Portola Valley Town Hall is launching a major restructuring effort as it tackles an unprecedented staffing exodus and widespread concerns with its financial operations — challenges that are jeopardizing how the town conducts business and serves its residents.
Staff turnover just this year has run high while an accounting consultant contracted as part of what’s been dubbed the “Reset – Refocus – Restructure” effort has found the town deficient in a multitude of finance-related areas.
Mayor Jeff Aalfs knew Portola Valley was facing steep hurdles but said he didn’t realize the full extent of them until Pleasant Hill-based Krisch & Company detailed its fiscal findings and recommendations in a report submitted early this month to new Town Manager Sharif Etman.
“There’s a lot of work to do here,” the mayor said during the Town Council’s regular meeting Wednesday, Nov. 8, when he and his colleagues took up the staffing issues and Krisch report.
“It’s frustrating,” Aalfs said. “It is not for a lack of effort. It’s also, I would argue, not for a lack of oversight. We have been paying attention to this and realizing there were problems. I will say I was not aware of all the problems this (Krisch) report’s identified. There is more work than I realized at the time, but I’m really glad that we have this in front of us.”
