Consolidated Final Reports Consolidated Final Reports Table of Contents Table of Contents

Recommendations 17

• R1
  The Grand Jury recommends that by the end of FY 2014-2015, all on duty NCJH employees should wear clothing that clearly identifies them as staff. Response: The Recommendation will not be implemented because it is not reasonable. Budget constraints preclude the County from making such a proposal. This would be a meet and confer issue with the union if the County determined uniforms were appropriate.
• R2
  The Grand Jury recommends that by the end of FY 2014-2015 video equipment should be updated to current state-of-the-art standards, and cameras added to the system to ensure that there are no blind spots within the facility or along the perimeter of the yard. Response: The Recommendation will be implemented. Staff has been working with Public Works to upgrade the video system. Cameras will be replaced by the end of FY 2014-2015. Cameras will be installed to cover blind spots within the facility and along the perimeter of the yard within next year. III. REVIEW OF RESPONSES TO THE 2013-2014 GRAND JURY REPORT ON THE NAPA COUNTY TRANSPORTATION & PLANNING AGENCY (NCTPA) WITH THE SUBTITLE VINE: MANAGEMENT & RIDERSHIP FOR THE FUTURE A.
• R3
  The Grand Jury recommends the Board of Directors explore ways to improve Napa County Transportation & Planning Agency management retention such as merit pay or other incentives and put in place for the coming fiscal year. Response: This Recommendation requires further analysis. The Napa County Transportation & Planning Agency Board appreciates the Grand Jury’s suggestion and will take it under advisement. It should be noted, however, that the agency has been [in] existence since 1998 and has only had four executive directors in its 16-year history.
• R4
  The Grand Jury recommends planning out the use of the $10 million reserve fund to meet Transit’s existing needs over the next 10 years. This includes capital expenses and marketing costs by the beginning of the next fiscal year. Response: The Recommendation has been implemented. The agency has planned out its capital and operating needs over the next 10 years and it is included in the Short Range Transit Plan. The Short Range Transit Plan is updated every 4 to 5 years; however, every two years Napa County Transportation Agency produces a “mini” Short Range Transit Plan that includes updates to its capital and operating programs as mandated by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
• R5
  Napa County should consistently utilize the Napa County Short Range Transit Plan FY 2013-2022 (June 2013) for guidance in the sustainable operation of the Napa Transit System with timely progress reports to the Board of Directors put in place by June 2014. Response: The Recommendation has been implemented. The Short Range Transit Plan is referred to frequently in both setting the groundwork for operations and for the annual development of the operating and capital budget. In conjunction with the budget process, Napa County Transit & Planning Agency staff develops, and the Board adopts, an overall work plan which establishes the number of staff hours required to complete various tasks and projects over the course of the year. The Board receives quarterly updates on the budget, quarterly updates on transit operations and performance ( more frequently as needed), and semi-annually overall plan updates.
• R6
  Napa County should develop financial, qualitative and quantitative reporting metrics that will identify problems in standards of system performance so operation corrections can be made through adaptive management actions, with appropriate metrics in place by the end of the current fiscal year. Response: This Recommendation has been implemented. Service Policies and performance metrics are adopted by the Board and are summarized in Napa County Transportation & Planning’s Short Range Transit Plans. The most recent Service Policies were adopted in March 2013. The Board also received five-year financial projections quarterly.
• R7
  Napa County Transportation & Planning Agency should install at a minimum, temporary signage as soon as possible for the new Transit Center that can be seen from Soscol Avenue and install a complete and consistent branding and marketing signage system for the center, buses and bus shelters of this report. Response: This Recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted and is not reasonable. As previously discussed, the building signage was part of the original SGTC contract but other building signs produced by the subcontractor were substandard. Consequently, Napa County Transportation & Planning Agency cancelled the contract and solicited a sign contractor elsewhere. Napa County Transportation & Planning Agency is currently evaluating three quotes. Each of the quotes is deficient in some way and we are unable to proceed until the issues are resolved. Temporary signage would require that we work with the city planning staff on alternate signage design, and release another RFP, which would create unnecessary delay, inefficiencies and costs.
• R8
  Napa County Transportation & Planning Agency should implement within the current fiscal year a coordinated VINE marketing strategy with each Napa County jurisdiction so that Napa County Transportation and Planning’s transit services are readily available and consistently communicated across all public, community and visitor websites. Response: This Recommendation will be implemented Napa County Transportation & Planning will work with the jurisdictions and sited and request that information about the VINE and its ancillary services are consistently communicated. It should be noted that Napa County Transportation & Planning Agency has no authority to demand that Napa’s jurisdictions or its visitor sites comply with this request.
• R9
  The Grand Jury recommends Napa County Transportation & Planning Agency contract with an agency with transit expertise to develop and implement appropriate marketing efforts to targeted ridership populations and major employers that will drive awareness of all VINE services and improve ridership within the current year and for the future fiscal year. Response: This Recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted and is not reasonable. Most transit operators spend approximately 1% of its budget on marketing. The Napa County Transportation & Planning Board allocates roughly 2% of the VINE budget on marketing. The Napa County Transportation & Planning Agency Board is pleased with the marketing effort and acknowledges 13
• R10
  Napa County Transportation & Planning Agency should explore, adopt and apply sustainability design tools such as Transit-Oriented Development to determine ideal alterations to transit services within the 2014 calendar year. Response: This Recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted and is not reasonable. Napa County Transportation & Planning Agency personnel take courses and attend conferences regularly to learn about new trends and technologies in transit. Professionals in the field of transit in rural and suburban areas are often consulted in order to ensure that Napa County Transportation & Planning Agency transit services are utilizing the most up to date technologies and employing state of the art practices. Transit-Oriented Development’s are neighborhoods that are designed by cities and towns. There are times that a transit partner may participate if development occurs on a property owned by that transit operator but transit operators rarely initiate such developments.
• R11
  Napa County Transportation & Planning Agency should implement within the current fiscal year a coordinated VINE marketing strategy with each Napa County jurisdiction so that Napa County Transportation & Planning Agency’s transit services are readily available and consistently communicated across all public, community and visitor websites. Response from the City of American Canyon: The City of American Canyon supports this Recommendation and stands ready to work with Napa County Transportation & Planning Agency to bolster our current marketing efforts to encourage ridership. We are currently 14
• R12
  That the Director of Maintenance and Construction continue to research and apply the most effective methods of controlling gopher infestation observed at many of the fields. Response: NVUSD agrees to implement this Recommendation but it does not specify which type of new management techniques it intends to use to control the gopher infestation.
• R13
  That the Superintendent of Schools and the Director of General Services and Facilities establish written guidelines for the public posting of Youth Sports Council meetings, agendas and minutes. Response: NVUSD will not implement this Recommendation because it is not warranted. NVUSD feels that the Youth Sports 27 Council is most effective if it remains an autonomous organization, outside the direct supervision and control of either NVUSD or the City of Napa.
• R14
  That the City of Napa and the NVUSD continue to collaborate in the development of more playing fields on city-owned land for community use such as Kennedy Park. Response: The City of Napa stated that this Recommendation has not yet been implemented, but will be in the near future with the development of a Master Plan at Kennedy Park. The City stated that they are in the process of contracting with a firm that will develop a Master Plan within the next seven months.
• R15
  That the Assistant Superintendent of Business Services implement and maintain a new financial software system for accounting services within the NVUSD to include the Napa Youth Sports League account. Response: NVUSD has implemented this Recommendation effective July 1, 2014.
• R16
  That the NVUSD establish, within the next six months, written policies defining the type of work that can be performed on the fields by volunteers from non-profit sports organizations. Response: NVUSD has implemented this Recommendation. A volunteer site improvement plan is in place that allows for a case –by- case review of all proposed site improvements projects. This includes: scope of the project; scale of the project; staffing impact; and potential liability exposure mitigation by the District. B. OBSERVATIONS
• R17
  That the Parks and Recreation Department resume the responsibility for collecting field use fees from the NVUSD as it did prior to 2007. Response: This Recommendation will not be implemented because it is unwarranted. The NVUSD currently schedules the use of the fields directly with the NYSO, and accordingly should collect fees associated with the scheduled use. The fees are intended to be used for field maintenance activities by the NVUSD, so there would be no merit from the City collecting fees associated with a schedule developed by the NVUSD and subsequently forwarding fees to the NVUSD.