Town of Truckee Organizational Assessment

The Town of Truckee is currently in the end stages of a comprehensive Organizational Assessment conducted by the independent consulting firm, Baker Tilly. This proactive initiative, launched in May 2024, will improve the Town’s operational efficiency, strategic resource allocation and service delivery.    

Why This Assessment Matters

The Town voluntarily initiated this Organizational Assessment to ensure continuous improvement and growth, identify paths to enhanced service delivery to the community and develop a roadmap for the Town’s future organizational structure and operational management. This independent, best-practices review is designed to:

•    Pinpoint opportunities for the Town to strengthen its capabilities and expand its capacity to navigate future challenges.

•    Detect inefficiencies or operational obstacles and implement recommendations that will lead to improved operations.

•    Deliver essential insights for strategic resource allocation to help ensure goals, resources, and initiatives are aligned for sustained success.

The Assessment Process

Baker Tilly’s assessment follows a 5-step process, which the Town has defined as Project Kickoff, Research, Analysis, Review and Action, as outlined in the graphics below. We are currently in the Review stage. A draft report has been provided to Town leadership to review for factual accuracy, for an opportunity to ask clarifying questions, and to provide follow-up information needed by the Baker Tilly team to complete the report. This is consistent with the scope of work provided by Baker Tilly and the understanding of the process.  

Upon completion of this phase, a final draft report will be provided which will be accessible to the public and presented to the Town Council by the Baker Tilly team.  

Graphic showing the stages of the org assessment: Kickoff > Research > Analysis > Review > Action.

\"Kickoff- Project plan, scope of work, meet & set expectations with core team\"

\"Research-Gather & review documents, policies, procedures, conduct interviews & focus groups\"

\"Analysis- develop insights on service delivery, staffing, agency structure & business practices.

\"Review-Share draft report with Town for feedback, clarifications & identify any nonfactual info&

\"Action- Produce final draft report with prioritized implementation goals & present for adoption&

Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholder engagement is critical to this assessment, ensuring candid feedback is summarized and reported to Town leaders. Baker Tilly conducted confidential interviews and small group meetings with more than 100 individuals, including Town Council members, Commission/Committee members, Town staff, and external stakeholders such as the Truckee Downtown Merchants Association (TDMA), the Contractors Association of Truckee Tahoe (CATT), the Truckee Chamber of Commerce and various community-based organizations. To encourage open and honest input, Baker Tilly led these meetings independently and stakeholders selected their own representatives to participate, ensuring an unfiltered evaluation. In addition, the Baker Tilly project manager contact information was shared with all of the stakeholders and was accessible to speak to constituents that reached out to have a conversation. The Town intentionally did not limit or control communication to the Baker Tilly team, again, allowing for an unfiltered evaluation.

Taking a Proactive Approach to Improvements

This assessment presents an opportunity for the Town of Truckee to shape its future over the next 30 years. Baker Tilly’s expertise in municipal operations ensures a comprehensive analysis of every division—from the Police Department and Engineering Division to Housing Programming. The review encompasses business processes, service delivery methods, staffing levels, policy frameworks, and benchmarking against comparable agencies.

Due to the assessment’s holistic and detailed nature, the review and finalization process is extensive. However, this does not mean that the Town is waiting to implement operational improvements. For example, the Town has proactively begun exploring enhancements, bringing in specialized consultant support to explore focused, specific improvements within development services, such as:  

  • A software system for an online project dashboard that provides updates on land use applications and building permits.
  • A potential community/stakeholder committee for Development Code changes.
  • A Planning Service Center to facilitate permit intake, problem-solve issues and potentially approve certain ministerial/tenant improvement projects within the appointment.

Commitment to a Stronger Future

This independent analysis will not only support the Town’s long-term vision but also bring immediate benefits to the community. By proactively identifying challenges and opportunities, the Town of Truckee is embracing the responsibility to provide outstanding services to everyone in Truckee by taking meaningful steps to enhance operations, improve services, and better meet the needs of residents, businesses and visitors.

The Town looks forward to sharing the final report and implementation action plans in the coming months. We appreciate the community’s engagement and patience as we work to ensure the most effective, data-driven improvements possible.