Ask the Director – Elena Brokaw
November 6, 2004
I am continually overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and commitment of the Community Services Department. The department of 35 full-time staff, assisted by scores of part-time employees, works to ensure that the department provides creative, fulfilling programs that meet the needs of our community – from golf lessons to ArtWalks.
But how do we know we’re succeeding at meeting the community’s needs? How can we be sure we’re providing what matters most for our citizens? And when we achieve success, how do we recognize it?
The City of Ventura is actively working to become a national model of civic engagement, smart growth and accountable government. In working to achieve a more accountable government, the City is establishing and implementing a set of performance measures. These will help ensure that the department is providing the most vital programs, in a way that is accessible and attainable.
In 1993, President Clinton signed the Government
Performance and Results Act, stating that government must “chart
a course for every endeavor that we take the people's money for, see
how well we are progressing, tell
the public how we are doing, stop the things that don't work, and never
stop improving the things that we think are worth investing in.”
What are performance measures?
Performance measures are, quite simply, a way to gauge how well one is
doing at a given task. We think in terms of performance measure in our
everyday lives, whether we are aware of it or not.
For Ventura, instituting these measures will allow us to assess our organizational performance and the cost-efficiency of our programs. The fact is that if we don’t measure our performance, we will never know if we’ve achieved the optimum performance level.
What matters most for the Community Services Department?
As a part of the recent citywide self-assessment process, the Community
Services Department staff closely examined what programs are designed
to accomplish.
Ultimately, the Department identified the following desired outcomes: 1) An informed, involved, and enriched citizenry; 2) A diverse array of activities for residents and visitors; 3) Broad-based community participation in programs – all ages, income levels, ethnicities; 4) Public appreciation of our natural, historic, and cultural assets; and 5) Community pride and spirit. Our performance measures will be instituted with these larger goals in mind.
How will performance measures be applied in the Community Services Department?
We will examine our performance in light of our goals and objectives, and will specifically analyze how we provide services and programs as well as their end result. Instituting performance measures will allow us to define our goals and objectives in a way that everyone will understand.
How can I have input into the process?
We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at 805.658.4731
or emyles@ci.ventura.ca.us.
If you have a question you would like to have answered in a future column, please email knicely@ci.ventura.ca.us.