Bright Ideas
Spirit Days
I propose we introduce Spirit Days in the office periodically to boost morale. Spirit days can be fun ways to engage in office silliness and create a positive atmosphere. A possible Spirit Day could be Silly Hat Day, where even if you had a meeting later in the day, you could still particiapte and be work appropriate. |
Bike/Ped/ADA Coordinator
The City is in need of a Bike/Ped/ADA Coordinator. The City is currently covering this role with a variety of staff from the City Manager's Office, Planning, Development Engineering, and Public Works. This creates a variety of issues as you have no one person that fully understands the needs of the community and can propose the appropriate action, or educate staff.
Shared autonomous vehicles or ride sharing services stations
The nation's transportation system is changing with the advent shared autonomous vehicles and ride sharing services. Accordingly, traditional parking lot designs, parking needs, and bus stops designs are not equipped to handle these transportation system changes.
The City should allow for a reduction in required parking spaces if a shared autonomous vehicles or ride sharing services station is included in parking lots. The City should accommodate this same approach in its own projects at the Civic Center and Old Town Plaza. A standard detail should be developed for this approach.
The City should allow for on street stations that are either separate or a part of transit bus stops. On street station design would likely need to two designs one for low stress and high stress routes. On high stress routes where vehicle speeds and traffic volume is high more separation may be required from the traveled way. Standard details should be developed for this approach. The City should allow for a reduction in required parking spaces if a shared autonomous vehicles or ride sharing services station is included
This is being looked at as part of the AV Plan and will be looked at again in the future.
Elk Grove Brand Consistency and Implementation Plan for Signage
Within the City of Elk Grove, we see the City Seal on public work projects and on business signs like the Elk Grove Auto Mall. You will also see the City Marketing Logo on public work projects. In addition, you will see elk themed signs on a variety of businesses. There is a lack of consistency in the use of the City Seal, City Marketing Logo, and Elk Themed signage. In addition, there are varieties of locations where you enter Elk Grove off SR 99 or I-5 with no signage. Having multiple people independently developing signage for a variety of uses has exasperated the problem.
Keeping open possibly unnecessary doors
Prop open the both sets of double doors by Public Works and the City Manager department, along with the unkeyed door to the bathroom hallway.
Contract Management Software
*This idea was already conveyed to Jason during a staff meeting, however I thought it might be beneficial to add this suggestion into the queue.* Given staff manages a multitude of contracts, it would be valuable to have a software system to assist us in managing contracts. Specifically a tool that will help us manage three major components of a contract: Term, Budget, Performance/Liquidated Damages. The R&W Divison currently uses ElkNet to manage LD's, however it's not as robust as we need it to be. For example, we need a tool that will remind us when we are getting close to the end of the term so that we can start the contract process on time. This will improve efficency across all lines of business that are involved in contracts. We need a tool that will allow us to record situations where expectations are not being met according to performance measures. Along that same line, we need a program that will assist us reporting unmet performance and calculate liquidated damages for us. Lastly, a program that will also help us manage budget, invoices, etc... that is contract specific would be ideal. |
StopIt !
This is an app targeted towards schools, allowing students to anonymously report incidents of bullying. However, it quickly expanded into a platform that can accept all types of notifications, including public safety/goverment issues. While the City already has some reporting tools that people, both internal and external, can use to report various issues... there may be a use/need for StopIt if there's any gaps. Last I checked, the City only pays $0.69 per user per year through CSAC-EIA, our main insurance JPA. |
Tiny URL
Develop/deploy a tiny URL system (e.g., http://aka.eg/xxxxxx) for sending links of City webpages to the public with a unique EG web address.
Single-use Plastic Water Bottles
According to our checkbook, in FY2017-18 we spent $25,768.20 on bottled water. It's estimated that approximately 80% of recyclable plastic water bottles end up in landfills. 80% would be somewhere in the ball park of 15,736 bottles purchased by us that potentially contributed to landfills in just one year.
Since 2014, the city of San Francisco has banned the sale of plastic water bottles under 21 ounces. San Francisco was also the first city in the nation to adopt a ban on plastic shopping bags, and the state later followed suit. It's possible the same may happen with plastic water bottles and it would be impressive to have our organization taking steps in the right direction in advance.
By replacing our drinking fountains with combination water filling stations/water fountains (at $800+ each, that should total less than the cost of one year's worth of bottles), eliminating single-use plastic water bottles from our meetings in the Chambers and conference rooms (instead offering water pitchers with glasses for guests), providing Water Monster hydration stations at events, if necessary, (as we did at Amgen) in lieu of giving out bottled water, and encouraging staff to use reusable water bottles, we would save money, help the environment and send a message to our residents that we are environmentally conscious, fiscally responsible and a forward-thinking city. This change would also be in alignment with the council imperative to serve as wise and responsive stewards of fiscal, physical, and natural resources.
Convert to a paperless contracting process and secure signatures with DocuSign.
If it works for buying a house, why not business at City Hall?
Details about DocuSign available at https://go.docusign.com/trial/productshot/?utm_term=docusign&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgvP5ioCd3AIVxiy9Ch1RYwYBEAAYASAAEgKQQ_D_BwE&utm_medium=cpc&elqCampaignId=4481&utm_content=domestic_US&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=branded_primary&rflag=1
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