Required Response Form Grand Jury Report Title: Who Runs Mendocino County?*

There is no published long term county-wide strategic planning by the BOS, e.g., fire response, homelessness, cannabis, housing and economic development. The Board of Supervisors agrees with this finding in that there is no single document titled "Strategic Plan for Mendocino County." However, there are an abundance of planning documents that guide policy in Mendocino County including numerous plans that address county-wide issues of public safety, health, economic, environmental and other needs of our communities. Foremost among these are the Mendocino County General Plan and the Mendocino County Budget. The Board looks forward to implementing previous Board direction to initiate a strategic planning process and appreciates the Grand Jury focus on this issue. The General Plan is a comprehensive, countywide policy and planning document that includes numerous Principles, Goals, Policies and Action Items related to Land Use, Circulation, Housing, Conservation, Open Space, Noise and Safety. The General Plan also includes Community-Specific Policies for Anderson Valley, Covelo, Fort Bragg Area, Hopland, Laytonville, Potter Valley, Redwood Valley and Willits Area. Also included within the General Plan are the Ukiah Valley Area Plan and the Coastal Element which governs land use and development in the Coastal Zone and includes the Mendocino Town Plan and Gualala Town Plan. The Brooktrails Township Specific Plan has been incorporated into the General Plan by reference. The General Plan is a comprehensive work plan for the County but implementation relies on prioritization and availability of funding. The County is currently in the process of updating the Housing Element and is seeking funding to update the Safety Element. The County Budget is built on the policy direction and funding priorities of the Board of Supervisors. The Budget details anticipated revenue and expenditures, including a Capital Improvement Plan, and may be considered a comprehensive work plan for the County. The Budget includes the Mission Statement for each department, a list of accomplishments and a list of goals for the coming year. The Budget also includes support for Economic Development and Financial Policies that are intended to assure long term fiscal stability and sustainability. Mendocino County is an active participant in the Mendocino Council of Governments (MCOG) which functions as the local and regional transportation planning agency for Mendocino County and disburses state and federal funds for transportation consistent with an adopted Regional Transportation Plan. In addition, MCOG has developed numerous documents that guide transportation planning and development in local areas as well as county-wide. Mendocino County is also an active participant in the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) which is mandated by state law and is intended to encourage the orderly formation of local government agencies, promote the efficient provision of public services, preserve agricultural land and open-space resources and promote orderly growth and discourage urban sprawl. LAFCO is also mandated to perform Municipal Service Reviews and establish Spheres of Influence for cities and special districts to guide their formation, expansion, consolidation or reorganization. Mendocino County has also developed an Emergency Operations Plan as the primary guide for coordinating and responding to all emergencies and disaster within the county, a Hazard Mitigation Plan, a Community Wildfire Protection Plan and the Redwood Complex Fire Recovery Project Work Plan. In addition to the state mandated Mental Health Services Act Plan, the Board commissioned a Mental Health Services Review from Kemper Consulting Group to assess the effectiveness of mental health service delivery and a Mendocino County Behavioral Health System Program Gap Analysis & Recommendations for Allocation of Measure B Revenues to guide the implementation of the locally adopted Mental Health Treatment Act. The Board also commissioned a Homeless Needs Assessment and Action Steps for Mendocino County including

There is no written succession plan for the CEO of Mendocino County. The Board of Supervisors disagrees partially with this finding and incorporates by reference the response of the CEO to F2. As stated in the CEO response, "it will always be a Board decision to decide on the appointment of an internal candidate or to do a comprehensive recruitment."

The BOS does not adequately track directives given to the CEO. The current list of directives has inadequate status and descriptors and there are no timelines or milestones for completion. The Board of Supervisors disagrees partially with this finding and incorporates by reference the response of the CEO to F3. Given the number of directives made by the Board, it is understandable that staff are required to prioritize their responses in order to maintain their normal workflow while attempting to address the Board directives. The Board of Supervisors believes that the directives are adequately described but agrees that additional information should be supplied regarding updates, status and timelines.

The Consent Agenda has often included controversial items, e.g. salary increases and cost over runs. The Board of Supervisors disagrees partially with this finding and incorporates the response of the CEO. While controversial items have sometimes been included on the consent calendar, the Board has taken steps to avoid a reoccurrence, including that salary increases shall appear on the regular calendar. The Board also directed that all retroactive contracts be included on the regular calendar unless the delay in approval was the result of another governmental agency.

In the BOS minutes, the name of the public speaker is listed but not a description of the issue raised. The Board of Supervisors agrees with this finding.

There are no scheduled proactive meetings with residents of individual districts to speak with their Supervisor. The Board of Supervisors disagrees partially with this finding. Members of the Board of Supervisors, either as individuals, or as members of ad hoc committees do hold meetings to meet with constituents. In addition, members of the Board attend numerous community meetings and events in their districts and around the County where they are available to discuss issues. Constituents may also schedule individual or small group meetings with their Supervisor.

The GJ could not find a complaint or issue form on the Mendocino County website. The Board of Supervisors agrees with this finding and incorporates by reference the response of the CEO to F8.

There is no procedural requirement for any Supervisor to respond to a constituent complaint or issue. The Board of Supervisors agrees with this finding, however, each Supervisor is responsible to determine how, when and in what manner to respond to constituents' complaints and comments. In many cases, a direct response is made to the constituent. In other cases, the issue is referred to the relevant department for a response. In certain situations, such as personnel matters and labor negotiations, there are legal and practical considerations that will limit the response of Board members. Response to Recommendations: