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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 03121985 - F.4 f i. -TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: FINANCE COMMITTEE Contra Costa DATE: March 4 , 1985 County SUBJECT: Project on Performance, Efficiency and Productivity (PEP) SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION; Endorse the process being followed by the County Administrator in defining areas in which the County can engage in more of a public-private partnership between the County and private businesses in the County as outlined in the County Administrator' s memo to our Committee dated March 4, 1985. BACKGROUND; See attached report and attachments from the County Administrator dated March 4 , 1985. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR X RECOMMENDAT F COMMITTEE X APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S) Sunne W: McPeak Robert I. ACTION OF BOARD ON March 12, 1985 PPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT III ) I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AYES: NOES: I AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN ABSENT: ABSTAIN: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. CC: County Administrator I ATTESTED A11 Cities PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR I I M382/7-83 BY DEPUTY t i OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR i CONTRA COSTA COUNTY Administration Building Supervisor Sunne McPeak Martinet, California Supervisor Robert Schroder To: FINANCE COMMITTEE Date: March 4, 1985 Phil Batchelor, Status Report on the County Administrator Project on Performance, From: Subject: Efficiency & Productivity (PEP) The Board recently requested that I explore ways in which we can engage in more of a public-private partnership between the County and private businesses in the County. This is an excellent suggestion which has been tried successfully in a number of areas. However, in order to be successful, it is important that the project be approached on a systematic, well-organized basis. The private business sector covers a wide range of functions. Individual firms and individual managers within those firms have particular skills that could be of assistance to the County. In order to know whom to approach in the private business sector, we have to be very specific about what problems we have identified and exactly what we need from a particular private firm. We are fortunate to have available to us, on a part-time basis, the services of Mrs. Dorothy Miller between now and September 1, 1985. In an effort to define exactly what needs County departments have which the private sector can assist in meeting, I have asked Mrs. Miller to interview several County Department Heads and their staff. Attached is a memorandum dated February 11, 1985 which was sent to all County Department Heads. Mrs. Miller is in the process of contacting the Department Heads to set up interviews. ] Mrs. Miller has formulated 15 questions to go over with each Department Head in an effort to structure their interview and thereby insure that her interviews touch on the same points in each department. A copy of the questions Mrs. Miller will raise with each department is attached. After completing her interviews with at least the first few Department Heads, . Mrs. Miller, in consultation with my office, will formulate a more detailed work plan which explores how we can go about defining the needs of local government and identifying the areas of the private sector which seem best qualified to assist us in meeting those needs. We will then want to talk further with the Board members to elicit their -2- ) help in identifying which firms and individual managers we should contact. An additional part of Mrs. Millers assignment is to attempt to gather some data on the extent to which County departments currently have information available which allows performance comparisons between similar functions in this and other counties. Our budget staff has prepared a number of specific types of data we would like to have available. This information, a copy of which is also attached, has been supplied to Mrs. Miller with the request that she determine how much of this information is available and what other information might need to be gathered in order to begin making some reasonable comparisons between Contra Costa County and other counties in California. It is my recommendation that you report this information to the full Board of Supervisors for their information. No further action is required by your Committee, or the Board, at this time, if you are in agreement with the general directions outlined above. We will continue to provide periodic status reports to your Committee. PJB:clg Attachments I i i i i i i • I I ` i I i I i i i OFFICE OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR CONTRA COSTA COUNTY I Administration Building Martinez, California To: ALL DEPARTMENT HEADS Dote: February 11 , 1985 Project on Performance, From: Phil Batchelor Subject: Efficiency and Productivity County Administrator (PEP) The Board of Supervisors has asked our office to explore ways in which the private business and industrial community can be of assistance to the County. As most of you know from our Department Heads' seminar in December, I am a strong believer in searching for excellence in management. I believe many of the principles which have helped some private companies become highly profitable can be used in government to make us more efficient and productive. This is, of course, a particularly important objective when we have fewer resources at our command, but the same, or even a higher level of, expectations from the public whom we serve. While we want to look at ways in which the private sector could be of help to us, we also need to look at our operations in this County in comparison to similar operations in other counties. In making your budget presentations to the Board's Finance Committee in the past few years some of you were probably confronted with questions about how your operation stacks up against your colleagues in other counties. In some cases, we have some workload data which suggests some basis for comparison. In other cases, we seem to lack the type or quality of data which allows us to look at our operations in compassion to those of other counties. Before deciding to approach the private sector we need to define rather clearly what we think we want from the private sector. In order to know how well we are performing in comparison to other counties, we need to know what bases for comparison already exist and what data is available to support valid comparisons. The best source of all this information is you and your staff. You know best in what areas you think you would like to make some improvements in productivity. You and your staff undoubtedly have some ideas for how you could make more effective use of the money and people your department has available. You have the best contacts with your colleagues in other counties, and with the State and Federal agencies with whom you work. Therefore, you and your staff are really the best source of information on which to base any approach to the private sector. What we need is a method to tap into the knowledge and information and concerns you and your staff have. Fortunately, we have available to us the services of Mrs. Dorothy Miller, who has made a commitment ;to donate a portion of her time from now until September 1 to assistus in this effort. Dorothy is probably known to many of you, particularly in the health and welfare area. Dorothy has served in a i � 6 All Department Heads February 11 , 1985 Page 2 variety of volunteer positions in the County and has now turne& to private consulting work.' Dorothy has a strong background in management and a particular interest in the public sector. I am asking Dorothy to make appointments with several of you in the next few days. I would like you to sit down with Dorothy and share with her some of your concerns about your department; where you believe improvements could be made, and in what ways you think the private sector could be of help to you. In addition, I am asking Dorothy to find out what data you have available on workload, staffing, budget, and other related matters which would assist in beginning to put together some comparisons between counties. It may also be helpful for Dorothy to talk with some of your staff at various levels in the organization. I hope; you will cooperate fully with Dorothy in providing her access to your staff. At this point, we are really trying to gather information and assess where we think we are in terms of performance standards, efficiency, and productivity. I really have no preconceptions about what we will find or where the information you provide Dorothy will take us. Once Dorothy has interviewed you, we .will try to assess what our next steps should be. At each step in the process, I will be certain to keep you informed. PJB:clg cc: Charles Hammond Kerry Harms Claude Van Marter Dorothy Miller I I I I I i i I i i I I I I QUESTIONS TO ASK DEPARTMENT HEADS I 1. How would you describe the basic mission of your department? (Functions, laws, regulations) 2. Does your Department have �an ORG chart and, if so,. can you provide me with a copy? 3. Who do you come. into contact with/relate to in County govern- ment? Why? 4. Where does most of the work in your Department originate, and where does it go when it Ieaves your ORG? 5. Are there any activities or functions performed by your Department that you feel could be eliminated, transferred, or that it might make sense for you to share with another County department? 6. What kind of data are collected/reported by your Department? How is it used and by whom? 7. Where geographically is work done in your Department? Are there any plans underway to modify space arrangements? 8. What conditions/problems originating outside your Department impair its operating efficiency, effectiveness, and employee morale? 9. Are there any peaks and valleys in your Department' s workload? Any cycles you can identify? 10. How is work within your department assigned and controlled? 11. How do you deal with a backlog of work, or lack of work, in your operation 12. How is the need for OT determined? 13. How do labor agreements affect your department? 14. What do you think would be the best way to find out what the problems and barriers1to better effectiveness/ efficiency are within your department? 15. Any other comments/suggestions you would like to add? 16. What types of criteria do you feel would validly measure performance inlyour department? i TYPES OF ITEMS THAT COMPARISONS WOULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR BUDGET REVIEW i - IN GENERAL j # managers per: line workers # secretaries/clerical pe'r manager I AGRICULTURE by type of inspection # of inspections per inspector per year ANIMAL REGULATION # citations per worker per year # licensed animals per 100,000 (people) population ASSESSOR # parcels reassessed infield per inspector # parcels revalued per inspector AUDITOR CONTROLLER # audits per accountant # deposits per clerk # purchase orders processed per worker average value of purchase order BUILDING INSPECTION Number of Inspections per worker - Construction - Electrical - Plumbing - Heating & Vent - Final Number of Permits j - Building - Heat & Vent - Plumbing - Electrical - Other Miscellaneous Number of Job; Sites Visited Per Worker Value of Permits Issued I Number of Sta;f f Budget 'i CLERK-RECORDER # election workers per 100,000 registered voters # workers per polling place # court filings per worker by type COUNTY COUNSEL' # opinions perattorney # courtcases per attorney # cases contracted vs handled in house COURTS # cases tried per year per judge by type of filing # jurors qualified per worker per year DATA PROCESSING # new programs per analyst # programs maintained per analyst DISTRICT ATTORNEY Dollar value of family support collectors per investigation # cases by type (felony, misdemeanor, etc. ) per attorney % successful prosecutions. Ratio of cases tried vs plea bargained # cases per family support worker, $ value of case FIRE PROTECTION # calls per firefighter per year # firefighters per shift per 100,000 population HEALTH - ALCOHOL/DRUG ABUSE/MENTAL HEALTH # patients seen per doctor per day in emergency room # sessions per therapist ) (distinguish between group & individual) # clinics per 100,000 population by type of service i.e. , VD, birth control, flue shots, etc. Hospital - average daily census per RN; utilization by service; % beds filled per day HMO - Ratio of administrative costs to patient costs Expenditures per person/member INSURANCE Cost of insurance per employee by type LIBRARY # books checked out per 100,000 for each clerk i MARSHALL i # processes served per deputy PERSONNEL # recruitments per year per analyst # grievances per year per 1000 employees PLANNING Number of Applications - Rezoning - Land Use Permit - Development Plan - Variance . - Minor Subdivision - Major Subdivision Budget Number of Staff Unincorporated Population EIR's per year PROBATION Probationer caseload per. Probation Officer by juvenile and adult Number of workers per detained juvenile PUBLIC DEFENDER # clients peryear per attorney # cases per year per attorney by type ' PUBLIC WORKS Custodians 1'. Square footage cleaned per shift 2;. Team cleaning vs individualized Grounds - # times trees and bushes trimmed per year i i # ground main activities per worker per year equipment enhancements which have improved productivity Roads - # miles maintained per worker Airports -. # landings periemployee SHERIFF # deputies per 100,000 population in last 5 years (make a distinction between patrol & detention) # calls per shift per deputy Average training time per deputy # of arrests per deputy on patrol # deputies per 100 prisoners (only those deputies assigned to detention) SOCIAL SERVICES AFDC caseload per worker Error rate comparisons Average general assistance payments TREASURER-TAX COLLECTOR Dollars collected per clerk per year Number of transactions per clerk I i