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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 04062004 - D6 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra FROM: John Sweeten County Administrator Costa DATE: April 1, 2004 o u nt v SUBJECT: PENDING VACANCY IN THE OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR-CONTROLLER + SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION CONSIDER the appointment of Steven Ybarra, Assistant Auditor-Controller, to fill the vacancy anticipated due to the announced pending retirement of County Auditor-Controller Kenneth Corcoran, effective June 1, 2004. BACKGROUND Kenneth Corcoran, the County's elected Auditor--Controller, has indicated his intent to retire at the end of May 2004. At that time, two and one-half years will remain on the term to which Mr. Corcoran was elected. Section 25304 of the California Government Code requires the Board of Supervisors to fill by appointment any vacancy occurring in an elective County office, other than County Supervisor and Judge of the Superior Courtl. Therefore, there are two options for filling the position of Auditor-Controller for the balance of Mr. Corcoran's term: CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: /YES SIGNATURE: , ,,RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMEND I N OF BOARD COMMITTEE �APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD ON April 6, 2034 APPROVE AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER SSS: Ken Corcoran, 3391 Rossi Street, Lafayette Gus Kramer, Assessor Bill Follacek, 625 Court Street, Roam 103, Martinez VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN X UNANIMOUS(ABSENT None ) AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE AYES: _ NOES: SHOWN. ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ATTESTED April 6, 2034 CONTACT: JOHN SWEETEN,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR CC: BY tf ,I r`<s DEPUTY t 1 "25304. The hoard of supervisors shall fill by appointment all vacancies that occur in any office filled by the appointment of the board and elective county officers,except judge of the superior court and supervisors. The appointee shall hold office for the unexpired term or until the first Monday after January Ist succeeding the next general election." According to Counsel,"the next general election' has been interpreted by the California Attorney General to mean the next general election at which a candidate for the office would normally seek election—i.e.,the November 2006 election in this case. 1. Appoint a qualified member of the Auditor-Controller's staff to fill the remainder of the term. 2. Recruit broadly for a qualified person to be appointed by the Board to fill the remainder of the term. The Auditor-Controller is a key member of the County's financial team. He is responsible for the countywide property tax administration system, for maintenance of the County's general ledger, for the County's payroll system, and for internal audits of County departments and programs. These programs and systems are exceedingly complex and complicated. In addition to the normal expertise, education and training required of one responsible for auditing and accounting functions in any large organization; this position must manage the additional responsibilities carved out in law applicable to gublic agencies. This responsibility is particularly onerous with regard to the property tax administration system, on which all public agencies in Contra Costa County depend; and the payroll system, upon which many local agencies depend. The County has benefited over a long period of time from the excellence that has been demonstrated by the Auditor-Controller's Department. Leadership of this department is a key ingredient to ensuring the continuation of this level of excellence. The County Administrator, in an effort to identify a course of action that would serve the interests of the County and the Board, has consulted with the Auditor- Controller to determine if a member of the current departmental staff could successfully fill out the balance of the term of the incumbent. In the view of the County Administrator, appointment of a qualified in-house candidate, if available, to fill the vacant office would be a superior strategy due to the continuity in leadership that such an appointment would permit, and because of the extreme complexity of the operations to be administered. The Auditor-Controller offered the names of two individuals, either of whom in his judgment could perform this task. The County Administrator interviewed each of these individuals, and reviewed their work histories. While the County Administrator concurred that either individual could perform the duties of the job, he formed the conclusion that one of them — Steve Ybarra—was uniquely qualified. His rationale is as follows: • Mr. Ybarra is currently the Assistant Auditor-Controller, and has served in that capacity for the past eight and one-half years. Prior to that, he served in key management positions in the department, including Manager of the Property Tax Division. • During his tenure as Assistant Auditor-Controller, Mr. Ybarra has had responsibility for managing each of the major divisions of the Auditor-Controller Department. • Mr. Ybarra has particular expertise in the property tax administration system, and held a leadership role among auditors statewide in the development of the existing rules and procedures for property tax administration. • Mr. Ybarra has particular expertise in the County's extremely complex payroll system, and participated in a leadership role in the development of the system. • Mr. Ybarra enjoys the unqualified support, so far as the County Administrator can determine, of senior and mid-level management in the Auditor-Controller Department. In addition, the Administrator has received a number of communications from individuals in other County departments that rely heavily on the services of the Auditor-Controller Department expressing support for Mr. Ybarra as a successor to Mr. Corcoran. 2 Mr. Ybarra, by virtue of his education and experience, is yell-qualified to carry out the duties of Auditor-Controller. In addition, Mr. Ybarra demonstrates the demeanor and maturity of judgment that would assist him in assuming leadership of this important function. Finally, Mr. Ybarra has indicated that he would be willing to stand for election in 2006, which offers the County and the department much-needed stability and continuity of leadership. For the above reasons, the County Administrator recommends that the Board give serious consideration to the appointment of Mr. Ybarre to fill out the balance of Mr. Corcoran's term of office. Such appointment would maintain the currently high level of professional leadership in the department, and avoid any disruption in the department's ability to perform in an excellent fashion during the current challenging times. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 6,2004 Contact: John Sweeten, County Administrator Phone. (925) 335-1085 Fax. (925) 335-1098 The Board. of Supervisors has approved the appointment of Stephen Ybarra, Assistant Auditor- Controller, as Interim County Auditor-Controller effective June 1, 2004. This appointment fills the vacancy anticipated as a result of the announced early retirement on May 31, 2004 of Iden Corcoran, the current Auditor-Controller. The Auditor-Controller is a key member of the County's financial team. He is responsible for the countywide property tax administration system, for maintenance of the County's general ledger, for the County's payroll system, and for internal audits of County departments and programs. Mr. Ybarra has been a member of the Auditor-Controller's Office for 30 years, and has served as the Assistant Auditor-Controller for the past eight years. As Assistant Auditor-Controller, Mr. Ybarra has managed the daily operations of the Payroll, General Accounting, Accounts Payable, Property Tax, Internal Audit and Systems divisions of the Office. Mr. Ybarra has also been involved at the State level as the former president of the State Association of County Auditors Property Tax Managers. The Board of Supervisor expressed confidence that Mr. Ybarra possesses the leadership, technical and interpersonal skills required to manage the Office of the Auditor-Controller. Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Federal Glover, said "Our Auditor's Office has a reputation for excellence that Steve has helped create. This appointment will provide the continuity in leadership we believe will maintain that excellence during the challenging years ahead."