Madera County Grand Jury
2004-2005
Findings & Recommendations
11 findings
F1:
Create and implement communications channels between the Auditor/Controller, Tax Collector, and Assessor’s Offices, to allow for accurate determination of each business within the County of Madera, as to the type of business, and to ensure that all businesses are notified each year that they are responsible for certain taxes.
F2:
Add new fields to the current business license database program, in order to be able to determine and list businesses by the type of business, not just a category, i.e.: service. This could be done with the addition of a ‘type of business’ entry in the computer database, with a new field of search usage on the County’s Computer systems; i.e.: Bed & Breakfast.
F3:
Implement a new business license application form for information to be entered into the County Computer System, which would automatically request the name of business, and owner, as well as type of business, and other relevant information currently built into the current business license applications. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT a. The TOT business license application should also include the number of units of lodging available at the business. b. Consider adding a new computerized self-registration system that could be made available to new business owners at a new business license application window in the Tax Collector’s Office.
F4:
Create a new computer program for the County of Madera Tax Collector’s Office to manage and record the receipt of the TOT taxes from businesses, which would note the date when the payment was received, and the postmark date if mailed. a. If the payment included a late fee, the amount should be listed in a separate field, with an added total paid field to show the total amount paid. b. The computer program should be designed to determine automatically, upon entry of the postmark/date paid, whether the payment is late under the late fee policy. c. This system should automatically generate billing forms and notices of late fees due.
F5:
Payments received in the Tax Collector’s Office should be able to maintain, and list umbrella payments for each property when multiple properties are owned, and amount, on the newly created computer program. This should also include the ability to create sub-property listings for businesses owning or managing separate properties, such as management companies with multiple rentals. Each rental property should pay its tax separately.
F6:
Require as part of doing business under the TOT rules, that each business within Madera County provide income verification on the rental income, if requested by the Tax Collector. This should be done yearly, to verify payments are made accurately, rather than the current ‘honor system’ policy.
F7:
The daily collection of taxes, in the Tax Collector’s Office, should be processed for deposit daily, rather than the current holdover process.
F8:
Revise the RETURN ON TRANSIENT ROOM TAX form to include the name of the business, the name of the owner, address, mailing address, phone number of business if changed line, and note the type of business. The form should include in the OFFICIAL USE ONLY section, a line for the entry of the postmark date from the envelope when mail received.
F9:
Recommend that the Madera County Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution for the usage of some of the revenues from the Transient Occupancy Tax to be used for promoting the businesses that pay this tax. An example of this would be creating a website sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, specifically for the listing of businesses which offer lodging in Madera County and pay this Tax.
F10:
Recommend that the Tax Collector work with the Auditor, and County Counsel, to determine whether retroactive collections of taxes may be assessed against businesses that have not been paying taxes under the TOT rules. ENTITES TO RESPOND:
F11:
According to Board minutes of the MCWPA, options to solve the authority's problems are: (1) refinance their debts, (2) sell the generating units, (3) default on current debts, or (4) fund the deficiencies from other sources. CONCLUSIONS
Additional Recommendations
10
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The Grand Jury recommends that the Chowchilla Police Department procure a LiveScan fingerprint system. The Jury is concerned that the City of Chowchilla is not taking advantage of current technology and may miss opportunities to contribute to the safety of the community at this time of heightened security awareness. The LiveScan system may in the long-term provide additional savings by reducing the cost to the Police Department for the processing of fingerprints manually. ENTITIES TO RESPOND 1. Madera County Board of Supervisors 2. City of Chowchilla Chief of Police 3. Chowchilla City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury Tour of The Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility
R2:
Prior to beginning recruitment for an at will position, the City Administrator shall review the job description for the job classification and the potential pool of candidates currently employed by the City. Based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position, the City Administrator will make a determination of whether the recruitment for the position will be open (open to all who meet the specified qualifications) or closed (open only to those qualified candidates currently employed by the City of Madera). For those at will positions that the Madera Municipal Code provides that the City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT is the appointing authority, the City Administrator shall make a recommendation to the City Council regarding an open or closed recruitment. The City Council shall then make that determination.
R3:
In either case, the period of time provided for the recruitment process will be determined by the City Administrator or his designee. At the close of the recruitment period, the City Administrator or his designee shall review the pool of candidates, determine those who, among those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications, are most qualified for the position, and invite them for an interview with an oral board. Unless authorized by the City Administrator, the number of candidates invited to the oral board shall be no less than three.
R4:
The oral board shall consist of at least one professional external to the City organization, one member of the City staff, and one person who is a resident of Madera but not an employee or elected official of the City. The oral board shall examine the candidates based on those factors determined to constitute the merit and fitness for the position. At a minimum, these factors shall include the skills, knowledge and abilities described in the job description. The oral board shall rank the candidates based on the criteria the City Administrator or his designee provide. The City Administrator, City Council, or its designee, for Council designated appointments, shall interview at a minimum the top three ranked candidates. Additional candidates may be interviewed if it is determined the City's interests are served by interviewing a greater number of candidates.
R5:
A conditional offer of employment for an at will position shall be made only by the City Administrator or his designee for those positions that the Madera Municipal Code designates as being hired by the City Administrator. Offers of conditional employment for Council appointed at will positions shall be made only by the City Council.
R6:
Following a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be subject to the City's hiring practices which include medical evaluation, drug screen, background check, Department of Justice fingerprint check, and any other pre-employment PAG E 1 6 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT screening tools the City Administrator or his designee deems necessary.
R7:
Exceptions to this policy may be approved on a case-by-case basis only upon the approval of the City Administrator or City Council. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT PAG E 1 8 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT November 4, 2004 2004 Madera Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, CA 93639-0534 Re: Combined Response To Grand Jury From City Council and City Attorney, City of Madera Dear Grand Jury Members, Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the report prepared by the 2004 Grand Jury. Your conclusion that the hiring was not in violation of any existing policy and was understandable given the needs of the City and the qualifications of the candidate is consistent with the facts that were facing the City at the time of the hire. The City wishes to thank the grand jury for the manner in which the investigation was conducted, including their fairness and analysis of the issues. It is always helpful to have an outside independent party take time to review the policies and practices of the City especially when the review is done in a professional, unbiased and reasoned fashion. Your additional suggestion to consider adoption of a "Code of Ethics" will also be considered by the City. Should you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call at (559) 675-0855. Joseph A. Soldani City Attorney 205 West 4th Street, Madera, California 93637-3527 PAG E 2 0 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury PO Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 3rd Interim Report On Valley State Prison for Women INTRODUCTION Members of the 2004 Madera County Grand Jury toured Valley State Prison for Women, an institution of the California Department of Corrections, on March 25, 2004, pursuant to the duty to “inquire into the condition and management of the public prisons within the county,” as prescribed in §919(b) of the California Penal Code. This report deals strictly with the prison facility and its programs.
R8:
Evaluate once again the original feasibility study to determine if the factual data is germane to future projections.
R9:
Sell all or a portion of the generating units
R10:
Continue to monitor the mechanical operation on a 24 hour basis, thus reducing the potential for catastrophic failures. ENTITIES TO RESPOND
Additional Recommendations
3
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
That the Yosemite Union High School Board review the District’s policy regarding acquisition of high school credit from educational institutions outside of the School District.
R2:
That the Yosemite Union High School Board exercise heightened diligence in its aegis over the fiduciary duties of the Superintendent.
R3:
That the citizens served by the Yosemite Union High School District exercise due vigilance regarding the performance of the School Board and the Superintendent. PAG E 8 8 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT
Findings & Recommendations
11 findings
F1:
Create and implement communications channels between the Auditor/Controller, Tax Collector, and Assessor’s Offices, to allow for accurate determination of each business within the County of Madera, as to the type of business, and to ensure that all businesses are notified each year that they are responsible for certain taxes.
F2:
Add new fields to the current business license database program, in order to be able to determine and list businesses by the type of business, not just a category, i.e.: service. This could be done with the addition of a ‘type of business’ entry in the computer database, with a new field of search usage on the County’s Computer systems; i.e.: Bed & Breakfast.
F3:
Implement a new business license application form for information to be entered into the County Computer System, which would automatically request the name of business, and owner, as well as type of business, and other relevant information currently built into the current business license applications. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT a. The TOT business license application should also include the number of units of lodging available at the business. b. Consider adding a new computerized self-registration system that could be made available to new business owners at a new business license application window in the Tax Collector’s Office.
F4:
Create a new computer program for the County of Madera Tax Collector’s Office to manage and record the receipt of the TOT taxes from businesses, which would note the date when the payment was received, and the postmark date if mailed. a. If the payment included a late fee, the amount should be listed in a separate field, with an added total paid field to show the total amount paid. b. The computer program should be designed to determine automatically, upon entry of the postmark/date paid, whether the payment is late under the late fee policy. c. This system should automatically generate billing forms and notices of late fees due.
F5:
Payments received in the Tax Collector’s Office should be able to maintain, and list umbrella payments for each property when multiple properties are owned, and amount, on the newly created computer program. This should also include the ability to create sub-property listings for businesses owning or managing separate properties, such as management companies with multiple rentals. Each rental property should pay its tax separately.
F6:
Require as part of doing business under the TOT rules, that each business within Madera County provide income verification on the rental income, if requested by the Tax Collector. This should be done yearly, to verify payments are made accurately, rather than the current ‘honor system’ policy.
F7:
The daily collection of taxes, in the Tax Collector’s Office, should be processed for deposit daily, rather than the current holdover process.
F8:
Revise the RETURN ON TRANSIENT ROOM TAX form to include the name of the business, the name of the owner, address, mailing address, phone number of business if changed line, and note the type of business. The form should include in the OFFICIAL USE ONLY section, a line for the entry of the postmark date from the envelope when mail received.
F9:
Recommend that the Madera County Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution for the usage of some of the revenues from the Transient Occupancy Tax to be used for promoting the businesses that pay this tax. An example of this would be creating a website sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, specifically for the listing of businesses which offer lodging in Madera County and pay this Tax.
F10:
Recommend that the Tax Collector work with the Auditor, and County Counsel, to determine whether retroactive collections of taxes may be assessed against businesses that have not been paying taxes under the TOT rules. ENTITES TO RESPOND:
F11:
According to Board minutes of the MCWPA, options to solve the authority's problems are: (1) refinance their debts, (2) sell the generating units, (3) default on current debts, or (4) fund the deficiencies from other sources. CONCLUSIONS
Additional Recommendations
10
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The Grand Jury recommends that the Chowchilla Police Department procure a LiveScan fingerprint system. The Jury is concerned that the City of Chowchilla is not taking advantage of current technology and may miss opportunities to contribute to the safety of the community at this time of heightened security awareness. The LiveScan system may in the long-term provide additional savings by reducing the cost to the Police Department for the processing of fingerprints manually. ENTITIES TO RESPOND 1. Madera County Board of Supervisors 2. City of Chowchilla Chief of Police 3. Chowchilla City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury Tour of The Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility
R2:
Prior to beginning recruitment for an at will position, the City Administrator shall review the job description for the job classification and the potential pool of candidates currently employed by the City. Based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position, the City Administrator will make a determination of whether the recruitment for the position will be open (open to all who meet the specified qualifications) or closed (open only to those qualified candidates currently employed by the City of Madera). For those at will positions that the Madera Municipal Code provides that the City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT is the appointing authority, the City Administrator shall make a recommendation to the City Council regarding an open or closed recruitment. The City Council shall then make that determination.
R3:
In either case, the period of time provided for the recruitment process will be determined by the City Administrator or his designee. At the close of the recruitment period, the City Administrator or his designee shall review the pool of candidates, determine those who, among those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications, are most qualified for the position, and invite them for an interview with an oral board. Unless authorized by the City Administrator, the number of candidates invited to the oral board shall be no less than three.
R4:
The oral board shall consist of at least one professional external to the City organization, one member of the City staff, and one person who is a resident of Madera but not an employee or elected official of the City. The oral board shall examine the candidates based on those factors determined to constitute the merit and fitness for the position. At a minimum, these factors shall include the skills, knowledge and abilities described in the job description. The oral board shall rank the candidates based on the criteria the City Administrator or his designee provide. The City Administrator, City Council, or its designee, for Council designated appointments, shall interview at a minimum the top three ranked candidates. Additional candidates may be interviewed if it is determined the City's interests are served by interviewing a greater number of candidates.
R5:
A conditional offer of employment for an at will position shall be made only by the City Administrator or his designee for those positions that the Madera Municipal Code designates as being hired by the City Administrator. Offers of conditional employment for Council appointed at will positions shall be made only by the City Council.
R6:
Following a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be subject to the City's hiring practices which include medical evaluation, drug screen, background check, Department of Justice fingerprint check, and any other pre-employment PAG E 1 6 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT screening tools the City Administrator or his designee deems necessary.
R7:
Exceptions to this policy may be approved on a case-by-case basis only upon the approval of the City Administrator or City Council. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT PAG E 1 8 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT November 4, 2004 2004 Madera Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, CA 93639-0534 Re: Combined Response To Grand Jury From City Council and City Attorney, City of Madera Dear Grand Jury Members, Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the report prepared by the 2004 Grand Jury. Your conclusion that the hiring was not in violation of any existing policy and was understandable given the needs of the City and the qualifications of the candidate is consistent with the facts that were facing the City at the time of the hire. The City wishes to thank the grand jury for the manner in which the investigation was conducted, including their fairness and analysis of the issues. It is always helpful to have an outside independent party take time to review the policies and practices of the City especially when the review is done in a professional, unbiased and reasoned fashion. Your additional suggestion to consider adoption of a "Code of Ethics" will also be considered by the City. Should you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call at (559) 675-0855. Joseph A. Soldani City Attorney 205 West 4th Street, Madera, California 93637-3527 PAG E 2 0 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury PO Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 3rd Interim Report On Valley State Prison for Women INTRODUCTION Members of the 2004 Madera County Grand Jury toured Valley State Prison for Women, an institution of the California Department of Corrections, on March 25, 2004, pursuant to the duty to “inquire into the condition and management of the public prisons within the county,” as prescribed in §919(b) of the California Penal Code. This report deals strictly with the prison facility and its programs.
R8:
Evaluate once again the original feasibility study to determine if the factual data is germane to future projections.
R9:
Sell all or a portion of the generating units
R10:
Continue to monitor the mechanical operation on a 24 hour basis, thus reducing the potential for catastrophic failures. ENTITIES TO RESPOND
Findings & Recommendations
11 findings
F1:
Create and implement communications channels between the Auditor/Controller, Tax Collector, and Assessor’s Offices, to allow for accurate determination of each business within the County of Madera, as to the type of business, and to ensure that all businesses are notified each year that they are responsible for certain taxes.
F2:
Add new fields to the current business license database program, in order to be able to determine and list businesses by the type of business, not just a category, i.e.: service. This could be done with the addition of a ‘type of business’ entry in the computer database, with a new field of search usage on the County’s Computer systems; i.e.: Bed & Breakfast.
F3:
Implement a new business license application form for information to be entered into the County Computer System, which would automatically request the name of business, and owner, as well as type of business, and other relevant information currently built into the current business license applications. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT a. The TOT business license application should also include the number of units of lodging available at the business. b. Consider adding a new computerized self-registration system that could be made available to new business owners at a new business license application window in the Tax Collector’s Office.
F4:
Create a new computer program for the County of Madera Tax Collector’s Office to manage and record the receipt of the TOT taxes from businesses, which would note the date when the payment was received, and the postmark date if mailed. a. If the payment included a late fee, the amount should be listed in a separate field, with an added total paid field to show the total amount paid. b. The computer program should be designed to determine automatically, upon entry of the postmark/date paid, whether the payment is late under the late fee policy. c. This system should automatically generate billing forms and notices of late fees due.
F5:
Payments received in the Tax Collector’s Office should be able to maintain, and list umbrella payments for each property when multiple properties are owned, and amount, on the newly created computer program. This should also include the ability to create sub-property listings for businesses owning or managing separate properties, such as management companies with multiple rentals. Each rental property should pay its tax separately.
F6:
Require as part of doing business under the TOT rules, that each business within Madera County provide income verification on the rental income, if requested by the Tax Collector. This should be done yearly, to verify payments are made accurately, rather than the current ‘honor system’ policy.
F7:
The daily collection of taxes, in the Tax Collector’s Office, should be processed for deposit daily, rather than the current holdover process.
F8:
Revise the RETURN ON TRANSIENT ROOM TAX form to include the name of the business, the name of the owner, address, mailing address, phone number of business if changed line, and note the type of business. The form should include in the OFFICIAL USE ONLY section, a line for the entry of the postmark date from the envelope when mail received.
F9:
Recommend that the Madera County Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution for the usage of some of the revenues from the Transient Occupancy Tax to be used for promoting the businesses that pay this tax. An example of this would be creating a website sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, specifically for the listing of businesses which offer lodging in Madera County and pay this Tax.
F10:
Recommend that the Tax Collector work with the Auditor, and County Counsel, to determine whether retroactive collections of taxes may be assessed against businesses that have not been paying taxes under the TOT rules. ENTITES TO RESPOND:
F11:
According to Board minutes of the MCWPA, options to solve the authority's problems are: (1) refinance their debts, (2) sell the generating units, (3) default on current debts, or (4) fund the deficiencies from other sources. CONCLUSIONS
Additional Recommendations
10
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The Grand Jury recommends that the Chowchilla Police Department procure a LiveScan fingerprint system. The Jury is concerned that the City of Chowchilla is not taking advantage of current technology and may miss opportunities to contribute to the safety of the community at this time of heightened security awareness. The LiveScan system may in the long-term provide additional savings by reducing the cost to the Police Department for the processing of fingerprints manually. ENTITIES TO RESPOND 1. Madera County Board of Supervisors 2. City of Chowchilla Chief of Police 3. Chowchilla City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury Tour of The Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility
R2:
Prior to beginning recruitment for an at will position, the City Administrator shall review the job description for the job classification and the potential pool of candidates currently employed by the City. Based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position, the City Administrator will make a determination of whether the recruitment for the position will be open (open to all who meet the specified qualifications) or closed (open only to those qualified candidates currently employed by the City of Madera). For those at will positions that the Madera Municipal Code provides that the City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT is the appointing authority, the City Administrator shall make a recommendation to the City Council regarding an open or closed recruitment. The City Council shall then make that determination.
R3:
In either case, the period of time provided for the recruitment process will be determined by the City Administrator or his designee. At the close of the recruitment period, the City Administrator or his designee shall review the pool of candidates, determine those who, among those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications, are most qualified for the position, and invite them for an interview with an oral board. Unless authorized by the City Administrator, the number of candidates invited to the oral board shall be no less than three.
R4:
The oral board shall consist of at least one professional external to the City organization, one member of the City staff, and one person who is a resident of Madera but not an employee or elected official of the City. The oral board shall examine the candidates based on those factors determined to constitute the merit and fitness for the position. At a minimum, these factors shall include the skills, knowledge and abilities described in the job description. The oral board shall rank the candidates based on the criteria the City Administrator or his designee provide. The City Administrator, City Council, or its designee, for Council designated appointments, shall interview at a minimum the top three ranked candidates. Additional candidates may be interviewed if it is determined the City's interests are served by interviewing a greater number of candidates.
R5:
A conditional offer of employment for an at will position shall be made only by the City Administrator or his designee for those positions that the Madera Municipal Code designates as being hired by the City Administrator. Offers of conditional employment for Council appointed at will positions shall be made only by the City Council.
R6:
Following a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be subject to the City's hiring practices which include medical evaluation, drug screen, background check, Department of Justice fingerprint check, and any other pre-employment PAG E 1 6 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT screening tools the City Administrator or his designee deems necessary.
R7:
Exceptions to this policy may be approved on a case-by-case basis only upon the approval of the City Administrator or City Council. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT PAG E 1 8 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT November 4, 2004 2004 Madera Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, CA 93639-0534 Re: Combined Response To Grand Jury From City Council and City Attorney, City of Madera Dear Grand Jury Members, Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the report prepared by the 2004 Grand Jury. Your conclusion that the hiring was not in violation of any existing policy and was understandable given the needs of the City and the qualifications of the candidate is consistent with the facts that were facing the City at the time of the hire. The City wishes to thank the grand jury for the manner in which the investigation was conducted, including their fairness and analysis of the issues. It is always helpful to have an outside independent party take time to review the policies and practices of the City especially when the review is done in a professional, unbiased and reasoned fashion. Your additional suggestion to consider adoption of a "Code of Ethics" will also be considered by the City. Should you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call at (559) 675-0855. Joseph A. Soldani City Attorney 205 West 4th Street, Madera, California 93637-3527 PAG E 2 0 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury PO Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 3rd Interim Report On Valley State Prison for Women INTRODUCTION Members of the 2004 Madera County Grand Jury toured Valley State Prison for Women, an institution of the California Department of Corrections, on March 25, 2004, pursuant to the duty to “inquire into the condition and management of the public prisons within the county,” as prescribed in §919(b) of the California Penal Code. This report deals strictly with the prison facility and its programs.
R8:
Evaluate once again the original feasibility study to determine if the factual data is germane to future projections.
R9:
Sell all or a portion of the generating units
R10:
Continue to monitor the mechanical operation on a 24 hour basis, thus reducing the potential for catastrophic failures. ENTITIES TO RESPOND
Findings & Recommendations
11 findings
F1:
Create and implement communications channels between the Auditor/Controller, Tax Collector, and Assessor’s Offices, to allow for accurate determination of each business within the County of Madera, as to the type of business, and to ensure that all businesses are notified each year that they are responsible for certain taxes.
F2:
Add new fields to the current business license database program, in order to be able to determine and list businesses by the type of business, not just a category, i.e.: service. This could be done with the addition of a ‘type of business’ entry in the computer database, with a new field of search usage on the County’s Computer systems; i.e.: Bed & Breakfast.
F3:
Implement a new business license application form for information to be entered into the County Computer System, which would automatically request the name of business, and owner, as well as type of business, and other relevant information currently built into the current business license applications. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT a. The TOT business license application should also include the number of units of lodging available at the business. b. Consider adding a new computerized self-registration system that could be made available to new business owners at a new business license application window in the Tax Collector’s Office.
F4:
Create a new computer program for the County of Madera Tax Collector’s Office to manage and record the receipt of the TOT taxes from businesses, which would note the date when the payment was received, and the postmark date if mailed. a. If the payment included a late fee, the amount should be listed in a separate field, with an added total paid field to show the total amount paid. b. The computer program should be designed to determine automatically, upon entry of the postmark/date paid, whether the payment is late under the late fee policy. c. This system should automatically generate billing forms and notices of late fees due.
F5:
Payments received in the Tax Collector’s Office should be able to maintain, and list umbrella payments for each property when multiple properties are owned, and amount, on the newly created computer program. This should also include the ability to create sub-property listings for businesses owning or managing separate properties, such as management companies with multiple rentals. Each rental property should pay its tax separately.
F6:
Require as part of doing business under the TOT rules, that each business within Madera County provide income verification on the rental income, if requested by the Tax Collector. This should be done yearly, to verify payments are made accurately, rather than the current ‘honor system’ policy.
F7:
The daily collection of taxes, in the Tax Collector’s Office, should be processed for deposit daily, rather than the current holdover process.
F8:
Revise the RETURN ON TRANSIENT ROOM TAX form to include the name of the business, the name of the owner, address, mailing address, phone number of business if changed line, and note the type of business. The form should include in the OFFICIAL USE ONLY section, a line for the entry of the postmark date from the envelope when mail received.
F9:
Recommend that the Madera County Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution for the usage of some of the revenues from the Transient Occupancy Tax to be used for promoting the businesses that pay this tax. An example of this would be creating a website sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, specifically for the listing of businesses which offer lodging in Madera County and pay this Tax.
F10:
Recommend that the Tax Collector work with the Auditor, and County Counsel, to determine whether retroactive collections of taxes may be assessed against businesses that have not been paying taxes under the TOT rules. ENTITES TO RESPOND:
F11:
According to Board minutes of the MCWPA, options to solve the authority's problems are: (1) refinance their debts, (2) sell the generating units, (3) default on current debts, or (4) fund the deficiencies from other sources. CONCLUSIONS
Additional Recommendations
10
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The Grand Jury recommends that the Chowchilla Police Department procure a LiveScan fingerprint system. The Jury is concerned that the City of Chowchilla is not taking advantage of current technology and may miss opportunities to contribute to the safety of the community at this time of heightened security awareness. The LiveScan system may in the long-term provide additional savings by reducing the cost to the Police Department for the processing of fingerprints manually. ENTITIES TO RESPOND 1. Madera County Board of Supervisors 2. City of Chowchilla Chief of Police 3. Chowchilla City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury Tour of The Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility
R2:
Prior to beginning recruitment for an at will position, the City Administrator shall review the job description for the job classification and the potential pool of candidates currently employed by the City. Based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position, the City Administrator will make a determination of whether the recruitment for the position will be open (open to all who meet the specified qualifications) or closed (open only to those qualified candidates currently employed by the City of Madera). For those at will positions that the Madera Municipal Code provides that the City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT is the appointing authority, the City Administrator shall make a recommendation to the City Council regarding an open or closed recruitment. The City Council shall then make that determination.
R3:
In either case, the period of time provided for the recruitment process will be determined by the City Administrator or his designee. At the close of the recruitment period, the City Administrator or his designee shall review the pool of candidates, determine those who, among those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications, are most qualified for the position, and invite them for an interview with an oral board. Unless authorized by the City Administrator, the number of candidates invited to the oral board shall be no less than three.
R4:
The oral board shall consist of at least one professional external to the City organization, one member of the City staff, and one person who is a resident of Madera but not an employee or elected official of the City. The oral board shall examine the candidates based on those factors determined to constitute the merit and fitness for the position. At a minimum, these factors shall include the skills, knowledge and abilities described in the job description. The oral board shall rank the candidates based on the criteria the City Administrator or his designee provide. The City Administrator, City Council, or its designee, for Council designated appointments, shall interview at a minimum the top three ranked candidates. Additional candidates may be interviewed if it is determined the City's interests are served by interviewing a greater number of candidates.
R5:
A conditional offer of employment for an at will position shall be made only by the City Administrator or his designee for those positions that the Madera Municipal Code designates as being hired by the City Administrator. Offers of conditional employment for Council appointed at will positions shall be made only by the City Council.
R6:
Following a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be subject to the City's hiring practices which include medical evaluation, drug screen, background check, Department of Justice fingerprint check, and any other pre-employment PAG E 1 6 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT screening tools the City Administrator or his designee deems necessary.
R7:
Exceptions to this policy may be approved on a case-by-case basis only upon the approval of the City Administrator or City Council. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT PAG E 1 8 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT November 4, 2004 2004 Madera Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, CA 93639-0534 Re: Combined Response To Grand Jury From City Council and City Attorney, City of Madera Dear Grand Jury Members, Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the report prepared by the 2004 Grand Jury. Your conclusion that the hiring was not in violation of any existing policy and was understandable given the needs of the City and the qualifications of the candidate is consistent with the facts that were facing the City at the time of the hire. The City wishes to thank the grand jury for the manner in which the investigation was conducted, including their fairness and analysis of the issues. It is always helpful to have an outside independent party take time to review the policies and practices of the City especially when the review is done in a professional, unbiased and reasoned fashion. Your additional suggestion to consider adoption of a "Code of Ethics" will also be considered by the City. Should you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call at (559) 675-0855. Joseph A. Soldani City Attorney 205 West 4th Street, Madera, California 93637-3527 PAG E 2 0 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury PO Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 3rd Interim Report On Valley State Prison for Women INTRODUCTION Members of the 2004 Madera County Grand Jury toured Valley State Prison for Women, an institution of the California Department of Corrections, on March 25, 2004, pursuant to the duty to “inquire into the condition and management of the public prisons within the county,” as prescribed in §919(b) of the California Penal Code. This report deals strictly with the prison facility and its programs.
R8:
Evaluate once again the original feasibility study to determine if the factual data is germane to future projections.
R9:
Sell all or a portion of the generating units
R10:
Continue to monitor the mechanical operation on a 24 hour basis, thus reducing the potential for catastrophic failures. ENTITIES TO RESPOND
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Findings & Recommendations
11 findings
F1:
Create and implement communications channels between the Auditor/Controller, Tax Collector, and Assessor’s Offices, to allow for accurate determination of each business within the County of Madera, as to the type of business, and to ensure that all businesses are notified each year that they are responsible for certain taxes.
F2:
Add new fields to the current business license database program, in order to be able to determine and list businesses by the type of business, not just a category, i.e.: service. This could be done with the addition of a ‘type of business’ entry in the computer database, with a new field of search usage on the County’s Computer systems; i.e.: Bed & Breakfast.
F3:
Implement a new business license application form for information to be entered into the County Computer System, which would automatically request the name of business, and owner, as well as type of business, and other relevant information currently built into the current business license applications. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT a. The TOT business license application should also include the number of units of lodging available at the business. b. Consider adding a new computerized self-registration system that could be made available to new business owners at a new business license application window in the Tax Collector’s Office.
F4:
Create a new computer program for the County of Madera Tax Collector’s Office to manage and record the receipt of the TOT taxes from businesses, which would note the date when the payment was received, and the postmark date if mailed. a. If the payment included a late fee, the amount should be listed in a separate field, with an added total paid field to show the total amount paid. b. The computer program should be designed to determine automatically, upon entry of the postmark/date paid, whether the payment is late under the late fee policy. c. This system should automatically generate billing forms and notices of late fees due.
F5:
Payments received in the Tax Collector’s Office should be able to maintain, and list umbrella payments for each property when multiple properties are owned, and amount, on the newly created computer program. This should also include the ability to create sub-property listings for businesses owning or managing separate properties, such as management companies with multiple rentals. Each rental property should pay its tax separately.
F6:
Require as part of doing business under the TOT rules, that each business within Madera County provide income verification on the rental income, if requested by the Tax Collector. This should be done yearly, to verify payments are made accurately, rather than the current ‘honor system’ policy.
F7:
The daily collection of taxes, in the Tax Collector’s Office, should be processed for deposit daily, rather than the current holdover process.
F8:
Revise the RETURN ON TRANSIENT ROOM TAX form to include the name of the business, the name of the owner, address, mailing address, phone number of business if changed line, and note the type of business. The form should include in the OFFICIAL USE ONLY section, a line for the entry of the postmark date from the envelope when mail received.
F9:
Recommend that the Madera County Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution for the usage of some of the revenues from the Transient Occupancy Tax to be used for promoting the businesses that pay this tax. An example of this would be creating a website sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, specifically for the listing of businesses which offer lodging in Madera County and pay this Tax.
F10:
Recommend that the Tax Collector work with the Auditor, and County Counsel, to determine whether retroactive collections of taxes may be assessed against businesses that have not been paying taxes under the TOT rules. ENTITES TO RESPOND:
F11:
According to Board minutes of the MCWPA, options to solve the authority's problems are: (1) refinance their debts, (2) sell the generating units, (3) default on current debts, or (4) fund the deficiencies from other sources. CONCLUSIONS
Additional Recommendations
11
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The Grand Jury recommends that the Chowchilla Police Department procure a LiveScan fingerprint system. The Jury is concerned that the City of Chowchilla is not taking advantage of current technology and may miss opportunities to contribute to the safety of the community at this time of heightened security awareness. The LiveScan system may in the long-term provide additional savings by reducing the cost to the Police Department for the processing of fingerprints manually. ENTITIES TO RESPOND 1. Madera County Board of Supervisors 2. City of Chowchilla Chief of Police 3. Chowchilla City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury Tour of The Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility
R2:
Prior to beginning recruitment for an at will position, the City Administrator shall review the job description for the job classification and the potential pool of candidates currently employed by the City. Based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position, the City Administrator will make a determination of whether the recruitment for the position will be open (open to all who meet the specified qualifications) or closed (open only to those qualified candidates currently employed by the City of Madera). For those at will positions that the Madera Municipal Code provides that the City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT is the appointing authority, the City Administrator shall make a recommendation to the City Council regarding an open or closed recruitment. The City Council shall then make that determination.
R3:
In either case, the period of time provided for the recruitment process will be determined by the City Administrator or his designee. At the close of the recruitment period, the City Administrator or his designee shall review the pool of candidates, determine those who, among those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications, are most qualified for the position, and invite them for an interview with an oral board. Unless authorized by the City Administrator, the number of candidates invited to the oral board shall be no less than three.
R4:
The oral board shall consist of at least one professional external to the City organization, one member of the City staff, and one person who is a resident of Madera but not an employee or elected official of the City. The oral board shall examine the candidates based on those factors determined to constitute the merit and fitness for the position. At a minimum, these factors shall include the skills, knowledge and abilities described in the job description. The oral board shall rank the candidates based on the criteria the City Administrator or his designee provide. The City Administrator, City Council, or its designee, for Council designated appointments, shall interview at a minimum the top three ranked candidates. Additional candidates may be interviewed if it is determined the City's interests are served by interviewing a greater number of candidates.
R5:
A conditional offer of employment for an at will position shall be made only by the City Administrator or his designee for those positions that the Madera Municipal Code designates as being hired by the City Administrator. Offers of conditional employment for Council appointed at will positions shall be made only by the City Council.
R6:
Following a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be subject to the City's hiring practices which include medical evaluation, drug screen, background check, Department of Justice fingerprint check, and any other pre-employment PAG E 1 6 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT screening tools the City Administrator or his designee deems necessary.
R7:
Exceptions to this policy may be approved on a case-by-case basis only upon the approval of the City Administrator or City Council. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT PAG E 1 8 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT November 4, 2004 2004 Madera Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, CA 93639-0534 Re: Combined Response To Grand Jury From City Council and City Attorney, City of Madera Dear Grand Jury Members, Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the report prepared by the 2004 Grand Jury. Your conclusion that the hiring was not in violation of any existing policy and was understandable given the needs of the City and the qualifications of the candidate is consistent with the facts that were facing the City at the time of the hire. The City wishes to thank the grand jury for the manner in which the investigation was conducted, including their fairness and analysis of the issues. It is always helpful to have an outside independent party take time to review the policies and practices of the City especially when the review is done in a professional, unbiased and reasoned fashion. Your additional suggestion to consider adoption of a "Code of Ethics" will also be considered by the City. Should you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call at (559) 675-0855. Joseph A. Soldani City Attorney 205 West 4th Street, Madera, California 93637-3527 PAG E 2 0 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury PO Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 3rd Interim Report On Valley State Prison for Women INTRODUCTION Members of the 2004 Madera County Grand Jury toured Valley State Prison for Women, an institution of the California Department of Corrections, on March 25, 2004, pursuant to the duty to “inquire into the condition and management of the public prisons within the county,” as prescribed in §919(b) of the California Penal Code. This report deals strictly with the prison facility and its programs.
R8:
Evaluate once again the original feasibility study to determine if the factual data is germane to future projections.
R9:
Sell all or a portion of the generating units
R10:
Continue to monitor the mechanical operation on a 24 hour basis, thus reducing the potential for catastrophic failures. ENTITIES TO RESPOND
R39-05:
The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 INTRODUCTION 2003 Madera County Grand Jury advised the 2004 Madera County Grand Jury that the rth in INDINGS 004, members of the Public Safety & Welfare Committee (PS&W) of the 2004 Grand Jury had a n June 15, 2004 the PS&W Committee members met with ICWA Coordinators from Chukchansi, Big Sandy, ra he ICWA Coordinators told the Grand Jury members that they had one meeting with The Madera County n September 14, 2004, we had a meeting with the Madera County Department of Social Services Director, to ver n December 1, 2004, we had a meeting with the ICWA Coordinators for Chukchansi and Mono Tribes. They k he Grand Jury members asked the ICWA coordinators if this lack of communications was a common practice
Findings & Recommendations
11 findings
F1:
Create and implement communications channels between the Auditor/Controller, Tax Collector, and Assessor’s Offices, to allow for accurate determination of each business within the County of Madera, as to the type of business, and to ensure that all businesses are notified each year that they are responsible for certain taxes.
F2:
Add new fields to the current business license database program, in order to be able to determine and list businesses by the type of business, not just a category, i.e.: service. This could be done with the addition of a ‘type of business’ entry in the computer database, with a new field of search usage on the County’s Computer systems; i.e.: Bed & Breakfast.
F3:
Implement a new business license application form for information to be entered into the County Computer System, which would automatically request the name of business, and owner, as well as type of business, and other relevant information currently built into the current business license applications. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT a. The TOT business license application should also include the number of units of lodging available at the business. b. Consider adding a new computerized self-registration system that could be made available to new business owners at a new business license application window in the Tax Collector’s Office.
F4:
Create a new computer program for the County of Madera Tax Collector’s Office to manage and record the receipt of the TOT taxes from businesses, which would note the date when the payment was received, and the postmark date if mailed. a. If the payment included a late fee, the amount should be listed in a separate field, with an added total paid field to show the total amount paid. b. The computer program should be designed to determine automatically, upon entry of the postmark/date paid, whether the payment is late under the late fee policy. c. This system should automatically generate billing forms and notices of late fees due.
F5:
Payments received in the Tax Collector’s Office should be able to maintain, and list umbrella payments for each property when multiple properties are owned, and amount, on the newly created computer program. This should also include the ability to create sub-property listings for businesses owning or managing separate properties, such as management companies with multiple rentals. Each rental property should pay its tax separately.
F6:
Require as part of doing business under the TOT rules, that each business within Madera County provide income verification on the rental income, if requested by the Tax Collector. This should be done yearly, to verify payments are made accurately, rather than the current ‘honor system’ policy.
F7:
The daily collection of taxes, in the Tax Collector’s Office, should be processed for deposit daily, rather than the current holdover process.
F8:
Revise the RETURN ON TRANSIENT ROOM TAX form to include the name of the business, the name of the owner, address, mailing address, phone number of business if changed line, and note the type of business. The form should include in the OFFICIAL USE ONLY section, a line for the entry of the postmark date from the envelope when mail received.
F9:
Recommend that the Madera County Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution for the usage of some of the revenues from the Transient Occupancy Tax to be used for promoting the businesses that pay this tax. An example of this would be creating a website sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, specifically for the listing of businesses which offer lodging in Madera County and pay this Tax.
F10:
Recommend that the Tax Collector work with the Auditor, and County Counsel, to determine whether retroactive collections of taxes may be assessed against businesses that have not been paying taxes under the TOT rules. ENTITES TO RESPOND:
F11:
According to Board minutes of the MCWPA, options to solve the authority's problems are: (1) refinance their debts, (2) sell the generating units, (3) default on current debts, or (4) fund the deficiencies from other sources. CONCLUSIONS
Additional Recommendations
10
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The Grand Jury recommends that the Chowchilla Police Department procure a LiveScan fingerprint system. The Jury is concerned that the City of Chowchilla is not taking advantage of current technology and may miss opportunities to contribute to the safety of the community at this time of heightened security awareness. The LiveScan system may in the long-term provide additional savings by reducing the cost to the Police Department for the processing of fingerprints manually. ENTITIES TO RESPOND 1. Madera County Board of Supervisors 2. City of Chowchilla Chief of Police 3. Chowchilla City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury Tour of The Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility
R2:
Prior to beginning recruitment for an at will position, the City Administrator shall review the job description for the job classification and the potential pool of candidates currently employed by the City. Based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position, the City Administrator will make a determination of whether the recruitment for the position will be open (open to all who meet the specified qualifications) or closed (open only to those qualified candidates currently employed by the City of Madera). For those at will positions that the Madera Municipal Code provides that the City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT is the appointing authority, the City Administrator shall make a recommendation to the City Council regarding an open or closed recruitment. The City Council shall then make that determination.
R3:
In either case, the period of time provided for the recruitment process will be determined by the City Administrator or his designee. At the close of the recruitment period, the City Administrator or his designee shall review the pool of candidates, determine those who, among those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications, are most qualified for the position, and invite them for an interview with an oral board. Unless authorized by the City Administrator, the number of candidates invited to the oral board shall be no less than three.
R4:
The oral board shall consist of at least one professional external to the City organization, one member of the City staff, and one person who is a resident of Madera but not an employee or elected official of the City. The oral board shall examine the candidates based on those factors determined to constitute the merit and fitness for the position. At a minimum, these factors shall include the skills, knowledge and abilities described in the job description. The oral board shall rank the candidates based on the criteria the City Administrator or his designee provide. The City Administrator, City Council, or its designee, for Council designated appointments, shall interview at a minimum the top three ranked candidates. Additional candidates may be interviewed if it is determined the City's interests are served by interviewing a greater number of candidates.
R5:
A conditional offer of employment for an at will position shall be made only by the City Administrator or his designee for those positions that the Madera Municipal Code designates as being hired by the City Administrator. Offers of conditional employment for Council appointed at will positions shall be made only by the City Council.
R6:
Following a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be subject to the City's hiring practices which include medical evaluation, drug screen, background check, Department of Justice fingerprint check, and any other pre-employment PAG E 1 6 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT screening tools the City Administrator or his designee deems necessary.
R7:
Exceptions to this policy may be approved on a case-by-case basis only upon the approval of the City Administrator or City Council. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT PAG E 1 8 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT November 4, 2004 2004 Madera Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, CA 93639-0534 Re: Combined Response To Grand Jury From City Council and City Attorney, City of Madera Dear Grand Jury Members, Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the report prepared by the 2004 Grand Jury. Your conclusion that the hiring was not in violation of any existing policy and was understandable given the needs of the City and the qualifications of the candidate is consistent with the facts that were facing the City at the time of the hire. The City wishes to thank the grand jury for the manner in which the investigation was conducted, including their fairness and analysis of the issues. It is always helpful to have an outside independent party take time to review the policies and practices of the City especially when the review is done in a professional, unbiased and reasoned fashion. Your additional suggestion to consider adoption of a "Code of Ethics" will also be considered by the City. Should you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call at (559) 675-0855. Joseph A. Soldani City Attorney 205 West 4th Street, Madera, California 93637-3527 PAG E 2 0 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury PO Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 3rd Interim Report On Valley State Prison for Women INTRODUCTION Members of the 2004 Madera County Grand Jury toured Valley State Prison for Women, an institution of the California Department of Corrections, on March 25, 2004, pursuant to the duty to “inquire into the condition and management of the public prisons within the county,” as prescribed in §919(b) of the California Penal Code. This report deals strictly with the prison facility and its programs.
R8:
Evaluate once again the original feasibility study to determine if the factual data is germane to future projections.
R9:
Sell all or a portion of the generating units
R10:
Continue to monitor the mechanical operation on a 24 hour basis, thus reducing the potential for catastrophic failures. ENTITIES TO RESPOND
Quick View
Full Details →
Findings & Recommendations
11 findings
F1:
Create and implement communications channels between the Auditor/Controller, Tax Collector, and Assessor’s Offices, to allow for accurate determination of each business within the County of Madera, as to the type of business, and to ensure that all businesses are notified each year that they are responsible for certain taxes.
F2:
Add new fields to the current business license database program, in order to be able to determine and list businesses by the type of business, not just a category, i.e.: service. This could be done with the addition of a ‘type of business’ entry in the computer database, with a new field of search usage on the County’s Computer systems; i.e.: Bed & Breakfast.
F3:
Implement a new business license application form for information to be entered into the County Computer System, which would automatically request the name of business, and owner, as well as type of business, and other relevant information currently built into the current business license applications. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT a. The TOT business license application should also include the number of units of lodging available at the business. b. Consider adding a new computerized self-registration system that could be made available to new business owners at a new business license application window in the Tax Collector’s Office.
F4:
Create a new computer program for the County of Madera Tax Collector’s Office to manage and record the receipt of the TOT taxes from businesses, which would note the date when the payment was received, and the postmark date if mailed. a. If the payment included a late fee, the amount should be listed in a separate field, with an added total paid field to show the total amount paid. b. The computer program should be designed to determine automatically, upon entry of the postmark/date paid, whether the payment is late under the late fee policy. c. This system should automatically generate billing forms and notices of late fees due.
F5:
Payments received in the Tax Collector’s Office should be able to maintain, and list umbrella payments for each property when multiple properties are owned, and amount, on the newly created computer program. This should also include the ability to create sub-property listings for businesses owning or managing separate properties, such as management companies with multiple rentals. Each rental property should pay its tax separately.
F6:
Require as part of doing business under the TOT rules, that each business within Madera County provide income verification on the rental income, if requested by the Tax Collector. This should be done yearly, to verify payments are made accurately, rather than the current ‘honor system’ policy.
F7:
The daily collection of taxes, in the Tax Collector’s Office, should be processed for deposit daily, rather than the current holdover process.
F8:
Revise the RETURN ON TRANSIENT ROOM TAX form to include the name of the business, the name of the owner, address, mailing address, phone number of business if changed line, and note the type of business. The form should include in the OFFICIAL USE ONLY section, a line for the entry of the postmark date from the envelope when mail received.
F9:
Recommend that the Madera County Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution for the usage of some of the revenues from the Transient Occupancy Tax to be used for promoting the businesses that pay this tax. An example of this would be creating a website sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, specifically for the listing of businesses which offer lodging in Madera County and pay this Tax.
F10:
Recommend that the Tax Collector work with the Auditor, and County Counsel, to determine whether retroactive collections of taxes may be assessed against businesses that have not been paying taxes under the TOT rules. ENTITES TO RESPOND:
F11:
According to Board minutes of the MCWPA, options to solve the authority's problems are: (1) refinance their debts, (2) sell the generating units, (3) default on current debts, or (4) fund the deficiencies from other sources. CONCLUSIONS
Additional Recommendations
10
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The Grand Jury recommends that the Chowchilla Police Department procure a LiveScan fingerprint system. The Jury is concerned that the City of Chowchilla is not taking advantage of current technology and may miss opportunities to contribute to the safety of the community at this time of heightened security awareness. The LiveScan system may in the long-term provide additional savings by reducing the cost to the Police Department for the processing of fingerprints manually. ENTITIES TO RESPOND 1. Madera County Board of Supervisors 2. City of Chowchilla Chief of Police 3. Chowchilla City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury Tour of The Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility
R2:
Prior to beginning recruitment for an at will position, the City Administrator shall review the job description for the job classification and the potential pool of candidates currently employed by the City. Based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position, the City Administrator will make a determination of whether the recruitment for the position will be open (open to all who meet the specified qualifications) or closed (open only to those qualified candidates currently employed by the City of Madera). For those at will positions that the Madera Municipal Code provides that the City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT is the appointing authority, the City Administrator shall make a recommendation to the City Council regarding an open or closed recruitment. The City Council shall then make that determination.
R3:
In either case, the period of time provided for the recruitment process will be determined by the City Administrator or his designee. At the close of the recruitment period, the City Administrator or his designee shall review the pool of candidates, determine those who, among those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications, are most qualified for the position, and invite them for an interview with an oral board. Unless authorized by the City Administrator, the number of candidates invited to the oral board shall be no less than three.
R4:
The oral board shall consist of at least one professional external to the City organization, one member of the City staff, and one person who is a resident of Madera but not an employee or elected official of the City. The oral board shall examine the candidates based on those factors determined to constitute the merit and fitness for the position. At a minimum, these factors shall include the skills, knowledge and abilities described in the job description. The oral board shall rank the candidates based on the criteria the City Administrator or his designee provide. The City Administrator, City Council, or its designee, for Council designated appointments, shall interview at a minimum the top three ranked candidates. Additional candidates may be interviewed if it is determined the City's interests are served by interviewing a greater number of candidates.
R5:
A conditional offer of employment for an at will position shall be made only by the City Administrator or his designee for those positions that the Madera Municipal Code designates as being hired by the City Administrator. Offers of conditional employment for Council appointed at will positions shall be made only by the City Council.
R6:
Following a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be subject to the City's hiring practices which include medical evaluation, drug screen, background check, Department of Justice fingerprint check, and any other pre-employment PAG E 1 6 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT screening tools the City Administrator or his designee deems necessary.
R7:
Exceptions to this policy may be approved on a case-by-case basis only upon the approval of the City Administrator or City Council. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT PAG E 1 8 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT November 4, 2004 2004 Madera Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, CA 93639-0534 Re: Combined Response To Grand Jury From City Council and City Attorney, City of Madera Dear Grand Jury Members, Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the report prepared by the 2004 Grand Jury. Your conclusion that the hiring was not in violation of any existing policy and was understandable given the needs of the City and the qualifications of the candidate is consistent with the facts that were facing the City at the time of the hire. The City wishes to thank the grand jury for the manner in which the investigation was conducted, including their fairness and analysis of the issues. It is always helpful to have an outside independent party take time to review the policies and practices of the City especially when the review is done in a professional, unbiased and reasoned fashion. Your additional suggestion to consider adoption of a "Code of Ethics" will also be considered by the City. Should you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call at (559) 675-0855. Joseph A. Soldani City Attorney 205 West 4th Street, Madera, California 93637-3527 PAG E 2 0 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury PO Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 3rd Interim Report On Valley State Prison for Women INTRODUCTION Members of the 2004 Madera County Grand Jury toured Valley State Prison for Women, an institution of the California Department of Corrections, on March 25, 2004, pursuant to the duty to “inquire into the condition and management of the public prisons within the county,” as prescribed in §919(b) of the California Penal Code. This report deals strictly with the prison facility and its programs.
R8:
Evaluate once again the original feasibility study to determine if the factual data is germane to future projections.
R9:
Sell all or a portion of the generating units
R10:
Continue to monitor the mechanical operation on a 24 hour basis, thus reducing the potential for catastrophic failures. ENTITIES TO RESPOND
Additional Recommendations
4
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
That the Board of Supervisors provides the personnel necessary to conduct the program as originally designed. This includes providing the counselors and probation officers needed for the follow-up treatment that can make this program a success.
R2:
That the Board of Supervisors provide a fully adequate diet, including an afternoon nutritious snack, that is designed for 14 to 18 year old cadets.
R3:
On entry to the program a cadet should be given a nutritional assessment, special consideration for possible malnutrition, and a strong consideration for additional nutrients for activity factors. RESPONSES
R4:
Madera County Health Department, Registered Dietician Supervisor The Following documents are related to the Final Report on the Juvenile Correctional Camp: PAG E 7 8 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT PAG E 8 0 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 22000044 MMAADDEERRAA CCOOUUNNTTYY GGRRAANNDD JJUURRYY FFIINNAALL RREEPPOORRTT PPAAGGEE 8811 PPAAGG EE 88 22 22000044 MMAADDEERRAA CCOOUUNNTTYY GGRRAANNDD JJUURRYY FFIINNAALL RREEPPOORRTT 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT
Findings & Recommendations
11 findings
F1:
Create and implement communications channels between the Auditor/Controller, Tax Collector, and Assessor’s Offices, to allow for accurate determination of each business within the County of Madera, as to the type of business, and to ensure that all businesses are notified each year that they are responsible for certain taxes.
F2:
Add new fields to the current business license database program, in order to be able to determine and list businesses by the type of business, not just a category, i.e.: service. This could be done with the addition of a ‘type of business’ entry in the computer database, with a new field of search usage on the County’s Computer systems; i.e.: Bed & Breakfast.
F3:
Implement a new business license application form for information to be entered into the County Computer System, which would automatically request the name of business, and owner, as well as type of business, and other relevant information currently built into the current business license applications. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT a. The TOT business license application should also include the number of units of lodging available at the business. b. Consider adding a new computerized self-registration system that could be made available to new business owners at a new business license application window in the Tax Collector’s Office.
F4:
Create a new computer program for the County of Madera Tax Collector’s Office to manage and record the receipt of the TOT taxes from businesses, which would note the date when the payment was received, and the postmark date if mailed. a. If the payment included a late fee, the amount should be listed in a separate field, with an added total paid field to show the total amount paid. b. The computer program should be designed to determine automatically, upon entry of the postmark/date paid, whether the payment is late under the late fee policy. c. This system should automatically generate billing forms and notices of late fees due.
F5:
Payments received in the Tax Collector’s Office should be able to maintain, and list umbrella payments for each property when multiple properties are owned, and amount, on the newly created computer program. This should also include the ability to create sub-property listings for businesses owning or managing separate properties, such as management companies with multiple rentals. Each rental property should pay its tax separately.
F6:
Require as part of doing business under the TOT rules, that each business within Madera County provide income verification on the rental income, if requested by the Tax Collector. This should be done yearly, to verify payments are made accurately, rather than the current ‘honor system’ policy.
F7:
The daily collection of taxes, in the Tax Collector’s Office, should be processed for deposit daily, rather than the current holdover process.
F8:
Revise the RETURN ON TRANSIENT ROOM TAX form to include the name of the business, the name of the owner, address, mailing address, phone number of business if changed line, and note the type of business. The form should include in the OFFICIAL USE ONLY section, a line for the entry of the postmark date from the envelope when mail received.
F9:
Recommend that the Madera County Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution for the usage of some of the revenues from the Transient Occupancy Tax to be used for promoting the businesses that pay this tax. An example of this would be creating a website sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, specifically for the listing of businesses which offer lodging in Madera County and pay this Tax.
F10:
Recommend that the Tax Collector work with the Auditor, and County Counsel, to determine whether retroactive collections of taxes may be assessed against businesses that have not been paying taxes under the TOT rules. ENTITES TO RESPOND:
F11:
According to Board minutes of the MCWPA, options to solve the authority's problems are: (1) refinance their debts, (2) sell the generating units, (3) default on current debts, or (4) fund the deficiencies from other sources. CONCLUSIONS
Additional Recommendations
10
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The Grand Jury recommends that the Chowchilla Police Department procure a LiveScan fingerprint system. The Jury is concerned that the City of Chowchilla is not taking advantage of current technology and may miss opportunities to contribute to the safety of the community at this time of heightened security awareness. The LiveScan system may in the long-term provide additional savings by reducing the cost to the Police Department for the processing of fingerprints manually. ENTITIES TO RESPOND 1. Madera County Board of Supervisors 2. City of Chowchilla Chief of Police 3. Chowchilla City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury Tour of The Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility
R2:
Prior to beginning recruitment for an at will position, the City Administrator shall review the job description for the job classification and the potential pool of candidates currently employed by the City. Based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position, the City Administrator will make a determination of whether the recruitment for the position will be open (open to all who meet the specified qualifications) or closed (open only to those qualified candidates currently employed by the City of Madera). For those at will positions that the Madera Municipal Code provides that the City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT is the appointing authority, the City Administrator shall make a recommendation to the City Council regarding an open or closed recruitment. The City Council shall then make that determination.
R3:
In either case, the period of time provided for the recruitment process will be determined by the City Administrator or his designee. At the close of the recruitment period, the City Administrator or his designee shall review the pool of candidates, determine those who, among those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications, are most qualified for the position, and invite them for an interview with an oral board. Unless authorized by the City Administrator, the number of candidates invited to the oral board shall be no less than three.
R4:
The oral board shall consist of at least one professional external to the City organization, one member of the City staff, and one person who is a resident of Madera but not an employee or elected official of the City. The oral board shall examine the candidates based on those factors determined to constitute the merit and fitness for the position. At a minimum, these factors shall include the skills, knowledge and abilities described in the job description. The oral board shall rank the candidates based on the criteria the City Administrator or his designee provide. The City Administrator, City Council, or its designee, for Council designated appointments, shall interview at a minimum the top three ranked candidates. Additional candidates may be interviewed if it is determined the City's interests are served by interviewing a greater number of candidates.
R5:
A conditional offer of employment for an at will position shall be made only by the City Administrator or his designee for those positions that the Madera Municipal Code designates as being hired by the City Administrator. Offers of conditional employment for Council appointed at will positions shall be made only by the City Council.
R6:
Following a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be subject to the City's hiring practices which include medical evaluation, drug screen, background check, Department of Justice fingerprint check, and any other pre-employment PAG E 1 6 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT screening tools the City Administrator or his designee deems necessary.
R7:
Exceptions to this policy may be approved on a case-by-case basis only upon the approval of the City Administrator or City Council. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT PAG E 1 8 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT November 4, 2004 2004 Madera Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, CA 93639-0534 Re: Combined Response To Grand Jury From City Council and City Attorney, City of Madera Dear Grand Jury Members, Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the report prepared by the 2004 Grand Jury. Your conclusion that the hiring was not in violation of any existing policy and was understandable given the needs of the City and the qualifications of the candidate is consistent with the facts that were facing the City at the time of the hire. The City wishes to thank the grand jury for the manner in which the investigation was conducted, including their fairness and analysis of the issues. It is always helpful to have an outside independent party take time to review the policies and practices of the City especially when the review is done in a professional, unbiased and reasoned fashion. Your additional suggestion to consider adoption of a "Code of Ethics" will also be considered by the City. Should you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call at (559) 675-0855. Joseph A. Soldani City Attorney 205 West 4th Street, Madera, California 93637-3527 PAG E 2 0 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury PO Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 3rd Interim Report On Valley State Prison for Women INTRODUCTION Members of the 2004 Madera County Grand Jury toured Valley State Prison for Women, an institution of the California Department of Corrections, on March 25, 2004, pursuant to the duty to “inquire into the condition and management of the public prisons within the county,” as prescribed in §919(b) of the California Penal Code. This report deals strictly with the prison facility and its programs.
R8:
Evaluate once again the original feasibility study to determine if the factual data is germane to future projections.
R9:
Sell all or a portion of the generating units
R10:
Continue to monitor the mechanical operation on a 24 hour basis, thus reducing the potential for catastrophic failures. ENTITIES TO RESPOND
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Findings & Recommendations
3 findings
F11:
According to Board minutes of the MCWPA, options to solve the authority's problems are: (1) refinance their debts, (2) sell the generating units, (3) default on current debts, or (4) fund the deficiencies from other sources. CONCLUSIONS
F2001:
There are still several more years remaining to be resolved before this situation can be considered current. In the meantime, the cost of this investigation continues to add up with the continuing dedication of one fulltime employee to this task, legal counsel, litigation costs, etc. All of this could have been avoided had proper accounting procedures and practices been in place and followed at the time these bank account changes took place. CONCLUSION As the funding shortage is awaiting resolution in the Courts, the current Grand Jury must defer final comment on the case until that action is resolved. It is hoped that the Madera County Superintendent will continue to support and expedite the accounts reconciliation and that this situation will be brought to current and that finally this matter can be laid to rest. As was stated by the Director of Business and Administrative Services for Madera County, they are currently exploring the ability to reach a decision and resolution either through mediation or arbitration in order to expedite this matter. This is hoped to happen in early, 2005.
F2004:
Tony Bacci, the VSPW Legal Representative, provided the Logs and was the person that requested the status up the logs with the District Attorney’s Office. The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury contacted the District Attorney’s Office and spoke with John Bell, the Accounting Manager for the District Attorney’s Office. Mr. Bell researched the information and gave the Grand Jury a copy of the status sheets for the cases listed in the logs, which were subsequently provided to Mr. Bacci at the VSPW. CONCLUSION The crime incidents at VSPW are confidential, and are not published in this Grand Jury Final Report. However, the request for information assistance is considered a Grand Jury duty, and is noted herein, as a matter of public record.
Additional Recommendations
2
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The Superintendent should be granted the funding for adequate staffing.
R2:
The Board of Supervisors should consider increasing the funds for training to offset the funding cuts by the State of California, without decreasing the funding of the overall current funding provided to the Detention Facility.
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Findings & Recommendations
6 findings
F1:
The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury recommends the immediate cancellation of the contract with the Janitorial Services Company, due to the requirements of cleaning having not been met, per County of Madera, Agreement No. 6603-C-2000, pg.2, subsection 1, paragraph 2.
F2:
That the Board of Supervisors bid these services out for contract as individual cleaning contracts, by building, and that all attempt be made to contract to companies, or persons, who live in the area of Eastern Madera County.
F3:
That the County of Madera perform reviews, and survey the employees or volunteers of the departments affected, of the cleaning ability of the contracted companies or persons, to ensure compliance with the contracted cleaning schedules, and that this be done at least every sixty (60) days.
F4:
Should the County of Madera find substandard performance during the reviews as recommended in item 3, that the County demand performance, and if the contractor fails to perform, then the County shall terminate the contract.
F5:
All contracts for Janitorial Services should be done with the stipulation that no contract may be sub- contracted.
F6:
All contracts should be done as to ensure that the amount of service provided meet the State of California minimum hourly rates for these services. RESPONSES:
Additional Recommendations
3
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
Madera County Board of Supervisors
R2:
Madera County Auditors Office
R3:
Special Dist 19 Board (Rolling Hills Citizen’s Association) RESPONSE REQUIRED FOR RECOMMENDATION
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Findings & Recommendations
6 findings
F1:
The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury recommends the immediate cancellation of the contract with the Janitorial Services Company, due to the requirements of cleaning having not been met, per County of Madera, Agreement No. 6603-C-2000, pg.2, subsection 1, paragraph 2.
F2:
That the Board of Supervisors bid these services out for contract as individual cleaning contracts, by building, and that all attempt be made to contract to companies, or persons, who live in the area of Eastern Madera County.
F3:
That the County of Madera perform reviews, and survey the employees or volunteers of the departments affected, of the cleaning ability of the contracted companies or persons, to ensure compliance with the contracted cleaning schedules, and that this be done at least every sixty (60) days.
F4:
Should the County of Madera find substandard performance during the reviews as recommended in item 3, that the County demand performance, and if the contractor fails to perform, then the County shall terminate the contract.
F5:
All contracts for Janitorial Services should be done with the stipulation that no contract may be sub- contracted.
F6:
All contracts should be done as to ensure that the amount of service provided meet the State of California minimum hourly rates for these services. RESPONSES:
Additional Recommendations
3
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
Madera County Board of Supervisors
R2:
Madera County Auditors Office
R3:
Special Dist 19 Board (Rolling Hills Citizen’s Association) RESPONSE REQUIRED FOR RECOMMENDATION
Findings & Recommendations
11 findings
F1:
Create and implement communications channels between the Auditor/Controller, Tax Collector, and Assessor’s Offices, to allow for accurate determination of each business within the County of Madera, as to the type of business, and to ensure that all businesses are notified each year that they are responsible for certain taxes.
F2:
Add new fields to the current business license database program, in order to be able to determine and list businesses by the type of business, not just a category, i.e.: service. This could be done with the addition of a ‘type of business’ entry in the computer database, with a new field of search usage on the County’s Computer systems; i.e.: Bed & Breakfast.
F3:
Implement a new business license application form for information to be entered into the County Computer System, which would automatically request the name of business, and owner, as well as type of business, and other relevant information currently built into the current business license applications. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT a. The TOT business license application should also include the number of units of lodging available at the business. b. Consider adding a new computerized self-registration system that could be made available to new business owners at a new business license application window in the Tax Collector’s Office.
F4:
Create a new computer program for the County of Madera Tax Collector’s Office to manage and record the receipt of the TOT taxes from businesses, which would note the date when the payment was received, and the postmark date if mailed. a. If the payment included a late fee, the amount should be listed in a separate field, with an added total paid field to show the total amount paid. b. The computer program should be designed to determine automatically, upon entry of the postmark/date paid, whether the payment is late under the late fee policy. c. This system should automatically generate billing forms and notices of late fees due.
F5:
Payments received in the Tax Collector’s Office should be able to maintain, and list umbrella payments for each property when multiple properties are owned, and amount, on the newly created computer program. This should also include the ability to create sub-property listings for businesses owning or managing separate properties, such as management companies with multiple rentals. Each rental property should pay its tax separately.
F6:
Require as part of doing business under the TOT rules, that each business within Madera County provide income verification on the rental income, if requested by the Tax Collector. This should be done yearly, to verify payments are made accurately, rather than the current ‘honor system’ policy.
F7:
The daily collection of taxes, in the Tax Collector’s Office, should be processed for deposit daily, rather than the current holdover process.
F8:
Revise the RETURN ON TRANSIENT ROOM TAX form to include the name of the business, the name of the owner, address, mailing address, phone number of business if changed line, and note the type of business. The form should include in the OFFICIAL USE ONLY section, a line for the entry of the postmark date from the envelope when mail received.
F9:
Recommend that the Madera County Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution for the usage of some of the revenues from the Transient Occupancy Tax to be used for promoting the businesses that pay this tax. An example of this would be creating a website sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, specifically for the listing of businesses which offer lodging in Madera County and pay this Tax.
F10:
Recommend that the Tax Collector work with the Auditor, and County Counsel, to determine whether retroactive collections of taxes may be assessed against businesses that have not been paying taxes under the TOT rules. ENTITES TO RESPOND:
F11:
According to Board minutes of the MCWPA, options to solve the authority's problems are: (1) refinance their debts, (2) sell the generating units, (3) default on current debts, or (4) fund the deficiencies from other sources. CONCLUSIONS
Additional Recommendations
10
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The Grand Jury recommends that the Chowchilla Police Department procure a LiveScan fingerprint system. The Jury is concerned that the City of Chowchilla is not taking advantage of current technology and may miss opportunities to contribute to the safety of the community at this time of heightened security awareness. The LiveScan system may in the long-term provide additional savings by reducing the cost to the Police Department for the processing of fingerprints manually. ENTITIES TO RESPOND 1. Madera County Board of Supervisors 2. City of Chowchilla Chief of Police 3. Chowchilla City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury Tour of The Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility
R2:
Prior to beginning recruitment for an at will position, the City Administrator shall review the job description for the job classification and the potential pool of candidates currently employed by the City. Based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position, the City Administrator will make a determination of whether the recruitment for the position will be open (open to all who meet the specified qualifications) or closed (open only to those qualified candidates currently employed by the City of Madera). For those at will positions that the Madera Municipal Code provides that the City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT is the appointing authority, the City Administrator shall make a recommendation to the City Council regarding an open or closed recruitment. The City Council shall then make that determination.
R3:
In either case, the period of time provided for the recruitment process will be determined by the City Administrator or his designee. At the close of the recruitment period, the City Administrator or his designee shall review the pool of candidates, determine those who, among those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications, are most qualified for the position, and invite them for an interview with an oral board. Unless authorized by the City Administrator, the number of candidates invited to the oral board shall be no less than three.
R4:
The oral board shall consist of at least one professional external to the City organization, one member of the City staff, and one person who is a resident of Madera but not an employee or elected official of the City. The oral board shall examine the candidates based on those factors determined to constitute the merit and fitness for the position. At a minimum, these factors shall include the skills, knowledge and abilities described in the job description. The oral board shall rank the candidates based on the criteria the City Administrator or his designee provide. The City Administrator, City Council, or its designee, for Council designated appointments, shall interview at a minimum the top three ranked candidates. Additional candidates may be interviewed if it is determined the City's interests are served by interviewing a greater number of candidates.
R5:
A conditional offer of employment for an at will position shall be made only by the City Administrator or his designee for those positions that the Madera Municipal Code designates as being hired by the City Administrator. Offers of conditional employment for Council appointed at will positions shall be made only by the City Council.
R6:
Following a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be subject to the City's hiring practices which include medical evaluation, drug screen, background check, Department of Justice fingerprint check, and any other pre-employment PAG E 1 6 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT screening tools the City Administrator or his designee deems necessary.
R7:
Exceptions to this policy may be approved on a case-by-case basis only upon the approval of the City Administrator or City Council. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT PAG E 1 8 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT November 4, 2004 2004 Madera Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, CA 93639-0534 Re: Combined Response To Grand Jury From City Council and City Attorney, City of Madera Dear Grand Jury Members, Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the report prepared by the 2004 Grand Jury. Your conclusion that the hiring was not in violation of any existing policy and was understandable given the needs of the City and the qualifications of the candidate is consistent with the facts that were facing the City at the time of the hire. The City wishes to thank the grand jury for the manner in which the investigation was conducted, including their fairness and analysis of the issues. It is always helpful to have an outside independent party take time to review the policies and practices of the City especially when the review is done in a professional, unbiased and reasoned fashion. Your additional suggestion to consider adoption of a "Code of Ethics" will also be considered by the City. Should you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call at (559) 675-0855. Joseph A. Soldani City Attorney 205 West 4th Street, Madera, California 93637-3527 PAG E 2 0 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury PO Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 3rd Interim Report On Valley State Prison for Women INTRODUCTION Members of the 2004 Madera County Grand Jury toured Valley State Prison for Women, an institution of the California Department of Corrections, on March 25, 2004, pursuant to the duty to “inquire into the condition and management of the public prisons within the county,” as prescribed in §919(b) of the California Penal Code. This report deals strictly with the prison facility and its programs.
R8:
Evaluate once again the original feasibility study to determine if the factual data is germane to future projections.
R9:
Sell all or a portion of the generating units
R10:
Continue to monitor the mechanical operation on a 24 hour basis, thus reducing the potential for catastrophic failures. ENTITIES TO RESPOND
Findings & Recommendations
11 findings
F1:
Create and implement communications channels between the Auditor/Controller, Tax Collector, and Assessor’s Offices, to allow for accurate determination of each business within the County of Madera, as to the type of business, and to ensure that all businesses are notified each year that they are responsible for certain taxes.
F2:
Add new fields to the current business license database program, in order to be able to determine and list businesses by the type of business, not just a category, i.e.: service. This could be done with the addition of a ‘type of business’ entry in the computer database, with a new field of search usage on the County’s Computer systems; i.e.: Bed & Breakfast.
F3:
Implement a new business license application form for information to be entered into the County Computer System, which would automatically request the name of business, and owner, as well as type of business, and other relevant information currently built into the current business license applications. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT a. The TOT business license application should also include the number of units of lodging available at the business. b. Consider adding a new computerized self-registration system that could be made available to new business owners at a new business license application window in the Tax Collector’s Office.
F4:
Create a new computer program for the County of Madera Tax Collector’s Office to manage and record the receipt of the TOT taxes from businesses, which would note the date when the payment was received, and the postmark date if mailed. a. If the payment included a late fee, the amount should be listed in a separate field, with an added total paid field to show the total amount paid. b. The computer program should be designed to determine automatically, upon entry of the postmark/date paid, whether the payment is late under the late fee policy. c. This system should automatically generate billing forms and notices of late fees due.
F5:
Payments received in the Tax Collector’s Office should be able to maintain, and list umbrella payments for each property when multiple properties are owned, and amount, on the newly created computer program. This should also include the ability to create sub-property listings for businesses owning or managing separate properties, such as management companies with multiple rentals. Each rental property should pay its tax separately.
F6:
Require as part of doing business under the TOT rules, that each business within Madera County provide income verification on the rental income, if requested by the Tax Collector. This should be done yearly, to verify payments are made accurately, rather than the current ‘honor system’ policy.
F7:
The daily collection of taxes, in the Tax Collector’s Office, should be processed for deposit daily, rather than the current holdover process.
F8:
Revise the RETURN ON TRANSIENT ROOM TAX form to include the name of the business, the name of the owner, address, mailing address, phone number of business if changed line, and note the type of business. The form should include in the OFFICIAL USE ONLY section, a line for the entry of the postmark date from the envelope when mail received.
F9:
Recommend that the Madera County Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution for the usage of some of the revenues from the Transient Occupancy Tax to be used for promoting the businesses that pay this tax. An example of this would be creating a website sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, specifically for the listing of businesses which offer lodging in Madera County and pay this Tax.
F10:
Recommend that the Tax Collector work with the Auditor, and County Counsel, to determine whether retroactive collections of taxes may be assessed against businesses that have not been paying taxes under the TOT rules. ENTITES TO RESPOND:
F11:
According to Board minutes of the MCWPA, options to solve the authority's problems are: (1) refinance their debts, (2) sell the generating units, (3) default on current debts, or (4) fund the deficiencies from other sources. CONCLUSIONS
Additional Recommendations
10
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The Grand Jury recommends that the Chowchilla Police Department procure a LiveScan fingerprint system. The Jury is concerned that the City of Chowchilla is not taking advantage of current technology and may miss opportunities to contribute to the safety of the community at this time of heightened security awareness. The LiveScan system may in the long-term provide additional savings by reducing the cost to the Police Department for the processing of fingerprints manually. ENTITIES TO RESPOND 1. Madera County Board of Supervisors 2. City of Chowchilla Chief of Police 3. Chowchilla City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury Tour of The Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility
R2:
Prior to beginning recruitment for an at will position, the City Administrator shall review the job description for the job classification and the potential pool of candidates currently employed by the City. Based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position, the City Administrator will make a determination of whether the recruitment for the position will be open (open to all who meet the specified qualifications) or closed (open only to those qualified candidates currently employed by the City of Madera). For those at will positions that the Madera Municipal Code provides that the City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT is the appointing authority, the City Administrator shall make a recommendation to the City Council regarding an open or closed recruitment. The City Council shall then make that determination.
R3:
In either case, the period of time provided for the recruitment process will be determined by the City Administrator or his designee. At the close of the recruitment period, the City Administrator or his designee shall review the pool of candidates, determine those who, among those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications, are most qualified for the position, and invite them for an interview with an oral board. Unless authorized by the City Administrator, the number of candidates invited to the oral board shall be no less than three.
R4:
The oral board shall consist of at least one professional external to the City organization, one member of the City staff, and one person who is a resident of Madera but not an employee or elected official of the City. The oral board shall examine the candidates based on those factors determined to constitute the merit and fitness for the position. At a minimum, these factors shall include the skills, knowledge and abilities described in the job description. The oral board shall rank the candidates based on the criteria the City Administrator or his designee provide. The City Administrator, City Council, or its designee, for Council designated appointments, shall interview at a minimum the top three ranked candidates. Additional candidates may be interviewed if it is determined the City's interests are served by interviewing a greater number of candidates.
R5:
A conditional offer of employment for an at will position shall be made only by the City Administrator or his designee for those positions that the Madera Municipal Code designates as being hired by the City Administrator. Offers of conditional employment for Council appointed at will positions shall be made only by the City Council.
R6:
Following a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be subject to the City's hiring practices which include medical evaluation, drug screen, background check, Department of Justice fingerprint check, and any other pre-employment PAG E 1 6 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT screening tools the City Administrator or his designee deems necessary.
R7:
Exceptions to this policy may be approved on a case-by-case basis only upon the approval of the City Administrator or City Council. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT PAG E 1 8 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT November 4, 2004 2004 Madera Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, CA 93639-0534 Re: Combined Response To Grand Jury From City Council and City Attorney, City of Madera Dear Grand Jury Members, Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the report prepared by the 2004 Grand Jury. Your conclusion that the hiring was not in violation of any existing policy and was understandable given the needs of the City and the qualifications of the candidate is consistent with the facts that were facing the City at the time of the hire. The City wishes to thank the grand jury for the manner in which the investigation was conducted, including their fairness and analysis of the issues. It is always helpful to have an outside independent party take time to review the policies and practices of the City especially when the review is done in a professional, unbiased and reasoned fashion. Your additional suggestion to consider adoption of a "Code of Ethics" will also be considered by the City. Should you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call at (559) 675-0855. Joseph A. Soldani City Attorney 205 West 4th Street, Madera, California 93637-3527 PAG E 2 0 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury PO Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 3rd Interim Report On Valley State Prison for Women INTRODUCTION Members of the 2004 Madera County Grand Jury toured Valley State Prison for Women, an institution of the California Department of Corrections, on March 25, 2004, pursuant to the duty to “inquire into the condition and management of the public prisons within the county,” as prescribed in §919(b) of the California Penal Code. This report deals strictly with the prison facility and its programs.
R8:
Evaluate once again the original feasibility study to determine if the factual data is germane to future projections.
R9:
Sell all or a portion of the generating units
R10:
Continue to monitor the mechanical operation on a 24 hour basis, thus reducing the potential for catastrophic failures. ENTITIES TO RESPOND
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Findings & Recommendations
11 findings
F1:
Create and implement communications channels between the Auditor/Controller, Tax Collector, and Assessor’s Offices, to allow for accurate determination of each business within the County of Madera, as to the type of business, and to ensure that all businesses are notified each year that they are responsible for certain taxes.
F2:
Add new fields to the current business license database program, in order to be able to determine and list businesses by the type of business, not just a category, i.e.: service. This could be done with the addition of a ‘type of business’ entry in the computer database, with a new field of search usage on the County’s Computer systems; i.e.: Bed & Breakfast.
F3:
Implement a new business license application form for information to be entered into the County Computer System, which would automatically request the name of business, and owner, as well as type of business, and other relevant information currently built into the current business license applications. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT a. The TOT business license application should also include the number of units of lodging available at the business. b. Consider adding a new computerized self-registration system that could be made available to new business owners at a new business license application window in the Tax Collector’s Office.
F4:
Create a new computer program for the County of Madera Tax Collector’s Office to manage and record the receipt of the TOT taxes from businesses, which would note the date when the payment was received, and the postmark date if mailed. a. If the payment included a late fee, the amount should be listed in a separate field, with an added total paid field to show the total amount paid. b. The computer program should be designed to determine automatically, upon entry of the postmark/date paid, whether the payment is late under the late fee policy. c. This system should automatically generate billing forms and notices of late fees due.
F5:
Payments received in the Tax Collector’s Office should be able to maintain, and list umbrella payments for each property when multiple properties are owned, and amount, on the newly created computer program. This should also include the ability to create sub-property listings for businesses owning or managing separate properties, such as management companies with multiple rentals. Each rental property should pay its tax separately.
F6:
Require as part of doing business under the TOT rules, that each business within Madera County provide income verification on the rental income, if requested by the Tax Collector. This should be done yearly, to verify payments are made accurately, rather than the current ‘honor system’ policy.
F7:
The daily collection of taxes, in the Tax Collector’s Office, should be processed for deposit daily, rather than the current holdover process.
F8:
Revise the RETURN ON TRANSIENT ROOM TAX form to include the name of the business, the name of the owner, address, mailing address, phone number of business if changed line, and note the type of business. The form should include in the OFFICIAL USE ONLY section, a line for the entry of the postmark date from the envelope when mail received.
F9:
Recommend that the Madera County Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution for the usage of some of the revenues from the Transient Occupancy Tax to be used for promoting the businesses that pay this tax. An example of this would be creating a website sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, specifically for the listing of businesses which offer lodging in Madera County and pay this Tax.
F10:
Recommend that the Tax Collector work with the Auditor, and County Counsel, to determine whether retroactive collections of taxes may be assessed against businesses that have not been paying taxes under the TOT rules. ENTITES TO RESPOND:
F11:
According to Board minutes of the MCWPA, options to solve the authority's problems are: (1) refinance their debts, (2) sell the generating units, (3) default on current debts, or (4) fund the deficiencies from other sources. CONCLUSIONS
Additional Recommendations
10
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The Grand Jury recommends that the Chowchilla Police Department procure a LiveScan fingerprint system. The Jury is concerned that the City of Chowchilla is not taking advantage of current technology and may miss opportunities to contribute to the safety of the community at this time of heightened security awareness. The LiveScan system may in the long-term provide additional savings by reducing the cost to the Police Department for the processing of fingerprints manually. ENTITIES TO RESPOND 1. Madera County Board of Supervisors 2. City of Chowchilla Chief of Police 3. Chowchilla City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury Tour of The Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility
R2:
Prior to beginning recruitment for an at will position, the City Administrator shall review the job description for the job classification and the potential pool of candidates currently employed by the City. Based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position, the City Administrator will make a determination of whether the recruitment for the position will be open (open to all who meet the specified qualifications) or closed (open only to those qualified candidates currently employed by the City of Madera). For those at will positions that the Madera Municipal Code provides that the City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT is the appointing authority, the City Administrator shall make a recommendation to the City Council regarding an open or closed recruitment. The City Council shall then make that determination.
R3:
In either case, the period of time provided for the recruitment process will be determined by the City Administrator or his designee. At the close of the recruitment period, the City Administrator or his designee shall review the pool of candidates, determine those who, among those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications, are most qualified for the position, and invite them for an interview with an oral board. Unless authorized by the City Administrator, the number of candidates invited to the oral board shall be no less than three.
R4:
The oral board shall consist of at least one professional external to the City organization, one member of the City staff, and one person who is a resident of Madera but not an employee or elected official of the City. The oral board shall examine the candidates based on those factors determined to constitute the merit and fitness for the position. At a minimum, these factors shall include the skills, knowledge and abilities described in the job description. The oral board shall rank the candidates based on the criteria the City Administrator or his designee provide. The City Administrator, City Council, or its designee, for Council designated appointments, shall interview at a minimum the top three ranked candidates. Additional candidates may be interviewed if it is determined the City's interests are served by interviewing a greater number of candidates.
R5:
A conditional offer of employment for an at will position shall be made only by the City Administrator or his designee for those positions that the Madera Municipal Code designates as being hired by the City Administrator. Offers of conditional employment for Council appointed at will positions shall be made only by the City Council.
R6:
Following a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be subject to the City's hiring practices which include medical evaluation, drug screen, background check, Department of Justice fingerprint check, and any other pre-employment PAG E 1 6 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT screening tools the City Administrator or his designee deems necessary.
R7:
Exceptions to this policy may be approved on a case-by-case basis only upon the approval of the City Administrator or City Council. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT PAG E 1 8 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT November 4, 2004 2004 Madera Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, CA 93639-0534 Re: Combined Response To Grand Jury From City Council and City Attorney, City of Madera Dear Grand Jury Members, Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the report prepared by the 2004 Grand Jury. Your conclusion that the hiring was not in violation of any existing policy and was understandable given the needs of the City and the qualifications of the candidate is consistent with the facts that were facing the City at the time of the hire. The City wishes to thank the grand jury for the manner in which the investigation was conducted, including their fairness and analysis of the issues. It is always helpful to have an outside independent party take time to review the policies and practices of the City especially when the review is done in a professional, unbiased and reasoned fashion. Your additional suggestion to consider adoption of a "Code of Ethics" will also be considered by the City. Should you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call at (559) 675-0855. Joseph A. Soldani City Attorney 205 West 4th Street, Madera, California 93637-3527 PAG E 2 0 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury PO Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 3rd Interim Report On Valley State Prison for Women INTRODUCTION Members of the 2004 Madera County Grand Jury toured Valley State Prison for Women, an institution of the California Department of Corrections, on March 25, 2004, pursuant to the duty to “inquire into the condition and management of the public prisons within the county,” as prescribed in §919(b) of the California Penal Code. This report deals strictly with the prison facility and its programs.
R8:
Evaluate once again the original feasibility study to determine if the factual data is germane to future projections.
R9:
Sell all or a portion of the generating units
R10:
Continue to monitor the mechanical operation on a 24 hour basis, thus reducing the potential for catastrophic failures. ENTITIES TO RESPOND
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Findings & Recommendations
11 findings
F1:
Create and implement communications channels between the Auditor/Controller, Tax Collector, and Assessor’s Offices, to allow for accurate determination of each business within the County of Madera, as to the type of business, and to ensure that all businesses are notified each year that they are responsible for certain taxes.
F2:
Add new fields to the current business license database program, in order to be able to determine and list businesses by the type of business, not just a category, i.e.: service. This could be done with the addition of a ‘type of business’ entry in the computer database, with a new field of search usage on the County’s Computer systems; i.e.: Bed & Breakfast.
F3:
Implement a new business license application form for information to be entered into the County Computer System, which would automatically request the name of business, and owner, as well as type of business, and other relevant information currently built into the current business license applications. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT a. The TOT business license application should also include the number of units of lodging available at the business. b. Consider adding a new computerized self-registration system that could be made available to new business owners at a new business license application window in the Tax Collector’s Office.
F4:
Create a new computer program for the County of Madera Tax Collector’s Office to manage and record the receipt of the TOT taxes from businesses, which would note the date when the payment was received, and the postmark date if mailed. a. If the payment included a late fee, the amount should be listed in a separate field, with an added total paid field to show the total amount paid. b. The computer program should be designed to determine automatically, upon entry of the postmark/date paid, whether the payment is late under the late fee policy. c. This system should automatically generate billing forms and notices of late fees due.
F5:
Payments received in the Tax Collector’s Office should be able to maintain, and list umbrella payments for each property when multiple properties are owned, and amount, on the newly created computer program. This should also include the ability to create sub-property listings for businesses owning or managing separate properties, such as management companies with multiple rentals. Each rental property should pay its tax separately.
F6:
Require as part of doing business under the TOT rules, that each business within Madera County provide income verification on the rental income, if requested by the Tax Collector. This should be done yearly, to verify payments are made accurately, rather than the current ‘honor system’ policy.
F7:
The daily collection of taxes, in the Tax Collector’s Office, should be processed for deposit daily, rather than the current holdover process.
F8:
Revise the RETURN ON TRANSIENT ROOM TAX form to include the name of the business, the name of the owner, address, mailing address, phone number of business if changed line, and note the type of business. The form should include in the OFFICIAL USE ONLY section, a line for the entry of the postmark date from the envelope when mail received.
F9:
Recommend that the Madera County Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution for the usage of some of the revenues from the Transient Occupancy Tax to be used for promoting the businesses that pay this tax. An example of this would be creating a website sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, specifically for the listing of businesses which offer lodging in Madera County and pay this Tax.
F10:
Recommend that the Tax Collector work with the Auditor, and County Counsel, to determine whether retroactive collections of taxes may be assessed against businesses that have not been paying taxes under the TOT rules. ENTITES TO RESPOND:
F11:
According to Board minutes of the MCWPA, options to solve the authority's problems are: (1) refinance their debts, (2) sell the generating units, (3) default on current debts, or (4) fund the deficiencies from other sources. CONCLUSIONS
Additional Recommendations
11
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The Grand Jury recommends that the Chowchilla Police Department procure a LiveScan fingerprint system. The Jury is concerned that the City of Chowchilla is not taking advantage of current technology and may miss opportunities to contribute to the safety of the community at this time of heightened security awareness. The LiveScan system may in the long-term provide additional savings by reducing the cost to the Police Department for the processing of fingerprints manually. ENTITIES TO RESPOND 1. Madera County Board of Supervisors 2. City of Chowchilla Chief of Police 3. Chowchilla City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury Tour of The Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility
R2:
Prior to beginning recruitment for an at will position, the City Administrator shall review the job description for the job classification and the potential pool of candidates currently employed by the City. Based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position, the City Administrator will make a determination of whether the recruitment for the position will be open (open to all who meet the specified qualifications) or closed (open only to those qualified candidates currently employed by the City of Madera). For those at will positions that the Madera Municipal Code provides that the City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT is the appointing authority, the City Administrator shall make a recommendation to the City Council regarding an open or closed recruitment. The City Council shall then make that determination.
R3:
In either case, the period of time provided for the recruitment process will be determined by the City Administrator or his designee. At the close of the recruitment period, the City Administrator or his designee shall review the pool of candidates, determine those who, among those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications, are most qualified for the position, and invite them for an interview with an oral board. Unless authorized by the City Administrator, the number of candidates invited to the oral board shall be no less than three.
R4:
The oral board shall consist of at least one professional external to the City organization, one member of the City staff, and one person who is a resident of Madera but not an employee or elected official of the City. The oral board shall examine the candidates based on those factors determined to constitute the merit and fitness for the position. At a minimum, these factors shall include the skills, knowledge and abilities described in the job description. The oral board shall rank the candidates based on the criteria the City Administrator or his designee provide. The City Administrator, City Council, or its designee, for Council designated appointments, shall interview at a minimum the top three ranked candidates. Additional candidates may be interviewed if it is determined the City's interests are served by interviewing a greater number of candidates.
R5:
A conditional offer of employment for an at will position shall be made only by the City Administrator or his designee for those positions that the Madera Municipal Code designates as being hired by the City Administrator. Offers of conditional employment for Council appointed at will positions shall be made only by the City Council.
R6:
Following a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be subject to the City's hiring practices which include medical evaluation, drug screen, background check, Department of Justice fingerprint check, and any other pre-employment PAG E 1 6 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT screening tools the City Administrator or his designee deems necessary.
R7:
Exceptions to this policy may be approved on a case-by-case basis only upon the approval of the City Administrator or City Council. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT PAG E 1 8 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT November 4, 2004 2004 Madera Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, CA 93639-0534 Re: Combined Response To Grand Jury From City Council and City Attorney, City of Madera Dear Grand Jury Members, Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the report prepared by the 2004 Grand Jury. Your conclusion that the hiring was not in violation of any existing policy and was understandable given the needs of the City and the qualifications of the candidate is consistent with the facts that were facing the City at the time of the hire. The City wishes to thank the grand jury for the manner in which the investigation was conducted, including their fairness and analysis of the issues. It is always helpful to have an outside independent party take time to review the policies and practices of the City especially when the review is done in a professional, unbiased and reasoned fashion. Your additional suggestion to consider adoption of a "Code of Ethics" will also be considered by the City. Should you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call at (559) 675-0855. Joseph A. Soldani City Attorney 205 West 4th Street, Madera, California 93637-3527 PAG E 2 0 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury PO Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 3rd Interim Report On Valley State Prison for Women INTRODUCTION Members of the 2004 Madera County Grand Jury toured Valley State Prison for Women, an institution of the California Department of Corrections, on March 25, 2004, pursuant to the duty to “inquire into the condition and management of the public prisons within the county,” as prescribed in §919(b) of the California Penal Code. This report deals strictly with the prison facility and its programs.
R8:
Evaluate once again the original feasibility study to determine if the factual data is germane to future projections.
R9:
Sell all or a portion of the generating units
R10:
Continue to monitor the mechanical operation on a 24 hour basis, thus reducing the potential for catastrophic failures. ENTITIES TO RESPOND
R39-05:
The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 INTRODUCTION 2003 Madera County Grand Jury advised the 2004 Madera County Grand Jury that the rth in INDINGS 004, members of the Public Safety & Welfare Committee (PS&W) of the 2004 Grand Jury had a n June 15, 2004 the PS&W Committee members met with ICWA Coordinators from Chukchansi, Big Sandy, ra he ICWA Coordinators told the Grand Jury members that they had one meeting with The Madera County n September 14, 2004, we had a meeting with the Madera County Department of Social Services Director, to ver n December 1, 2004, we had a meeting with the ICWA Coordinators for Chukchansi and Mono Tribes. They k he Grand Jury members asked the ICWA coordinators if this lack of communications was a common practice
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Findings & Recommendations
11 findings
F1:
Create and implement communications channels between the Auditor/Controller, Tax Collector, and Assessor’s Offices, to allow for accurate determination of each business within the County of Madera, as to the type of business, and to ensure that all businesses are notified each year that they are responsible for certain taxes.
F2:
Add new fields to the current business license database program, in order to be able to determine and list businesses by the type of business, not just a category, i.e.: service. This could be done with the addition of a ‘type of business’ entry in the computer database, with a new field of search usage on the County’s Computer systems; i.e.: Bed & Breakfast.
F3:
Implement a new business license application form for information to be entered into the County Computer System, which would automatically request the name of business, and owner, as well as type of business, and other relevant information currently built into the current business license applications. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT a. The TOT business license application should also include the number of units of lodging available at the business. b. Consider adding a new computerized self-registration system that could be made available to new business owners at a new business license application window in the Tax Collector’s Office.
F4:
Create a new computer program for the County of Madera Tax Collector’s Office to manage and record the receipt of the TOT taxes from businesses, which would note the date when the payment was received, and the postmark date if mailed. a. If the payment included a late fee, the amount should be listed in a separate field, with an added total paid field to show the total amount paid. b. The computer program should be designed to determine automatically, upon entry of the postmark/date paid, whether the payment is late under the late fee policy. c. This system should automatically generate billing forms and notices of late fees due.
F5:
Payments received in the Tax Collector’s Office should be able to maintain, and list umbrella payments for each property when multiple properties are owned, and amount, on the newly created computer program. This should also include the ability to create sub-property listings for businesses owning or managing separate properties, such as management companies with multiple rentals. Each rental property should pay its tax separately.
F6:
Require as part of doing business under the TOT rules, that each business within Madera County provide income verification on the rental income, if requested by the Tax Collector. This should be done yearly, to verify payments are made accurately, rather than the current ‘honor system’ policy.
F7:
The daily collection of taxes, in the Tax Collector’s Office, should be processed for deposit daily, rather than the current holdover process.
F8:
Revise the RETURN ON TRANSIENT ROOM TAX form to include the name of the business, the name of the owner, address, mailing address, phone number of business if changed line, and note the type of business. The form should include in the OFFICIAL USE ONLY section, a line for the entry of the postmark date from the envelope when mail received.
F9:
Recommend that the Madera County Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution for the usage of some of the revenues from the Transient Occupancy Tax to be used for promoting the businesses that pay this tax. An example of this would be creating a website sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, specifically for the listing of businesses which offer lodging in Madera County and pay this Tax.
F10:
Recommend that the Tax Collector work with the Auditor, and County Counsel, to determine whether retroactive collections of taxes may be assessed against businesses that have not been paying taxes under the TOT rules. ENTITES TO RESPOND:
F11:
According to Board minutes of the MCWPA, options to solve the authority's problems are: (1) refinance their debts, (2) sell the generating units, (3) default on current debts, or (4) fund the deficiencies from other sources. CONCLUSIONS
Additional Recommendations
10
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The Grand Jury recommends that the Chowchilla Police Department procure a LiveScan fingerprint system. The Jury is concerned that the City of Chowchilla is not taking advantage of current technology and may miss opportunities to contribute to the safety of the community at this time of heightened security awareness. The LiveScan system may in the long-term provide additional savings by reducing the cost to the Police Department for the processing of fingerprints manually. ENTITIES TO RESPOND 1. Madera County Board of Supervisors 2. City of Chowchilla Chief of Police 3. Chowchilla City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 The 2004 Madera County Grand Jury Tour of The Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility
R2:
Prior to beginning recruitment for an at will position, the City Administrator shall review the job description for the job classification and the potential pool of candidates currently employed by the City. Based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position, the City Administrator will make a determination of whether the recruitment for the position will be open (open to all who meet the specified qualifications) or closed (open only to those qualified candidates currently employed by the City of Madera). For those at will positions that the Madera Municipal Code provides that the City Council 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT is the appointing authority, the City Administrator shall make a recommendation to the City Council regarding an open or closed recruitment. The City Council shall then make that determination.
R3:
In either case, the period of time provided for the recruitment process will be determined by the City Administrator or his designee. At the close of the recruitment period, the City Administrator or his designee shall review the pool of candidates, determine those who, among those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications, are most qualified for the position, and invite them for an interview with an oral board. Unless authorized by the City Administrator, the number of candidates invited to the oral board shall be no less than three.
R4:
The oral board shall consist of at least one professional external to the City organization, one member of the City staff, and one person who is a resident of Madera but not an employee or elected official of the City. The oral board shall examine the candidates based on those factors determined to constitute the merit and fitness for the position. At a minimum, these factors shall include the skills, knowledge and abilities described in the job description. The oral board shall rank the candidates based on the criteria the City Administrator or his designee provide. The City Administrator, City Council, or its designee, for Council designated appointments, shall interview at a minimum the top three ranked candidates. Additional candidates may be interviewed if it is determined the City's interests are served by interviewing a greater number of candidates.
R5:
A conditional offer of employment for an at will position shall be made only by the City Administrator or his designee for those positions that the Madera Municipal Code designates as being hired by the City Administrator. Offers of conditional employment for Council appointed at will positions shall be made only by the City Council.
R6:
Following a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be subject to the City's hiring practices which include medical evaluation, drug screen, background check, Department of Justice fingerprint check, and any other pre-employment PAG E 1 6 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT screening tools the City Administrator or his designee deems necessary.
R7:
Exceptions to this policy may be approved on a case-by-case basis only upon the approval of the City Administrator or City Council. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT PAG E 1 8 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT November 4, 2004 2004 Madera Grand Jury P.O. Box 534 Madera, CA 93639-0534 Re: Combined Response To Grand Jury From City Council and City Attorney, City of Madera Dear Grand Jury Members, Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the report prepared by the 2004 Grand Jury. Your conclusion that the hiring was not in violation of any existing policy and was understandable given the needs of the City and the qualifications of the candidate is consistent with the facts that were facing the City at the time of the hire. The City wishes to thank the grand jury for the manner in which the investigation was conducted, including their fairness and analysis of the issues. It is always helpful to have an outside independent party take time to review the policies and practices of the City especially when the review is done in a professional, unbiased and reasoned fashion. Your additional suggestion to consider adoption of a "Code of Ethics" will also be considered by the City. Should you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call at (559) 675-0855. Joseph A. Soldani City Attorney 205 West 4th Street, Madera, California 93637-3527 PAG E 2 0 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT 2004 Madera County Grand Jury PO Box 534 Madera, California 93639-0534 (559) 662-0946 3rd Interim Report On Valley State Prison for Women INTRODUCTION Members of the 2004 Madera County Grand Jury toured Valley State Prison for Women, an institution of the California Department of Corrections, on March 25, 2004, pursuant to the duty to “inquire into the condition and management of the public prisons within the county,” as prescribed in §919(b) of the California Penal Code. This report deals strictly with the prison facility and its programs.
R8:
Evaluate once again the original feasibility study to determine if the factual data is germane to future projections.
R9:
Sell all or a portion of the generating units
R10:
Continue to monitor the mechanical operation on a 24 hour basis, thus reducing the potential for catastrophic failures. ENTITIES TO RESPOND
Findings and recommendations not yet extracted.
Additional Recommendations
1
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The Grand Jury recommends that the Chowchilla Police Department procure a LiveScan fingerprint system. The Jury is concerned that the City of Chowchilla is not taking advantage of current technology and may miss opportunities to contribute to the safety of the community at this time of heightened security awareness. The LiveScan system may in the long-term provide additional savings by reducing the cost to the Police Department for the processing of fingerprints manually. ENTITIES TO RESPOND 1. Madera County Board of Supervisors 2. City of Chowchilla Chief of Police 3. Chowchilla City Council
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Findings and recommendations not yet extracted.
Findings & Recommendations
10 findings
F1:
Create and implement communications channels between the Auditor/Controller, Tax Collector, and Assessor’s Offices, to allow for accurate determination of each business within the County of Madera, as to the type of business, and to ensure that all businesses are notified each year that they are responsible for certain taxes.
F2:
Add new fields to the current business license database program, in order to be able to determine and list businesses by the type of business, not just a category, i.e.: service. This could be done with the addition of a ‘type of business’ entry in the computer database, with a new field of search usage on the County’s Computer systems; i.e.: Bed & Breakfast.
F3:
Implement a new business license application form for information to be entered into the County Computer System, which would automatically request the name of business, and owner, as well as type of business, and other relevant information currently built into the current business license applications. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT a. The TOT business license application should also include the number of units of lodging available at the business. b. Consider adding a new computerized self-registration system that could be made available to new business owners at a new business license application window in the Tax Collector’s Office.
F4:
Create a new computer program for the County of Madera Tax Collector’s Office to manage and record the receipt of the TOT taxes from businesses, which would note the date when the payment was received, and the postmark date if mailed. a. If the payment included a late fee, the amount should be listed in a separate field, with an added total paid field to show the total amount paid. b. The computer program should be designed to determine automatically, upon entry of the postmark/date paid, whether the payment is late under the late fee policy. c. This system should automatically generate billing forms and notices of late fees due.
F5:
Payments received in the Tax Collector’s Office should be able to maintain, and list umbrella payments for each property when multiple properties are owned, and amount, on the newly created computer program. This should also include the ability to create sub-property listings for businesses owning or managing separate properties, such as management companies with multiple rentals. Each rental property should pay its tax separately.
F6:
Require as part of doing business under the TOT rules, that each business within Madera County provide income verification on the rental income, if requested by the Tax Collector. This should be done yearly, to verify payments are made accurately, rather than the current ‘honor system’ policy.
F7:
The daily collection of taxes, in the Tax Collector’s Office, should be processed for deposit daily, rather than the current holdover process.
F8:
Revise the RETURN ON TRANSIENT ROOM TAX form to include the name of the business, the name of the owner, address, mailing address, phone number of business if changed line, and note the type of business. The form should include in the OFFICIAL USE ONLY section, a line for the entry of the postmark date from the envelope when mail received.
F9:
Recommend that the Madera County Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution for the usage of some of the revenues from the Transient Occupancy Tax to be used for promoting the businesses that pay this tax. An example of this would be creating a website sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, specifically for the listing of businesses which offer lodging in Madera County and pay this Tax.
F10:
Recommend that the Tax Collector work with the Auditor, and County Counsel, to determine whether retroactive collections of taxes may be assessed against businesses that have not been paying taxes under the TOT rules. ENTITES TO RESPOND:
Findings & Recommendations
10 findings
F1:
Create and implement communications channels between the Auditor/Controller, Tax Collector, and Assessor’s Offices, to allow for accurate determination of each business within the County of Madera, as to the type of business, and to ensure that all businesses are notified each year that they are responsible for certain taxes.
F2:
Add new fields to the current business license database program, in order to be able to determine and list businesses by the type of business, not just a category, i.e.: service. This could be done with the addition of a ‘type of business’ entry in the computer database, with a new field of search usage on the County’s Computer systems; i.e.: Bed & Breakfast.
F3:
Implement a new business license application form for information to be entered into the County Computer System, which would automatically request the name of business, and owner, as well as type of business, and other relevant information currently built into the current business license applications. 2004 MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT a. The TOT business license application should also include the number of units of lodging available at the business. b. Consider adding a new computerized self-registration system that could be made available to new business owners at a new business license application window in the Tax Collector’s Office.
F4:
Create a new computer program for the County of Madera Tax Collector’s Office to manage and record the receipt of the TOT taxes from businesses, which would note the date when the payment was received, and the postmark date if mailed. a. If the payment included a late fee, the amount should be listed in a separate field, with an added total paid field to show the total amount paid. b. The computer program should be designed to determine automatically, upon entry of the postmark/date paid, whether the payment is late under the late fee policy. c. This system should automatically generate billing forms and notices of late fees due.
F5:
Payments received in the Tax Collector’s Office should be able to maintain, and list umbrella payments for each property when multiple properties are owned, and amount, on the newly created computer program. This should also include the ability to create sub-property listings for businesses owning or managing separate properties, such as management companies with multiple rentals. Each rental property should pay its tax separately.
F6:
Require as part of doing business under the TOT rules, that each business within Madera County provide income verification on the rental income, if requested by the Tax Collector. This should be done yearly, to verify payments are made accurately, rather than the current ‘honor system’ policy.
F7:
The daily collection of taxes, in the Tax Collector’s Office, should be processed for deposit daily, rather than the current holdover process.
F8:
Revise the RETURN ON TRANSIENT ROOM TAX form to include the name of the business, the name of the owner, address, mailing address, phone number of business if changed line, and note the type of business. The form should include in the OFFICIAL USE ONLY section, a line for the entry of the postmark date from the envelope when mail received.
F9:
Recommend that the Madera County Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution for the usage of some of the revenues from the Transient Occupancy Tax to be used for promoting the businesses that pay this tax. An example of this would be creating a website sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, specifically for the listing of businesses which offer lodging in Madera County and pay this Tax.
F10:
Recommend that the Tax Collector work with the Auditor, and County Counsel, to determine whether retroactive collections of taxes may be assessed against businesses that have not been paying taxes under the TOT rules. ENTITES TO RESPOND:
Findings and recommendations not yet extracted.