Monterey County Grand Jury • 2014-2015

Monterey County Civil Grand Jury 2014-2015 Final Report

Published: July 14, 2015 222 pages Consolidated Report

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⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.

Findings 25 findings

AlertMontereyCounty is potentially the most effective method of reaching all citizens with both emergency and non-emergency notifications, in English and Spanish.

Despite maintaining a sophisticated and flexible alerting system, the County of Monterey cannot reach the majority of residents in an emergency using AlertMontereyCounty.

Reaching all citizens in the event of an emergency is critical.

Individuals can register for AlertMontereyCounty only through the website, making regis- tration difficult for those who are not experienced with computers or do not own a com- puter.

It is difficult for residents who do not speak or read English to register.

As disaster relief workers it is important that all county employees can be contacted in the event of an emergency.

Adequate funding has not been allocated for advertising and promoting the need for indi- viduals to register wireless telephones with AlertMontereyCounty.

Having all residents of the county registered with AlertMontereyCounty will allow for consistency of messaging in the event of an emergency.

Because the Everbridge software does not include a follow-up component, residents who attempt to register get no confirmation that registration has been successful. If the registra- tion has not been accepted for some reason, they may not know and have a false sense of security with the notification process.

F10

Libraries are an important access point for many residents. As of February 2015, printed materials regarding AlertMontereyCounty were not available at many local libraries, and library staff, when questioned, were not fully briefed on the registration process.

F11

The technology exists to track water use in real time, alerting technicians to serious water leaks; however, MCWD does not have this technology in place.

F12

Excess surface water from the Carmel and Salinas Rivers could be used to recharge the aquifers, providing a method for “storing” water that would otherwise flow to the ocean. MPWMD is currently capturing water from the Carmel River.

F13

The MOU signed by both districts and the Monterey County Water Resources Agency, the Monterey County Regional Water Pollution Control Agency, and the City of Salinas may lead to a more efficient use of reclaimed and treated wastewater across the county, pro- vided the MOU results in a signed agreement.

F14

Conservation offset programs that involve conservation agreements between developers, water districts, and cities have significant potential to benefit both conservation efforts and city planning.

F15

The governance and administration of the City is unduly influenced by the reportorial and editorial practices of The Carmel Pine Cone.

F16

The position of City Treasurer is underutilized and so provides little benefit to the City.

F17

The City Treasurer was isolated from any meaningful role in the contract/invoice disburse- ments and tracking system.

F18

There was no evidence of any systematic review of contracts in excess of $25,000 by legal counsel as to form or content.

F19

A significant amount of money is spent on outside counsel as it supplements the City At- torney position in numerous matters including but not limited to labor and employment concerns, public records requests, general business and facilities, joint powers agreements, municipal law, and miscellaneous lawsuits.

F20

Historical averages of amounts spent on outside legal services over the past five years would support a full-time City Attorney and staff where such attorney would have experi- ence in contracts, employment matters, and Public Records Act requests, as well as munic- ipal law.

F21

The City Council seriously failed to exercise its power of inquiry in its decision-making process regarding rehires, by excluding the City’s outside defense counsel from the process and by negotiating hasty settlements of claims in the early or pre-litigation stages, which precluded any meaningful scrutiny of these employment issues.

F22

There are financial expenditures from the Inmate Welfare Fund that do not appear to be consistent with statutory requirements.

F23

CFMG has been the sole provider of medical care at the Jail for 26 consecutive years. 149

F24

Approximately 10% of the sworn deputies are on modified duty or other leave that reduces the workforce at the Jail, contributing to staff shortages and overtime.

F25

There is minimal use of a formal progressive disciplinary system for staff infractions.

Recommendations 21

R1

OES continues training city personnel in the application and use of AlertMontereyCounty.
R2

OES reaches all agencies operating within the county—including Highway Patrol, Sheriff, and CalFire—for training in the use of AlertMontereyCounty.
R3

CAO immediately commits resources (financial and personnel) needed to publicize Alert- MontereyCounty with the goal of registering all wireless telephones by a specified target date.
R4

OES works with local libraries throughout the county to distribute information about Alert- MontereyCounty and to assist patrons in registering wireless telephones. All libraries should be participating
R5

County and municipal governments require all county and municipal employees to register their wireless telephones 7
R6

OES seeks the assistance of Everbridge in developing alternatives, , for residents to register for AlertMontereyCounty. These alternatives may include but not be limited to: a) Telephone b) Printed application that can be mailed to the OES.
R7

OES requests Everbridge to provide a Spanish language registration form
R8

OES asks those institutions or agencies currently using their own notification systems (the City of Carmel, CalFire, Monterey Peninsula College, Hartnell College, and the Naval Postgraduate School) to encourage constituents to register with AlertMontereyCounty
R9

OES works with senior centers, assisted living facilities, and medical facilities to educate and register staff, members, and residents.
R10

CAO convenes a working group of emergency services personnel and interested parties to promote registration with AlertMontereyCounty.
R11

As a supplemental funding mechanism, partnerships be formed whereby local businesses pay for the cost of printed materials promoting registration in exchange for printing their name and logo on the materials.
R12

MCWD provide mandatory and ongoing training for all board members, effective immedi- ately.
R13

MPWMD and MCWD keep abreast of new technology for conservation and desalination and utilize such technology when economically feasible.
R14

MCWD and MPWMD make all possible efforts to form an agreement with the signers of the wastewater MOU with the goal of having such an agreement in place
R15

The City Attorney manage the selection, and oversee the engagement of outside legal counsel, including the review and approval of their billings.
R16

Funds should be sought to purchase electronic mail scanning equipment for the mail room.
R17

When the Jail Medical Services contract next comes up for bid, it should be widely adver- tised and proposals should be actively solicited from as many different contractors as pos- sible.
R18

Analyze the possibility of providing medical services run by the Sheriff’s Office, in part- nership with Natividad Medical Center. 150
R19

The Sheriff should conduct a thorough analysis of all the causes of overtime, with the pur- pose of providing solutions.
R20

Allocate appropriate funds for the ongoing maintenance of the current Jail facility.
R21

In addition to the regular annual inspection, the Monterey County Health Department should conduct at least one unannounced inspection of the Jail facility each year.