HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 10162001 - D.3 (3) D.3
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Adopted this Order on October 2; 2o01` '- , by the following vote:
AYES: Supervisors Gioia, Gerber, DeSaulnier, Glover and Uilkema
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
On this date, the Board of Supervisors considered the presentation
recognizing the County's Public Works Department for achieving the
Certificate of Accreditation from the American Public Works Association
(APWA). Contra Costa County Public Works is the first County Public
Works in California to receive this award for a commitment to continuous
improvement in the delivery of public works operations.
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of
an action taken and entered on the minutes of the
Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
Attested: October 2,2001
John Sweeten,Clerk of the Board
of Supervisors and County Administrator
By: '��(�/V l�
Deputy Clerk
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PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
. CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
DATE: September 13, 2001
TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Maurice Shiu, Directo
SUBJECT: October 2nd Board Item for American Public Works Association's (APWA)
Certificate of Accreditation Presentation
Mr. Leon Lancaster, Director of APWA's Region VIII is scheduled to be at the October 2,
2001 Board meeting presenting the Board and the Public Works Department the Certificate
of Accreditation. Accreditation is recognition that our department's policies, procedures
and practices have been evaluated against internationally recognized management
practices, and meet or exceed the established standard.
The purpose of accreditation is to promote excellence in operations of management.
Schools, hospitals and other institutions have long enjoyed the opportunity to become
accredited, yet until recently, there has been no program accrediting a Public Works
Department.
Currently, there are six APWA accredited city departments and only two other accredited
counties in the United States and Canada. The Contra Costa County Public Works
Department has the distinction of being the first accredited county in California.
The accreditation program has five phases: application, self-assessment, improvement,
evaluation and accreditation. A department seeking accreditation is given three years from
the date of application to become accredited.
The Public Works Department applied for accreditation and completed the self-assessment
in May 1999. Once the self-assessment was complete, Public Works staff targeted areas
for improvement and spent the next eighteen months working on those areas. This
process involved staff at all levels. Their input and teamwork was essential to accomplish
our goal to provide the best public works services possible. In November 2000, we
contacted APWA to request an on site evaluation of our department. After spending a
week with staff, the public works experts granted provisional accreditation. Staff made
additional improvements and in July 2001 we were granted full accreditation.
The improvements that have resulted from this project have received an overwhelming
positive response from staff and the Board of Supervisors. Most importantly the
improvements we made have heightened community confidence and improved our
responsiveness and the quality of service we provide.
If you have any questions or need clarification on our Accreditation Program, please
contact me at 313-2201 or Carrie Rodda at 313-2235.
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G:\GrpData\AdminWccreditation\BOS memo for APWA presentation.doc
C: John Swcctcn,County Administrator