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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.

Lake County Grand Jury • 2006-2007

Government Services Committee Reports

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Findings 66 findings

F1 Page 17
The county has the most expensive health insurance monthly share-cost for employees of all government employers in the county. The rates are elevated by the high fee schedule at the local hospital.
F2 Page 17
Recent improvements in retirement benefits for government em- ployees have not been adopted in Lake County.
F3 Page 17
County employees promoted to supervisory positions within their departments do not receive training in management and motiva- tion skills.
F4 Page 17
The most recent salary survey, contracted by the county, has not resulted in equivalent wages for county employees.
F5 Page 17
If enjoying the rural lifestyle remains the only incentive to attract qualified individuals, our public services will continue to deterio- rate. 14 2006-2007 Lake County Grand Jury Final Report Government Services Committee
F6 Page 19
The Buildings and Grounds Department has one supervisor (Superintendent), four full-time technicians, and one part-time office person. However, according to The “Operations and Mainte- nance Benchmarks Research Report” for 2005 cited the ratio for maintenance personnel is 1:30,000 square feet.
F7 Page 19
There is no after-hours call-out availability of Buildings and Grounds personnel.
F8 Page 19
The Buildings and Grounds operation has outgrown its current location.
F9 Page 19
The Buildings and Grounds Superintendent spends most of his time working as a technician.
F10 Page 19
A qualified technician with Lake County must be adequately trained in plumbing, carpentry, electrical, and heating & air con- ditioning, pneumatics, and computer technologies to fulfill the job requirements.
F11 Page 19
Due to staffing levels, a qualified technician with Lake County must be able to work independently with minimal guidance. 16 2006-2007 Lake County Grand Jury Final Report Government Services Committee
F12 Page 20
Construction projects under $10,000 are usually handled by Buildings and Grounds because contractors customarily do not bid on projects of this size. Some routine maintenance is done by outside contractors for time efficiency.
F13 Page 20
Optional construction projects with available monies are some- times left undone due to unavailability of staff.
F14 Page 21
Clearlake City Council and the City’s Redevelopment Agency were having a joint meeting the evening the committee attended.
F15 Page 21
The prepared agenda was followed in an organized manner.
F16 Page 21
The public was treated with respect and was allowed ample time to ask questions and state opinions regarding items voted on by the council.
F17 Page 21
The parking lot outside council chambers has insufficient light- ing.
F18 Page 23
The newly elected District Attorney did not dispute that a need existed for an increase in staff assigned to elder abuse cases.
F19 Page 23
The District Attorney’s Office budget for 2007 includes requests for one full-time Deputy District Attorney, one full-time investiga- tor who would assist the present investigator, and one victim ad- vocate for elder abuse cases.
F20 Page 23
The complainant is satisfied with the efforts of the District Attor- ney’s Office to increase staffing to handle elder abuse cases. The complainant contacted the State Attorney General’s Office in ad- dition to the Lake County Grand Jury.
F21 Page 25
The Information Technology (IT) Department needs two additional staff positions, a programmer analyst and a senior network engi- neer for high-level design and support.
F22 Page 25
Several county departments have old hardware and outdated software to support the specific demands required for their work.
F23 Page 25
High turnover and low pay for technical support staff has created a problem maintaining well qualified staff for the IT Department.
F24 Page 25
The department has outgrown its current location.
F25 Page 27
The city council discussed a variety of items listed on the agenda.
F26 Page 27
An addition to the agenda was discussed, voted on and approved.
F27 Page 27
The agenda was followed meticulously with the only exception be- ing the public was allowed to speak for more than three minutes regarding an agenda item.
F28
The brochures are professionally published. They cover a wide range of interest that provide an opportunity for visitors to find and locate activities while exploring many of Lake County's hid- den treasures.
F29 Page 29
The Government Services committee is concerned that the poten- tial sale or closure of Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa, a featured destination for tourism, could create a loss of revenue and mar- keting potential for the county.
F30 Page 31
The employees in the Personnel Department are dedicated and caring people who want to provide the best opportunities for the employees of Lake County.
F31 Page 31
Knowing the major causes for losing employees and not being able to affect change in those areas is frustrating to the Personnel Department.
F32 Page 31
The training of first line supervisors throughout the county is in- consistent.
F33 Page 31
Other government agencies in the county, such as the school dis- tricts, pay much less for health insurance.
F34 Page 31
County employee retirement benefits are historically low and out- dated. 28 2006-2007 Lake County Grand Jury Final Report Government Services Committee
F35 Page 33
LLDS is continuously seeking new attorneys.
F36 Page 33
To the detriment of LLDS inexperienced attorneys occasionally use LLDS for training and experience before moving to private or deputy DA practice.
F37 Page 33
LLDS uses the slower pace of Lake County to solicit experienced attorneys who wish to enjoy a more relaxed environment. This approach seems to be working.
F38 Page 33
There is no private consultation room for LLDS at the Lakeport courthouse.
F39 Page 33
The current system for checking financial eligibility for public de- fender services is being improved.
F40 Page 33
There is a pre-entry access security screening measures at the Lake County courthouse in Clearlake, but not in Lakeport .
F41 Page 35
Currently, county purchasing operations are handled by each in- dividual department.
F42 Page 35
Some departments do not have their staff trained in purchasing procedures.
F43 Page 35
Personnel changes sometimes leave departments without staff trained in purchasing.
F44 Page 35
Staff unfamiliar with purchasing could result in the loss of sav- ings by failing to: buy in bulk, negotiate service contracts, and identify surpluses. In addition, they could have difficulty manag- ing the budget.
F45 Page 35
The Purchasing Agent is seeking to reorganize the processes and bring control over the spending by centralizing the purchasing and service contracts for equipment and supplies.
F46 Page 37
The Office of the Registrar of Voters has a dedicated year-round staff of two full-time people and a recent addition of one perma- nent part-time person.
F47 Page 37
Prior to each election, there is a paid training class for persons staffing the polling places.
F48 Page 37
With the advent of electronic voting machines, additional training and incentive pay were implemented.
F49 Page 37
Persons staffing the polling places are paid.
F50 Page 37
The campaign to register people to vote is ongoing. High schools in Lake County have elected not to participate.
F51 Page 37
Although there were 46,859 people eligible to vote in Lake County prior to the 2006 election, only 31,564 were registered to vote.
F52 Page 37
During the November 2006 election, polling place ballots received were 9,445 (14.9% of those registered).
F53 Page 37
During the November 2006 election, absentee ballots received were 10,316 (16.2% of those registered absentee). 34 2006-2007 Lake County Grand Jury Final Report Government Services Committee
F54 Page 38
The following statistics represent the vote in Lake County in November 2006: Total Total Total
F55 Page 38
Every vote counts. Based on these results to make a majority, for each 10 people in the county, it only takes 2 votes to determine the outcome of the local election.
F56 Page 38
The county paid approximately $600,000 out of contingency funds for the electronic voting machines mandated by law.
F57 Page 38
Five voters used electronic machines in Lake County in November 2006.
F58 Page 38
The State of California and the federal government are to reim- burse the county for the purchase of the voting machines. This has not occurred to date.
F59 Page 38
The electronic voting machines purchased by the Registrar of Voters meets all ADA accessibility standards and were an excep- tional decision in saving the county money, otherwise two ma- chines per polling place would have been required.
F60 Page 38
The Registrar of Voters shares office space in the Lakeport court- house with the Auditor-Controller. The office space is grossly in- adequate for the daily staff and storage, and has no room for ex- pansion during elections.
F61 Page 38
Absentee ballots are counted at the time they are received and are reported in the initial election returns.
F62 Page 39
The department is currently housed in a 1950’s era former resi- dence with few upgrades.
F63 Page 39
The Victim Witness Director is diligent in locating available grant money to support operations.
F64 Page 39
Some grant money is shared with other law enforcement agen- cies.
F65 Page 39
The staff has created a supportive environment for the comfort, consolation, and education of crime victims using their services.
F66 Page 39
The caseload has risen considerably in the last few years; how- ever, their ability to staff the office and to obtain grant money has not kept pace with the demand.

Recommendations 6