(Reprinted courtesy the Press-Enterprise)

August 18, 2009
By MICHAEL PERRAULT
The Press-Enterprise

HEMET - Longtime local government consultant Len Wood signed on for a 30-day stint when filling in as Hemet's city manager.

That was a year and a half ago.

Thursday will be Wood's last day. Brian Nakamura, formerly Banning's city manager, will start Monday as Hemet's city manager.

During Wood's tenure, he faced the toughest economic environment of his 40-year career. The economy didn't just slow down, Wood said, it went "kerplunk." Wood had to ask Hemet City Council members on three occasions to slash the city's operating budget.

"The fiscal problems that I ran into were probably the most severe I've found," Wood said. For too long, Hemet has relied on development and growth to fund city services, he said. That must change.

"Getting out of the fiscal problems is going to be tougher (than in other cities)," Wood said. "We must build our fund balance. We have to move away from reliance on development and growth fees. We borrowed money from other funds and have to pay that back."

Those are among many challenges Hemet will face, Wood said. Hemet also must strategically and aggressively pursue annexations to the west, he said. The city needs to complete its general plan and a long-range capital improvement program.

The civic center needs to be completed to unify police and fire departments, library and other city offices. There must be a focus on redeveloping the Florida Avenue corridor downtown.

When times get better, employees are going to want to spend like other cities. "We have to make the city fiscally sound before we go out and make the same mistakes again," Wood said.

Budget Guru

Former Hemet Mayor Marc Searl said Wood was recruited because he was "a guru as far as budgets are concerned."

Current Hemet Mayor Eric McBride said Wood has lived up to that reputation, helping Hemet tackle tough financial times.

"He brought something to the table at the right time for Hemet," McBride said.

Wood, 66, previously has been an interim city manager in Colton, Bell, La Palma, Goleta and Signal Hill. He was city manager in Rancho Palos Verdes and Claremont and assistant city manager of Simi Valley.

He also is a professor at Cal State Long Beach and Cal State Polytechnic University, where he has taught government courses. He has written six books about local government, including the "Little Handbook" series that offers information for commissioners, council members and managers.

Wood will rejoin his wife June at their Rancho Palos Verdes home. Since 1988 the couple has run Len Wood and Associates, a training and consulting firm that specializes in public management, budgeting and finance.

The challenge of helping Hemet officials balance two budgets and implement other changes lured him back into the public arena, he said. He implemented standardized performance measures he believes will help city staff allocate resources.

Wood said it has been tough cutting programs and reducing employees' salaries and benefits. Yet one of the biggest rewards has been seeing how employees, managers and council members pulled together, agreed to make sacrifices and do their best to provide services with fewer resources.

The city's managers made decisions based on what was best for the entire city rather than from a departmental perspective, Wood said.

"If there is one saving grace from the (budget-cutting) experience, this adverse situation has made the city more resourceful and efficient," he said.

Decision Time

Over the past three years, Hemet has had to cut its workforce to 332 employees from 432, a 23 percent reduction, Wood said.

"You cannot cut police and fire without reducing response times and other necessary services," he said. "You cannot continue to eliminate building department staff without delaying plan checks and inspections. Our development services have had a net reduction of over 50 percent in employees, yet they are still trying to staff the public counter at pre-budget cutting service hours."

Hemet's residents likely will be the ones to decide whether current service levels are adequate or more revenue is needed, probably through a sales, utility or parcel tax, he said.

Wood said he isn't ruling out working with another city.

"I love to mentor," he said.

Reach Michael Perrault at 951-763-3464 or mperrault@PE.com