Consultants present 0‑based budgeting review for Evanston Public Works; council presses for follow-up

Consultants from Raftelis on March 9 presented a final 0‑based budgeting evaluation of the City of Evanston’s Public Works department, outlining program‑level service buckets, staffing allocations and a range of operating investment scenarios for council consideration.

Emily Esselton, project manager for Raftelis, told the council the project re‑cast the department into 24 programmatic decision units, assessed core/target/value‑added service levels and reconciled workload drivers with staffing and non‑personnel allocations. "Our goal here was to really follow the spirit of 0 based budgeting," Esselton said, describing the work as a policy lens rather than a prescriptive recommendation.

Esselton estimated the department’s day‑to‑day operating investment across programs at roughly $39,000,000 and described a plausible range from about $26,000,000 (core) to $45,000,000 (value‑added). She emphasized the interaction between capital investment and long‑term operational performance and recommended that the report be used to inform policy choices and budget decision packages.

Councilmembers pressed for clarifying detail. Councilmember Kelly asked whether the report’s stated number of sidewalk FTEs meant those positions were exclusively devoted to sidewalks; Esselton replied allocations were based on division‑level position assignments and workload indicators and might reflect shared duties. She added that the team spent time on‑site and combined qualitative staff input with financial data to arrive at estimates.

Councilmember New Smyth asked whether any programs stood out as exemplary; Esselton said capital planning and engineering—specifically the city’s centralized project management, in‑house design and inspection—stood out as a best practice. Public Works leadership said staff will use the report to prepare recommendations and return with implementation details, and that some items could be folded into 2027 budget conversations.

Deputy CFO Clayton Black and Public Works staff said the department will bring recommended decision packages and options to the Finance and Budget Committee so the council can weigh trade‑offs in the spring and summer budget cycle. Several councilmembers requested additional case studies and granular cost estimates for proposed service‑level changes.

No formal vote was required on the presentation. Staff said the report will inform future budget hearings and implementation steps including possible requests for staffing, capital funding and changes to existing programs.