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Extraído del Informe Consolidado

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Nevada County Grand Jury • 1998-1999

Planning Department Reason for the Investigation The Nevada County Civil Grand Jury received two formal complaints

7 pages
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Findings 13 findings

F1 Page 1
The Planning Department is one of three departments which report to the Community Development Agency (CDA) director. Prior to the formation of the CDA in late 1997, the department director reported to the County Administrative Officer (CAO).
F2 Page 1
The Planning Department has been without a permanent director since 1992. The department was managed by the Director of Transportation until 1997 as an additional duty. He had an employee acting as assistant director handling day-to-day management. Since 1997, the assistant director has held the titles of acting director and, later, interim director. The county advertised for a permanent director in November 1998, and in March 1999 hired a replacement.
F3 Page 1
The Grand Jury has learned from interviewing staff that uncertainty and vagueness of direction since 1992 has put their department in disarray and has had a negative effect on employee morale. Employees reported to the Grand Jury that the Board of Supervisors (BOS) put very little value on the Planning Department's contribution to the County.
F4 Page 1
Time keeping and work hour practices received limited to no oversight by department management. The Grand Jury learned from employee interviews that some employees are repeatedly absent from ž work, often for hours at a time, then turn in questionable time cards. It was reported to the Grand Jury that department management signed the time cards of at least two employees which had been identified as false.
F5 Page 1
The use of telephones for personal matters is not controlled. An analysis of telephone logs revealed __ an unusual number of calls from one number to a local area number. The Grand Jury researched that number and found it to be a local motorcycle shop. In addition, the Grand Jury found a significant
F6 Page 1
It was alleged that a senior manager has a long history of taking extended lunch hours and of poor managerial habits. This has been well known to staff and to immediate and next level supervisors.
F7 Page 1
The department has a history of sexual innuendo and abusive behavior directed toward female employees. This reached such a stage that one individual's actions were reported to the CAO since it was alleged that Planning management would take no action. The female who reported this individual was later told by Planning management that her actions amounted to insubordination by reporting this to the CAO.
F8 Page 2
The female staff stated that they feel threatened by some of the department customers but have no effective method to summon police help, although assistance has been requested of Planning management.
F9 Page 2
Voluntary Time Off (VTO) was a plan developed during the county downsizing period to allow employees to work less than a 40 hour week, at a salary commensurate with the number of hours worked. The program allowed management, in spreading the work load, to retain more employees. The VTO plan is still in effect even though the downsizing period has long passed. However, employees testified that the rules for the VTO program are not enforced in an even-handed manner by management.
F10 Page 2
The function of code enforcement is to uphold regulations contained in the General Plan and ordinances passed by the BOS regarding Planning. Planning management hired a senior code enforcement officer in October 1998 who had a history of short tenures in many different organizations, with a pattern of consecutively reduced salaries, all documented on his application. The Interim Planning director stated that he checked the references of the candidate and found them to be satisfactory. The senior code enforcement officer was terminated for inappropriate conduct by the CDA director only 24 days after beginning work for the county.
F11 Page 2
Supervision for code enforcement has since been moved from the Planning Department to the Building Department. As of June 1, 1999, no recruitment for a Senior Code Enforcement Officer has - been initiated.
F12 Page 2
The department has certain State of California mandated responsibilities to inspect mining activities within the county, charge for this inspection service and report its findings back to the State of California. There is evidence that inspections may not have been made for the time charged to the ز ۾ mining company. In 1998 a mining company protested the county charge for inspections and reports. The charge was for more than $3,000 for a nine month period. The Grand Jury could not find adequate department-recorded information to support the charge in question.
F13 Page 2
Employees stated that the CAO has tolerated these problems in the Planning Department while knowing of their concerns. Interviewed employees stated that this lack of concern has reduced morale to what they call "an all time low". ċ.

Recommendations 6

Conclusions 6

No Responses Found 2

Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.

Nevada County County
Nevada County Board of Supervisors Elected County Office