📋

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.

Nevada County Grand Jury • 1998-1999

Planning Department Reason for the Investigation The Nevada County Civil Grand Jury received two formal complaints

7 pages

View PDF View Full Original

⚠️ 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 13 findings

F1 Page 1

The Planning Department is one of three departments which report to the Community Development Agency (CDA) director. Prior to the formation of the CDA in late 1997, the department director reported to the County Administrative Officer (CAO).

F2 Page 1

The Planning Department has been without a permanent director since 1992. The department was managed by the Director of Transportation until 1997 as an additional duty. He had an employee acting as assistant director handling day-to-day management. Since 1997, the assistant director has held the titles of acting director and, later, interim director. The county advertised for a permanent director in November 1998, and in March 1999 hired a replacement.

F3 Page 1

The Grand Jury has learned from interviewing staff that uncertainty and vagueness of direction since 1992 has put their department in disarray and has had a negative effect on employee morale. Employees reported to the Grand Jury that the Board of Supervisors (BOS) put very little value on the Planning Department's contribution to the County.

F4 Page 1

Time keeping and work hour practices received limited to no oversight by department management. The Grand Jury learned from employee interviews that some employees are repeatedly absent from ž work, often for hours at a time, then turn in questionable time cards. It was reported to the Grand Jury that department management signed the time cards of at least two employees which had been identified as false.

F5 Page 1

The use of telephones for personal matters is not controlled. An analysis of telephone logs revealed __ an unusual number of calls from one number to a local area number. The Grand Jury researched that number and found it to be a local motorcycle shop. In addition, the Grand Jury found a significant

F6 Page 1

It was alleged that a senior manager has a long history of taking extended lunch hours and of poor managerial habits. This has been well known to staff and to immediate and next level supervisors.

F7 Page 1

The department has a history of sexual innuendo and abusive behavior directed toward female employees. This reached such a stage that one individual's actions were reported to the CAO since it was alleged that Planning management would take no action. The female who reported this individual was later told by Planning management that her actions amounted to insubordination by reporting this to the CAO.

F8 Page 2

The female staff stated that they feel threatened by some of the department customers but have no effective method to summon police help, although assistance has been requested of Planning management.

F9 Page 2

Voluntary Time Off (VTO) was a plan developed during the county downsizing period to allow employees to work less than a 40 hour week, at a salary commensurate with the number of hours worked. The program allowed management, in spreading the work load, to retain more employees. The VTO plan is still in effect even though the downsizing period has long passed. However, employees testified that the rules for the VTO program are not enforced in an even-handed manner by management.

F10 Page 2

The function of code enforcement is to uphold regulations contained in the General Plan and ordinances passed by the BOS regarding Planning. Planning management hired a senior code enforcement officer in October 1998 who had a history of short tenures in many different organizations, with a pattern of consecutively reduced salaries, all documented on his application. The Interim Planning director stated that he checked the references of the candidate and found them to be satisfactory. The senior code enforcement officer was terminated for inappropriate conduct by the CDA director only 24 days after beginning work for the county.

F11 Page 2

Supervision for code enforcement has since been moved from the Planning Department to the Building Department. As of June 1, 1999, no recruitment for a Senior Code Enforcement Officer has - been initiated.

F12 Page 2

The department has certain State of California mandated responsibilities to inspect mining activities within the county, charge for this inspection service and report its findings back to the State of California. There is evidence that inspections may not have been made for the time charged to the ز ۾ mining company. In 1998 a mining company protested the county charge for inspections and reports. The charge was for more than $3,000 for a nine month period. The Grand Jury could not find adequate department-recorded information to support the charge in question.

F13 Page 2

Employees stated that the CAO has tolerated these problems in the Planning Department while knowing of their concerns. Interviewed employees stated that this lack of concern has reduced morale to what they call "an all time low". ċ.

Recommendations 6

R1
Page 1

The BOS should develop a policy that mandates random audits of county employees' time keeping and telephone use practices. These audit results should be reviewed regularly by department management.
R2
Page 1

The Grand Jury recommends that the BOS amend all county hiring policies to include a more complete procedure for reviewing applicant work-related references, primarily in the hiring of key personnel.
R3
Page 1

The Grand Jury recommends that the CAO direct the Planning Department to institute a procedure of keeping detailed records for time and type of work performed in connection with mining activities which would be reviewed regularly and approved by the Planning Director.
R4
Page 1

The Grand Jury recommends that the CAO develop and make available a confidential process designed for employees' use to report work problems which they consider to be of a serious nature. Employees should be asked to sign reports but be assured of anonymity if desired and that the matter will be addressed. The importance of future follow-up is stressed.
R5
Page 1

The Grand Jury recommends that the CAO immediately institute some form of silent alarm system to alert law enforcement in the event that the counter employees feel threatened.
R6
Page 1

The Grand Jury recommends that members of the BOS, in such areas as planning and code enforcement problems of constituents, go through the protocol of the management structure of the CAO.

Conclusions 6

CL1 Page 3

The Grand Jury concludes that the BOS and the CAO permitted the Planning Department to languish for seven years without a permanent director, allowing the department to stumble into a state of disarray. Failure to deal decisively with this problem resulted in poor employee morale, abuse of job attendance standards, misuse of telephones and the breakdown of internal department work relations.
CL2 Page 3

Further departmental morale erosion occurred due to the lack of a senior code enforcement officer. Lack of direction affects the efficiency of a program, and code enforcement undoubtedly was adversely affected by a lack of direction. The Grand Jury believes that pressure was put on department employees directly and indirectly to revise some enforcement actions, thus responding to constituent complaints made to members of the BOS.
CL3 Page 3

The hiring of a senior code enforcement officer in October, 1998, who was terminated 24 days later, raises questions about the thoroughness of the department's hiring process. With a resume showing many short-span job tenures and consecutively reduced salaries, this individual's work background record should have "raised flags" in the minds of those considering his employment with the county. The Grand Jury believes this incident highlights failure of Planning Department management and senior county management direction and oversight.
CL4 Page 3

Records investigated show evidence of telephone misuse, inaccurate record-keeping of time and validation of these records by Planning Department management. The Grand Jury concludes that some people in the Planning Department believed that there would not be any oversight of these records.
CL5 Page 3

Adequate substantiation of mining inspections and time involved are not required by management, which has resulted in questionable information being reported and subsequently approved by the interim department director. Again, knowing there is little managerial supervision opens the opportunity for lackadaisical record-keeping.
CL6 Page 3

The Grand Jury concludes that employees experiencing harassment and abusive behavior felt there was no point in reporting it to department management because nothing would be done. They had to learn to live with offensive language and degrading comments from fellow employees, superiors and others. The county provided no effective method for employees to obtain help, if needed. _______________________________________ 1 5 _______________________________________ 20

No Responses Found 2

Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.

Nevada County County

Nevada County Board of Supervisors Elected County Office