Purpose and Benefits
Transitioning to a Council-Mayor form of government with a city administrator will allow for a whole-city approach to systems and problem-solving. The City’s 26 bureaus and offices will be pulling in one direction, under the leadership of a city administrator that reports to the mayor. This is a change from the current structure, where bureaus report to one of five council members.
City Council and the chief administrative officer are leading the organization design process with bureau directors and other leaders to develop a recommendation for a high-level reporting structure for the bureaus. Ultimately, the new structure will include logical groupings of bureaus and programs and will support the new administrator in effectively managing the city’s operations starting on their very first day.
What is a high-level reporting structure (and what is it not)?
This reporting structure will be high-level and will identify organizational changes at a program level. The City’s delivery of core services will not change. Creating a different structure will not fix many service delivery improvements that still need to be made. Changing the structure mostly creates a foundation that allows for the longer-term work of improving services to begin.
What is the process to get to a high-level reporting structure?
To design the new organizational structure, the city worked with leadership and stakeholders to complete a series of assessments. This process, called “programmatic assessments”, was divided into three phases and included as many people as possible while working toward a very fast deadline.
Planning (Feb.-March 2023): Finalize assessment methods and convene assessment team.
Phase 1 (April-May 2023): Review of current service area groupings and conduct an exploration of programs that might be able to shift.
Phase 2 (June-July 2023): Continue of Phase 1 work, including a robust discussion about the role of the future Deputy City Administrator(s).
Phase 3 (Aug.-Sep. 2023): Develop recommended organizational chart.
Recommendations (October 2023): Make final decisions. Begin future improvements work.
In October 2023, a high-level organizational structure recommendation was forwarded to City Council for consideration. View the final recommendation and approved city organizational structure on the City Organization page.
How will the City’s new organizational structure be implemented?
City Council will determine the high-level organizational structure in fall 2023, and then the City will shift its focus to implementation. This requires technical planning, ranging from budget preparations to human resource changes. Implementation will also provide the people that are affected by the change the support they need – including training, change management, and clear and effective communication The changes will start to go into effect in the new fiscal year, July 2024, and the new high-level organizational structure is scheduled to be in place by Jan. 1, 2025.
What comes next?
Improving the delivery of City services will take more than updating organizational structure. The City is investing in a Future Improvements project focused on enhancing culture, communications, and implementing future structural changes that will help us improve our service delivery to Portlanders.