Ben Kittelson Email and Phone Number

I evaluate local government operations and identify actionable recommendations to improve services and become more effective through staffing and workload analysis, process improvement, and policy and procedure review. I manage projects and coordinate the work of team members to ensure projects stay on schedule and meet the needs of the organizations we serve. Balance multiple projects with competing deadlines, ensure deliverables are actionable and meet expectations. I communicate findings and recommendations to governing bodies and organizational leadership through reports and presentations. Includes connecting reports with strategic direction, service levels, and community expectations. I have assessed a wide variety of local government operations, including parks and recreation, public safety, and public works, in more 50 organizations across 24 states. I identify staffing needs using workload data, benchmarking, and best practices. I make recommendations for the unique environment and infrastructure needs. I facilitate strategic planning development, working with organizations and departments to develop guiding language of mission, vision, and goals, as well as implementation steps and initiatives. I assess employee satisfaction and workplace culture using qualitative and quantitative survey methods. Identify opportunities to improve and shape culture to increase retention and recruitment.

Served as the Board Treasurer from 2023 to 2024 and chaired the Governance Committee. Led a review and update to the organization bylaws that expanded the size of the Board and formalized roles. Led development of organizational policies and procedures. Led development of the FY2025 annual budget. As the Chair of the Board from 2019 to 2023, I led the Board of Directors which sets the strategic direction of the 4,000-member organization including communication, financial planning, and member relations. I understand and develop content for members about local government management practices and important topics like equity, sustainability, and affordability. I led the planning for the 2019 Annual Conference for 300 attendees, this included creating an agenda for three days of events; session topics included innovation, strategic planning and workforce development. I have presented at professional conferences on innovative ideas from around the country, workforce development, budget engagement and public-private partnerships.

I reviewed and developed departmental budgets by analyzing spending trends and assessing requests for additional funding. Created balanced budgets for enterprise and special revenue funds. I supported strategic planning in a variety of capacities including the 2018 update to the citywide Strategic Plan. I facilitated cross-departmental meetings for two goal areas to update objectives and initiatives. I created a program, Innovate Durham, which facilitates partnerships between the City and startup companies. In two years we worked with 10 companies and paired them with departments for 12-week pilot projects. I managed budget engagement efforts. I led the planning and execution of three “Community Conversations” events in 2018, which involved staff and elected officials from the City, County, and school system. 345 residents participated and 1,640 comments collected. My analysis of comments was used to inform the City’s strategic plan. I developed a multiyear financial plan for affordable housing with the Community Development department. Included understanding funding sources and their $165 million spending plan. I analyzed historical trends and created projections for the City’s sales tax revenue, which was used to inform recommendations for an agreement with Durham County and $68 million revenue budget.

I reviewed and developed departmental budgets by analyzing budget submissions and making recommendations to the County Manager, as well as presenting budget information to the Board of Commissioners. I collaborated with the Facilities and Law Enforcement departments to develop a transition plan for the Prison Farm, which shifted management from the Sheriff's Office to facilities department. I presented on the impact of the change to the Board, which adopted the plan. I analyzed the true cost of housing inmates in the county jails and presented findings to the Board. This involved analyzing budget data, staffing levels and operations at the two County jails. I analyzed the county's education funding over the five years and compared to 15 other counties in North Carolina. The analysis was used to set funding for schools at $188 million in the 2017 fiscal year.

I reported on events, projects, and issues involving the agency and elected officials. Included interviewing stakeholders, research, and attending events and public meetings. I wrote original news stories in AP style for the Metro newsfeed, an independent news department. Topics included parks & recreation, community planning, minority outreach and solid waste. I also compiled a weekly news roundup of articles from around the region that pertained to the work Metro was doing.

I communicated using different outreach tools including a weekly email newsletter, monthly print newsletter, Facebook and Twitter posts, and the City website. I managed the upgrade of the City’s open source content management system (CMS) to Drupal 7.0. I also managed the Economic Development Committee, an 11-member citizen advisory board. Worked with the Community Development Director to set agendas and lead monthly meetings. Managed committee communications and wrote meeting summary notes. I researched alternatives for the City’s non-residential street maintenance fee. Prepared a detailed analysis after considering the different alternatives and surveying best practices. Prepared a report with recommendations to the Economic Development Committee and based on my research the EDC voted to recommend raising the rate on the top businesses by 75%.

I researched and created a City Councilor Orientation Handbook, by surveying 17 cities in the Northwest about their councilor orientation processes and materials used. The handbook will be used to implement an orientation process for future councilors. I scheduled public outreach events with local community groups and organizations. Events were used to inform citizens about the space issues in City Hall. I coordinated distribution of 4000 community guides. This involved making sales pitches over the phone to community members and tracked the number of guides delivered.