On March 21, the City released its 2013 year-end ResultsNOLA performance report.  For the past three years, the quarterly reports have focused on the direct results of City government operations, primarily with measures of timeliness, such as fire department response times, and outputs, such as potholes filled.  However, the year-end report shifts focus to the big picture, end results that the City hopes to achieve, for example, fewer structure fires, improved street conditions, fewer murders, more jobs, and less blight.  For the first time, the City reported on a wide variety of citywide outcomes, from the number of fatal traffic accidents to life expectancy, commute times, median income, and education levels.  These outcome measures are supplemented by the City’s related operational measures, so that readers can assess the impact of City services on outcomes.  The report examines trends to evaluate whether outcomes have improved or deteriorated over the past several years.  To provide a clearer frame of reference for assessing the city’s condition, the report includes comparisons to similar jurisdictions, such as Baton Rouge, Atlanta, and Miami.  The report also includes third-party survey results on the views of New Orleans citizens on quality of life and satisfaction with City services, such as trash pickup and parks and recreation.

The addition of citywide goals and outcomes follows a series of other 2013 report improvements.  To allow users to relate individual employee performance to organizational performance, and to recognize and motivate employees, the reports now feature recipients of the Mayor’s Outstanding Employee Awards.  To facilitate assessments of the resources used to produce the results reported, the City added information on the City resources budgeted for each included organization.  Further, the City expanded the report beyond line departments to include other organizations that received an appropriation from the City, including criminal justice agencies.

The report shows that City organizations met or exceeded a majority of performance targets, and nearly three quarters of the citywide outcomes reported are positively trending.  Among other highlights:

• homicides were down more than 19 percent in 2013, compared to 2012, and the number of murders was the lowest in nearly 30 years, though some other crimes ticked up;
• the City exceeded Mayor Landrieu’s goal of reducing the blight count in New Orleans by 10,000 units by 2014;
• the number of fires decreased substantially in 2011, compared to 2010, and remained relatively consistent in 2012 and 2013; and
• the city’s unemployment rate has steadily fallen since 2010, and was lower than the average in comparable jurisdictions in 2013.

In addition to accomplishments, the report identifies challenges facing the City in achieving its mission, goals, and objectives.  All ResultsNOLA reports are available on the Office of Performance and Accountability website.

At the January BlightSTAT meeting, the City announced that it surpassed Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s goal of reducing the blight count in New Orleans by 10,000 by 2014.  In September 2010, Mayor Landrieu announced a comprehensive blight strategy that prioritized data-driven decision-making, new legal tools for encouraging compliance from property owners, and converting problem properties into opportunities for homeownership. To manage the implementation of the strategy, the Administration created BlightSTAT, a series of public meetings where City leaders and managers review performance results and use the data to identify what is working, what is not working, and what adjustments need to be made to improve performance.  According to a survey conducted by Dr. Peter Yaukey of the University of New Orleans, Mayor Landrieu’s blight reduction goal was achieved by April 2013.

BlightSTAT meetings are held the second Thursday of every month in the 8^th Floor Homeland Security Conference Room in City Hall.  Additional information on BlightSTAT, and reports from past meetings, are available on the Office of Performance and Accountability website.

In conjunction with the release of the year-end ResultsNOLA report, the City announced the fourth quarter recipients of the Mayor’s Outstanding Employee Awards.  The program, launched in 2013, recognizes employees who demonstrate a commitment to City values and exemplary contributions to organization-wide goals.  The fourth quarter recipients, featured in the ResultsNOLA report, are Detective Robert Barrere (NOPD), Loretta Boutin (ITI), Emanuel Boutte (OCD), Sergeant Edward Delery (NOPD), Rebecca Houtman (Safety and Permits), Djuana Johnson (NORDC), and Milan Le (Finance).  Both citizens and City employees can nominate individuals for the award by completing an online form.

In conjunction with the Service and Innovation Team, Office of Performance and Accountability (OPA) staff began working with departments to develop measurable goals for each City team that align to the City’s strategic framework. The initial cohort of departments participating in the Perform initiative includes Code Enforcement, Health, and the Mosquito, Termite, and Rodent Control Board. OPA plans to work with additional departments in 2014.