A recent St. Helena-commissioned study identified weaknesses with city processes and recommended numerous improvements, including a new strategic plan and hiring for roles such as a human resources manager as part of an organizational restructuring.

The St. Helena City Council discussed the report, “Efficiency and Business Study Transformation,” by the Virginia-based Blackberg Group — which they approved in July 2025 at a price of $100,000 — on Tuesday, May 19. Lead consultant Keith Fawcett said at the meeting the study was primarily focused on “improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the city.”

The study started with an analysis of the city’s current state, and proceeded later with an in-depth review. Recommendations that came out of that process suggest the city:

Develop a strategic plan to help coordinate and communicate initiatives.

Implement new management systems to make up for “severely lacking” current systems, and implement a framework that will better connect those systems.

Improve processes, with a focus on administrative services and public works, and establish a governance and policy framework linked to those processes.

Implement a “comprehensive executive dashboard” as a visualization tool to monitor “organizational performance, policy adherence, strategic progress, and key operational metrics across all management systems.”

The study also recommends the city hire a consultant focused on preventing and mitigating fraud, waste and abuse, though interim City Manager Jim McCann clarified the report didn’t find fraud within the city. However, he said, “with the lack of current or robust systems and controls, the environment for fraud or waste or abuse is heightened” and steps should be taken to protect against such behavior.

According to McCann, city staff don’t agree with everything in the study. But its findings and recommendations, he said, “will, I believe, serve as the foundation for change, improvement and transformation of the city’s operations over time.”

He said the next step will involve a deep staff assessment of the full report over the next few months, including further communications with Fawcett. Then, city staff will bring recommendations for an implementation plan back to the City Council, potentially in August.

“It will help us to transform to be a more efficient, smart, anticipatory, transparent, communicative, responsible and responsive organization,” McCann said.

St. Helena in recent years has grappled with several recurring challenges, including a structural budget deficit and discolored water coming out of city pipes.

The city is also currently without a permanent city manager. Anil Comelo retired from the position in April after controversy erupted around a public art project — involving an ultimately-abandoned plan to install 13 sculptures borrowed from Napa artist Gordon Huether — and complaints about how it was approved without following a previously set process.

Public commenters at the Tuesday meeting said the report revealed serious problems with the city, though they praised the City Council for pursuing it

St. Helena resident Garry Rose said the city should pursue a change manager and other independent oversight structures — such as a committee — to make sure the transformation suggested by the study works out positively. Rose also noted the strategic plan development will require the council to step up and work with both staff and the community.

Some public comments, both emailed and in person, focused on text message exchanges between Council members Aaron Barak and Kate Spadarotto — along with former city manager Comelo — at the Feb. 24 council meeting, during a discussion about building code changes.

The messages, revealed through public records requests, were included in public comments submitted for Tuesday’s meeting. In an emailed comment, resident Elaine de Man characterized the messages between the council members as demonstrating “dismissiveness, mockery, contempt, and disengagement directed toward Vice Mayor Michelle Deasy in particular and toward the public process itself.”

“We should all hope that with the exit of our former city manager and the release of the Blackberg Study, we have an opportunity to start over,” de Man wrote. “A good place to begin would be with the conduct of our elected officials, who should, at the very least, exhibit the same standards of professionalism and respect that they demand from others.”

Council members at the meeting said the report demonstrated St. Helena’s opportunity to improve.

Calling the report “exasperating,” Mayor Paul Dohring said it was also “highly enlightening and highly encouraging.” He said he wanted to give city staff the chance to respond to the report, and bring back a plan that makes sense to the community. Dohring also asked McCann to bring back reports on how city staff are proceeding with that work.

McCann said he would bring back an agenda item updating the council on how that work is proceeding before the implementation plan comes back.

“We don’t intend to take this and put it on the shelf,” McCann said. “There’s a lot to it, there’s quite a bit that we need to sort out just to understand how some of these things are connected so we can come back and make sound recommendations.”

You can reach Staff Writer Edward Booth at 707-521-5281 or edward.booth@pressdemocrat.com.