Schoharie County Highways Shared Services/Consolidation Study - An Overview of Current Operations and Analysis of Options
Schoharie County engaged CGR to study options for improving efficiency in the highway services provided by the 22 municipalities in the county. CGR catalogued the highway inventory and operations of each local government and analyzed 2 sub-regional models for improving efficiency. The first explored merging 2 town highway operations, and...
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Options for the Future - A Report for the Village of Painted Post and the Town of Erwin
Facing serious fiscal challenges, the Painted Post NY village board appointed a committee to examine options for the future and project related financial and property tax impacts. In its December 2011 report, the committee provides a strategic framework for creating a more cost effective way to deliver local government...
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Options for the Future for the Village of Hudson Falls and the Town of Kingsbury
Leadership in the Village of Hudson Falls agreed to assess options for increasing efficiency and promoting taxpayer savings - up to and including dissolution. A study committee, with support from CGR, identified a range of options from co-locating offices to coordinating capital planning and purchasing for fire services. As required...
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Elector Initiated Dissolution Plan and Report for the Village of Altmar
On Dec. 6, 2011, voters in the Village of Altmar approved an elector-initiated dissolution plan by a vote of 54 to 50. As a result, Altmar is the first village in NY to approve dissolution under a state law that took effect in March 2010. The village will be...
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Village of Potsdam Dissolution Study and Dissolution Plan
Located in northern NYS, the Town of Potsdam includes two villages; with the majority of residents living in the Village of Potsdam, population 10,000. Home to two state universities, nearly 70% of village properties are tax-exempt – putting pressure on village residents to cover a large share of the costs...
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Government Reorganization Feasibility Study for the Village of Medina and Surrounding Towns
The Village of Medina and the Towns of Ridgeway and Shelby commissioned CGR in 2010 to assist an Inter Municipal Study Committee to explore potential benefits of sharing services and merging the Towns, and/or dissolving the Village. The project was paid for in part by a NYS Local Government...
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Herkimer County Highway Shared Services/Consolidation Study - Options for Increasing Efficiency
CGR completed a report that evaluated ways that the 31 local governments in Herkimer County might be able to maintain roads and bridges within the County more efficiently. The report is designed to be a long range planning document for the local governments. Using GIS mapping along with...
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Rochester Housing Authority Strategic Plan 2010-2015
The Rochester Housing Authority (RHA) provides public housing, Section 8 and/or other housing-related services for more than 22,000 low income or disabled residents in the 5-county Rochester NY region. CGR provided consultant and facilitation services to assist the agency as it developed its first comprehensive strategic plan. The engagement...
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Village of Edwards Dissolution Study and Dissolution Plan
The Village of Edwards, population 440, is located in NY's southern St. Lawrence County. In the years since 1981, when the last mine in this rural area closed, the community lost virtually all of its business and retail base. After receiving a state Local Government Efficiency grant, the village engaged...
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Village of Candor Dissolution Study and Dissolution Plan
The Village of Candor, population 794, is located in the Southern Tier of New York State and received a petition calling for a plan of dissolution of the village government. The village engaged CGR to assist a committee of residents in developing cost-effective options to deliver municipal services up to...
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Analysis of Shared Services in the Village and Town of Geneseo Code Enforcement and Courts
The Village and Town of Geneseo have a long history of sharing municipal services. The municipalities decided to formally study two informal sharing relationships – code enforcement and courts. One goal was to understand if the current arrangement for code enforcement is still advantageous or whether the communities should formalize...
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Village of Dansville Dissolution/Coterminous Feasibility Study
The Village of Dansville and Town of North Dansville NY are interested in controlling costs through shared service opportunities up to and including full consolidation. While elected officials were originally intrigued by the concept of becoming a co-terminous village and town, a full study found that pursuing city status...
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Options for Shared Police Services in the Villages of West Carthage and Carthage
CGR developed a report for the Villages of West Carthage and Carthage Shared Police Services Study Committee that identified a range of options for the two villages to improve delivery of police services currently being provided by their two separate departments. The options ranged from better coordinating operations of...
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Village of Holley & Town of Murray Shared Services/Consolidation Study
The Village of Holley NY, in partnership with the Town of Murray, engaged CGR to study the feasibility of enhancing shared services and/or consolidation in the areas of code enforcement, DPW / highway, purchasing and tax collection. As a result of our analyses, CGR found little opportunity in the areas...
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Village of Brockport NY Dissolution Vote
On June 15, 2010, voters in the Village of Brockport rejected dissolving the village by a vote of 959-662. Brockport was the first village to hold a dissolution vote under a new NYS law that became effective in spring 2010. Unlike previous referendums on dissolving a village in the state,...
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An Evaluation and Enhancement Plan for the City of Rochester's Special Needs Housing Program: Emergency Shelter Grant and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS
The City of Rochester NY seeks to target $1 million in special needs housing funds more strategically to best align with its Housing Policy and revitalization goals. CGR outlines a funding allocation model identifying priority funding categories and selection criteria. Our report also includes results from a community-wide survey of...
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A Plan for Consolidation of the City and Town of Batavia, NY
After receiving a NYS grant to study consolidation and engaging CGR as study consultant, a joint Batavia City/Town Committee spent nearly a year investigating and assessing options for the future. In 2009 the Committee delivered its final report – a plan for consolidation with a proposed timetable and recommended approach...
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Village of Perrysburg Dissolution Feasibility Study: Final Report on Dissolution and Alternatives to Dissolution for the Village of Perrysburg
The Village of Perrysburg NY has a population of about 380 residents, covers one square mile, and in recent years has lost most of its private businesses. In 2009, CGR was engaged to complete a study identifying options for the village, up to and including dissolving the village and consolidating...
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Dissolution Study and Plan: Village of Port Henry, NY
In March 2010, voters in the Village of Port Henry, located in NY’s Adirondack Park, voted 186-146 against dissolving the village. Had voters approved dissolution, responsibility for providing services would have been assumed by the Town of Moriah per a dissolution plan developed by a joint village/town committee. CGR was...
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Village of North Collins Dissolution Feasibility Study: Final Report on Dissolution and Alternatives to Dissolution for the Village of North Collins
The Village of North Collins NY initiated a consolidation, merger and dissolution feasibility study in spring 2009. A dissolution study committee, assisted by CGR, prepared a report including a formal dissolution plan and alternatives to dissolution and delivered it to the Village board in late 2009. The board subsequently voted...
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Village of Seneca Falls Dissolution Plan: Final Report on Dissolution and Alternatives to Dissolution for the Village of Seneca Falls
The Village and Town of Seneca Falls NY initially engaged CGR to assess ways to achieve a major goal: reduce the cost of government to help stimulate economic growth in the community. CGR found, in a 2008 study, that consolidating the governments would offer potential for major savings for village...
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Feasibility of Creating a Central Business Office for Sullivan County BOCES and Component Districts
Faced with enrollment declines, increased operating expenses, and steep reductions in state aid, the Sullivan County (NY) BOCES engaged CGR to determine whether there are cost savings and efficiencies from combining business office functions for any of 7 participating school districts. CGR provides 4 models that give the districts...
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Village of Johnson City Dissolution Report and Plan Addendum August 31, 2009
In November 2009, voters in the Village of Johnson City NY rejected by a 40-vote margin (2,256 to 2,216) a referendum to dissolve the Village and consolidate it with the Town of Union. A study committee spent 18 months developing a plan for having one government. CGR provided staff...
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Planning Service Alternatives for the Town of Canandaigua
The Canandaigua NY Town Board asked CGR to review its planning services and suggest alternative models. A growing community navigating the tensions of expanding residential development and desires for preservation, the town has experienced a 130% increase in expenditures for its planning, code, and zoning functions since 2000. CGR conducted...
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Consolidation Study for the Village of Albion, Town of Albion and Town of Gaines
Four-fifths of the Village of Albion is in the Town of Albion, and one fifth is in the Town of Gaines. A CGR study found limited opportunity for the three municipalities to generate significant cost savings through shared service agreements. However, if the Village and Town of Albion consolidate, overall...
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Village of Lake Placid/Town of North Elba Shared Services Study
CGR completed a study in 2008 for the Village of Lake Placid and the Town of North Elba that evaluated opportunities to expand shared services between the village and town to reduce costs and share them more equitably. The study focused primarily on parks, public works and administrative...
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Final Report on Strategic Alternatives for the Village & Town of Seneca Falls, NY: Considerations for a New Governance Model
The leaders of the Village & Town of Seneca Falls engaged CGR to help them achieve a major goal: reducing the cost of government to help stimulate economic growth in the greater community. They asked CGR to develop a strategic plan for implementing shared service alternatives up to and including...
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Opportunities for School District Savings in Nassau County
Through the impetus of County Executive Tom Suozzi, Nassau County set out to develop an action plan aimed at reducing the growth of property taxes. What distinguished this effort was the County’s focus on units of local government over which it had no direct control. Using a collaborative...
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A Study of Shared Service Opportunities for the Village and Town of Cobleskill, NY
The Village and Town of Cobleskill in NY’s Adirondack region received a state Shared Municipal Services Incentive (SMSI) grant to identify options for increased service sharing or consolidation. CGR’s report describes options in 3 key categories that could lead to increased efficiency and/or cost savings. The categories include sharing services...
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A Cost of Government Study for Northeast Ohio
CGR built a comprehensive cost and revenue database for local governments in the 16-county Northeast Ohio region and comparison regions in Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Raleigh-Durham. We put this “data dictionary” into an interactive, user-friendly web format to allow anyone to ask questions and develop answers from the...
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A Cost of Government Study for Northeast Ohio: Report Focus-Cuyahoga County
CGR built a comprehensive cost and revenue database for local governments in the 16-county Northeast Ohio region and comparison regions in Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Raleigh-Durham. We put this “data dictionary” into an interactive, user-friendly web format to allow anyone to ask questions and develop answers from the...
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A Cost of Government Study for Northeast Ohio: Report Focus-Mahoning and Trumbull Counties
CGR built a comprehensive cost and revenue database for local governments in the 16-county Northeast Ohio region and comparison regions in Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Raleigh-Durham. We put this “data dictionary” into an interactive, user-friendly web format to allow anyone to ask questions and develop answers from the...
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A Cost of Government Study for Northeast Ohio: Report Focus-Stark County
CGR built a comprehensive cost and revenue database for local governments in the 16-county Northeast Ohio region and comparison regions in Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Raleigh-Durham. We put this “data dictionary” into an interactive, user-friendly web format to allow anyone to ask questions and develop answers from the...
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Consolidating Police Services in Whitestown, New York - Options for the Future
Five communities in Oneida County – the Town of Whitestown, and the Villages of Yorkville, New York Mills, Whitesboro and Oriskany – had discussed off and on over the years consolidating their separate police departments. CGR was engaged to provide, for the first time, comprehensive information that can serve as...
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Opportunities to Use Shared Services and Consolidation Strategies to Improve Efficiency, Effectiveness and Equity in Local Government Observations from Three City/Town Groups in Upstate New York
NY’s Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness engaged CGR to analyze local governments (city and town) in the Oneonta, Norwich and Cortland areas and evaluate opportunities to share services and/or consolidate. CGR’s report of the issues and options in the 3 city/town groups focuses attention on workable and realistic...
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Village of Speculator Dissolution Plan and Options for Shared Services: Findings and Alternatives
In response to a resident-initiated petition to dissolve the Village of Speculator in NY’s Adirondack region, Village leaders were required by state law to develop a dissolution plan and present it to Village voters. CGR was engaged to study all options for shared services up to and including dissolution of...
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A Tale of Two Suburbs: A Comparative Analysis of the Cost of Local Government in Long Island and in Northern Virginia
In 2007, CGR conducted a landmark comparison of local governments on Long Island with a comparable area in northern Virginia. Local government services, including schools, cost 44% less in NVA, although the level of services and citizen satisfaction with those services appear comparable. A detailed comparison of school districts and...
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Rochester Housing Authority Tenant Profile Numbers and Trends for the Years 1999 & 2007
The Rochester Housing Authority asked CGR to develop the agency's first ever "tenant profile," so that the agency has a comprehensive understanding of the Public Housing and Section 8 tenants it serves. The profile covers the year 1999 (and related census data) and shows how the profile changed by early...
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Program Impact Evaluations for the City of Rochester: Mortgage Default Resolution, Landlord-Tenant, and Fair Housing Electronic Resource Services
For the Department of Community Development (DCD), we evaluated four programs that provide mortgage default resolution services, landlord and tenant services, and a fair housing electronic resource center. Services in these areas have been provided for years by four nonprofit agencies in Rochester (Human Services Council, Legal Aid Society, Monroe...
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Technology Needs Assessment Preparing for Tech Valley Occupations in the School Districts of the Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES
New York's Tech Valley cuts across 19 counties in the state's northeast quadrant, and a Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) and its 31 component school districts asked CGR to help them identify how best to prepare students for future high tech jobs.
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An Evaluation of the Neighborhood Empowerment Team (NET) Office in the City of Rochester Options for the Future
In 1997, the City of Rochester introduced a new organization – the Neighborhood Empowerment Team (NET) Office - to focus resources to improve the quality of life in City neighborhoods. NET created six satellite offices throughout the City where code enforcement personnel and police officers work jointly with neighborhood...
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Long Island Index 2006 Special Analysis Report Analysis of Governmental Expenditures and Revenues on Long Island 1998-2003
CGR examined expenditure and revenue information for 359 units of local government on Long Island. This data was incorporated into a report published in 2006 entitled the Long Island Index, a status report on the Long Island region which engages the community to think about the future. The...
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Northeast Joint Fire District Planning Study - 2006 to 2026 Staffing, Equipment and Facilities Needs for the Next Twenty Years
CGR studied the need for an additional fire house in the North East Joint Fire District and recommended that a new station be built near the intersection of Schlegel and Phillips roads. The study recommended that a pumper and light rescue vehicle be housed at the new station, estimated to...
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An Assessment of the Village of Westhampton Beach Police Department: Options for the Future
CGR studied the staffing and configuration of the Westhampton Police Department and found that it had a sufficient number of police officers (in fact, it was above a recommended ratio, but residents appear willing to fund a high level of service) but that it could consider adding officers and supervisors...
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Rochester Police Department Patrol Division Reorganization: An Interim Evaluation
CGR studied the impact of the Rochester Police Department's patrol sector reorganization for the six months after it was implemented and found that response time had been cut by an average of 10 percent and $940,000 in overtime costs had been saved. The study did not determine whether officers...
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Opportunities to Improve the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Records Management Processes in the City of Rochester
For the City of Rochester NY, CGR identified opportunities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of records management processes. In 2005, CGR reviewed the flow of electronic and paper records between departments and the city’s Information Systems and Record Archives Center, and specifically targeted three departments – police, code enforcement,...
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Planning For the Future-Improving Rockland County's Delivery of Human Services Findings and Recommendations
Through a collaborative effort with a 25-member Task Force, CGR completed a comprehensive analysis of Rockland County’s largest human service departments - DSS, Health, Mental Health and Probation. This report presents 10 recommendations to bring about a more customer-focused, efficient and effective delivery system. Recommendations focus on organizational, service response,...
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Erie County Fleet Maintenance Centers: Site and Staffing Options
CGR found Erie County could reduce the number of garages serving its fleet of 1,000 government vehicles to eight and still meet maintenance service needs as well as quick response time objectives. This was a follow-up to a February 2003 study of county operations that said improving fleet maintenance could...
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Feasibility of Creating a Central Business Office in the Schuyler-Chemung-Tioga BOCES Region
CGR recommended the creation of a central business office among the districts within the Schuyler-Chemung-Tioga BOCES district. Centralization would save more than $434,000 a year, or 55 percent of current expenses. It would also expand safeguards protecting against accounting problems, improve management and integrity of fiscal information, and expand access...
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Disaster Planning Needs Assessment for the North Greece Fire District
CGR completed a Disaster Planning Needs Assessment for the North Greece Fire District, which serves the largest service area in Monroe County NY. The project involved surveying paper, electronic and microfilm records; identifying records vital to district operations; identifying related risks and vulnerabilities; assessing current disaster recovery practices in place;...
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Thinking Beyond Boundaries: Opportunities to Use Regional and Local Strategies to Strengthen Public Education in the Broome-Tioga Region
CGR conducted a major study for the 15 school districts in NY’s Broome-Tioga BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) that evaluated opportunities for reducing costs and improving services by sharing services, consolidating districts or merging. The study, completed in 2004, identified a large number of opportunities for the...
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Records Disaster Planning and Recovery for the Newark Housing Authority
CGR studied ways to improve the records management program of the Newark Housing Authority. The report recommended that the authority replace an agency safe, buy additional fireproof cabinets, move records now on media to another location, begin a microfilm program for permanent records, and change a range of office practices...
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Thinking Beyond Municipal Boundaries - Cost Reduction Opportunities
CGR provided an array of examples of how to use economies of scale to reduce costs in the Buffalo region. Using information from the New York State's Comptroller's office, CGR found that the greater community could reduce annual costs by $8.2 million to $9.9 million by acting as...
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Transforming Medicaid: Options for New York, Making Medicaid more Effective and Efficient
In the mid-1990’s, New York State faced a Medicaid crisis and the new governor at the time, George Pataki, created the Comprehensive Medicaid Task Force, to study Medicaid and make cost-containment recommendations. At the same time, CGR and the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) studied the underlying...
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Reorganizing the Rochester Police Department: An Analysis of the Rochester, NY Police Department Patrol Division
Since the 1970's, the Rochester New York Police Department had been working under an organizational structure of seven patrol sections. Changing crime trends and the need to build a more responsive and effective police department prompted the department to look at reorganizing. As recommended by CGR, the department will be...
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Cooperate, Collaborate, Consolidate: Options for Local Government in Monroe County
In the spring of 2003, CGR assisted the Council of Local Governments and a group of local business leaders identify opportunities for reducing local government costs through increased inter-governmental cooperation. As part of this work, CGR developed an analytic framework for identifying areas of common revenues and expense and...
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Survey of Community Opinions - Town of Mendon Comprehensive Plan Update
CGR developed and administered the first Internet-based survey in Mendon's history, gauging residents' opinions on issues for the Town's comprehensive planning process. The survey revised one last completed by the Town in 1991, and supplements the ongoing review of Mendon's land use development plan. CGR facilitated meetings of...
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Assessing the Impact of Merging the Police Departments of the Village of Angola and Town of Evans: Service and Cost Implications
CGR conducted a study in 2003 to evaluate whether or not it would be beneficial to merge the village and town police departments. The study concluded that annual savings of $140,000 per year could be achieved, depending on the final service agreement reached between the village and the town. The...
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Disaster Recovery Review for Key City of Rochester Operations Records - June 2001
In 2001, CGR identified key records at risk for the City of Rochester NY. The study involved an assessment of the top three sites and records series in each department that needed back-up or other recovery plans in the event of an unforeseen disaster. The assessment included both paper and...
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Rochester Branch Library's Focusing for the Future - Nov. 2000
CGR was contracted by the Rochester Public Library to conduct a study that would help it use its fiscal resources as efficiently as possible and fulfill its mission. CGR developed a methodology and recommended that the RPL develop strategies based on both general and specific roles for the branch...
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Toward an Improved Payroll Processing/Human Resources System for Cattaraugus County (Cattaraugus County) December 1999
Cattaraugus County engaged CGR to undertake a detailed strategic analysis of the purpose, current operations and future potential of five core infrastructure departments that affect virtually all other departments and functions of County government. The study resulted in specific practical and realistic recommendations for change, most of which have been...
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