Humboldt County Grand Jury • 2008-2009 • Agency Response
Response to: 2008-2009 Final Report

County of Humboldt Public Works Interoffice Memo Date:*

Published: May 11, 2009 27 pages
Ver PDF original

Findings and Recommendations 7 findings

F1
The northern boundary of the Redway Solid Waste Transfer Station's property is not completely fenced and therefore the property can be accessed by unauthorized persons after business hours. RESPONSE: Agree
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
The Grand Jury recommends that the Humboldt County Public Works Department construct a fence along the northern boundary of the Redway Solid Waste Transfer Station to make the site more secure and to help prevent unauthorized access after business hours. RESPONSE: The County had to prioritize available funding for repairs at the Redway Transfer Station due to issues related to water quality, which were a priority. The California Department of Forestry and Fire which owns the site upgraded its security measures to deal with the issues raised. The County is currently negotiating with both the site operator and the site owner to make improvements to this facility, which will require rate increases to pay for the improvements, which may include the fence. HUMBOLDT COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE GARY PHILP, SHERIFF MAIN STATION CUSTODY SERVICES CIVIL/COURTS 826 FOURTH STREET . EUREKA CA 95501-0516 (707) 441-5159 (707) 445-7335 PHONE (707) 445-7251 • FAX (707) 445-7298 APRIL 16, 2009 DATE: RECEIVED THE HONORABLE JUDGE FEENEY TO: APR 1 7 2009 PRESIDING JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT CAO FROM: GARY PHILP, SHERIFF RESPONSE TO THE 2008-2009 GRAND JURY REPORT RE: 2009-JL-02 HOOPA AND GARBERVILLE SUBSTATIONS
F2
The unloading of bodies in the carport is in full public view from the adjacent sidewalk and street.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
The Grand Jury recommends extending the carport to shield the process of handling bodies from public view. Board of Supervisors Response(s) to F.2. and R.2. The Board of Supervisors agrees with the finding. The Board will work with the Coroner Public Administrator to extend the driveway when funding is available upon the completion of facility improvements and deferred maintenance projects that are currently either under progress or of a more pressing matter. FAX NO. : 7074457400 May. 28 2009 03:26PM P1/2 FROM : CORONER - PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR COUNTY HUMBOLDT 0 F 3012 "I" STREET EUREKA, CALIFORNIA 95501 PHONE (707) 445-7242 May 28, 2009 RECEIVED Loretta Nickolaus County Administrative Officer MAY 2 8 2009 825 Fifth Street Eureka, CA 95501 CAO Re: Grand Jury Report 2009-JL-01 Dear Ms. Nickolaus: In response to the Grand Jury requirements, findings and recommendations:
F3
The lack of a convenient Web-based system through which citizens can access property information and other public records through the Internet contributes to operational inefficiencies in the Assessor's Office and to unnecessary delays in recording, processing, and providing information. RESPONSE: Partially disagree. A more robust website would be a benefit to the citizens of Humboldt County. It could also save some staff time now used for answering telephone inquires and mailing certain forms. However, the confidential nature of much of the property information held by this office precludes making it available online. An improved website would not increase recording or processing efficiencies. Those two items, which form the great majority of our work, would not be improved or enhanced by upgrading the web page.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
The Assessor should hold regular meetings with management staff, to ensure that all employees have a regular opportunity to discuss office operations and receive direct communication on office expectations, protocol, and procedures. RESPONSE: We have implemented this by scheduling management staff meetings every two weeks.
F4
Regular management and staff meetings are not conducted in the Assessor's Office. RESPONSE: Partially disagree. We have frequent management staff meetings and frequent meetings of the various divisions within the office with their respective supervisors. Full staff meetings have been held on an as-needed basis. Because of employee flex schedules and field work, it is often most efficient to distribute information by email or written memo.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
The Board of Supervisors should consider combining the duties of the Assessor's Office with those of other compatible County offices and report to the citizens of the County the outcome of its consideration. Board of Supervisors Response(s) to F.6. and R.4. The Board of Supervisors partially agrees with the finding. While combining the duties of the Assessor with those of other County offices may be an efficient way of cutting costs consolidating the functions and responsibility of an elected official takes careful study and consideration. The Board may consider combining the duties of the Assessor with other compatible County duties if further research indicates that such a decision would be beneficial to Humboldt County. . RECEIVEDBOARD OF SUPERVISOR JUN 0 5 20 AM 7181911011112111213141 LINDA A. HILL, ASSESSOR HUMBOLDT COUN 25 5TH STREET, ROOM 300 EUREKA, CALIFORNIA 95501 PHONE (707) 445-7663 TOLL FREE (866) 240-0485 June 4, 2009 The Honorable John T. Feeney Presiding Judge Superior Court of California, County of Humboldt 825 Fifth Street Eureka, California 95501 Dear Judge Feeney: Enclosed with this letter is my response to Grand Jury Report 2009-AF-01. I commend the Grand Jury for its dedicated service to the citizens of Humboldt County. Sincerely, ASSESSOR'S RESPONSE TO GRAND JURY REPORT 2009-AF-01
F5
There appears to be a practice of grooming a current employee in the Assessor's Office to ultimately run for election to the Assessor position. RESPONSE: Partially disagree. Senior mariagement staff is given the training and resources necessary to run the department in the assessor's absence. Any staff member with the desire and initiative to seek additional knowledge and training of the assessor's office is encouraged in that pursuit. While this may make any one, or more, of the staff a qualified candidate for the office, it is also necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the office. County administration has endorsed succession planning and is embarked on developing a plan to work toward this goal. It seems as appropriate in a department headed by an elected official as in a department run by an appointed department head. In no case is the person guaranteed a future promotion. Ultimately, it is the electorate that decides who will be the assessor.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
The Assessor's Office should develop regular and effective communication procedures among County departments that are affected by unresolved property designations. RESPONSE: This recommendation has been implemented. We have been working cooperatively since 2000 with other county departments to resolve outstanding parcel issues. The Assessor's Office has an open, on-going dialogue with various individuals in the county departments which are responsible for property designations. Established procedures are in place for notification to property owners and Community Development Services whenever a parcel that is non-compliant comes to our attention. inter-office memo Date: May 21, 2009 To: Loretta Nickolaus, County Administrative Officer From: Wendy B. Chaitin, County Counsel Re: Response to Grand Jury Report 2009-AF-01 HUMBOLDT COUNTY ASSESSOR'S OFFICE (Grand Jury #2009-AF-01)
F6
Twenty California counties currently combine the duties of the Assessor with those of other county offices, as permitted by Government Code. Combining offices and functions for purposes of cost and management efficiency could be a benefit to Humboldt County.
No recommendations for this finding
F7
There is continuing confusion regarding the status of some properties in the County. This was previously noted in the 2006 Grand Jury Report. These unresolved issues are a source of frustration for the Assessor's Office, for other county departments, and for property owners in Humboldt County. RESPONSE: Partially agree. As stated in the report "(t)he Assessor's Office is not normally involved in establishing property designations or in determining the legal/illegal status of a property". There are certain guidelines that the Assessor's Office must follow when creating assessor parcels. Because assessor parcels and legal parcels do not always coincide, various county departments must work together to resolve the differences. This is often a lengthy process, which frustrates this office and the property owners.
No recommendations for this finding

* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.