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Extracted from Consolidated Report
This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.
Napa County Grand Jury
• 2020-2021
City of Napa Garbage Rate Hike Raises a Stink:
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings 10 findings
F1
Page 71
The garbage rate increases were timely and justified, given the need to offset a $3.3 million shortfall in the Utilities Department 2020 Solid Waste and Recycling Enterprise Fund.
F2
Page 71
The 2020 Solid Waste and Recycling expenditure budget pie chart showing expenditures lacked full clarity in outlining the cost of the 2001 Coombsville dump lawsuit liability debt.
F3
Page 71
The 2020 Solid Waste and Recycling budget pie chart showing expenditures lacked clarity in outlining the cost of repairs to city streets caused by the weight of the garbage trucks. 63
F4
Page 72
The reduction of sales in recyclable materials to global markets negatively impacted the City of Napa’s Solid Waste and Recycling 2020 budget and is contributing to the $3.3 million budget shortfall.
F5
The Public Works Department does not publish a list of “priority” projects completed each year, making it difficult for residents of the City of Napa to assess the City’s progress in repairing dangerous sidewalks.
F6
The Public Works Department does not adequately inform residents of the City of Napa of its sidewalk repair schedule.
F7
The Public Works Department’s webpage does not include a service request button or email link to the City of Napa’s service request page. The webpage therefore does not offer an easy way to report sidewalk problems.
F8
The Public Works Department’s recordkeeping and public reporting are unclear because in both their internal and external communications as well as their internal records, the Public Works Department uses undefined terms such as “one-off,” “location,” and “priority.”
F9
The Cost-Share program has not kept pace with the actual cost of sidewalk replacement. The 50% reimbursement level being offered is rarely available to homeowners.
F10
The Public Works Department has not adopted a method for assessing the success of the Workorder Asset Management system conversion and its implementation in helping staff address sidewalk displacement issues.
Recommendations 10
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R1Page 72The City of Napa’s Utilities Department Director notify all ratepayers through their monthly bill where to locate information explaining in detail how all revenues and expenditures are allocated and spent for the 2020 Solid Waste and Recycling budget. The Jury recommends that this information is to be sent out no later than December 31, 2020 and update annually.
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R2Page 72The City of Napa’s Deputy Public Works Director continue to explore new sources of revenue for the sale of recyclable materials to both domestic and foreign markets to offset any future Solid Waste and Recycling budget shortfall.
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R3The Jury recommends that the Public Works Department adopt a written policy governing the selection of individual “one-off” or “priority” repair projects, to be completed by December 31, 2020. 12
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R4The Jury recommends that the Public Works Department adopt a written policy governing the timing of work on “one-off” or “priority” projects, to be completed
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R5The Jury recommends that the Public Works Department develop a 5-year plan for repairing all sidewalks with a vertical displacement of four inches or more, to be completed
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R6The Jury recommends that Public Works Department annually publish on the City of Napa’s website a street address list of priority projects completed each year, to be completed
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R7The Jury recommends that the Public Works Department update its portion of the City of Napa’s website to better inform citizens. At a minimum, the update should include the most current schedule or map for sidewalk repairs as well as a link to facilitate citizen reporting of sidewalk issues, to be completed
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R8The Jury recommends that the Public Works Department develop a schedule and methodology for assessing the success of the conversion to the Workorder Asset Management system and their ability to use it effectively, to be completed
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R9Beginning in the 2020-2021 City of St. The City’s response does not comply Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2020, Helena with Penal Code §933.05.6 and continuing thereafter, the City 6 See Summary on for response requirements 111 should allocate a designated percentage of the General Fund each year for additional payments toward its unfunded liabilities to CalPERS as well as deferred maintenance costs for City real property assets.
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R10Beginning with the fiscal year City of St. The City’s response does not comply commencing on July 1, 2020, as the Helena with Penal Code §933.05.7 City hires additional full-time personnel, such as new full-time firefighters, the City should recalculate the effect of such hires on unfunded pension liabilities to CalPERS and include those new liabilities in the allocated budget.
Conclusions 1
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CL1From the registration process to the posting of election results on election day, the Napa County Election Department exercises electoral transparency on voter registration and in providing a clear chain of custody for paper ballots. According to County Election Officials, in the last 20 years, there has only been one case of voter fraud involving duplicate ballots. Napa voters should be confident that their votes are being counted fairly and accurately while maintaining secret ballot confidentiality. 47
Commendations 1
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CM1C1. The Jury commends the City of Napa’s Utilities Department staff and the City’s Community Relationships Officer for their efforts in exceeding the minimum Proposition 218 guidelines that require notification to ratepayers of any proposed rate increase.
No Responses Found 1
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
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