removed plants
must be cut level to
ground; stumps removed
12' below trail grade
Pothole filling Fills potholes on trail Contract: As All holes should be filled N/A
surfaces needed. to create smooth,
In-house: As obstacle free tread
needed.
Pavement sweeping Sweep debris from Contract: As No service levels N/A
paved trail surfaces needed. defined.
In-house: 4 times
per year and as
needed.
Clean drainage Clear trail drainage Contract: As No service levels N/A
system systems to maintain needed. defined.
steady flow of water In-house: Once
per year and
before/after a
storm.
Page 190
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Unpaved trail tread Maintain and repair Once per year or Removal of sloughs and N/A
maintenance unpaved trail surfaces as needed. berms according to trail
maintenance plan; loose
rocks, rock points,
stumps, and roots
protruding from trail
surface is to be
removed;
Dog station Maintain dog stations As needed. No service levels N/A
replacement/ repair on city managed trails defined.
Trails Pavement Repair of paved trail Contract: As No service levels N/A
sealing/ repaving surfaces needed. defined.
In-house: As
needed.
Trail edging repair/ Maintain trail edging As needed. No service levels N/A
replacement defined.
Special structure Maintain and repair trail Contract: As Inspection annually at N/A
(water bars, culverts, structures to prevent needed. minimum, repaired to
retaining walls, wash erosion and promote In-house: As original standard
crossings, safety. needed. construction
overpasses, bridges, specifications
signs) repair/
maintenance
Public Interaction Notify public of trail Contract: As Notify city Trail Manager N/A
closings for major needed. 5 days before activities;
repairs; coordinate with In-house: As close of trail using "Trail
HOA for private to needed. Closed" sign with city
public transitions contact information; post
detours and "end tail"
signs if no alternative
available
Page 191
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Coordinate and Manage trail volunteers Contract: As Coordinate trail activities N/A Typically have
manage trail in the field and needed. to maximize cost one
volunteers coordinate activities In-house: Conduct effectiveness of maintenance
with trail captains who quarterly meetings volunteer use worker on site
take "ownership" over with trail captains; for more difficult
sections of trail. work is typically projects
completed on
Saturdays from 8-
12.
Monitor trail Monitor trail condition Contract: Daily No service levels N/A
condition through through use of trail In-house: As defined.
inspection volunteers and actual needed in
inspection by staff. conjunction with
volunteers.
Contract Manage contracts and Ongoing No service levels N/A
Management contractors defined.
Preserve-Contract Manage preserve Ongoing N/A N/A
Management contracts; coordinate
with contractors; verify
completion of work.
Contractor provide
services including weed
abatement, invasive
plant removal,
preparation of preserve
management plan,
animal surveys, litter
removal, security
patrols, lagoon buoy
maintenance, signs and
fencing, etc.)
Page 192
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Preserve-Public Coordinate joint As needed N/A N/A
Coordination activities with public
entities (i.e., State of
California)
General Tree Trimming, of trees. Contract: In ISA tree worker Conform to West Coast
Pruning Also, line clearance accordance with certification preferred for Society of contract
pruning, clearance city annual tree all crew members. Arboriculture (ISA) indicates that
pruning, tree watering, pruning program. ISA tree worker Standards contractor must
small tree care, palm certification required for be flexible with
truck skinning, root In-house: In Foreman of each crew. crew to manage
pruning. accordance with At least one foreman is shifting
city annual tree required for every three workload.
pruning program. crew members. Contractor
ISA Arborist required for submits
all call-out Arborist staff. proposals for
At least one Arborist is work completion
Tree
required to be available and time
Maintenance
on a crew's site within (assumed to be
Management
two hours of call-out by based on city
the city. schedule) for
performance
measuring.
Tree Training and Staking, guying, and Contract: As No service levels Conform to
Preservation training of trees. needed. defined. Society of
In-house: As Arboriculture (ISA)
needed. Standards
Tree Watering and Tree watering and Contract: As No service levels Conform to
Irrigation irrigation. needed. defined. Society of
needed. Standards
Page 193
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Tree replacement Replacement of dead Contract: In No service levels Conform to
or diseased trees accordance with defined. Society of
City Community Arboriculture (ISA)
Forest Standards
Management
Plan. City goal to
replace trees
within 45 days of
removal. (Council
Policy Statement,
applies to street
trees specifically).
Replaced with
minimum 15
gallon size.
In-house: In
accordance with
City Community
Forest
Management
Plan. City goal to
replace trees
within 45 days of
removal. (Council
Policy Statement,
applies to street
trees specifically).
Replaced with
minimum 15
gallon size.
Page 194
Appendices (cont.)
Service
Level 2 - Specific
Line of Business
Carlsbad
Respond to Response to Contract: No service levels Conform to
emergencies emergency tree Respond to phone defined. Society of
requests to clear debris call within 1 hour. Arboriculture (ISA)
or trim trees. Forman respond Standards
in 10 min. to direct
call.
In-house: On call
and as needed.
Tree and Stump Remove tree stumps. Contract: As No service levels Conform to
Removal needed. defined. Society of
needed. Standards
Tree Inventory Conduct regular tree Contract and In- No service levels Conform to
inventory to monitor the house: In defined. Society of
health and status of city accordance with Arboriculture (ISA)
managed trees. city annual tree Standards
pruning program
and as needed.
Contract Management of trees Ongoing N/A N/A
Management contracts including
issuance of RFPs,
regular inspections of
contractor work,
communication and
coordination with
contractors, etc.
Page 195
Appendix2:CurrentContractListing
FY11 Line(s) of
Company Description
Expenditures Business
Agricultural Pest Trails/Preserve,
Agricultural pest control $11,462
Control, Inc. Landscape
Arthur A. Brown
Plumbing $219 Hardscape
Plumbing
Blair Rasmussen
Construction $31,289 Hardscape
Construction
Builders Automation &
Electric Gate Repair $593 Hardscape
Electronics Inc
California Trees,
Urban forest thinning $125,100
Conservation Corps Trail/Preserve
Carlsbad Unified Use of parking lot for
$344 Trails
School District programming.
Habitat management services
Center for Natural to the city to help fulfill the
$163,526 Trails/Preserve
Lands Management goals of the Preserve
Management Plan
Offshore profile survey
Coastal Frontiers
services along the Carlsbad $19,161 Trails/Preserve
Corporate
coastline
Contract - Enrichment
Classes
(Approximately 30
Enrichment programming $451,758 Recreation
individual instructor
contracts, 4 vendor
contracts)
Contract - Enrichment
Classes
(Approximately 3-4 Enrichment programming $451,758 Senior Services
individual instructor
contracts)
Contract Classes -
Pool
Pool programming and
(0 individual instructor $14,479 Aquatics
courses
contracts, 1 vendor
contracts)
Contract Classes -
Youth Sports
(7 individual instructor Youth sports instruction $54,182 Recreation
contracts, 2 vendor
contracts)
Court Concepts Inc. Court surfacing & repairs $4,995 Hardscape
Dan Vaughn
Concrete Construction $10,842 Hardscape
Construction
Food for the Senior Meals
Essenco $156,816 Senior Services
Program
Ferandell Tennis
Court surfacing & repairs $10,319 Hardscape
Courts
Appendices (cont.)
FY11 Line(s) of
Company Description
Fluoresco Lighting &
Ballfield lighting maintenance $13,009 Hardscape
Signs
Lake Calavera
Habitat Restoration
5-Acre Habitat Restoration $23,619 Trails/Preserve
Sciences
Project
Habitat Restoration Lake Calavera
$8,462 Trails/Preserve
Sciences 1-Acre Mitigation Project
Preserve
Habitat West, Inc. $5,299 Trails
restoration/monitoring
Assessment District Tree
Harris & Associates $6,800
Engineering Maintenance
Pool heater maintenance
Knorr Systems, Inc. $2,620 Aquatics
services
UV preventative maintenance
Knorr Systems, Inc. $1,428 Aquatics
services
Landscape,
Lawnmowers Plus Equipment Maintenance $6,036
Trees
Locater Services DBA
Security services $14,446 Trails/Preserve
Able Patrol and Guard
Custodial,
Mark & Diana Stein Carrillo Park Overseer $2,618 Landscape,
Hardscape
Merkel & Associates,
Lagoon buoys maintenance $34,175 Trails/Preserve
Inc
Musco Sports Lighting Sports Lighting Programming $3,200 Hardscape
Landscape maintenance work Landscape,
Nissho of California,
at specified street medians $285,718 Hardscape,
Inc
and parkways Trees
Landscape,
Nissho of California, Athletic field and landscape
$171,753 Hardscape,
Inc. maintenance services
Trees
P.B.A. Ltd Engineering Services $1,500 Trails
Pipes Plumbing Inc Plumbing $308 Hardscape
Landscape,
Plant-Tek Inc Pesticide Application $5,986
Trees
Ornamental fountain
Poolmaster $3,505 Hardscape
maintenance
Pro Installations Inc. Restroom floor resurfacing $9,950 Hardscape
RDO Equipment
Equipment Maintenance $10,595 Hardscape
Company
Right Of Way
Engineering Services, Utilities Coordination/Services $2,740 Hardscape
Inc.
Perform routine, recurring,
and usual electrical
Sadler Electric $57,196 Hardscape
maintenance work necessary
for the protection and
Page 197
Appendices (cont.)
FY11 Line(s) of
Company Description
preservation of city owned or
maintained electrical
systems.
Sandag Beach Sand nourishment $14,691 Trails

Scott Fence Fencing $13,660 Hardscape
Landscape,
SDG&E Lighting utility $27
Hardscape
Sunward Flag Flag lighting $897 Hardscape
Custodial,
Superior Onsite Landscape,
Equipment Maintenance $5,260
Service Inc. Hardscape,
Trees
Custodial maintenance
T&T Janitorial, Inc. $15,227 Custodial
agreement
Custodial, Trails,
Landscape,
U.S. Bank Purchase Cards $293
Hardscape,
trees
Underground Service
Utilities Coordination/Services $2,640 Landscape
Alert
West Coast Arborist, Tree trimming maintenance Trees,
$262,712
Inc. services Landscape
Westturf Landscape landscape maintenance work Custodial, Trails,
Maintenance / Sergio at specified parks, facilities, $46,517 Landscape,
Graham and trails areas Trees
Zumar Industries Sign fabrication $167 Hardscape
Page 198
Appendix3:ComparableJurisdictions&Survey
Aquatics Survey Responses

Comparable A Comparable B Comparable C Comparable D Comparable E Comparable F
Costs and Revenue:
Total Annual Cost (per category) Not applicable $816,132 $265,733 $676,610 Not answered $164,200
Personnel Services
(expenditures for all salaries, Not applicable $375,558 $182,635 $436,800 Not answered $143,300
wages and benefits)
Operations (expenditures for all

Not applicable $140,094 $70,898 $225,610 Not answered $20,900
functions, excluding contracts)
Capital (expenditures for capital

equipment and projects and
Not applicable $300,480 $0 $2,200 Not answered $80,000
debt services paid from
operating funds)
Contract Costs Not applicable $0 $12,200 $12,000 Not answered $0
Annual Revenue from Fees &

Not applicable $184,485 $125,000 $200,390 Not answered $215,900
Charges
Staffing:
Number of Full Time Staff:
Management Only (Director,
Not applicable 3 0 2 Not answered 1
Deputy, Superintendent, Division
Manager, etc.)
Number of Full Time Staff: Non-

Management Only (workers,
Not applicable 1 0 18,429 Not answered 3
coordinators, field supervisors,
etc.)
Appendices (cont.)
Total Part Time Staff Hours/Year Not applicable 17,217 10,940 0 Not answered 12,400
Number of Volunteers per Year Not applicable 0 0 0 Not answered 30

Advisory board
(reviews,
Total Annual Volunteer Hours Not applicable 0 0 Not answered 300
policies,
budgets, etc.)
Governing Advisory board
Multiple boards
To what type of board does your board (approves (reviews,
Not applicable Not answered Not answered (governing and
department report? policies, policies,
advisory)
budgets, etc.) budgets, etc.)
Contracted Services:
-Cleaning
-Dive team
Which services do you currently -Swim team Restroom
Not applicable None None Not answered
contract for? -Some swim Cleaning
lessons & adult
exercise classes
Aquatics-
assess
community Focus on best Focus on Focus on best
How are contracts selected? Not applicable Not answered
needs and look service lowest bid service
for specific
instructors
-Monthly written
-Participant and performance
How is contract performance -Attendance Pool staff does
staff evaluations reports
monitored? What are common Not applicable -Comments Not answered a daily
for instructors, -Yearly
metrics used? from parents inspection
staff reviews meetings with
contractor
Page 200
Appendices (cont.)

-Unified School
District for use
of pool in the off
season
-American Red
-Cooperative
Cross for CPR
services with
What partnerships do you have and First Aid
Unified School Schools for
with other organizations or -Nearby city's
District summer
business (e.g., shared services, Aquatics
Not applicable YMCA -Shared extended Not answered
joint purchase or cooperative Council for staff
services service
arrangements) for services? training and
(recreation programs
Equipment? programs for
classes) with
city pools
neighboring city
-Other Cities
(cross
registration,
staff training,
publicity)
Best Practices and
Innovation:
-Seasonal Pool
operation (most
economical)
Please describe any best Try to offer -Complete cost
practices or innovative unique aquatic recovery of
Not applicable Not answered Not answered Not answered
approaches you've incorporated exercise school district
in each area programs pool usage
-American Red
Cross trade
agreements
Pool Size
What size is/are your pool(s) in
7,650 square 11,775 square 12,300 square 3,400 square
square feet/meters of pool?: Not applicable Not answered
feet feet feet feet
Pool 1
Page 201
Appendices (cont.)

11,775 square 6,500 square
square feet/meters of pool?: Not applicable 936 square feet Not applicable Not answered
feet feet
Pool 2
square feet/meters of pool?: Not applicable 146 square feet Not applicable Not applicable Not answered Not applicable
Pool 3
General Information
-250 School -350 Spring/fall
Daily average attendance Not applicable 275 year -100 Winter Not answered 600
-1000 Summer -1500 Summer
Annual average attendance Not applicable 95,000 32,288 200,000 Not answered 57,000
Summer swim
What is your largest source of Private & group Recreation/lap
Not applicable lessons & pool Not answered Group lessons
revenue? lessons swim
rentals
-Give first
priority to
-"When to
revenue
Work"
generation and -"When to
What methods do you use to -Consider type -ActiveNet
education Work"
ensure optimal scheduling of the Not applicable of users and -Close Not answered
-Second priority -Activenet
pool? time of day collaboration
given to -Outlook
with school
meeting
district staff
community
need
For which programs do you -Dive team -Diving
contract? (e.g., private lessons, Not applicable -Swim team Water Aerobics Not answered Not answered -Water Aerobics
dive programs, other) -Water aerobics -Water Polo
For which maintenance activities Plumbing for School district Restroom

do you contract? (e.g., routine Not applicable restrooms/locker handles all None Not answered Janitorial
pool cleaning, HVAC, other) rooms maintenance Cleaning
Page 202
Appendices (cont.)
Parks Maintenance Survey Responses

Costs and Revenue:
Total Annual Cost (per category) $1,744,971 $3,173,533 $5,699,685 Not answered $6,145,938 $5,622,582
Personnel Services
(expenditures for all salaries, $380,838 $325,157 $1,496,212 Not answered $1,095,290 $1,921,215
wages and benefits)

$67,260 $1,894,145 $1,289,535 Not answered $2,298,165 $1,597,290

$0 $954,231 $1,293 Not answered $551,948 $138,000
operating funds)
Contract Costs $1,296,873 $0 $2,912,645 Not answered $2,200,535 $2,104,077
$0 $9,705 $52,264 Not answered $0 $0
Charges
Staffing:
1 2 1 Not answered 1 2
Manager, etc.)
Page 203
Appendices (cont.)

etc.)
Total Part Time Staff Hours/Year 0 0 0 Not answered 0 12,000
Number of Volunteers per Year 0 0 0 Not answered Not applicable 0
Total Annual Volunteer Hours 0 0 0 Not answered Not applicable 0
Governing Governing
Governing board
board Multiple boards board
To what type of board does your (approves
(approves (governing and (approves Not answered Not answered
department report? policies,
policies, advisory) policies,
budgets, etc.)
-Landscape
maintenance
-Electrical Landscape
-Plumbing maintenance in
-Tree trimming -Parks and "mini-parks"
-Janitorial facility -Right of Way
Which services do you currently All maintenance -Concrete maintenance landscaping
Not answered Not answered
contract for? activities services -Medians and -Park janitorial
-AC services roadside (restrooms)
-General maintenance -Litter
property -Raking sand
maintenance -Tree trimming
and
construction
Past
Focus on best Evaluate quality Contracts are Focus on best
How are contracts selected? performance Not answered
service & price formally bid service
and lowest bid
Page 204
Appendices (cont.)

-3 inspectors
-Monthly -Checklist Direct
and 1 supervisor
inspections based on inspection and
inspect all
How is contract performance -Points/money requirements written reports
contracted work
monitored? What are common deducted for and based upon Not answered Not answered
areas
metrics used? not meeting specifications detailed
-Regular
specified -No common contract
communication
criteria metrics specifications
with contractors
What partnerships do you have
with other organizations or
business (e.g., shared services,
None None Not applicable Not answered Not answered None
joint purchase or cooperative
arrangements) for services?
Equipment?
Best Practices and
Innovation:
-Installed ET-
Weather based
computerized
irrigation
-CFD's for trail
systems on any
maintenance
Calsense for new
expenses
Please describe any best irrigation installations as
-Contracting
practices or innovative controllers and Contract most well as
Not answered Not answered janitorial
approaches you've incorporated Musco control services retrofitting
services
in each area link for athletic existing
-Some use of
field lighting systems
part time staffing
-Do not allow
(1,000 hrs max)
turf on medians,
and only plant
drought tolerant
species
Parks:
Number of parks or sites 18 37 56 Not answered 21 37
Page 205
Appendices (cont.)

Baseball/Softball Fields: #
0 0 4 (4 synthetic) Not answered 0 19
maintained in-house
Baseball/Softball Fields: #
contracted maintenance
Baseball/Softball Fields: Active Active Active Active
Not answered Not answered
maintenance type Maintenance Maintenance Maintenance Maintenance
Soccer Fields: # maintained in-
0 0 6 (5 Synthetic) Not answered 0 2
house
Soccer Fields: # contracted
maintenance
Active Active Active Active
Soccer Fields: maintenance type Not answered Not answered
Maintenance Maintenance Maintenance Maintenance
Football Fields: # maintained in-
house
Football Fields: # contracted
maintenance
Football Fields: maintenance Active Active
Not answered Not answered Not answered Not answered
type Maintenance Maintenance
Multipurpose Fields (please list
Not answered Not answered Not answered Not answered Not answered 18
here): # maintained in-house
Multipurpose Fields (please list

here): # contracted maintenance
Multipurpose Fields (please list Active

Not answered Not answered Not answered Not answered Not answered
here): maintenance type Maintenance
Dog Parks (please list here): #
maintained in-house
Dog Parks (please list here): #
Dog Parks (please list here): Active
Not answered Not answered Not answered Not answered Not answered
maintenance type Maintenance
Page 206
Appendices (cont.)

Preserve Management Cost
Total costs (personnel services,
operations, capital, contract
costs) for preserve $247,000 (Two
management. (Please use year average,
definitions on survey definition Not answered $122,050 Not applicable Not answered Not answered costs reduce as
and general tabs to scope your preserve
response) matures)
Preserve Management
Workload
Preservation land- preserves
and conservation areas: Not answered 0 Not applicable Not answered Not answered 0
acreage maintained in-house
Preservation land- preserves
and conservation areas:
Not answered 0 Not applicable Not answered Not answered 38
acreage contracted
maintenance
Tree Maintenance Cost
costs) for tree maintenance.
$34,900 $140,000 $1,071,698 Not answered $416,080 $30,000
(Please use definitions on
survey definition and general
tabs to scope your response)
Tree Maintenance Workload
Trees maintained (if number not
Total not Total not
available, please provide % split
0 provided (0% 840 Not answered 0 provided (50%
between in-house and contract):
in-house) in-house)
# maintained in-house
Page 207
Appendices (cont.)

Trees maintained (if number not
Total not Total not
available, please provide % split
3100 provided (100% 11,500 Not answered 15,500 provided (50%
between in-house and contract):
contracted) contracted)
# contracted maintenance
Trail Maintenance Cost
costs) for trail maintenance.
(Please use definitions on
$72,080 $18,205 NA Not answered $243,920 $207,000
survey definition and general
tabs to scope your response)
Trail Maintenance Workload

Length and type of trail
Dirt: Length (miles) contracted
40.5 0 Not answered Not answered 11.1 0
maintenance
Dirt: Length (miles) maintained
Not answered 0.5 Not answered Not answered Not answered 0
in-house
Gravel/crushed rock: length
Not answered 0 Not answered Not answered Not answered 3
(miles) maintained in-house
Gravel/crushed rock: length
(miles) contracted maintenance
Paved: Length (miles)
Not answered 0 Not answered Not answered 3.2 7
Paved: Length (miles)
maintained in-house
Park Maintenance General
Does the department use a No (Hope to
Yes- Quest
Computer-aided Maintenance No Yes-Comcate Not answered No move to Lucity
System
Management System (CMMS)? and GBA)
Page 208
Appendices (cont.)

-30 day notice
that contract will
-Minimum be terminated if
manpower and performance
-Monthly
-Penalties to minimum isn't improved
inspections
What incentives or disincentives contractors with equipment -Weekly
-Points/$
does the city use for managing work contracts with inspections
deducted for Not answered Performance
parks maintenance contracts? deficiencies detailed done, notice of
not meeting
-90-day notice specifications deficiency if not
specified
& termination -Deficiency and performed
criteria
deduction adequately
notices
Indicate parks maintenance

activities that are contracted
(below) and why.
-Contractors
required to
perform all pest
control for Requires
More cost More cost assigned areas specialized
Pest Control Not answered Not answered
effective effective -In-house licenses or
pesticide certifications
personnel for
roadsides and
in-house parks
Requires
More cost More cost Insufficient in-
Concrete Repairs specialized Not answered Not answered
effective effective house staff
equipment
More cost
All maintenance activities Not answered Not answered Not answered Not answered Not answered
effective
Page 209
Appendices (cont.)

-Contractors
required to
perform all
weekend trash
removal in
contract parks
-In-house staff
Contractors for for in-house
How do you staff weekend parks Contract
Not answered trash and parks during Not answered On call staff
maintenance activities? Maintenance
janitorial summer months
only
Custodial
Do you contract custodial
Yes Yes Not answered Not answered Not answered Yes
services? If so with whom?
-Restrooms
-Litter
Outdoor All janitorial -Site furniture
Which custodial activities are
bathroom services for all Not answered Not answered Not answered cleaning
contracted?
maintenance buildings -
Playground/volle
yball sand raking
Describe the method of No in-house
deploying in-house resources for Geographic resources for Group style
Not answered Not answered Not answered
landscape maintenance ownership landscape (Convergence)
activities. maintenance
Page 210
Appendices (cont.)

Are you considering the
expansion of synthetic turf for
Yes No Not answered Not answered Yes-Demand Yes
playing surfaces? Why or why
not?
Trees
Proactive- 3
Proactive- 3-6 Proactive-
year cycles Proactive-
What type of tree maintenance year cycles pruning, damage
based on grid Block trimming
is used? If proactive, describe Reactive depending on Not answered control; Fall and
pruning and based on
the approach and cycle time. park and tree winter pruning
service request annual budget
species cycle.
pruning
Contracted- For Combination-
large storm large projects
Contracted-
events, city staff requiring a
What method is used to deal Contractor is
Contracted Contracted to organize Not answered bucket truck are
with emergency tree requests? called once staff
contract crews contracted;
ascertains need
and city staff smaller projects
crews are in-house
-Use a one or
two man crew
for small tree
maintenance on
a varied
What is the size and structure
schedule
for in-house crews for regular 0 None Not answered None 3 per crew
-In-house crews
tree maintenance?
are not
scheduled on a
daily basis, but
rather on an as
needed basis
Page 211
Appendices (cont.)

Able to
Budget and
accommodate
Describe the reason for using More cost staffing
Not applicable specific Not answered Not answered
this crew structure and size. effective constraints vs.
customer
size of job
requests quickly
Page 212
Appendices (cont.)
Recreation Survey Responses

Costs and Revenue:
$1,728,685
-Does not
include
administrative
services or
Total Annual Cost (per category) recreation $2,519,598 $8,251,502 $4,935,890 Not answered $2,385,352
programs
enterprise fund;
amounts are
from the
enterprise fund
Personnel Services
(expenditures for all salaries, $1,162,035 $1,398,179 $4,400,094 $2,287,400 Not answered $1,408,036
wages and benefits)

$57,350 $700,707 $1,854,133 $1,688,490 Not answered $977,316

$0 $315,947 $26,450 $390,000 Not answered $0
operating funds)
Contract Costs $509,300 $104,765 $1,970,825 $570,000 Not answered $0

$0 $841,019 $4,434,129 $1,355,040 Not answered $1,835,630
Charges
Staffing:
Page 213
Appendices (cont.)

1 5 5 5 Not answered 2
Manager, etc.)
9 9 25 15.5 Not answered 11
etc.)
Total Part Time Staff Hours/Year 8,000 18,995 63,000 32,282 Not answered 100,000
Number of Volunteers per Year Not answered Not answered 225 650 Not answered 3,000
Total Annual Volunteer Hours Not answered Not answered 20,800 34,000 Not answered 50,000
Governing
Advisory board Advisory board
board Multiple boards
To what type of board does your (reviews, (reviews,
(approves Not answered Not answered (governing and
department report? policies, policies,
policies, advisory)
budgets, etc.)
Page 214
Appendices (cont.)

-Janitorial
-Recreation
contract
instructors
-Maintenance
services -Restroom
-Adult sport cleaning
Which services do you currently All maintenance Enrichment
Not answered officials Not answered -Major repairs
contract for? activities classes
-Specialized -Class
repairs and instructors
services (A/V,
A/C, indoor
plant
maintenance,
etc)
Focus on best Focus on best Focus on best Focus on best
How are contracts selected? Not answered Not answered
service service service service
-Real Property
Services
-Participant and inspectors do
How is contract performance
Regular staff evaluations daily
monitored? What are common Not answered Not answered Not answered
inspections for instructors, inspections for
metrics used?
staff reviews cleanliness,
odors, trash,
appearance
Page 215
Appendices (cont.)

-Unified School
District joint use
agreement of
fields and
recreational
areas
-Joint use
-Shared agreement with
services with theater district
nearby city for for future
recreation recreational
What partnerships do you have classes and lake/park facility
with other organizations or aquatic staff -Joint use
business (e.g., shared services, trainings agreements
None Not answered Schools Not answered
joint purchase or cooperative -Cooperative and MOUs with
arrangements) for services? arrangements youth sports
Equipment? with local groups,
conservancy, historical
aquatic center, society, local
theater/arts college
program
Best Practices and

Innovation:
Page 216
Appendices (cont.)

-Activenet
registration
-Volunteer
ranger program
-Use of student
volunteers from
Please describe any best high school
practices or innovative Enterprise Fund clubs for
Not answered Not answered Not answered Not answered
approaches you've incorporated for programs special events
in each area -"When to
Work" staff
scheduling
-Survey
Monkey for
event
evaluations
Recreation Counts
# of Recreation/Community
Centers
Total Square Feet of

38,000 4,500 85,000 24,000 Not answered 110,000
Recreation/Community Centers
# of Recreation classes
1,170 275 10,500 400 Not answered 20,075
(sessions/yr)
Total participation in all classes

11,900 2,900 35,000 5,600 Not answered 554,250
(total annual enrollment)
Special events attendance 20,000 25,400 12,500 Not answered Not answered 29,850
Senior Service Counts
1 (Shared with
# of senior center locations 1 1 1 community Not answered 2
Center)
Page 217
Appendices (cont.)

Senior individuals participating
2,600 1,847 10,000 Not answered Not answered 17,650
(people)
Senior center use (total visits
Not answered 47,942 165,000 Not answered Not answered 138,800
per year)
Historic Parks Counts
Number of historic park
locations
Total historic park attendance 0 0 0 14,500 Not answered 2,500
Rental Counts
# of rentals processed (facility,
424 13,400 1,500 858 Not answered 2,015
field, structure, etc.)
Community center or senior
412 Not answered Not answered 701 Not answered 295
center rooms
Park shelters 0 Not answered Not answered 451 Not answered 278
No reservation
count
-Hours used
Athletic Fields 12 Not answered Not answered Not answered 981
(13,700)
-Participants
(110,100)
Aquatic Facilities 0 Not answered Not answered 555 Not answered 190
Page 218
Appendices (cont.)

-48 Historic
House
-120 Historic
Barn
-Recreation
Center 25
Other 0 Not answered Not answered 465 Not answered
-41 Nature
Center
Recreation General
What method do you use to
% of revenue % of revenue % of revenue % of revenue Not answered % of revenue
compensate your instructors?
If % of revenue, what share (%) Activity
60% 70% 60% Not answered 60-70%
goes to the instructors? dependent
What are the standard hours of Mon.-Sat. 8 am Mon.-Thurs. 8

Mon.-Fri. 7:30
operation for your - 10 pm; Sun. am - 9 pm; Sat. 8 am - 10 pm Not answered 7:30 am - 9 pm
am - 5:30 pm
recreation/community centers? 12 pm - 5 pm 8 am - 2 pm
Is your current recreation fee

schedule online? If not, could Yes Yes Yes No Not answered Yes
you please provide it?
Page 219
Appendices (cont.)

-Parks and
recreation staff
city events
-Private staff for
Who manages major special private events
Parks and Parks and Parks and Parks and
events on parks and recreation -City staff Not answered
recreation staff recreation staff recreation staff recreation staff
property? provided for
private events
at the center for
set-up/clean-up
and booking
Senior Services
-Fitness classes
What is your most successful -Senior
Exercise to Exercise
senior program in terms of Yoga transportation Not answered Not answered
Music classes
participation? services and
fitness center
-Lunch
-HDM -Fee based
-Senior nutrition
-Transportation recreation
Nutrition and meals
What senior services do you -Exercise & classes
out & about -Contract
currently outsource or provide recreation -Meals on
programs Not answered Not answered classes
through a contract with a vendor classes Wheels
provided in- -Taxi vouchers
(please list all)? -Nurse -Craft
house for medical
-Lectures & store/travel
transportation
workshop office
-Bingo
Historical Parks
Page 220
Appendices (cont.)

Does your parks department
oversee the operations and
No No No Yes Not answered No
programming of any historic
sites?
If your municipality has historic
sites that not operated by parks Historical
Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable Volunteers Not answered
and recreation, who operates Society
these sites?
Rental
Who processes parks and
Parks and Parks and Parks and Parks and Parks and
recreation facility and field
recreation staff recreation staff recreation staff recreation staff Not answered recreation staff
rentals (booking, set-up,
only only only only only
paperwork, payment)?
If handled by the Parks & Some handled Some handled
Recreation department, are by the by the
Handled by
rental services centralized within Department department, Department department,
facility Not answered
the department or handled centralized some handled centralized some handled
independently
separately depending on the by facility by facility
facility? independently independently
Please describe any rental
Not applicable Not applicable None None Not answered None
services you current contract.
Is your current facility and field
rental fee structure currently
Yes Yes Yes No Not answered Yes
online? If not, could you please
provide it?
Page 221

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City of Carlsbad, California

Parks & Recreation Department Operational Assessment Report

Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 1

Hardscape/Specialty Maintenance: Current State Analysis ........................................................................ 76

Tree Maintenance/Management: Future State Alternatives...................................................................... 122

Benchmarks & Industry Standards ....................................................................................................... 159

List of Opportunities Administration (Contract Management, Bargaining Agreement & Staffing)

List of Opportunities Administration (Contract Management, Bargaining Agreement & Staffing)

Parks Maintenance List of Opportunities

Parks Maintenance List of Opportunities

Parks Maintenance List of Opportunities

Direct Outsource tree maintenance activities $ 690,000 Page 122

Recreation Services List of Opportunities

Recreation Services List of Opportunities

In quantifying potential fiscal impact, it is important to note that:

Assist in documenting current service levels/scope of work

Trails/Open Preserve management and trail maintenance

FY09-11 expenditure and revenue data, including capital costs

Policies and procedures for work

What functions are included in each?

Productivity Outsource, StrategicResource

Area Income per

Parks & Recreation Department Budget Summary6

FY09 Actual FY10 Actual FY11 Actual FY12 Budget

Total $ 13,694,443 $ 13,424,479 $ 13,287,543 $ 14,474,333

Minimize service impacts to residents

The Carlsbad FY12 budget identifies three sources of revenue:

Consolidation, sharing, or elimination of positions

Parks & Recreation Budget - Industry Comparison

Average Expenditures Based on

Overview of Carlsbad Outsourcing for Parks & Recreation Services

City of Comparable Comparable Comparable Comparable Comparable

City of Carlsbad-Specific Outsourced Activities

A successful contract-management approach often contains the following organizational capacities:16

Dissatisfaction with previous contract outcomes

Tools for Contract Management

Category Comparable Comparable Comparable Comparable Comparable Comparable

Eliminate ambiguities in contract administration by ensuring that the Department in

Defining Contract Performance

> Requirements in terms of results translated into production methods/metrics,

Establish a rigorous performance contracting process by which all contracts have

Develop contract management training and a cohesive policy for contract

Consider establishing positions that are dedicated to contract oversight. This

Central Purchasing Manager Department Contract Manager

Employ "dual contract" management approach to improve contract oversight and

Contract Incentives and Disincentives

Monetary bonuses for:

Article 14, Section 1: Overtime

FY09 Cost FY10 Cost FY11 Cost

Article 14, Section 3: Call Back Pay

Article 14, Section 4: Compensatory Time

Article 14, Section 7: Training Time

Article 14, Section 10: Standby Pay

FY09 FY10 FY11

FY09 Cost FY10 Cost FY11 Cost

Article 15: Working Out of Classification

FY09 Cost FY10 Cost FY11 Cost

Article 17: Bilingual Pay

FY09 FY10 FY11

Article 18: Uniforms and Equipment

$10,549 $37,841 $25,094

FY 2009 FY 2010 Three Year

Complete a full analysis of spending on uniform and equipment reimbursement.