HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2408-3350CITY OF PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
Regular Meeting
Monday, August 19, 2024
Council Chambers & Hybrid
5:30 PM
Agenda Item
16.Informational Report on City Hall Operations
City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: INFORMATION REPORTS
Lead Department: City Manager
Meeting Date: August 19, 2024
Report #:2408-3350
TITLE
Informational Report on City Hall Operations
The City has received several comments and concerns from residents regarding access to City
Hall staff offices. This informational report provides background on the current business
operation at City Hall, our ongoing commitment to serving the community, and potential
changes moving forward.
BACKGROUND
In July 2019, prior to the pandemic, the City’s Executive Leadership Team established an
interdepartmental “Workplace Safety Working Group” to review and recommend workplace
safety and security enhancements at primary City facilities, including City Hall. This reflected
contemporary concerns regarding the potential for workplace violence, and complemented
facility evaluations and proactive training to address a range of emergency scenarios. City staff
were also addressing occasional reports of theft and interactions with challenging individuals
within several City facilities. As an employer, the City takes seriously our responsibility to
provide a safe workplace and the importance of taking reasonable steps to address security on
an ongoing basis.
The working group discussed several potential recommendations, including signage and
physical restrictions to distinguish public access areas from staff working areas and equipment.
This is an important distinction in government facilities, in order to enforce rules against
unauthorized access. Over the past few years, the Municipal Services Center and Regional
Water Quality Control Plant have implemented controlled access with security guards and
visitors by-appointment only.
Restricting elevator access at City Hall was one such recommendation, which along with
cardkey swipe recording for contact tracing, was implemented during the pandemic. This has
continued since, in the interest of workplace safety and security. Notably, there have been no
reports of thefts within the building since implementation.
It should also be noted that City Hall presents a number of unique characteristics that
compromise simple efforts to enhance safety and security:
•Unlike contemporary building designs, garage level elevators can directly access upper
floors without stopping at the ground level. A ground level reception/security check-in
station can therefore only be effective if upper floor access is limited.
•Public parking below City Hall is open at all times and used frequently by downtown
customers. Access to garage elevator lobbies is locked after hours; however, elevator
access from the ground floor to the garage is open to the public after business hours for
public meetings.
•On upper floors, the central elevator lobbies cannot be locked due to the need for
emergency access to stairways on the north and south ends of each floor.
•Most upper floors are not configured and staffed with receptionists that can monitor
floor access from both ends of elevator lobbies.
•The current ground floor physical configuration cannot be easily modified for a staffed
receptionist station without impacting lobby community meeting space. This space is
used frequently for events that cannot be accommodated in the Community Meeting
Room alone.
CURRENT CITY HALL OPERATIONS
City Hall is open during regular business hours: Monday - Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and
every other Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. City Hall ground floor access is also open after hours for
public meetings.
The City Hall lobby is accessible from King Plaza, or during business hours through elevators
from parking garage Levels A, B or C. Members of the public seeking assistance during business
hours can access City staff through a variety of ways including in-person walk-in ground floor
services, by phone, by appointment, or through the ground floor Check-in Desk to call staff.
Whenever needed, staff is available to escort visitors to upper City Hall floors.
•Service by Phone: The public can call (650) 329-2100 to be directed to a City department.
•Walk-In Lobby Services: Palo Alto residents and businesses can visit the City Hall lobby for
in-person payment, utilities support, and police transactions. Staff are available to assist
with service needs such as paying a utility bill, paying a parking ticket, reporting a crime,
and vehicle releases. As a result, walk-in lobby services window hours vary and are
posted here.
•Walk-In Check-in Desk: A Check-in Desk in the lobby provides an access point for all
customer service needs during business hours. This provides the public with direct access
to departments in City Hall as well as services outside City Hall such as the Development
Center. The Check-in Desk was recently updated with a new user-friendly interface and
addition of the most frequently requested services to connect directly with staff.
The Development Center is located across the street from City Hall at 285 Hamilton Ave. Virtual
and in person support is available Monday - Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and virtual
appointments on Fridays. (Closed for lunch from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.) Service support is available
in-person, by virtual appointment, or by calling the Development Center at (650) 329-2496 or
email building@cityofpaloalto.org.
As a practical matter, however, the vast majority of routine contacts and transactions are
handled online and by phone rather than in-person. This avoids the need for community
members to travel to City Hall, and staff is constantly working to ensure that sufficient
resources are dedicated to efficient online services.
NEXT STEPS
Our staff team is proud of the high level of service we provide to the Palo Alto community and
committed to ensuring our services are effectively meeting our constituents’ needs. In the near
term, we are planning the following:
•Space planning is underway to determine how best to reallocate the office areas that will
become available after public safety staff relocate to the new Public Safety Building. While
the primary plan is to relocate the Development Center to this space, other functions and
efficiencies will be examined. The current Police Department space is also in need of
significant rehabilitation for reuse, so this effort is expected to take several months of
construction following the completion of plans.
•Staffing is being reviewed to add personal assistance to the lobby Check-in Desk.
•Staff is also evaluating a potential security contract for public meetings and business hours
at City Hall, for implementation after the Police Department has relocated to the Public
Safety Building.
•Following the successful example of our Municipal Services Center Open House, our first
“City Hall Open House” is planned for Wednesday, September 18, 2024 during the hours of
3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Depending on public interest, we anticipate making this a recurring event.
As with workplaces throughout the nation, workforce safety and secure operations at City Hall
continue to evolve to reflect our dynamic social environment. We welcome feedback on how
we’re doing at meeting the community’s service needs, as this helps determine our best next
steps forward.
Please feel free to contact me at ed.shikada@cityofpaloalto.org or (650) 329-2392.
APPROVED BY:
Ed Shikada, City Manager