Request for Proposal City Manager Executive Search Consulting Services

The City of Pinole is interested in obtaining the services of an executive search consulting firm to provide recruitment, screening, and identification of qualified candidates for its City Council to interview and appoint as City Manager.

Interested and qualified consulting firms who have demonstrated their ability at comparable work are invited to submit proposals.

Proposals will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, January 9, 2026.

The City is primarily a residential community located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the shores of San Pablo Bay in West Contra Costa County. Highway Interstate 80, which traverses Pinole, connects the San Francisco/Oakland metropolitan area with Sacramento and points east. Pinole is linked to central Contra Costa County which includes the cities of Martinez, Concord, and Pleasant Hill by State Route 4 which begins just north of Pinole and connects with Interstate 680. There are approximately four-square miles of land included in Pinole’s boundary. The City’s population on July 1, 2022, was 18,582, according to the US Census Bureau, Population and Housing Unit Estimates.

The City of Pinole is a general law city that was incorporated on June 25, 1903. The City operates under a Council-Manager form of operation, whereby policies of the City Council are administered by a City Manager who is appointed by the City Council. All municipal departments operate under the supervision of the City Manager. The Council consists of five members who are elected at large for four-year overlapping terms. The Council rotates one of the Council members to serve as Mayor each year.

The City is a full-service city that provides the following services: public safety (police), public works (including a wastewater treatment plant), community services (including recreation and communications), community development, and general administration services. The City is budgeted over 116 full-time equivalent positions with an all-funds revenue of approximately $54.4 million for the Fiscal Year 2025/26 Operating and Capital Budget.

Current Organizational Challenges and Opportunities by Department

The Police Department has several critical factors influencing its ability to meet operational and community-focused goals. Sustaining minimum staffing levels remains a priority, with well-established scheduling tools supporting coverage but ongoing vacancies creating strain and increasing overtime risks. Enhancements to the online complaint and commendation portal have improved accessibility, though further modernization is needed to ensure user-friendliness and trackability for community members. The department is actively engaged in strengthening emergency preparedness through a comprehensive update of the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) and upcoming citywide training exercises, addressing current gaps in experience and readiness. Continued progress in hiring for key positions, including Police Officers, Dispatchers, and the Community Safety Specialist, will be essential to restoring capacity for community engagement and service delivery amid a shrinking regional candidate pool. Additional priorities include finalizing a fleet leasing proposal to stabilize long-term vehicle replacement and maintenance costs and pursuing OTS and Cannabis grant funding to expand training, enforcement, and equipment resources despite the competitive nature of these programs. Overall, the department is committed to operational resilience, community accessibility, and strategic adaptation.

The Public Works Department demonstrates strong technical capability, deep commitment to community service, and effective internal collaboration across Engineering, Maintenance Operations, and the Treatment Plant, supported by a team eager to learn and aligned with City Council priorities. However, limited staffing, vacancies in key engineering roles, gaps in specialized maintenance skills, aging infrastructure, and the need for improved asset management, training, and facilities pose ongoing challenges. At the same time, the department has significant opportunities to leverage salary savings for temporary expertise, expand access to low-cost training, adopt smart-city technologies, strengthen partnerships with regional agencies, utilities, and the community to enhance service delivery and resilience. Threats, including staff burnout and retention risks, infrastructure-related liabilities, emergency events, rising construction costs, and evolving regulatory requirements, underscore the importance of strategic investment, organizational support, and continued focus on modernization and preparedness.

The Community Development Department is navigating substantial capacity constraints stemming from key vacancies, difficulty filling specialized positions, and the need to rely on contract services, all of which limit progress on Housing Element implementation, ordinance updates, long-range planning, and improvements to the Residential Health & Safety Rental Inspection Program. These pressures are intensified by stalled development projects, leadership transitions, and the administrative demands of managing an expanding portfolio of complex grants. Even so, the department is well-positioned to advance meaningful community initiatives, supported by more than $3.3 million in competitive grant funding, a two-year Housing Fellow placement, and recent investments in online permitting and digital workflow modernization. These assets strengthen operational resilience, sustain service delivery despite staffing limitations, and provide a foundation for progress on housing policy, community development priorities, and long-term economic development opportunities.

The Community Services Department faces several operational and strategic challenges, including aging and outdated facilities, rising community expectations for expanded programming, insufficient administrative technology, and ongoing budget constraints that limit program growth and staff capacity. At the same time, significant opportunities exist to strengthen service delivery through expanded partnerships, increased youth, family, and senior programming, modernization of registration and communication systems, and strategic facility reinvestment supported by potential grant funding. By enhancing marketing, diversifying special events, and optimizing facility rentals, the department can broaden community engagement while generating new revenue streams to support long-term sustainability.

The Communications Department is advancing several high-impact initiatives that strengthen modernization, transparency, and public engagement, while navigating capacity constraints, cross-departmental dependencies, and technology-driven change. Key efforts including AI policy development, a citywide software strategy, PCTV performance measurement, implementation of the 360 Public Assistance Portal, updates to communication and engagement procedures, and the buildout of an employee intranet offer substantial opportunities to enhance efficiency, consistency, and service delivery. These projects position the City to improve resident experience, streamline workflows, and support data-informed decision-making, though each also carries risks related to staffing, change management, technology limitations, and the need for sustained collaboration across departments. Together, these initiatives reflect a strategic and forward-looking approach that can significantly strengthen the City’s communication infrastructure and operational effectiveness.

The Finance Department’s strategic focus centers on strengthening the City’s long-term fiscal health through responsible budgeting, transparent financial reporting, accurate cost recovery, and data-driven evaluation of potential revenue measures. Key strengths include robust long-range financial forecasting, strong accountability practices, and detailed analysis of service costs; however, limited staffing, manual processes, and economic uncertainty present ongoing challenges. Opportunities exist to enhance financial resilience through scenario planning, automated reporting tools, expanded transparency initiatives, and improved cost-recovery mechanisms that reduce General Fund subsidies. At the same time, the department must navigate risks such as economic volatility, unfunded liabilities, complex public communication needs, and potential skepticism around fee adjustments or ballot measures. Collectively, these factors underscore the importance of proactive planning, community engagement, and strategic resource allocation to support Pinole’s long-term fiscal sustainability.

The Human Resources Department has several key opportunities to strengthen the organization, including attracting innovative leadership through the City Manager executive search, enhancing collaboration and alignment through labor negotiations and MOU implementation, increasing departmental capacity with the onboarding of a new staff, exploring long-term financial stabilization through OPEB liability reduction strategies, and advancing workforce development by partnering with regional agencies. Collectively, these initiatives position Human Resources to improve operational effectiveness, support organizational goals, and reinforce a strong foundation for the City’s future.

Workforce Hiring Initiatives

The City of Pinole is committed to fostering fair, accessible, and community-focused recruitment and workforce practices. As part of this commitment, the City undertakes intentional and inclusive outreach efforts to attract a highly qualified applicant pool, including individuals from groups historically underrepresented in our organization and in public service.

The City’s workforce initiatives are informed by a data-driven understanding of community demographics, ensuring that our outreach strategies, candidate engagement efforts, and recruitment pipelines reflect the makeup and needs of the Pinole community. This includes using demographic analyses to identify gaps, tailor outreach methods, expand access, and remove barriers to participation in our hiring processes.

Our employment practices aim to create and sustain a workplace where all employees feel respected, valued, and able to contribute fully. We continuously review our recruitment, advancement, and retention efforts to ensure they support the City’s goal of maintaining a workforce that is representative of, and responsive to, the community we serve