Economic Development/ Public Services Committee Dolores Barrow, Chair Robert Burkhardt Abraham Hovsepian Robert*

Recommendations 21

• R01
  - 51 APPROVE THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT'S REQUEST TO DEVELOP AN ELECTRONIC INTEGRATED DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR THE COUNTY SURVEYOR'S DOCUMENTS.
• R01-30
  DEVELOP A MARKETING PLAN FOR BARSTOW-DAGGETT AIRPORT.
• R01-31
  USE THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION ALLOCATION TO BARSTOW-DAGGETT AIRPORT TO REPAIR AND UPGRADE EXISTING FACILITIES. < 01-32 IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY REGIONAL PARKS SYSTEM, UTILIZE THE BARSTOW-DAGGETT AIRPORT'S UTILITIES FOR A NEW AND VALUABLE INCOME- PRODUCING ADDITION TO THE COUNTY REGIONAL PARKS SYSTEM, INCLUDING A RECREATIONAL VEHICLE PARK. HAVE THE COUNTY REGIONAL PARKS SYSTEM ASSUME THE EXISTING FACILITIES AND UTILITIES AT BARSTOW-DAGGETT AIRPORT. FINDINGS APPLE VALLEY AIRPORT A new runway completed in the last two years at Apple Valley Airport, including east/west runway lights (not approved for night use by FAA), needs obstruction lights on hills at both ends of the runway. The airport is funded by special districts and receives one percent (1%) ad valorem tax money. Two hundred eleven (211) acres were purchased south of the airport to avoid encroachment. There is a need to construct more hangars to accommodate Apple Valley and Victorville pilots who may desire to move from other airports. The County may lose lease clients due to the slowness of the Request for Proposal (RFP) process. Groundbreaking for a new law enforcement center at the airport is anticipated for the third quarter of 2001. 2000-2001 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report The FAA provides entitlement money of $150,000 to Apple Valley Airport under Congressional Bill Air-21 allocations. These funds can accumulate for a period of three years. RE
• R01-34
  SOLICIT PRIVATE DEVELOPERS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF ADDITIONAL HANGARS. FINDINGS TWENTYNINE PALMS AIRPORT Twentynine Palms Airport is working on lease negotiations with a Fixed Base Operator that will oversee operations and produce income. A national aerobatic association is also interested in locating here. The FAA provides entitlement money of $150,000 to Twentynine Palms Airport under Congressional Bill Air-21 allocations. These funds can accumulate for a period of three years. RECOMMENDATIONS
• R01-35
  CONTINUE NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE TWO POTENTIAL TENANTS AT THE TWENTYNINE PALMS AIRPORT.
• R01-36
  USE THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION ALLOCATION FOR FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS AT THE TWENTYNINE PALMS AIRPORT. 2000-2001 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report FINDINGS CHINO AIRPORT At present, an interim director, who is also the Airport Operations Manager, is managing Chino Airport. A new manager is expected to be named shortly. Chino is a reliever airport for Ontario and John Wayne Airports. At Chino Airport there is a shortage of hangar space for aircraft and there is a sizeable waiting list for space. Ramps and parking areas are in need of work. Several existing tenants want to expand, at their own expense, but the present County RFP process is slow and could cause the loss of tenants. An environmental problem of Trichorethylene (TCE) solvent in groundwater exists, according to the California Regional Water Quality Control Board. The County Fire Chief, Director of Airports, and the Real Property Manager are working on a new type of proposal called "Solicitation of Proposal", (SOP) to cut time delays in the existing Request for Proposal (RFP) process. RECOMMENDATIONS
• R01-37
  APPOINT A NEW MANAGER AT THE CHINO AIRPORT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
• R01-38
  EXPEDITE THE NEW SOLICITATIONS OF PROPOSAL (SOP) AT CHINO AIRPORT TO HELP SPEED UP THE LEASE PROCESS. 2000-2001 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report implement the NIP as set forth in Federal legislation identified as HR 2158 and HR 4194. The NIP has the potential of crediting San Bernardino County with being one of the first in the nation to develop new solutions to eradicate blight and encourage home ownership. The County, in coordination with the cities of San Bernardino, Highland and Rediands, has developed the program. A cooperation agreement with the three cities was entered into, which spells out the responsibilities of each party. The County is the entity that oversees the entire NIP. A specific target area in each of the three cities has been outlined. Public meetings were held between city and County officials and various neighborhood associations to determine where the target areas should be located. Special programs are offered to owner-occupied homeowners living within each of the three target areas. These include low interest loans and grants, street improvements, demolition of substandard properties, educating and teaching people to become homeowners. As part of the NIP, Federal legislation was passed (HR 4194) which allowed the County to buy vacant and unoccupied Federal Housing Administration (FHA) homes at discounted prices in specific geographic locations known as asset control areas. These areas are located primarily in areas surrounding the target areas. The houses are renovated and made available to persons of low and moderate income at terms that allow them to become homeowners. The total starting budget for the NIP is 18 million dollars ($15 million in NIP funds and $3 million of CDBG funds). The $15 million of NIP funds were allocated: $9 million to buy FHA properties and $6 million to fund revitalization programs in the target areas of the three cities. Each city received two million dollars of the allocated $6 million. The three million dollars of CDBG funds will be used to purchase additional FHA properties. The County has approved a contract with Neighborhood Housing Services of the Inland Empire (NHSIE) to implement a single-family loan program for the cities of Redlands and Highland within the target areas. The City of San Bernardino has also contracted with NHSIE for a similar service. NHSIE will interview and qualify persons desiring to become homeowners to determine the level of rehabilitation of the home, oversee the work, and record all necessary documentation to insure the homeowners fulfill their contractual obligations. 2000-2001 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report RECOMMENDATIONS
• R01-39
  THE ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT REINFORCE THE AWARENESS OF EDUCATION FOR THE TECHNICAL TRADES BY WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE JOBS AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT, SCHOOLS, AND EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES.
• R01-40
  THE ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT ASSURE THAT THE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS AS SET FORTH IN THE CONTRACT BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES OF THE INLAND EMPIRE (NHSIE) ARE BEING COMPLIED WITH IN ORDER FOR NHSIE TO BE REIMBURSED FOR SERVICES RENDERED. ○ 01-41 THE ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT ASSURE THAT PARTICIPATING CITIES ARE FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES SET FORTH IN THE COOPERATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND CITIES.
• R01-42
  THE ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT ASSURE THAT THE OVERALL NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVE PROGRAM (NIP) IS MONITORED SO THAT A SUCCESSFUL PILOT PROGRAM WILL BRING CREDIT TO THE COUNTY AND SERVE AS A MODEL FOR OTHER COMMUNITIES TO ASSIST IN ELIMINATING BLIGHT AND ENCOURAGING HOME OWNERSHIP. 2000-2001 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report LAND USE SERVICES DEPARTMENT
• R01-44
  ANTICIPATE THE NEED TO BUDGET ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR REVISION OF THE COUNTY'S DEVELOPMENT CODE AS THE UPDATING OF THE GENERAL PLAN PROGRESSES.
• R01-45
  SUPPORT LAND USE SERVICES' REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL STAFFING IN THE PLANNING DIVISION TO REDUCE THE LENGTH OF TIME INVOLVED IN PROCESSING PLANNING APPLICATIONS. FINDINGS CODE ENFORCEMENT DIVISION Public education and awareness of the County's Code Enforcement Program has increased the workload in this division. There has been a significant increase in time spent by Code Enforcement personnel in the preparation of court cases, thereby reducing their ability to respond to code complaints. Necessary staffing to support public nuisance complaints, housing demolition and rehabilitation enforcement, community-oriented policing sweeps, vehicle and blight abatement is inadequate. The division receives no funding for emergency abatement of substandard structures or public nuisances such as responses to overflow sewage, abandoned refrigerators, stoves and other appliances. Approximately 850 complaints are received annually. 2000-2001 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report The County does not have an active vehicle abatement program. Over 1,000 complaints involving abandoned, dismantled and junk vehicles are received each year. The Code Enforcement Division is not pro-active, and acts on a complaint basis. The County is considering a State program entitled "Abandoned Vehicle Abatement (AVA) Program", which assists cities and counties in eliminating abandoned and junk vehicles. The program allows the County to add $1.00 to the registration fee of each vehicle registered within the County. The money would be divided among participating cities and the County, utilizing State apportionment guidelines. The County recently adopted a policy to strengthen its efforts in economic development and job creation, with the goal of enhancing the quality of life for all San Bernardino County residents. The Code Enforcement Division is a vital part in achieving this goal. RECOMMENDATIONS 01 - 46 PROVIDE ADDITIONAL STAFF AND FUNDS FOR THE CODE ENFORCEMENT DIVISION TO SUPPORT PUBLIC NUISANCE ABATEMENT, HOUSING DEMOLITION, REHABILITATION, BLIGHT ABATEMENT, AND INTEGRATED CODE ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES WITH OTHER COUNTY DEPARTMENTS, TO ALLOW THE DEPARTMENT TO BECOME PRO-ACTIVE IN CODE ENFORCEMENT. 01 - 47 SUPPORT THE STATE ABANDONED VEHICLE ABATEMENT (AVA) PROGRAM. 2000-2001 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report COUNTY LIBRARY BACKGROUND The stated mission of the San Bernardino County Library is to promote knowledge, education, lifelong learning, leisure, and cultural enrichment for the people of the County. The County Library System currently operates 29 library facilities located throughout five supervisorial districts, two part-time bookmobiles, and the County Library Archives. The County Library leases nine buildings from private parties. Nine are owned by cities and are operated by agreement, ten are owned by the County, and one is owned by a school Most of these are inadequate as public facilities in terms of size, district. functionality and standards. The Library furnishes books, periodicals, tapes, videos, and Internet access to the public. The Bookmobile program is available to aid residents who are unable to travel to the Library. The Library system is completely computerized. All transactions are entered on the computer system. The branches are linked on the Internet. FINDINGS The California Reading and Literacy Improvement and Public Library Construction and Renovation Fund Act of 2000 provides $350 million statewide grant funds for libraries on a 65/35% cost-sharing basis up to $20 million per project between the State and the library district. The County has no matching funding available to take advantage of this program. Current funding for the Library is a combination of a percentage of the County tax base (1.4%) and monies raised through fines, fees, and rentals charged by libraries. The County Library System does not have access to impact fees as cities do to offset the cost of growth, and there is a need in the County for growth in the Library System. A one-half square foot of library space for each person in the library sphere of influence is an accepted library construction standard. Most libraries are old and outdated and in need of enlargement or new construction. The improvement of the Library system will enhance the public's image of San Bernardino County at the individual level. 2000-2001 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report RECOMMENDATIONS
• R01-48
  PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FUNDING SUFFICIENT FOR THE COUNTY LIBRARIES TO FUND THROUGH THE NORMAL BUDGET PROCESS ONE-THIRD OF FUTURE CONSTRUCTION COSTS, THEREBY MAKING THE COUNTY ELIGIBLE FOR TWO-THIRDS OF THE COST FROM THE STATE FOR NEW OR RENOVATED FACILITIES. ~ 01-49 WORK WITH THE CITIES WITHIN THE COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM TO USE THE IMPACT FEES GENERATED BY DEVELOPERS TO PROVIDE FUNDS FOR LIBRARY ENHANCEMENT AND OPERATION. . . 2000-2001 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT BACKGROUND The Public Works Department was established in March 2000 as a result of Board of Supervisors' restructuring of the County's organization plan. This newly-established department provides Flood Control services throughout the cities and County, manages the Geographic Information Management System (GIMS) and Surveyor functions, maintains regional parks throughout the County, maintains County roads, and provides administrative oversight for the operation and management of the County's solid waste system. The department maintains several excellent documents that provide policy and procedures for many of its work functions. These include: Instruction Manual for Transportation and Flood Control. Storm Operations Manual ٠ Emergency Plan and Emergency Operations Manual • Scale Operations Procedures Manual Prohibited Wastes and Load Checking Program The Storm Operations and Emergency Operations manuals are very comprehensive documents covering all types of emergency situations. They list many names, addresses and telephone numbers of personnel who should be contacted when an emergency arises. The County Flood Control District covers the entire County, including incorporated cities within the County. The District is divided into six geographic Flood Zones. Each Zone has a citizens advisory committee that makes recommendations to the Board of Supervisors regarding the District's activities and work programs. Funding comes from property taxes. Taxes collected in each Zone must be spent within that zone. FINDING SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DIVISION In October 2000 the Solid Waste Management Division sent out Requests for Proposals (RFP) to replace NORCAL as the landfill operator for the County's waste management system. In a lawsuit filed by the County against 2000-2001 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report NORCAL concerning the activities of several people associated therewith, NORCAL agreed not to bid on any new County contract for a period of at least five years. NORCAL's contract with the County expires June 30, 2001. RECOMMENDATION
• R01-50
  ESTABLISH AN OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE TO PERIODICALLY MONITOR THE ACTIVITIES OF THE NEW CONTRACTOR WHO WILL MANAGE THE OPERATION OF THE COUNTY'S SOLID WASTE SYSTEM. FINDING COUNTY SURVEYOR The department's request to develop an Electronic Integrated Document System for the County Surveyor was not approved in the 2000-2001 budget. This system would be developed for documents that are required by State law to be maintained by the County Surveyor. It is envisioned that this system would be a prototype for the development of E-commerce applications. This would allow the public and private sector to access these documents through the Internet and the County website. It would also reduce staff time involved in researching projects and be of benefit to the public and private sector, and be a more cost-effective and efficient means of accessing records. The estimated one-time cost for hardware and software purchase is $37,500. RECOMMENDATION 01 - 51 APPROVE THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT'S REQUEST TO DEVELOP AN ELECTRONIC INTEGRATED DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR THE COUNTY SURVEYOR'S DOCUMENTS. FINDINGS TRANSPORTATION DIVISION The Transportation Division of Public Works maintains approximately 2,860 miles of County roads. Funding comes mainly from State and Federal gas taxes. Recent State legislation provides the division with additional funds over and above its allocated budget. 2000-2001 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report To assist cities and counties in road maintenance and repairs during the coming years of continued growth in vehicle traffic, the State of California has enacted Assembly Bill 2928. This legislation provides $1.4 billion in funds statewide over the next six years to cover local street and road maintenance, as well as storm damage repair. San Bernardino County received $9.2 million of these funds on October 19, 2000 for fiscal year 2000-2001. The money must be expended by June 30, 2002. If not spent, the money must be returned to the State. The County is also designated to receive an estimated $2.3 million per year for the subsequent five years. In order to accomplish the list of recommended road projects proposed by the department within the time frame laid down by the State on November 28, 2000, the Board of Supervisors authorized nine new positions in the Transportation Division of the Public Works Department. RECOMMENDATIONS MONITOR THE STATE ROAD AND MAINTENANCE PROGRAM (AB
• R01-52
  2928) SO THAT ANY FINANCIAL IMPACT ON THE COUNTY BY THE ADDITION OF NINE NEW STAFF POSITIONS CAN BE ABSORBED THROUGH NORMAL DEPARTMENT ATTRITION DURING THE LAST FEW YEARS OF THE PROGRAM. FUTURE STATE OR FEDERAL GRANTS COULD BE TERMINATED
• R01-53
  THEREFORE, CONSIDER THE OPTION OF UNEXPECTEDLY. FILLING PERSONNEL NEEDS FROM OUTSIDE SOURCES, THUS AVOIDING OVER-STAFFING WITH PERMANENT EMPLOYEES. 2000-2001 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (GIMS) BACKGROUND The Geographic Information System (GIS) has resided within the County for over 20 years. For the past 15 years GIMS (Geographic Information Management System) has been the lead GIS organization overseeing base map, street network, and overlay development. GIMS is currently part of the Public Works Department. The GIMS program was created for County use in 1987 to coordinate and guide geographic information processing among County departments usina computerized systems. This program was an outgrowth of the Planning Department's computerized mapping activities, which has been active since 1979. FINDINGS In order to better coordinate GIMS activities throughout the County departments, a technical advisory committee is currently working on a strategic plan that will address the entire GIMS program, including funding for new equipment. It has been seven (7) years since the equipment has been updated. GIMS provides technical services related to mapping and geographic information to other governmental organizations as well as the public sector. GIMS charges actual cost for projects completed for both in-house and public patrons. The actual GIMS cost, without mark-up, is currently $72 per hour. The GIMS program plays a critical part in the development of the County's automated parcel map system. Funding problems have limited base map coding activities to about 30,000 parcels per year. Of the estimated 729,000 parcels in the County, 285,000 have been entered into the GIMS and 444,000 parcels remain to be automated. Of the 285,000 parcels entered, 171,000 have not gone through the quality control process yet and must be 2000-2001 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report annotated to meet the Assessor's standard. This effort has taken the better part of a decade to complete. At the current pace it will take approximately
• R01-54
  ADD AUDITOR/CONTROLLER APPROVED MARK-UP PERCENTAGE TO THE PER HOUR COST OF PROJECTS PERFORMED BY THE GIMS STAFF. APPLY THE MARK-UP TO PAY FOR THE COST TO UPGRADE THE OUTDATED GIMS COMPUTER EQUIPMENT.
• R01-55
  THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FUND A ONE-TIME COST OF 4 TO 6 MILLION DOLLARS TO COMPLETE THE COUNTY AUTOMATED PARCEL MAP SYSTEM IN A THREE-YEAR PERIOD INSTEAD OF THE
• R01-56
  PLACE THE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM UNDER THE INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT'S CONTROL TO CENTRALIZE AND STORE ALL COUNTY GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WITH FULL SUPPORT FOR STAFF, HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, AND TRAINING IN ONE PLACE. . .
• R10-15
  years to finish this project. Parcel Base Map Completion Total Parcel Count 729,000 Automated Parcels 285,000 Parcels (Assessor Standard) 114,000 Parcels (Not to Standard) 171,000 Parcels to be Automated 444,000 The purpose of the countywide GIMS is to improve geographic information management services provided to departments, governmental entities, and others who serve the general public. GIMS and the Information Services Department (ISD) function as the custodian and guardian of the GIS data. They establish policies and procedures regarding database organization, security, updates, backup, and maintenance. They also provide countywide computer communications and technical assistance. GIMS administers requests for products and services in a cost-effective manner, including base map development. Departments subsidize their individual application layers to the base map as needed. RECOMMENDATIONS