LTC 200-2002
~ 'I
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH ~
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No.~ - o1t.r)c2
From:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez ~. ~
City Manager U' U
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES REORGANIZA liON
Date: August 26, 2002
To:
Subject:
Consistent with my ongoing efforts to strengthen our ability to deliver services to our
residents and to improve our organization, I have authorized a restructuring of the
Neighborhood Services Department. The attached table of organization illustrates the new
structure and reporting relationships.
The table of organization reflects the following:
1. The Code Compliance Division is unaffected by the reorganization and still reports
directly to Vivian Guzman, Director of the Neighborhood Services Department.
2. The Office of Children's and Elder Affairs has been renamed to the more
encompassing title of Office of Community Services and now includes the Log
Cabin Training Center. With our recent review ofthe Log Cabin Training Center, we
have determined that the old Log Cabin Training Center director position is not
necessary and Maria Ruiz has assumed these responsibilities as part of her
reorganized division. In the longer term, this division would be the place where
social service programs or activities would be typically located.
3. The former divisions of Community Development and Housing have been combined
into a single division now titled Community Development and Housing Division.
This division will be under the Direction of Joanna Revelo who previously
supervised the Community Development Division. These two divisions have been
joined together as there is a very similar function in their respective areas, and
combining the divisions will allow more effective use of personnel and more
complete cross-training to support both activities.
4. The former Community Resource and Outreach Division has been broadened to
encompass additional activities and has been renamed the Community Resource
and Information Division. The Director of this new Division is in the process of
being recruited. The division will be the location for our new Answer Center and will
include the existing Community Resource and Outreach functions. The Answer
Center component is being implemented nearly a full year ahead of original plans.
The new center will provide more individuals that are available to directly answer
citizens' inquiries and to process requests for service. The schedule of operation is
being developed now, but it is expected that service hours will extend beyond the
usual business hours at City Hall. The Answer Center will use new software that is
more user and customer friendly. The center will also include the processing of
passports, which will support the additional personnel that will be added to this part
of the division to broadly address citizen issues. The responsibilities of the
Community Outreach Division will continue to be the same and the individuals
assigned to each geographic area of Miami Beach will be a focal point for citizens
and homeowner interests and issues regarding the City.
5, The City's Homeless Initiative Office is temporarily reporting directly to the
Department Director. Once the program has fully developed, it will most likely be
placed in one of the Department divisions illustrated.
6. The Media Relations Division, which was formally located in the Neighborhood
Services Department has been relocated to the City Manager's Office and is a
subject of a separate LTC describing this change in location and function.
If you have any question on this reorganization with the services offered within the
Neighborhood Services Department, please do not hesitate to contact Assistant City
Manager Robert C. Middaugh or Vivian Guzman, Director of Neighborhood Services
Depa~t or me directly.
J~m
\\C _h\sys\CMGR\$ALL \BOB\Joy\ltcneighborhoodreorg. .doc
Neighborhood Services Department
Caroline Defreze
Communl1y Resource
Coordinator
(South Beach)