Mr. Cyrus Abhar, Public Works Director and Chief Building Official for the City of Rancho Cordova, took time out of his busy day to share his experiences and insights with the ACEC dinner attendees.

Initially hired as a contract employee at the City of Rancho Cordova, Mr. Abhar was brought in to solve Rancho Cordova’s traffic problems. He described his beginning days with the City by citing Mark Twain’s quote “To succeed in life you need two things: ignorance and confidence.”

Mr. Abhar brought a fresh perspective to the City of Rancho Cordova. Having no institutional baggage and learning from the experiences of Citrus Heights and Elk Grove, he decided to use contracted services where possible. He found that this gave the City an immediate knowledge base and economic flexibility within the uncertain economy. Employing seasoned managers to direct the consultants helped the City maintain consistent policies and standards. Mr. Abhar noted that outsourcing and contracting out is becoming a trend and encouraged ACEC to play an active role in shaping future policies. He encouraged ACEC to consider an internal forum on this issue.

Mr. Abhar also shared some of his experiences working with so many different consultants. The single most challenging issue, he noted, is to have consultants take ownership of the projects all the way through construction. Take the time to introduce yourself as a true representative of the City, rather than just the City’s consultant. And take ownership of the project and any problems that arise from it.

And did you know that the City of Rancho Cordova has more jobs than residents? In fact, the number of jobs in Rancho Cordova is about the same as downtown Sacramento. With such a strong jobs base and over 10,000 acres of vacant land, the City of Rancho Cordova has some great opportunities.