HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 02041997 - P1-D1 P.1
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
DATE: February 4, 1997 MATTER OF RECORD
SUBJECT: Presentation- Anemia Task Force and Born Free Programs
On this date the Board of Supervisors heard a presentation by the Health Services
Director on the Contra Costa Health Plan Grant to the Anemia Task Force and Born Free
Programs.
THIS IS A MATTER FOR RECORD PURPOSES ONLY
NO BOARD ACTION TAKEN
01—?3-1997 06 1SYM Crw 1*17�,COMM 510 313 60FIS F,03
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tatu% before the Board of SuPerwimors
Please camiete this form and return it to the Office of the clerk of
the Board, 681 Pica Street, ROOM 105# lust AQz by Wednesday borax,
prior to the Tuesday Board neaetireg for which the presentatim is
scheduled. Pan=e to sabait the a>Rp2e4ed"fRtrae as requested mW
necessitate the iencowel of the hart frac the Board's ayeada.
1 Orate Of Hoard Yaeetiaff dA-b .4,4 12 r 7 Time: t�YP
2. Who Will introduce the subject of the presentation?
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3. Will the Board chair he asked to make the presentation? �( 0
(If yes, attach notes or ce ments which the Chair may use
In makinq the presentation.)
4. _Will other Hoard Members be
asked to participate? Sow? t
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S. How long will the preeeatation/.progrr take?
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6. Outline the procad=o Or fwmt of the Wesentaetion.
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7. Attach baclMround Information relative to this presentation.
s. NOW of person to contact and phone.
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TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
FROM: William Walker, M.D., Health Services Director ; Contra
DATE: February 4, 1997 Costa
County
SUBJECT: Accept Donation from Kaiser Permanente
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Contra Costa Breast Cancer Partnership to accept the donation of$6,100 from
Kaiser Permanente to the Partnership to co-sponsor a public outreach campaign to raise awareness about free breast
cancer early detections services for underserved women over the age of 40.
BACKGROUND:
Kaiser Permanente is an active member of the Contra Costa Breast Cancer Partnership. As part of an outreach
campaign sponsored by the Contra Costa Breast Cancer Partnership, Contra Costa Health Services Department and
the American Cancer Society, Kaiser is donating $6,100 to support the costs of purchasing 1,000 11 x 28 inch interior
bus cards to advertise free breast health services to all bus riders in Contra Costa County. We greatly appreciate this
generous donation.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This donation would provide additional revenue to the Project and the County.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: No SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE _OTHER
SIGNATURE'
ACTION OF BOARD ON February 4, 1997 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
X I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
UNANIMOUS (ABSENT--= AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
Contact Person:Ann Zukoski 313-6618
Community Wellness&Prev. Frog. ATTESTED February 4, 1997
CC: Health Services Administration PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
County Administrator SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
Auditor-Controller
I
BY ,DEPUTY
DA
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
DATE: February 4, 1997 MATTER OF RECORD
D.1 On this date, February 4, 1997, the Board of Supervisors accepted the
Annual Performance Report on the Office of the County Administrator, as
presented by Phil Batchelor, County Administrator.
THIS IS FOR RECORD PURPOSES ONLY
NO BOARD ACTION TAKEN
cc: County Administrator
OFFICE OF THE COUNTY ADNIINISTRATOR
i
•
f
ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT
JANUARY 1997
OFFICE OF THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
PERFORMANCE REPORT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Functions of County Administrator's Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Customer Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1996 Performance Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Challenges & Future Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Appendix: Organization Chart
OVERVIEW
Under Title 2 of the Contra Costa County Ordinance Code, the County
Administrator is charged with the effective administration of County
government and with ensuring implementation of actions taken by the
Board of Supervisors. Consistent with its legislative mandate, the Office of
the County Administrator's mission is to:
♦ Preserve the fiscal integrity of the County
♦ Increase organizational efficiency, effectiveness and excellence
♦ Increase intergovernmental cooperation and public access to
government
The duties of the County Administrator's Office are performed by eight
divisions:
0 Administrative Services
2 Clerk of the Board
19 Information Technology
I] Emergency Services
El Human Resources
El Revenue Collections
Risk Management
Training Institute
As the Administrative head of County government, the CAO is continually
challenged to meet the ever-expanding range of citizen needs with few
resources and little local discretion. Pride in work well done, openness to
change, and investment in the organizational infrastructure, including our
employees, has been the hallmark of the past, and continues to be the guide
for the future.
Functions of the County Administrator's Office
Administrative Services
♦ Board of Supervisors Support - To staff the Board and Board committees
and to oversee the implementation of Board directives.
♦ Organizational Leadership & Oversight - To ensure that all County
departments adhere to the high standards of organizational efficiency
and excellence embodied in the County's mission statement, to oversee
departmental operations and to stimulate positive change.
♦ County Budget- To prepare the County's Proposed, Recommended and
Final Budget each year, as well as to administer and account for
expenditures and revenues following prescribed rules in accordance
with the State Budget Act. Quarterly monitoring of the budget has
been built into this function with reports to the Board.
♦ Criminal Justice Agency - To provide justice system planning and
coordination services to its constituent agencies (County and cities
therein) and to make recommendations to federal and state agencies
on distribution of anti-crime funds.
♦ Special Districts - To plan, organize and coordinate Special District
activities and provide liaison among the County, the Districts, other
governmental agencies and the public.
♦ Capital Resources Management - To manage existing capital resources
and develop new resources to maximize cost effectiveness and to
minimize building occupancy costs, while meeting programmatic
needs.
♦ CCTV/Cable TV Administration - To produce and televise quality
programming on issues of countywide interest and to monitor and
resolve citizen complaints regarding cable rates, customer service and
technical standards.
2
♦ Affirmative Action - To continue efforts to make the County's
workforce within each County department representative of all the
citizens of our diverse County labor force.
♦ intergovernmental Relations/Legislation - To work with County
Departments, cities, school districts and other counties to foster
interagency cooperation and concurrence in areas of mutual interest
and to work with the County's legislative delegation to promote
legislative action supportive of the County.
♦ Children and Family Services Policy/Programs - To support positive
outcomes for children and families through development of
comprehensive, collaborative, integrated, outcome-based service
delivery systems that engage the community, private agencies, public
agencies and the families themselves in effective partnerships.
Clerk of the Board
♦ 'Board of Supervisors Support - To prepare and distribute weekly agenda
materials and to attend Board meetings and record minute orders.
♦ Assessment Appeals Support - To attend Appeals Board meetings and
record minute orders.
Information TechnoloQv
A ♦ Operations - To provide timely processing of all automated systems
supported by the County's central computer operation.
♦ Personal Computing Services - To provide training and staff support
related to automated office systems, including personal computer
hardware and software. To evaluate and recommend personal
computer hardware and software for County employees.
♦ Systems and Programming - To provide system planning, design,
implementation and ongoing maintenance in conformance with
prudent and established system development life cycle methodologies.
3
♦ Network Services - To provide Local Area Network (LAN) and Wide
Area Network (WAN) installation, training and support and to
evaluate and recommend hardware and software used in LAN and
WAN environments.
♦ System Integration Services - To provide system integration services for
interconnected PCS, servers, host computers, networks, electronic
mail, remote backup, World Wide Web, security, facilities, disaster
recovery and communications needs.
Office of Emergency Services
♦ Disaster Preparedness Planning and Training - To develop and maintain
a countywide up-to-date disaster response plan, written in
conformance with state and federal guidelines and to hold disaster
exercises to familiarize participants with the Emergency Operations
Center environment and practice interagency coordination.
♦ Community Education - To give disaster preparedness presentations to
community groups; to distribute information at neighborhood and
community fairs; and to maintain a video library of materials that can
be used by organizations in disaster preparedness training.
♦ Emergency Communications - To work with other emergency response
agencies throughout the County to improve communication
A capabilities and with the Emergency Communications Advisory Board
to coordinate implementation of new communication policies,
procedures and equipment.
♦ Emergency Response - To staff around-the-clock notification systems
and maintain a state of readiness in staff and equipment.
♦ Disaster Recovery - To provide a focal point for gathering of damage
information, coordinate on-site inspection of damage sites and
disseminate available state and federal financial disaster assistance
information.
4
Human Resources
♦ Labor Relations - To facilitate equitable and effective labor-management
relations in the County by representing and balancing interests of its
employees, managers and governing bodies.
♦ Personnel - To develop and administer programs and policies to ensure
that the County recruits, selects and retains a highly skilled and
diversified workforce that is properly classified and is fairly and
equitably compensated.
♦ Employee Benefits - To formulate and implement policies for the
administration of benefits programs and services that assist the County
in maintaining a competitive compensation package and that
contribute to the health and well-being of County employees and
retirees.
Office of Revenue Collections
♦ Billing- To maximize the efficient realization of revenues through a
centralized County billing and collection service. The billing service
includes parking citation billings to 27 public agencies in Contra Costa
and Alameda County.
♦ Collections - To provide collection services, varying from hospital
patient accounts to public defender fees to welfare grant overpayments
owed the County.
Risk Management
♦ Liability - To provide quality, cost-effective liability claims service, to
work with departments to reduce liability losses and to fund County
exposures at the lowest possible cost and in the most fiscally
responsible manner.
♦ Workers'Compensation - To provide benefits to injured employees and
information to departments, claimants and stakeholders.
5
♦ Safety - To advise departments on loss control methods and to provide
them with valid data base products.
Training Institute
♦ Employee Development - To provide high quality training programs for
the development of important workplace knowledge and skills for
employees of the County, cities and other public agencies.
♦ Management and Organizational Consulting - To provide client
organizations, divisions and work-teams with interventions that
address job performance improvement, quality improvement, work-
group conflict, leadership development, teamwork and facilitation to
address important issues and to solve pressing problems.
6
RESOURCES
Financial Resources
The adopted 1996-97 budget for the County Administrator's Office totals
$24.8 million, $17.4 million (70%) of which is revenue offset. By division,
the budget is:
Budget Financing NCC
Administrative Services $2,714,488 $1,298,008 $1,153,783
Clerk of the Board 359,567 60,756 273,811
Information Technology 8,563,232 8,563,232 -0-
Emergency Services 342,203 177,000 165,203
Human Resources 4,471,361 2,828,154 1,258,169
Revenue Collections 1,514,142 1,514,142 -0-
Risk Management 6,606,631 2,800,042 3,806,108
Training Institute 243.436 208,042 35.394
TOTAL $24,815,060 $17,449,376 $6,692,468
Personnel Resources
The County Administrator's Office has reduced its staff by 13% since 1990-
91:
1990-91 1996-97 Percent
Actual Bud e ed Change
Administrative Services 30 23 <23%>
Clerk of the Board 8 7 < 13%>
Information Technology 99 80 < 19%>
Emergency Services 9 4 <55%>
Human Resources 50 40 <20%>
Revenue Collections 18 25 39%
Risk Management 22 26 18%
Training Institute 4 4 _0_
TOTAL 240 209 < 13%>
7
Affirmative Action
Within the County Administrator's Office, the total number of minorities
exceeded their labor force representation (29.4% compared to the goal of
27.6%). All individual minority groups, except Hispanic, are also above
labor force representation goals, according to the latest survey report (June
30, 1996). The race/ethnic and gender percentages are: female 58.9% (goal
45.4%); African Americans 9.2% (goal 7.6%); Hispanics 6.1% (goal 10.5%);
Asian/Pacific Islanders 12.8% (goal 8.9%); and American Indian/Alaskan
Natives 1.2% (goal .6%).
0 10 20 30 40 60 61
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Famak ,
Arrlsrkan Indiana .
Atka/Poeft Ialandor
Hispanic
African American
CAC(Y2) Labor Faros Goal(Yt)
Sick Leave
The CAO Divisions monitor sick leave carefully. In 1996, overall gross
usage was 67% and adjusted usage was 55% .
Grossjs Adjusted J a '
Administrative Services 78.9% 38.1%
Clerk of the Board 51.3% 51.3%
Emergency Services 66.4% 66.4%
Human Resources 86.1% 67.0%
Information Technology 47.5% 42.9%
Revenue Collection 90.7% 82.5%
Risk Management 68.2% 59.8%
Training Institute 102.7% 49.0%
*Percent calculated after deleting sick leave figures for 8 employees absent more than 200
hours due to long term illness or maternity leave.
Staff Development
It is the policy of the County Administrator's Office that every employee
receives an annual, written performance evaluation. In addition,
throughout the year, it is expected that every supervisor acknowledges
excellent performance and provides guidance and support to help every
employee achieve his/her potential.
It is also the policy of the County Administrator's Office to encourage staff
to attend workshops and training sessions and to participate in professional
organizations in order to enhance job knowledge and improve job
performance. For example, all staff in the Office of Emergency Services
attended disaster management classes in 1996 offered by the California
Specialized Training Institute. In the Information Technology division, one
employee graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
and another earned a Master of Public Administration degree.
As a service to all County employees and departments, the County
Administrator's Office, through its Training Institute division, provides 23
training programs in the areas of:
interpersonal skills;
D leadership and supervision;
quality in customer service;
cultural diversity and harassment; and
writing skills.
A
Tech— nologvT
The County Administrator's Office provides leadership to all County
departments in the expanded use of automation and technology.
Information Technology evaluates new software and hardware as well as
systems and system applications. Workshops and forums are held
periodically to educate County employees on new trends in technology. In
addition, through the Productivity Investment Fund, the County
Administrator's Office provides financial support to departments to
automate their operations and increase their operating efficiency.
9
In its own operations, the County Administrator's Office utilizes automation
to increase efficiency and improve its services. Examples of the use of
automation include:
✓ Online budget system which gives departments direct input into
the system and greatly enhances budget oversight capacity.
✓ Liability and workers' compensation claims data system that
tracks claims by cost detail, department and exposure; allows the
County to more accurately adjust claims; and supports our loss
control program.
✓ Online collection system that manages accounts and account
receivables, eliminating the need for paper records. In addition,
the system's word processing capability customizes collection
letters for individual accounts.
✓ Local area network (LAN) throughout Human Resources that
accesses the automated personnel system (COPERS) and
applicant tracking and examination processing system (TRAC).
✓ LAN/WAN networks to increase communication among
Training Institute clients and decrease the need for meetings.
✓ Microfilm and check endorsing system that saves one to two
hours per day of staff time in Revenue Collections.
✓ Satellite down links for distance learning programs, workshops
and conferences through CCTV.
✓ Data base (38,000 names, 137 client agencies) for marketing
and training registration services in the Training Institute.
10
CUSTOMER SERVICES
The County Administrator's Office serves four broad categories of clients:
the Board of Supervisors; the citizens and businesses of Contra Costa; the
Cities and Special Districts of Contra Costa; and the County government
organization.
Board of Supervisors
Examples of services:
♦ staffing Board meetings
♦ staffing Board committees
♦ legislative advocacy to support the Board's positions
♦ coordination and follow-up of Board directives
♦ oversight of implementation of Board directives
Citizens and Businesses
Examples of services:
J� ,
♦ training on disaster preparedness
♦ coordination of code enforcement
♦ leadership on new service initiatives (Service Integration and
SafeFutures)
♦ production of Contra Costa Television (CCTV)
♦ soliciting minority-and women-owned business proposals/bids on
County contracts
♦ responses to individual concerns and questions
♦ committee participation and staffing, including the Ad Hoc Budget
Committee, Business Leaders Alliance and Policy Forum
♦ oversight of County services to ensure equal access
♦ advising and counseling citizens regarding County employment
opportunities
it
Cities and Special Districts
Examples of services:
♦ revenue collection
♦ disaster preparedness planning
♦ staff development/training
♦ cooperative purchasing
♦ liaison with City/County Relations Committee and Public Managers
Association
♦ budget staff to Special Districts
♦ personnel support/consultation to Special Districts
♦ staff support on inter-District issues
County Organization
Examples of services: ,,
♦ budget development and oversight
♦ information technology development and
support
♦ oversight and review of departments
♦ capital resources management
♦ maximizing General Fund resources
♦ resolving interdepartmental issues
♦ managing human resources, including equal employment opportunities
♦ negotiating labor contracts
♦ managing risk liability
♦ monitoring compliance with federal, state and local civil rights and
equal opportunity laws and regulations
♦ staff development and training
♦ inspiring an organization dedicated to efficiency, effectiveness and
excellence
12
1996 Performance Indicators
PRESERVE THE FISCAL INTEGRITY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
Indicators:
• Credit Rating
• Revenue Maximization
• County Budget
• Capital Resource Management
• Risk Management
INCREASE ORGANIZATIONAL EFFICIENCY, EFFECTIVENESS AND
EXCELLENCE
Indicators:
• Organizational initiatives
0 Critical issue management
• Staff development
• Affirmative Action
• Technology
INCREASE INTERGOVERNMENTAL COOPERATION AND PUBLIC
ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT
Indicators:
• Public outreach
• Citizen and private sector involvement
• Public agency collaboration
13
PRESERVE THE FISCAL INTEGRITY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
Indicator: Credit Ratin
The County's credit rating impacts our cost of funds. The credit rating is a
direct reflection of the investment community's perception of the fiscal
management ability of the County. County staff maintains an open working
relationship with rating agency staff, brokers, bankers, financial consultants and
legal advisors in order to stay current with developments in the investment
community and keep them informed of developments within the County.
Measures of accomplishment include:
✓ Long term lease debt ratings of A 1 (Moody's) and A+ (Standard
and Poors), the highest ratings of any California county. Contra
Costa is one of only four counties to enjoy this high rating.
✓ Short term ratings of MIG I(Moody's) and SP 1 + (Standard and
Poors), the highest possible short term ratings.
✓ Sold tax and revenue anticipation notes at the most favorable rate
in the state for the past two years. The high demand for our notes
and low interest rate are evidence of the excellent reputation of the
County within the investment community.
✓ Reaffirmed the ratings and qualified the Merrithew Hospital
Replacement Project for bond insurance at a very favorable rate
despite the fact that the project is still under construction. In
confirming the A 1 rating for the project's long-term debt, Moody's
commented on the fact that, despite recessionary financial strain,
the County has maintained its fiscal stability.
✓ Reviewed, with the County Treasurer and rating agencies, the
County's investments and investment practices to verify our
continued ability to meet liquidity requirements and absence of
risky investments. Moody's found our investment pool "liquid and
conservative," while Standard and Poors found it met their
guidelines for investment of municipal issuers' operating funds.
14
Rating agency comments also acknowledged the County's "strong
financial management" and "low overall debt burden."
Indicator: Revenue Maximization
With the need to fund programs and services that reflect local priorities and
concerns as well as the fiscal uncertainty stemming from welfare reform and
managed care, it is critical that the County maximize its sources of revenue.
Measures of accomplishment include:
✓ Reduced information technology charges to County departments by
over $700,000.
✓ Funded the $2.7 million Year 2000 project at no additional charge
to County departments over the next three years.
✓ Recovered over $25,000 in franchise fee underpayments from
Viacom and Concord TV Cable.
✓ Negotiated mutually beneficial redevelopment agreement with the
City of Lafayette on property tax pass-through, which supported
City and County affordable housing goals.
✓ Negotiated a shared benefit agreement with the City of Pittsburg to
distribute community mitigation funds from the Keller Canyon
Landfill.
✓ Negotiated a telecommunications (fiber optic) contract with GST
Communications for use of County right-of-way.
✓ Eliminated use of CCNET's server as access port to our WEB site
on the Internet through CCTV, saving up to $300 per month.
✓ Successfully obtained $1.4 million for the first year of a five year
grant to support SafeFutures, which funds initiatives to reduce
juvenile crime, including the Summit Center at juvenile Hall.
15
✓ Received $40,000 of funding from the Foundation Consortium for
School-Linked Services to support service integration and other
system changes aimed at improving children and family outcomes.
✓ Obtained over $100,000 of funding from the East Bay Public Safety
Corridor Partnership for a variety of programs, including Drug
Court services in the Bay Municipal Court, employment and
vocational training for youth in landscaping, painting and bicycle
repair at the Orin Allen Youth Rehabilitation Facility and a Youth
Academy operated by the Sheriff's Department.
✓ Awarded a $240,000 grant from the Federal Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention to assist the County in
implementing a model juvenile justice continuum of care to provide
services to the youth in order to effectively intervene in the youth's
progression along the justice system, preventing more serious
offenses and thus more serious consequences.
✓ Received $92,000 from the State Board of Corrections for the
purpose of developing a Community-Based Punishment Options
Plan that assessed the feasibility of reducing the number of
commitments to State Prison and the Department of Youth
Authority from Contra Costa County, including the resources
necessary to implement such a plan.
✓ Exceeded private agency collections by 46% in a comparison of
ORC recoveries conducted for Health Services (October 1995 to
June 1996).
Indicator• County Budge
Presenting a timely, balanced budget to the Board of Supervisors is a
continuing challenge, due to the vagaries of state and federal funding and the
County's increasing dependence on these revenue sources. Measures of
accomplishment include:
16
✓ Presented a recommended 1996-97 budget to the Board of
Supervisors that was balanced and timely.
✓ Created a collaborative "Costing Team" of staff from CAO, Human
Resources and Auditors to quantitatively assess the fiscal impact of
County and Employee Organization proposals during labor
negotiations (including Retirement and Health Plan issues).
✓ Successfully negotiated contracts with the employee organizations
that reflected employee concerns and kept within budgetary
constraints.
Indicator: Capital Resources Management
To minimize building occupancy costs, and to meet programmatic needs, the
County manages existing capital resources and develops new ones to maximize
cost effectiveness. Measures of accomplishment include:
✓ Provided 10 temporary Superior Courtrooms and temporary offices
for the District Attorney and Court Clerk after closure of the
Superior Court House due to the August 1995 fire. Court did not
miss one day of operation.
✓ Provided temporary replacement of two courtrooms and
administrative offices for Mt. Diablo Municipal Court facilities
a
destroyed in the August 1995 fire.
✓ Completed construction of two hearing rooms at 100 Glacier Drive
for juvenile matters in response to the Superior Court fire and
reconstructed Court Clerk space at 725 Court St., and Clerk
Records space at 1111 Ward St. Completed planning for
construction of permanent courtrooms at 100 Glacier Drive,
construction of a courtroom at 1010 Ward St. and consolidation of
clerk criminal operations at the Superior Court Building, 725 Court
St.
17
✓ Initiated the Civic Center Court/justice Facilities Masterplan to
develop short-and long-range plans for court and justice related
functions.
✓ Kept Merrithew Replacement Hospital Project within budget and
on schedule. Currently, over 70% completed, with September 1997
scheduled completion date. Implemented Board approved changes
to scope of project to add psychiatric wards and construct new
Hospital/Public Health Laboratory.
✓ Completed purchase of 3,500 square foot building in Martinez for
relocation of Sheriff Civil Division from leased facilities in Concord.
✓ Completed upgrading of elevators in County Administration
Building, 651 Pine St., to meet ADA and seismic requirements.
Annual finance costs for upgrades are less than previous annual
maintenance costs.
✓ Completed planning for consolidation of Public Defender offices
currently in various locations in Martinez and Concord into one
facility in Martinez.
Indicator: Risk Management
The County minimizes its financial liabilities through prevention programs and
careful oversight and management of claims. Measures of accomplishment
include:
✓ Coordinated the recovery from the $13 million (estimated)
courthouse arson fires.
✓ Introduced voice-activated computers to help return injured
workers to productive work.
✓ Purchased earthquake insurance on all County buildings as
protection against a catastrophic loss.
18
✓ Implemented loss allocation program that rewards departments
with low losses through premium reductions.
✓ Implemented a medical bill review service resulting in $1.1 million
in savings.
✓ Closed 100 of 294 opened liability claims, 41% without settlement.
Overall, the average indemnity cost was $2,615.
✓ Provided assistance to departments in prevailing on Merit Board
hearings and in resolving employment conflicts prior to the filing of
a claim.
INCREASE ORGANIZATIONAL EFFICIENCY, EFFECTIVENESS AND
EXCELLENCE
Indicator: Organizational Initiatives
Contra Costa County continually strives to improve its organization to better
meet client needs, to be more "user friendly" to our clients and to wisely use
taxpayer resources. Measures of accomplishment include:
✓ Worked with the Superior and Municipal Courts to develop a
judicial coordination and administrative consolidation program
which will be implemented in phased steps in the various courts in
the County. These programs will assist the court in expediting the
disposition of civil and criminal cases.
✓ Provided support to the Superior and Municipal Courts in
consolidating Count administration by facilitating the transfer of
the court clerical functions and staff from the Office of the County
Clerk to the Superior Court; and conducting a national search to
assist judges of both the Superior and Municipal Courts in selecting
a Executive Officer to direct the administration of all non-judicial
activities of both Courts.
19
✓ Put into motion a post-fire court facilities reconstruction program
to accommodate the space needs of the coordinated courts.
✓ Received two Bay Area Cable Excellence Awards for CCTV video
presentations.
✓ Received and processed 5,379 assessment appeal applications
(130% more than 1993) with no increase in staff.
✓ Supported departmental productivity projects which otherwise
would have no source of funding through an ongoing, revolving
fund.
✓ Developed a mentoring and job internship program for at-risk
youth to be implemented in cooperation with the Business Leaders'
Alliance.
✓ Developed a semi-annual Customer Satisfaction Survey in
Information Technology that measures, with very precise metrics,
areas of high performance and of needed improvement on which
the County should allocate its technology resources.
✓ Converted ORC operations to allow for credit card payment for all
accounts over the counter and parking citations by telephone
(credit card use for other debts imminent).
✓ Supported development of five year Strategic Re-engineering Plan
in the Public Works Department that focuses on fundamental
changes in the way the department manages its resources, markets
its services and improves the quality of its customer services.
✓ Worked with the California Health &Welfare Agency to develop
and submit federal waiver requests to reduce unnecessary and
duplicative paperwork and to redirect staff time aimed at improving
outcomes for children and families at the County's Service
Integration sites. State staff has informed the County that waiver
approval is expected as early as March 1997.
20
✓ Initiated tracking of children and family outcomes at the Bay Point
and North Richmond Service Integration Teams (SITS).
Employment, school enrollment and child welfare outcomes are
now tracked monthly.
✓ Enhanced the County benefits program by offering a greater choice
of health plans through the introduction of PERS Health Plans to
employees and retirees of the Sheriff and Fire Departments;
implementing a pre-tax Health Care Spending Account to pay for
allowable medical expenses not covered by insurance; and offering
the PERS Long Term Care Insurance Program.
Indicator• Critical Issue Management
Both in its support role to the Board of Supervisors and as administrative head
of the Contra Costa County organization, the County Administrator's Office
works to facilitate resolution of issues of importance to the public, to the Board
and to the functioning of the organization. Measures of accomplishment
include:
✓ To support the Juvenile Justice Continuum of Care model,
approved by the Board of Supervisors, secured two federal grants
(Continuum of Care and SafeFutures) to provide employment
oriented aftercare case management services for youth leaving our
institutions; after school programs at three elementary schools; gang
a prevention and intervention efforts; a locked intensive day
treatment program for seriously, severely disturbed offenders at
Juvenile Hall; and a mentoring program for girls.
✓ Worked in cooperation with the East Bay Safety Corridor
Partnership to develop and implement anti-violence initiatives in
the East Bay Corridor area.
✓ Conducted the Community Punishment Options Plan study under
a grant from the State Board of Corrections to review our current
correctional resources and consider ways in which the County and
State might make organizational changes in the housing and
21
treatment of Contra Costa County offenders.
✓ Coordinated the initiation of a program designed to improve life
saving emergency medical responses by placing paramedic
firefighters on fire engines.
✓ Coordinated development of a pilot program to provide continuous
paramedic coverage in the Bethel Island Fire Protection District
through employment of hourly paramedics.
✓ Provided staff support to the Internal Operations Committee,
Family and Human Services Committee and Finance Committee in
support of the Board's effort to examine critical issues, such as
adoptions, and to provide an open forum for the public to debate
these issues.
✓ Took leadership in understanding and correcting the Year 2000
date conversion issue in all County computer systems.
✓ Led a multi-agency audit team that examined management and
organizational issues within the Environmental Health division.
✓ Worked with department heads to resolve management issues and
improve the administration of their departments.
✓ Reviewed basic rates of TCI (Richmond, Martinez) and Bay
Cablevision and determined that they were out of compliance with
FCC (Federal Communications Commission) regulations, resulting
in a refund of over $400,000 distributed to County Cable TV
subscribers.
✓ Coordinated the relocation, records retrieval, reconstructions and
claims associated with the fire court facility.
✓ Conducted a competitive bid process to select vendors to provide
temporary help for County Departments which resulted in retaining
five firms.
22
✓ Designed and conducted executive recruitment and selection
processes to fill the critical positions of the Agricultural
Commissioner, Law Librarian, Director of Revenue Collections and
Head Start Program Manager.
✓ Provided staff and technical support to the Fire Districts in the
staffing phases of their consolidation and reorganization by
conducting examinations for the ranks of Battalion Chief and
Senior Firefighter.
✓ Directed and completed negotiation of Memorandums of
Understanding with the employee organizations who represent over
75% of the employee workforce. The MOUS will cover a term of
three to four years and provide the foundation for labor-
management relations during that period.
Indicator: Staff Development
The County's greatest resource is its employees. The County Administrator's
Office supports professional staff development as well as employee
understanding of issues facing the County and individuals' roles and
responsibilities. Measures of accomplishment include:
✓ Conducted scheduled training sessions for 1,345 staff from 28
County departments to increase their work skills and abilities
through the Training Institute.
✓ Provided customized training and consultation for 18 County
departments involving 426 staff through the Training Institute.
✓ Held monthly meetings for department heads to facilitate
cooperation and understanding among departments and to discuss
multi-departmental issues.
✓ Implemented Continuous Quality Improvement systems in three
departments with the support of the Training Institute.
23
✓ Established Job Performance Reviews in Information Technology
for all job classifications using a collaborative process that clarifies
job responsibilities, provides meaningful performance feedback,
establishes a performance improvement process and promotes
personal growth and professional development.
✓ Provided quarterly training to employees, managers, and supervisors
on the Americans With Disabilities Act policy and procedures.
Indicator: Affirmative Action
The County's Affirmative Action Program supports equal employment and
promotional opportunities for all its citizens and employees. The County
Administrator's Office continues its efforts to make the County's work force in
every department representative of the diverse County labor force. Measures
of accomplishment include:
V Exceeded labor force representation of the County's employees
among females, African Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders and
American Indian/Alaskan Natives as of June 1996.
✓ Revised the County's Disability Program to include requirements
under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
✓ Revised the procedure employees use to "Request Reasonable
Accommodations" through the County's Disability Program.
✓ Conducted quarterly meetings with representatives from each
department covering three distinct program areas. The
representatives were: (1) Department Affirmative Action
Coordinators for the County's Affirmative Action Program and their
department Affirmative Action Program Implementation Plan; (2)
Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Women Business
Enterprise (WBE) Liaisons for the County's MBE/WBE/DBE
Contract Compliance Program; and (3) Administrative/Personnel
Services Officers for the Disability Program.
24
✓ Compiled 74 timetables and goals by job classification.
✓ Continued to assist the Advisory Council on Equal Employment
Opportunity in reviewing and recommending changes in
Departments' Affirmative Action Implementation Plans monitoring
Merrithew Memorial Replacement Hospital and monitoring the
requirements of the American With Disabilities Act.
✓ Processed 102 "Requests for MBE/ BE Certification" in 1996: 14
firms were certified; 12 firms were recertified; 7 firms were denied
certifications and 69 firms were deemed certified based on their
certification by another acceptable certification agency.
✓ Reviewed and processed the MBE/WBE requirements for 26
construction contracts.
Indicator: Technology
The County is continually searching for new ways to use technology to increase
organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Measures of accomplishment
include:
✓ Formed an executive level Information Technology Steering
Committee and broadened the scope and responsibility of the
County's Communications Committee and Wide Area Network
Committee.
✓ Provided information technology services including business and
technical advice, contract negotiations, system integration design,
wiring and electronic standards development, development and
maintenance of system applications and project management to
support County projects. Major initiatives in 1996 have been:
• Superior/Municipal Court Consolidation Project
• The Year 2000 Date Challenge Project
• Countywide IT infrastructure design and development
• Board of Supervisors' wireless workshop
25
• Department heads' electronic mail training workshop
• Land Information Systems Replacement System Project
• Countywide Security Assessment Project
• Countywide Internet home page development
• Statewide Automated Welfare System
• Statewide Automated Child Welfare System
• Human Resources/Payroll Project
• Library Automation and Internet Project
• Contra Costa County World Wide Web Internet Site
• Tech Faire 1996
• Upgrade of the County's central data storage system
✓ Brought together a team from Human Resources, Auditors, CAO
and Information Technology to develop an integrated system for
human resources and payroll; completed all design work and
currently performing beta testing. The new system will automate
human resource functions (replacing COPERS) and link them to
the payroll system, which will also be automated.
✓ Evaluating potential vendors to replace County's financial
information system to allow for Year 2000 compliance and to
enhance the County's ability to track our financial health. Target
completion 1999.
✓ Put status of all code enforcement actions online, giving
departments equal access and increasing coordination of activities.
✓ Converted to online wage garnishment forms for ORC and drafted
templates for remaining legal forms. Result will be increased
accuracy and expedited execution of legal actions.
✓ Converted to online credit reporting for ORC collectors to access
national credit files (to assist in locating debtors and determining
their ability to pay).
26
✓ Converted transfer of Social Service accounts to ORC from paper
to magnetic tape, improving accuracy, timeliness and recovery.
✓ Completed design work to put the Board's agenda on the Internet.
INCREASE INTERGOVERNMENTAL COOPERATION AND PUBLIC
ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT
Indicator: Public Outreach
Citizen understanding of County government is dependent upon citizen
accessibility to government process, procedures and information. Measures of
achievement include:
✓ Produced the County's Program Budget which includes a succinct
description of each department, the staffing levels, gross
expenditures, financing, net county cost and the Board of
Supervisors level of discretion over the program. The Taxpayers'
Association has commended the County for this "user-friendly"
document.
✓ Developed and produced the Children and Family Services Budget,
which divides County programs into functional areas to more
clearly identify the range of support services for children and
families.
✓ Aired over 8,000 hours of programs on CCTV, including Board
meetings, Contra Costa Council speakers and programs on health,
business and parenting issues.
✓ Presented November election results on eight cable systems.
✓ Currently, air weekly Board meetings on eight cable systems.
Began live audio broadcast in August 1996.
✓ Conducted the annual workshop for construction contractors to
inform them of the County's MBE✓WBE program.
27
✓ Provided presentations at the Contra Costa Council's 1996
Business Outlook Conference, the California Tax Collectors'
Association, Government Technology Conference and Millennium
Update Conference on technology issues.
✓ Published three articles in the California County magazine that
highlighted low African American mortality rates in Contra Costa,
access to government through television (including CCTV, and the
County's leadership position with respect to the Year 2000 Date
Challenge.
✓ Received 2,200 calls/average month on Infonet Interactive, the
electronic bulletin board that lists county programs and services.
✓ Featured on National Public Radio's Marketplace program on
October 1, 1996, the first day of federal welfare reform
implementation, in a story on the North Richmond and Bay Point
Service Integration Teams (SITS), heralding SIT as a model of
innovation in a welfare reform environment.
Indicator: Citizen and Private Industry I,wQ1mcment
The County continues to expand the forums available to citizens and private
industry to learn more about County government and to partner with the
County in providing services and support to our citizens. Measures of
accomplishment include:
A
✓ Worked with Board of Supervisors' representative to involve
business leaders in County issues and to elicit their understanding,
support and ideas for more efficient and effective County
government (Business Leaders Alliance - ongoing).
✓ Conducted the Ad Hoc Budget Committee meetings to examine
budget issues and alternatives.
✓ Established the Policy Forum under the authorization of the Board
of Supervisors to improve interagency collaboration and public
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involvement in children and family services.
✓ Conducted earthquake preparedness presentations for schools,
churches, businesses, service clubs and homeowner associations.
✓ Hosted the fourth annual "Take Our Daughters To Work" Day for
County employees in celebration of this national public education
campaign designed to expose young women to a day in a working
environment.
Indicator: Public A=ncy Collaboratives
The County has made a concerted effort to work with other public agencies to
leverage our mutual resources. Measures of achievement include:
✓ Conducted 23 training programs through the Training Institute
with 327 participants from 12 cities and 22 other public agencies.
✓ Provided consultation and customized training through the
Training Institute for 14 public agencies, involving 933 of their
staff.
of Sponsored earthquake training courses through OES, attended by
62 staff from five cities and county departments.
✓ Sponsored training on the new Standardized Emergency
Management System for cities and special districts in addition to
County staff.
✓ Provided disaster preparedness consultation services for six cities.
✓ Worked with the cities to develop a cable coordinators' group with
representation from all cities, to facilitate coordination and
cooperation on cable television issues.
✓ Cooperatively worked with five cities on the Bay Cablevision
franchise transfer and 16 cities on the Viacom transfer.
29
✓ Aired Mt. Diablo Adult Education programming on CCTV (also
allowed use of the CCTV studio and microwave connect prior to
completion of their facility).
✓ Aired Distance Learning programming for Contra Costa College on
CCTV.
✓ Through cooperative efforts of Contra Costa County, Moraga and
Orinda, established a new fire battalion to serve the communities
of Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda comprised of a battalion chief
position from each of the districts.
✓ Conducted discussions with the City of Pinole regarding the City's
proposal to transfer that responsibility for Pinole fire services from
the City to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.
✓ Reached agreement with the City of Pittsburg for the addition of a
new fire station in the City to be constructed and operated with
District and City funds (Development Fee and Redevelopment
revenues).
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CHALLENGES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Significant changes at the federal, state and local levels are affecting the broad
direction and the daily operations of individual county departmc-nts and raising
new cross-departmental issues. During this time of major transition, the
challenge for the County Administrator's Office has been, and will continue to
be, to work with departments to successfully manage changes already underway
and to promote other necessary changes that will support our mission to:
♦ Preserve the fiscal integrity of Contra Costa County;
♦ Increase organizational efficiency, effectiveness and excellence;
and
♦ Increase intergovernmental cooperation and public access to
government.
Preserving the Fiscal Integrity of Contra Costa County
Federal and state public policy shifts are altering the funding basis for County
programs as well as increasing the likelihood of increased demand for County
services. These changes must be prudently managed and communicated to
preserve the County's high credit rating.
New Financing Systems
Medical Managed Care shifts the funding for Medi-Cal from fee-for-service to
capitated rates. This places the financial risk on the County rather than the
State, with continued financial viability dependent upon the number of
enrollees in our system and their utilization rate. Mental Health Managed
Care also shifts the financial risk for serving the Medi-Cal population to the
County. However, the County receives a single allocation that must serve the
entire population, unlike the per enrollee rate under medical managed care.
Both systems will need to deal with quality and utilization management issues
under this new resource limited environment.
Funding shifts under welfare reform are also likely. The federal government has
block granted the State's allocation for public assistance. The Governor's
Welfare Reform proposal would also "block grant" the counties, although the
31
adequacy of block grant is questionable, given our expanded responsibility to
meet employment goals for a population with high support needs, including
transportation, child care, substance abuse treatment and job readiness and
retention skills. The Governor's proposal would also hold the countieE liable
for an as of yet unstated share of any federal penalties resulting from failure to
meet federal requirements. It would also eliminate the counties cash grant (not
health care) obligation under W & I Code 17000, but does not transfer the
obligation to the state or any other governmental agency. At worst case, the
legislature could maintain the counties' 17000 cash grant obligation, while
keeping the strict welfare time limits. The result would have severe financial
consequences for the County.
The challenge to the County will be to manage the transition to new fiscal
accountability systems, to realign our programs consistent with new fiscal
realities and to ensure that our operations are as cost-effective as possible.
Increased Service Demands
Managed care and welfare reform have the prospect of creating greater demand
for other County services, with consequent fiscal impacts. General Assistance
and Indigent Health Care are the two most obvious areas of fallout; however,
changes will likely be more widespread with the need for increased emphasis on
early intervention and prevention programs and linkages among public
assistance and economic development, employment and ancillary support
programs, such as substance abuse treatment.
Credit Rating
The County enjoys the highest possible short term credit ratings from the
investment community and has had the most favorable sales of any county in
the state for short-term notes for the past two years. This reflects the County's
fiscal prudence and management ability as well as our positive working
relationship with the investment community. One of the challenges the
County faces as we reconfigure our programs and fiscal systems, is to ensure
understanding by the rating agencies of the changes within our organization
and our continued financial strength.
32
Increasing Organizational Efficiency, Effectiveness and Excellence
In the coming year and beyond, the County Administrator's Office will be faced
with the challenges of managing the transitions posed by new policy directions,
new technology and the need to continue to work towards a consistent, cross-
departmental accountability system.
New Policy Directions
A number of occurrences will lead to changes in the directions of public policies
in Contra Costa County, in particular: the new Board of Supervisors; Welfare
Reform; and Managed Care.
Neiv Bone of Supervisors - In January 1997, three new members joined the
Contra Costa Board of Supervisors. The change in composition will likely
result in changes in county policies and activities to reflect the priorities
of the new Board. During the time of transition, the County
Administrator's Office will be dedicated to providing new Board members
with information necessary to facilitate their work and supporting
departments as they strive to incorporate changes requested by the new
Board.
Welfare Reform - The passage of federal welfare reform legislation in
August 1996 signals a fundamental shift in the nature of public
assistance. Time limited aid, work participation requirements for public
assistance recipients and many other components of welfare reform will
have impacts that reach far beyond the populations served by the former
Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Greater Avenues
for Independence (GAIN) programs (now combined in the Temporary
Assistance to Need Families program). Many questions about the
impacts of welfare reform remain to be answered. While the Governor
recently announced his plans for state welfare reform, the final plan will
be a result of negotiations between the Governor and Legislature.
Whatever form it finally takes we know that there will be a need for
significant changes that cross departmental boundaries. Among the
33
challenges that will face the departments and the County Administrator's
Office are: the impact of welfare reform on the General Assistance
program; requirements to increase the number of public assistance
recipients engaged in work activities; and the situation of documented
non-citizens pending changes in state and federal law.
Managed Cara - Managed Care in both the medical and mental health
systems will create fundamental shifts in how we do business.
Competition on the medical side and restricted funding overall will
necessitate increased efficiency in our operations, including increased use
of technology and consolidation of parallel functions within the Health
Services Department. New relationships will need to be developed with
community-based organizations and other service providers that
acknowledge the new fiscal realities and provide for risk sharing. These
new relationships will also need to encompass new models of service, with
emphasis on prevention, early intervention and, in mental health,
integrating the range of services for the Medi-Cal population with the
,current system of care. Accountability to the state for specific outcomes
(such as reduced out-of-home placements) in mental health is also driving
creation of new service models (such as wrap around services to support
family functioning). On the medical side, community-based health
services, such as the new Bay Point Wellness Center, will need to link
clinical services with community health improvement activities. On the
positive side, managed care provides an opportunity for the County to
expand its range of services to better meet the medical and mental health
needs of our Medi-Cal population.
A
New Technology
The continued efficiency and effectiveness of the County organization depends
on the judicious use of information technology (IT). The information
technology field is changing rapidly. We need to understand these changes,
their affect on our operations and then allocate resources to maximize its
benefits. Pour areas are of particular importance:.
Strategic Planning- In 1996, the County Administrator's Office improved
the County's strategic planning capacity with the formation of the
34
executive level Information and Technology Steering Committee as well
as broadening the scope and areas of responsibilities of both the
Communications Committee and the Wide Area Network (WAN)
Committee. These committees are important to ensuring that the
perspectives of the departments are considered when defining overall
County IT needs and priorities as well as broadening ownership of IT to
all County departments. Over the next year, a major challenge will be
implementation of the Telecommunications Plan.
System-wide IT Capacity - Expansion and change to the County's IT system
requires upgrades and improvements to the IT infrastructure. The Year
2000 project, which will enable our computers to calculate dates beyond
January 1, 2000, is an example of an infrastructure improvement that
goes beyond individual program hardware or software systems. Another
key challenge over the next year will be increasing the County's
infrastructure (band width) capacity necessary to support the growing
voice mail system as well as new WANs. As the Internet grows in
importance to business operations, the County also needs to position
itself to transition its local area networks (LANs) into WANs and
metropolitan networks to maximize our ability to communicate among
systems and to use the Internet. IT security is another area of critical
importance. As we move from mainframe systems into personal
computing and network systems, we become increasing vulnerable to
breaches of security.
Project Dezlelopznent and lznhlezztentation - Over the next year, the County
' will be challenged by implementation of the Human Resources/Payroll
System which will both automate and link these systems. Another major
County infrastructure system undergoing revision will be the finance
system, with planning and system development anticipated in 1997.
Other challenges include incorporating networks and WAN
communications into the disaster recovery plan. Two new state
mandated systems, the District Attorney Family Support and Child
Welfare systems, will also be implemented in 1997. On the horizon, we
anticipate that welfare reform will require major changes in our tracking
of public assistance cases with the new emphasis on employment.
35
Enclaloyee-IT Interface - The integration of information technology into
our departmental programs requires a partnership between IT staff and
program staff. The result should be a "new way of doing business," not
just replicating paper systems or processes into the computer, but rather
increasing the efficiency of all systems. Achieving this result will take an
understanding by departmental staff of the opportunities afforded by IT
and, on the part of IT staff, an understanding of programmatic objectives
and needs.
To support effective collaboration between department and IT staff, we
will be expanding training opportunities for County employees, IT staff
and our department heads. In addition, we will be establishing a
consolidated "Help Desk" to allow a single contact for IT assistance.
Improved Methods of Accountability
It is critical that the Board of Supervisors and the taxpayers have access to
information that allows them to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of
County services. Historically, measures of program effectiveness and efficiency
have focused on process measures -- measures that gauge the level of
government services, but not necessarily the impact of services on clients. In
recent years, the County Administrator's Office has taken steps to improve
methods of accountability within county government by promoting outcomes-
based accountability over process measures. Some programs are in the process
of converting to outcome measures, including the multi-departmental Service
Integration Teams (SITs), the Safe Futures initiative and Children's Mental
' Health. In addition, the 1996-97 Children and Family Services Budget
provided outcome measures for its programs where available. Challenges for
the County Administrator's Office in this area include: identifying programs
where state or federal regulations do not preclude use of outcome measures;
assisting department staff in identifying appropriate outcome measures and
understanding the relationship between expected outcomes and program
activities; developing mechanisms to track outcomes; and coordinating the
outcomes measured by different programs with the goal of establishing a
common set of measures that can be evaluated across programs.
36
Increasing Intergovernmental Cooperation & Public Access to Government
Consistent with the County's move towards outcome accountability systems,
the County is also striving to become a more client-focused service delivery
system. Historically, categorical funding restrictions and process requirements
have resulted in a service delivery system where clients fit into our system
rather than our system being configured to support our client needs. In the
areas where the County has control over service delivery, such as General
Services and Information Technology, this shift has already occurred. In many
programs that serve public clients, however, the County structure is still bound
by conflicting program regulations and requirements, client confidentiality
restrictions, incompatibility between management information systems and
organizational turf and ownership issues. An ongoing challenge for the County
Administrator's Office is to help departments overcome these hurdles in order
to increase service efficiency and effectiveness by reducing service gaps and
overlaps and by coordinating services through interprogram and
interdepartmental collaboration. Three specific areas of challenge for the
County Administrator's Office include:
Integrated Services
Contra Costa County is known statewide for innovative programming and is
currently supporting two models of integrated services, the Service Integration
Teams and the soon-to-be-opened Summit Center program. The Service
Integration Teams bring together staff from Health Services, Probation and
' Social Service to work with families and children in multi-disciplinary teams.
The Summit Center program will focus on high risk youth at Juvenile Hall,
bringing together education, Children's Mental Health and the justice system.
These new models of interagency collaboration will continue to need nurturing
as we work towards resolving interdepartmental financing issues, management
responsibilities, management information support systems and learn new ways
of working together.
37
Collaboration
The County is striving to strengthen partnerships with private industry and
other public agencies in supporting positive outcomes for our clients and
leveraging our mutual resources.
Policy Forurn - Under the leadership of the Board of Supervisors, the
Policy Forum brings together community representatives, commurdty-
based organizations, County departments and public agencies to develop
countywide strategies for improving outcomes for children and families.
Business Lenders Alliance - With the Business Leaders Alliance, the Countv
has initiated a new mentoring program under which businesses will bring
at-risk youths into their corporations. The challenge for the County
Administrator's Office is not only to support the success of the Business
Leaders' Alliance and Policy Forum, but also to use them as models for
expanding ownership of children and family issues.
We fare Ernplo�mreut Mandate - Welfare reform is another arena that will
call for increased collaboration both within the County and with other
agencies. The new Social Service Department's Income
Maintenance/GAIN Redesign Plan calls for partnerships among all
employment-focused agencies, support service agencies and employers.
The Private Industry Council also recognizes the need for new
partnerships. The County will need to mobilize private and public
resources in order to move public assistance recipients to sustained self-
sufficiency.
Technology Linkages - On another level of partnership, the County is taking
the leadership in using technology to link the County, our eighteen cities,
the Contra Costa County Office of Education, the Contra Costa County
Community College District and California State University, Hayward.
Tying these entities together will allow us to communicate with each
other through the computer and voice and video technology.
38
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