HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 01062009 - C.70 sE-L Contra
TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
FROM: INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE o' _ -;x,�� : - ,`s
Costa
DATE: DECEMBER 9, 2008 �o -s- J� C Q U rl t\/
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SUBJECT: FINAL YEAR-END REPORT ON ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND DISPOSITION OF
REMAINING REFERRALS TO THE INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. ACKNOWLEDGE that the Board of Supervisors referred 19 issues to the Internal Operations
Committee (IOC) for its review and consideration during 2008,in addition to the screening of
nominees for seats on selected advisory bodies.
2. FIND that the 2008 IOC made 15 reports on issues referred by the Board of Supervisors, and 31
separate recommendations for appointment of individuals to 68 Board advisory body seats,
including conducting recruitment to fill vacancies on the County Costa County Retirement
Association Board of Trustees, Contra Costa County Planning Commission, and Contra Costa
County Fire Protection District Advisory Commission.
3. RECOGNIZE the excellent work of the County department staff who provided the requisite
information to the IOC in a timely and professional manner, and members of the Contra Costa
community and private industry who, through their interest in improving the quality of life in
Contra Costa County, provided valuable insight into our discussions, and feedback that helped us to
formulate our policy recommendations.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: ®YES ❑NO SIGNATURE:
COMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR _RECOMMEND TI N OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE _OTHER
SIGNATURE(S):
SUSAN BONILLA, Chair AYLE B. A
ACTION OF BOARD ON Jan �aoe70 APPROVE AS RECOMMENDED 0kf�R
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
UNANIMOUS(ABSENT_ AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE
AYES: NOES: SHOWN.
ABSENT: ABSTAIN:
ATTESTED: JANUARY 6,2009
CONTACT: JULIE ENEA (925)335-1077
DAVID J.TWA, ERK OF THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISO AND COUNTYADMINISTRATOR
CC: INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE STAFF of
COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
BY EPUTY
FINAL YEAR-END REPORT DECEMBER 9,2008
2008 1 O COMMITTEE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS PAGE 2
4. REMOVE without taking any further action the referrals to the 2008 IOC listed on Attachment A.
5. REFER to the 2009 IOC the items listed on Attachment B, including a new referral made by the
Board on December 9 requesting a review of special revenue funds administered by Board of
Supervisors members.
BACKGROUND:
During 2008, the Internal Operations Committee (IOC) reviewed nominations to those advisory bodies
for which the IOC has traditionally made recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for appointment
or reappointment, and recruited to fill vacancies on the County Retirement Board, County Planning
Commission, and Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Advisory Commission. Our Committee
appreciates the time and effort taken by the staff to these advisory bodies to recruit, screen, and nominate
individuals to our Committee for approval and appointment by the Board. Their efforts in this regard
allowed the IOC to focus more of its time on the following subjects:
1. Small Business Enterprise (SBE) and Outreach Programs. The IOC reviewed the semi-annual SBE
and Outreach reports and provided guidance to County staff on policy issues related to the
administration of the programs. We continue to be encouraged by the positive statistics and
continue to work with the County Administrator's Office to achieve maximum program effort and
compliance. The on-line competitive bidding system that was implemented in 2007 by the General
Services Department has significantly automated the outreach process and reduced staff work
involved in manually compiling SBE and outreach data for commodity purchases. We recommend
that the 2009 IOC continue to review these programs on a semi-annual basis, with the next update
due in Spring 2009. REFER
2. County Audit Program. In 2000, the Board of Supervisors directed that the IOC review each
December the annual schedule of audits and best practices studies proposed by the County
Administrator and the Auditor-Controller. Due to the exigent need to complete the County's
Comprehensive Annual Financial Report by the prescribed deadline, the Auditor-Controller was
unable to make his report to the Committee this year and is scheduled to report back in February
2009. The County Administrator's Office made its report to the IOC in December and that report is
forwarded to the Board for approval separately today. As the review of the annual audit plan is a
standing referral, we recommend that this item be referred to the 2009 IOC. REFER
3. Advisory Body Recruitments. On December 12, 2000, the Board of Supervisors approved a policy
on the process for recruiting applicants for selected advisory bodies of the Board. This policy
requires an open recruitment for all vacancies to At Large seats appointed by the Board. The Board
also directed that the IOC personally conduct interviews of applicants for At Large seats on the
Contra Costa County Fire Protection District's Fire Advisory Commission, the County Planning
Commission and the Board appointees to the County Employees' Retirement Board. The Board
made appointments to the County Retirement Board, County Planning Commission, and Fire
Advisory Commission during 2008.
No recruitments are scheduled for 2009. We recommend, therefore, that this referral be suspended
FINAL YEAR-END REPORT DECEMBER 9,2008
2008 10 COMMITTEE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS PAGE 3
until 2010. REMOVE
4. Annual Vehicle Replacement List/Internal Services Fund. Each year, the General Services
Department(GSD)Fleet Services Manager has analyzed the fleet and annual vehicle usage and
made recommendations to the Internal Operations Committee on the budget year vehicle
replacements and on the intra-County transfer of underutilized vehicles, in accordance with County
policy. The County Administrator's Office has used that information to develop the annual vehicle
replacement list that, since 2003/04, has been used as a planning tool during budget deliberations.
The General Services Department reported to the IOC with recommendations for vehicle
replacement and low-mileage vehicles. The Board of Supervisors approved those recommendations
in May 2008. Subsequently, the County Administrator's Office recommended the establishment of
an Internal Services Fund for fleet services. We recommend that the annual report on the fleet and
on low-mileage vehicles remain on referral to the IOC but the ISF matter be removed as it is now
under the purview of the Finance Committee. REFER
5. Local Vendor Preference Program. On August 10, 2004, the Board of Supervisors referred to IOC
the creation of a policy to grant a five percent preference to Contra Costa County vendors on all
sealed bids or proposals except with respect to those contracts which state law requires to be
granted to the lowest bidder, and review of an ordinance to be drafted by County Counsel to enact
this policy. The 2005 IOC proposed a new ordinance to the Board that would grant a five percent
preference to self-certified local vendors for purchases in excess of$25,000. This ordinance was
introduced on August 9 and adopted on September 13, 2005.
Our Committee is satisfied that the program is meeting the original objectives,which were to direct
more County business to local vendors in order to support small local businesses and stimulate the
local economy at no additional County cost. Our Committee reported to the Board in October 2008
that in 2007/08, purchase orders were awarded to local businesses in more than 70% of the
transactions that met the ordinance criteria as compared to 57% in 2006/07, redirecting nearly one-
half million dollars into the local economy that would otherwise have been spent outside of Contra
Costa County. Our Committee has requested another annual update in August 2009 for the 2008/09
fiscal year, and will continue to monitor progress and look for opportunities to improve the
program. REFER
6. Project Labor Agreement Update. In January 2002, the Board of Supervisors adopted a policy
requiring the use of Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on all County construction projects in which
the actual construction cost is in excess of$1 million. The Board of Supervisors directed the CAO
to report to the IOC in one year regarding the County's experience implementing and administering
the PLA policy, and the CAO has been reporting periodically to the IOC since that time. The
County Administrator's Office reported that since inception of the PLA Policy, PLAs have been
utilized on 12 County projects. The use of PLAs has resulted in no identifiable negative impacts on
the overall cost or schedule for the delivery of County capital projects. The IOC is reporting to the
Board separately in this matter today. As PLAs have become a routine aspect of County capital
projects, we recommend that this referral be suspended until interest arises in further examination or
amendment of the existing policy. REMOVE
FINAL YEAR-END REPORT DECEMBER 9,2008
200810 COMMITTEE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS PAGE 4
7. Citizen Response System. On July 18, 2006, the Board of Supervisors directed the CAO to assess
the benefits of adopting an Internet-based computer software program that would track citizen
comments, inquiries, and requests, and to present its findings to the Board of Supervisors and the
Internal Operations Committee for discussion and appropriate action. On September 18, 2006, the
CAO and Department of Information Technology made a six-week progress report. Staff met with
District Supervisors and County department staff, and received demonstrations of similar systems
used by County departments and other public agencies. Staff found that those County departments
that currently have citizen response systems are too significantly invested in those systems to make
migration to a countywide system economical. These citizen response systems are integrated in the
software systems that are used to manage the department's operations. Requiring them to utilize a
common approach to citizen-tracking would require substantial changes to core systems used within
these departments. Moreover, it is unlikely that a County-wide system could provide the same level
of customized event tracking and response as the existing department systems, which are
customized to the types of services provided by the departments. Due to the cost and complexity of
implementing a request tracker Countywide, staff recommended that as an initial step, the CAO
should educate all departments of the availability of the Request Tracker module that is available
with the County's new website. Those departments having the staff and budget necessary to
implement electronic request tracking should then be required to work with the CAO to establish
policies necessary for the consistent implementation of a citizen response system. As there is little
more that can be done on this matter at the committee level, we recommend that this matter be
removed from the Committee's list of assignments. REMOVE
8. Coordination of Municipal Services. On August 2, 2006, the Board of Supervisors requested the
CAO to work with the County's municipal services departments to identify opportunities for service
improvements and to report any findings to the Internal Operations Committee. The departments
identified three areas for concentration: responding to public inquiries and information requests;
improving public outreach and access to services; and increasing interdepartmental coordination.
The IOC received status reports from the CAO and the departments in August and December 2006,
July and November 2007, and August 2008 reviewing accomplishments to date and efforts still
underway. A detailed progress report is being provided to the Board of Supervisors under a
separate item today. The CAO intends to monitor this effort and report back to the IOC in March
2009. We recommend, therefore, that this matter be referred to the 2009 IOC. REFER
9. Home Ownership Partnership Enterprise (HOPE) Program. On October 10, 2006, the Board
directed the Community Development Department to take those necessary steps to develop the
Home Ownership Partnership Enterprise (HOPE)Program to a point where it can be included in the
County's Inclusionary Housing Ordinance as an approved alternative method of meeting the
requirements of the Ordinance. The mission of the HOPE program is to provide new development
incentives and home purchase assistance to low and moderate income families, and development of
new rental units for very low income families. Community Development Department staff reported
to the IOC in April 2007 identifying areas of accord between the HOPE Program and the
Inclusionary Housing Ordinance and identifying the flat or"in lieu" fee associated with the sales
price of a new home to be the element of the HOPE Program having the most potential to be a
compliance alternative under the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance. However, after further review,
the Board of Supervisors, on July 8, 2008, abandoned the proposal to include aspects of the HOPE
FINAL YEAR-END REPORT DECEMBER 9,2008
2008 1 O COMMITTEE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS PAGE 5
Program in the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance and removed this item as a referral to the Internal
Operations Committee. REMOVE
10. Advisory Body Review. Board Resolution No. 2002/377 requires a triennial review of each Board
advisory body whose existence is not mandated by State or federal law or regulation for justification
of its continuation. While the triennial review enables the Board of Supervisors to identify advisory
bodies that should continue, be disbanded, or merged with other bodies, a comprehensive review is
necessary to ensure the bodies continue to: 1) work in accordance with County goals and objectives,
2) function in an efficient and effective manner, and 3) receive an appropriate level of support and
guidance. On March 6, 2007, the Board referred to the Internal Operations Committee a review of
the Board's myriad advisory bodies. In May,the County Administrator's Office made a preliminary
report to the Committee with a work plan to initiate the study in 2008. The study is to focus on the
consistency between advisory body activities and established mission; efficiency and effectiveness;
and staff support and guidance. The Committee will be able to use the findings from this study to
make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors on the need for specific advisory bodies as well
as how best to maximize their utility in support of the Board. The CAO, under the guidance of the
IOC, has nearly completed the 2008 review. As this study is still in progress, we recommend that
the matter be referred to the 2009 IOC for continuing oversight. REFER
11. Human Resources Recruitment Process. On May 8, 2007,the Board of Supervisors directed the
Human Resources Director to report to the IOC on the County's personnel recruitment process. The
referral was predicated on a recommendation from Supervisor Bonilla, who acknowledged a
recurring issue raised by departments during discussions about their programs, workload, and
budget. Several departments reported independently that operational symptoms such as high staff
workloads, reduced work quality,reduced responsiveness, low staff morale, increased use and cost
of overtime, and increased use of contract and temporary staff, relate, in part,to an inability to
acquire permanent staff when needed. In order to facilitate a better understanding of the time it
takes to acquire needed staff resources, the Human Resources Director presented to our Committee
an informative overview of governing regulations, types of recruitment processes,pre-recruitment,
recruitment steps, best case scenario recruitment and timetable, and recruitment process
enhancements. We also were presented workload data and staffing ratio comparisons with
comparable counties. The Board received a condensed version of this presentation at its December
18, 2007 meeting. We had asked the Human Resources Department to report back to our
committee once it has completed its update of the Personnel Management Regulations, which is
anticipated to help streamline the position adjustment process. However, we are advised that due to
the transition of Human Resources management staff, it may be many months before new
regulations are published. Therefore, we recommend that this matter be referred to the 2009 IOC
for continuing oversight. REFER
12. Review of the Health Services Department Environmental Health Program. In January 2008,the
Board of Supervisors referred to the Internal Operations Committee a review of Health Services
Department Environmental Health Program standards and policies in order to promote a better
understanding of the regulations, and inspection and follow-up processes, and to identify
opportunities, if any, to streamline those processes.
FINAL YEAR-END REPORT DECEMBER 9,2008
2008 10 COMMITTEE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS PAGE 6
The IOC discussed this matter on April 14 and continued the matter to May 12, 2008 and then to
August 11 and December 8 to permit the Environmental Health Division to meet individually with
local businesses to flesh out and resolve issues, and to carry out Committee requests and directives.
In his December 8 report, the Environmental Health Director enumerated the follow-up actions
taken by the Division to improve customer service and to improve consistency in inspection and
follow-up processes. The IOC is very satisfied with the manner in which the Environmental Health
Division has embraced the challenges in implementing changes to procedures and is reporting out to
the Board on this topic in a separate item today. REFER
13. Review of the Health Services Department Hazardous Materials Pro True. In January 2008, the
Board of Supervisors referred to the Internal Operations Committee a review of Health Services
Department Hazardous Materials Program in order to gain a better understanding of the Program's
mission and operations. On July 7, 2008, the Health Services Department provided a report to the
IOC on the myriad County hazardous materials programs and associated regulatory responsibilities.
Supplementing the report was a summary and evaluation of Hazardous Materials Ombudsman
activities from November 2006 to the present. On October 13,the Department presented a follow-
up report to the IOC on enforcement procedures, the unannounced inspection program, and the
identification of Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs). Our Committee reported out to the
Board of Supervisors on October 28, 2008 with a recommendation for a follow-up report from the
Health Services Department to the Committee in June 2009. REFER
14. Review of the Public Works Department Facilitative Leadership Proms. In 2007,the Board
adopted four priority areas for the County's operations: fiscal health,'effective service delivery,
organizational and team development, and credibility building and public education. At the urging
of the County's labor organizations, the Internal Operations Committee asked Public Works to
highlight one of the programs the Department has implemented to advance the County's
organizational goals. On March 10, the Public Works Department presented its organizational and
team development (facilitative leadership)program to the IOC. The program was initiated in the
Maintenance Division in 2002 at a cost of$400,000 in staff time and consultant fees. As of 2007,
the Department was able to reduce the Maintenance Division's supervisory staff by two;for an
annual cost savings of over$400,000. In addition, the program has reduced workers' compensation
cases by more than one half and sick leave usage by 37%, increasing employee productivity. The
IOC reported to the Board of Supervisors on this program in June 2008 and directed the CAO and
Human Resources department to examine if resources existed to replicate the program in other
County departments. As the current fiscal crisis has necessitated that limited County resources be
directed towards mandated services, we recommend that this referral be suspended until such time
that the County has the fiscal resources to implement new discretionary programs. REMOVE
15. Review and Update of the County's Policy Governing Public Access to County Records. On June
3, 2008, the Board of Supervisors referred to the IOC a review of County policies on responding to
requests for records under the Public Records Act. The referral cited a Grand Jury report that
acknowledged that some County departments responded appropriately to requests for public
records, but some either did not understand their statutory responsibilities or attempted to
discourage the requester.
FINAL YEAR-END REPORT DECEMBER 9,2008
200810 COMMITTEE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS PAGE 7
On August 11 and November 3, CAO staff presented progress reports to the IOC including drafts of
a modified County policy on Public Access to County Records to be made available to County staff
via an Administrative Bulletin; a trifold brochure on the public's right to records to be made
available to the public in County office reception areas and waiting rooms; and a standard public
records request form to be made available on the County's website and for use by County
departments and the general public. The draft documents are current under review by the County
Counsel's Office and will be resubmitted for Committee when they are in final form. We
recommend, therefore, that this matter be retained on referral. REFER
16. Public Works Contract for Streetlight Maintenance. On May 13, 2008, the Board of Supervisors
referred to the Internal Operations Committee a review of the Public Works Department request to
extend the term of the County's contract with Harris & Associates, Inc., from December 31, 2007
through August 31, 2008, with no change in the payment limit, to provide street light acquisition
and implementation of a maintenance management system. The IOC took this matter up at its June
9, 2008 meeting and reported out to the Board on June 17 with a recommendation to approve the
proposed contract. It is, therefore, recommended that this matter be removed from the Committee's
list of assignments. REMOVE
17. Feral Cats. During the Public Comment period at the July 22, 2008 Board of Supervisors meeting,
the Board received the testimony of Julie Linford regarding her concerns about a growing and
reproducing cat colony surrounding the Martinez Animal Shelter. Ms. Linford provided an Issue
Paper on behalf of Outcast Cat Help, a Martinez nonprofit corporation. The Board referred the
matter to the Internal Operations Committee (IOC) for follow-up.
On September 15, the IOC received a report from the County Administrator and Animal Services
Director providing background on the issue and responding specifically to Ms. Linford's proposal to
establish a feral cat colony at the Martinez Animal Shelter and implement a trap-neuter-release
(TNR)program around the Shelter. The Committee accepted the staff report and concurred with
staff's response to community proposal. The Committee requested the Animal Services Director to
set up a work group with community members to review the County's animal and/or zoning
ordinances and explore possible amendments to ease restrictions on the fostering of cats within the
county unincorporated area, and report progress back to the IOC. As this effort is still underway,
we recommend that this matter be referred to the 2009 IOC for continuing oversight. REFER
18. Health Services Contracts. In April 2008, the Board of Supervisors referred to the IOC a review of
how contracts are provided and administered by the Health Services Department. Questions had
been raised on contracting procedures and concern expressed that the total value of these contracts
in certain departments may have been excessive, especially given the current fiscal climate for the
County. On December 8, the Health Services Department made a report to the IOC, which was
accepted by the Committee. We recommend that this matter be removed from the Committee's list
of assignments. REMOVE
19. Special Revenue Funds Administered by Board of Supervisors Members. On December 9, 2008,
following a discussion about a proposal to allocate Dougherty Valley Regional Enhancement funds
to provide industrial education and vocational training to West County youths, the Board of
FINAL YEAR-END REPORT DECEMBER 9,2008
200810 COMMITTEE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS PAGE 8
Supervisors referred to the IOC a review of how special revenue or"trust" funds are expended by
the County and the possible development of a policy regarding the expenditure of such funds. As
the referral was made after the IOC's final scheduled meeting for 2008, we recommend that this
matter be referred to the 2009 IOC for action. REFER
FINAL YEAR-END REPORT DECEMBER 9,2008
2008 10 COMMITTEE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS PAGE 9
ATTACHMENT A
LIST OF REFERRALS TO BE REMOVED
#3 Retirement Board, Planning Commission, and Contra Costa County Fire Protection
District Advisory Commission member recruitment ;
#6 Project Labor Agreement Update
#7 Citizen Response System
#9 Home Ownership Partnership Enterprise (HOPE) Program
#14 Facilitative Leadership
#16 Public Works contract for streetlight maintenance
#18 Health Services contracts
FINAL YEAR-END REPORT DECEMBER 9,2008
200810 COMMITTEE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS PAGE 10
ATTACHMENT B
LIST OF ITEMS TO BE REFERRED TO THE
2009 INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
# 1 Continued policy oversight and quarterly monitoring of the Small Business Enterprise
and Outreach programs, and e-Outreach
# 2 Review of the annual audit schedule
# 4 Review of annual Master Vehicle Replacement List and disposition of low-use
vehicles
# 5 Local Vendor Preference Program
# 8 Coordination of municipal services
#10 Advisory Body review
#11 Human Resources recruitment process
#12 Review of Health Services Department, Environmental Health Program standards and
policies to promote a better understanding of the regulations, and inspection-and follow-
up processes and identify opportunities, if any,to streamline
#13 Review of the Health Services Department Hazardous Materials Program as it relates
to the Environmental Health Program
#15 Policy governing public access to County records
#17 Feral cats
#19 Review of special revenue funds administered by the Board of Supervisors members