Vacaville Weighs Paying Employees $50 to $500 for Money-Saving Ideas

Vacaville's City Council spent its Nov. 5, 2026, special meeting hearing from its own workforce. Twenty employees finishing the city's revived Leadership Academy pitched five low-cost pilots, including a "Vacaville Forward" program that would pay staff cash awards for ideas the city adopts. The council took no votes, but its questions show where support is solid and where the city's stretched workforce sets the limits.

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• Vacaville Forward innovation pilot would pay employees $50 for forwarded ideas, $500 for adopted ones
• Succession planning pilot targets two or three departments for six months, with no new funding requested
• Marketing team proposes department liaisons and business guides but defers new communications hires until funding allows
• Change management team seeks a future council resolution backing a supervisor toolkit
• I CARE values would shape hiring, onboarding and performance reviews under a January-to-June rollout

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Vacaville Forward: Cash for Good Ideas

The basics: Vacaville Forward is a proposed one-year pilot that would turn employee suggestions into savings or better service. It has five parts: an employee innovation pipeline, an annual innovation challenge, a review committee, a recognition and incentive program, and a public-facing innovation dashboard.

Why it matters: The city faces fiscal pressure and staffing limits. The program bets that frontline employees can find efficiencies, using mostly existing resources.

Where things stand: Submissions would not be anonymous. A review committee drawn from the City Manager's Office, finance and HR would send its top three ideas to the city manager, who would pick one to implement. The incentives are small. A team presenter described the awards as "$50 for ideas recommended by the Innovation Review Panel and forwarded to the City Manager's Office, $500 for the ideas adopted by the city for implementation."

The weakest piece is measurement. Asked how the committee would judge an idea's value, a presenter acknowledged, "It's not been completely vetted out."

The other side: The sharpest concern was workload, not cost. Councilmember Sarah Chapman, District 4, supported the concept but questioned whether employees already stretched thin can take on more. "I'm being mindful of the employees and what we hadn't had, and now we're talking about something new," she said.

Councilmember Roy Stockton, District 1, asked whether the team had considered non-monetary incentives, such as time off. "We did, and that was part of our conversation," a presenter replied.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No motion or vote was taken. City Manager Savita Chaudhary said all five projects tie back to the city's adopted strategic plan. She said each would be piloted in one or two departments rather than shelved. "I don't let things sit on the shelf," she said.

She added that any new ideas would return to council, which would decide what other work to put on hold. For employees, the pilot offers recognition and modest pay. For residents, any benefit depends on whether adopted ideas produce measurable savings, and the team has not yet defined those metrics.

What's next: Chaudhary said the projects would move into departmental pilots. No date was set.

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Succession Plan Aims to Bank Know-How

Why it matters: When a veteran employee retires or leaves, the knowledge of how to run a pump station or process a permit can go with them. This team's pilot aims to keep essential services running through those departures.

Where things stand: The team framed succession planning as broader than retirements. It proposed a five-step framework:

• Identify critical positions
• Document duties in job profiles that supplement HR classifications
• Develop staff through mentoring, shadowing and cross-training
• Transfer knowledge using a proposed 60-day handoff
• Review results

The pilot would run six months in two or three departments. Each department would pick up to three risks and one priority position. "There is no additional funding being requested with this informational item," a team presenter said. The pilot would track staff time before the city decides whether more resources are needed.

The other side: Council questions focused on mechanics:

• Whether the pilot produces tangible documents
• Whether it depends on specific software
• How job profiles relate to HR classifications and labor contracts
• Whether employee participation is voluntary

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Council received the report and gave positive feedback; no action was taken. Mayor John Carli endorsed the approach because it focuses on roles, not people. "Succession isn't about an individual person, but the competencies of the work that they do," he said. That distinction matters for employees and bargaining units wary of documentation that could feel like individual evaluation.

What's next: The team asked council to receive the report and give direction. A citywide rollout would follow only after the pilot.

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Marketing Plan Leans on Liaisons, Not New Hires

Why it matters: The team interviewed five business partners: the Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Vacaville BID, the Nut Tree, Visit Vacaville and the outlets. Those groups reported unclear city contacts and inconsistent answers. For small businesses, that friction costs time and money.

Where things stand: The team proposed three no-cost short-term goals:

• Department communication liaisons
• Workshops and a navigation guide for business processes
• A four-step joint-promotion process with partners

A citywide marketing analyst position remains a long-term goal, contingent on funding. "Given the city's current financial challenges and competing priorities, adding positions is not realistic in the near term," a presenter said.

Mayor John Carli asked whether AI could serve as a "force multiplier" for existing staff. "I don't remember it coming up in any of our interviews specifically with those groups," a presenter replied, adding that AI is a possible tool.

The other side: Vice Mayor Michael Silva, District 3, raised a structural issue. Some departments have funding for their own communications and others do not, so their ability to show their value is unequal. City Manager Savita Chaudhary said police, fire, parks and community development have distinct communication needs. "So our goal with this is to start small and identify where those silos exist and where we can collaborate," she said.

Councilmember Roy Stockton backed the business guide but wants real people helping the public. He said he did not want it to be "some automated thing where people are trying to navigate a computer." Councilmember Jeanette Wylie, District 6, asked for a single, current source for how-to updates.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Council received the strategy. Chaudhary said one or two ideas would be test-run. Business groups could get clearer contacts at no added cost. Departments without communications budgets would rely on volunteer liaisons until funding improves.

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Change Toolkit Seeks Council Resolution

Why it matters: The team surveyed colleagues about past changes that went well and badly. Their conclusion: employees most want to understand why a change is happening. With budget pressure driving operational shifts, consistent explanations could reduce friction.

Where things stand: The strategy has six components: understanding the need, identifying who is affected, assessing readiness, communication, implementation planning and monitoring. A Supervisor's Change Toolkit would include:

• A change brief
• A conversation guide
• FAQs
• Feedback check-ins
• A success follow-up

The team presented its ask. "We're asking senior leadership to support us in asking council to adopt the resolution authorizing implementation of the city's change management and resiliency strategy," a presenter said.

The other side: Vice Mayor Michael Silva asked about buy-in and accountability, given job descriptions and bargaining units. "So, I would say the intent would be before and after the change," a presenter answered.

Councilmember Jeanette Wylie asked whether the toolkit applies to every change. "I think that could be for either citywide change or a department change," a presenter said. The team clarified it is meant for organizational changes affecting multiple employees, not every adjustment.

Mayor John Carli praised the practical approach and suggested beta testing in one department or shift.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No motion was made. Supervisors would gain a standard playbook. Bargaining units may watch how "buy-in" and accountability are defined.

What's next: A resolution request could return to council at a future meeting.

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I CARE Values Move Into Hiring

Why it matters: I CARE stands for integrity, collaboration, accountability, innovation and respect. These values came from the council itself. "These are actually the values that were directed by our city council to staff," said City Manager Savita Chaudhary.

Where things stand: The team proposed a three-level model: understand, practice, reinforce. Supporting pieces include:

• A dedicated intranet section and public webpage
• In-house printing
• A peer recognition process
• A volunteer committee that works through existing meetings

Its core recommendation is to "make I CARE part of the city's existing systems, conversations, decisions, and recognition practices, not a one-time campaign." Implementation would run January to March, with adjustments April to June and an annual review.

The other side: Councilmember Jeanette Wylie asked whether this replaces an earlier effort. Chaudhary said the values are part of the new strategic plan. She noted that last year's recognition ceremony already used weighted criteria tied to them.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Council received the plan with supportive comments. Councilmember Sarah Chapman noted the values' reach beyond current staff. "This will also guide during recruitment and the hiring process," she said. Job applicants and current employees facing performance reviews are the most directly affected.

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Minor Items

• Leadership Academy returns: HR revived the program after a roughly two-year pause; 20 employees completed it.
• Program structure: Nine workshops, four led by UC Davis trainers, plus city-run sessions and field trips.
• Program scale: "Today marks the completion of a nearly year-long investment of 20 employees across most city departments who deliver city services every day," said Regina Sickles, principal HR analyst.
• Stretch assignments: Sickles said she assigned teams and projects outside participants' usual areas, deliberately keeping HR staff off the core-values project.

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Looking Ahead

Watch for departmental pilots of the succession, marketing and innovation proposals, and a possible change management resolution returning to council. Chaudhary said any new ideas would come back to council to decide what to put on hold.