Madera County Grand Jury

2014-2015

5 reports

Findings & Recommendations 3 findings
F1: The Madera County Veterans Service Office administrative staff is knowledgeable, experienced, professional and courteous.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1: The Madera County Grand Jury recommends that the Madera County Board of Supervisors allocate funding to reclassify the current temporary extra help clerical position to permanent full time status. This would reduce the clerical burden for the Veterans Service Representative. Respondents: Madera County Board of Supervisors 200 West 4th Street Madera, CA 93637 Information Only: Veterans Service Officer 200 West 4th Street Madera, CA 93637 Veterans Regional Office Officer in Charge 1301 Clay Street, North Tower Oakland, CA 94612
F2: Newly hired extra help staff has reduced the clerical burden of the Veterans Service Representative. Effectiveness of the clerical personnel should further improve with experience in the position.
F3: Delays in claims processing are a result of the bureaucracy of the United States Veterans Administration and are beyond the scope of the local Veterans Service Office.
Findings & Recommendations 12 findings
F1: In 2014-2015 the Planning, Environmental Health and Fire Prevention Divisions were realigned under the Community and Economic Development Department. Prior to this time the Madera County Planning Department was part of the Madera County Resource Management Agency (RMA), a service agency that facilitated development for Madera County.
F2: The reorganization of the Planning Division was initiated and implemented by the Board of Supervisors for economic and operational efficiency.
F3: Some of the information on the Planning Division web page is outdated, inaccurate and does not reflect the Division’s reorganization under the Community and Economic Development Department.
F4: The Division’s Procedure Manual and job descriptions were reviewed and are appropriate and well written.
F5: Certain staffing positions remain unfilled due to employee turnover, the ongoing implementation of the department reorganization and allocated funding of designated positions.
F6: Increased revenue from grants and planning services has substantially reduced the net cost to the County for the Planning Division operations.
F7: Staff morale appears good. Issues include insufficient managerial and staff training, employee orientation and changes in work load. These problems are likely due to the reorganization. Recent staff promotions from within are positive.
F8: Online programs for certain building permit requests and code enforcement complaints have been improved on the Division’s website. The 311 Call Center can also be used in the application process.
F9: The Division has reduced the waiting time for certain building permit approvals from 200 days to 60 days.
F10: The Planning Division made several updates to the General Plan including: a. updating of the airport plan, b. zoning changes to water and agricultural provisions, c. rewriting of local environmental and flood plans, d. adding air quality and housing elements mandated by the State.
F11: The downturn in the economy and building industry has affected staff workloads, resulting in fewer specific building permit requests and site plan reviews. At the same time there has been an increase in workloads for code enforcement staff resulting in more reactionary responses to critical requests.
F12: The merging of the Planning Division and the Building Inspection Division has resulted in the need for additional clerical support.
Findings & Recommendations 17 findings
F1: Sworn staff, which has increased by only one since the recession, is inadequate.
F2: There are times when sick and administrative leave reduces the number of officers on patrol.
F3: K-9 handler teams increase officer safety and provide a proactive response to narcotic crimes.
F4: CPD organizes fundraisers for its K-9 unit.
F5: CPD is recruiting a K-9 handler in anticipation of acquiring a second trained narcotics and apprehension dog.
F6: The purchase of the dog is dependent on the money raised by a fundraiser in March 2015.
F7: CPD has not pursued K-9 grant funds.
F8: Training of the handlers and dogs is continuous.
F9: The Lexipol policy manual is customized for CPD by the law firm of Ferguson, Praet & Sherman of Santa Ana, CA and by the CPD command staff.
F10: Lexipol provides regular updates in response to legislative mandates, case law and changes in best practices.
F11: CPD is regularly notified of policy changes and immediately updates their manual.
F12: All staff members are held accountable for being familiar with the manual and policy changes. Officers also receive daily training bulletins.
F13: Officers have discretion in whether or not to cite or arrest an individual, except in driving under the influence (DUI) matters.
F14: All officers are expected to enforce impaired driving laws with due diligence.
F15: Drivers suspected of DUI are administered field sobriety tests.
F16: Senior officers handle sensitive investigations, calling upon California Highway Patrol, Madera County Sheriff’s Office and the Madera Police Department in conflict of interest situations. The mutual aid is reciprocal.
F17: CPD command staff sees vehicle cameras as positive for the officers and the community.
Findings & Recommendations 13 findings
F1: The Madera Cemetery District provides a full range of interment services with the specific services varying by each cemetery.
F2: The cemeteries are well maintained and are visually attractive.
F3: Employees are professional in appearance, personable in their behavior, knowledgeable in their areas of expertise, and helpful to members of the public.
F4: Each cemetery has equipment and tools necessary to provide interments and to maintain the facilities. Shop facilities are neat, and the equipment is well maintained.
F5: With one exception at the North Fork Cemetery, appropriate safety equipment and personal protective gear is available at each cemetery.
F6: The Madera Cemetery District has a policies and procedure manual and an employee manual.
F7: Trustees are typically reappointed to ongoing terms unless a trustee does not want to continue to serve or is deceased. The term ending date for trustees is not in compliance with Health and Safety Code Section 9024(a), which requires that terms commence on the first Monday in January.
F8: The Madera Cemetery District is in compliance with the basic requirements of the Brown Act.
F9: Burial records are maintained on paper at most cemeteries, and they can be used to search for burial location and information. Some burial records at Arbor Vitae are stored electronically. Searching burial records at Oakhill, Calvary, and North Fork Cemeteries requires a search of paper documents.
F10: Most employees have maintained longstanding employment with the Madera Cemetery District, and most promotions have been “in-house”.
F11: The Madera Cemetery District has planned for future expansions by acquiring additional land in Oakhurst and land adjacent to Calvary Cemetery.
F12: The capacity of the Hillview water system in Oakhurst impacts the ability of the Oakhill Cemetery to water the cemetery property and to stay within watering restrictions.
F13: The Madera Cemetery District is in good fiscal condition with adequate income and reserves.
Findings & Recommendations 10 findings
F1: Unfilled CO positions, sick leave, training time and administrative leave necessitate mandatory overtime to comply with minimum staffing levels.
F2: Less overtime would be required if all open positions were filled.
F3: Mandatory overtime puts stress on the staff increasing the use of officer sick time.
F4: Over the last five years, CO vacancies have never been fully filled.
F5: In the last three years the DOC hired 30 officers and lost 32, costing Madera County approximately $576,000 in training costs.
F6: The DOC competes for the recruiting and hiring of qualified CO’s with approximately 10 state and federal correctional institutions within a 100-mile radius.
F7: The Madera County DOC has the lowest CO salaries in the Central Valley and is 20 percent below the next highest county.
F8: The average daily DOC inmate population has increased 31.7% since 2003, but staffing has not increased. Due to Public Safety Realignment (2011 Assembly Bill 109), the jail houses more violent offenders today.
F9: CO’s are armed only with a chemical agent. When called to assist, outside law enforcement agencies cannot enter the jail with firearms.
F10: The inmate to officer ratio is even more excessive today, twelve years after the 2003 Security Audit Report, creating a safety risk to officers, inmates and the public.

Additional documents

Documents found alongside this year's reports — not grand jury reports or responses.