County Realizing Savings From Turnaround Strategy, Report Finds

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA - Changes to operations within Riverside County's public safety agencies are beginning to pay off, but there's plenty of work left to do, members of a professional services firm told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday.

"County organizations have had to make some difficult decisions," KPMG manager Ian McPherson said. "But there is progress. There's been $41.6 million in savings achieved, and we're just over 12 months into the (reform) program. This is not a short journey. It's a transformation."

KPMG, headquartered in the Netherlands with offices throughout the United States, was retained by the board in March 2016 to implement a series of operational modifications in county government to prevent cost overruns and net long-term savings.

Under its $21 million contract, the company's staff have been tasked with examining data, interviewing personnel, monitoring workflows and test- driving different methods to ferret out best practices that achieve the county's goals.

The board has required periodic updates from McPherson and his colleagues, and an afternoon session was set aside for that purpose Tuesday, as the supervisors prepare for hearings next week on the 2017-18 fiscal year budget.

County Chief Financial Officer Paul McDonnell credited components of KPMG's work with helping whittle down an anticipated deficit in the sheriff's department this fiscal year to virtually zero.

McPherson also pointed out that the looming 7 percent growth rate in overall public safety expenditures had been "arrested" and had actually gone "negative" thanks to efficiency measures.

"Our plea is, stay the course," he told the board. "It's really, really important. You've unleashed opportunity, and there's some excitement out there. You can see a way forward."

KPMG analyst Bill Zizic said efforts were underway to identify procedures that will aid in lessening deputies' workload in the field by better handling 911 calls at the front end. According to Zizic, call demand is growing 5 percent annually, and the unincorporated areas are the greatest source of higher service requests.

The board cut unincorporated patrols during the Great Recession, and the number of available personnel remains below the 2009 level.

Zizic said other operational changes are being tried, including within the jail system, where scheduling adjustments will ideally reduce overtime while also keeping the most correctional deputies on hand at critical times.

According to Zizic, KPMG staff are also working with the District Attorney's Office and the Office of the Public Defender to shave attorneys' paperwork responsibilities in preference to greater utilization of paralegals to lower costs.

McPherson reiterated that KPMG had outlined 25 recommendations to be tested out when the firm initiated its work for the county, and processes were going in the right direction.

"It's a big journey, but we're committed to it," he said.

Board Chairman John Tavaglione signaled his approval, telling the KPMG spokesman that he understood how "culture change can be very difficult," but the old way of doing business in the public safety arena was being replaced by "outside the box" thinking.

In addition to public safety, KPMG is attempting to effect operational changes within general government agencies, including the Department of Human Resources, the Department of Information Technology and the Transportation & Land Management Agency.

— By City News Service / Image via Shutterstock