Napa County Grand Jury • 2021-2022 • Agency Response
Response to: Consolidated Final Report

City of Napa August 16, 2022 Honorable Victoria Wood Superior Court of Napa County

Published: August 16, 2022 19 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 6 findings

F1 Page 1
The City of Napa has developed a systematic and criteria-based approach to prioritizing sidewalk repairs. City Response: The City agrees with this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Page 2
The City of Napa should describe the rationale and advantages of the Napa Neighborhood Streets and Sidewalk Program on the Public Works Department website. City Hall: 955 School Street, NapaCA 94559 | Mailing Address: P.O. Box 660, Napa CA 94559 | (707)257-9500 | www.cityofnapa.org City of Napa Response to 2021-2022 Napa County Grand Jury Compliance and Implementation Report City Response: The recommendation has been implemented. In July 2022, additional information regarding the sidewalk repair programs was added to the City of Napa Public Works website. The information on the sidewalk repair programs can be found on the City webpage: https://www.citvofnapa.org/365/Sidewalks-Curbs-Gutters.
F2 Page 1
The City of Napa strives for efficiency, due to its limited number of repair crew personnel (22 full time repair crew personnel), in order to maximize sidewalk repairs throughout the year. City Response: The City partially disagrees with this finding. The City does strive for efficiency due to the limited number of repair crew personnel to maximize sidewalk repairs City Hall: 955 School Street, NapaCA 94559 | Mailing Address: P.O. Box 660, Napa CA 94559 | (707)257-9500 | www.citvofnapa.org City of Napa Response to 2021-2022 Napa County Grand Jury Compliance and Implementation Report throughout the year. To provide additional clarity, it is important to state the assignments of the street maintenance personnel. The City has three crews dedicated to street maintenance with a total of 21 positions assigned to these three crews with a streets superintendent manager over the division. Only one crew, which is made up of seven members, is assigned full time to concrete sidewalk repairs. The other two crews are assigned to street paving, drainage system maintenance, street signage, pavement striping, debris removal, etc.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Page 3
The City of Napa should use its Public Works Department website to explain the prioritization of sidewalk repair, including shaving and asphalt patching under the Napa Neighborhood Streets and Sidewalks Program. City Response: The recommendation has been implemented. In July 2022, additional information regarding the sidewalk repair programs was added to the City of Napa Public Works website. The information on the sidewalk repair programs can be found on the City webpage: https://www.citvofnapa.org/365/Sidewalks-Curbs-Gutters.
F3 Page 2
The City of Napa has identified the following five important sidewalk conditions, each assigned a numerical score (1-5), to determine repair prioritization: A) pedestrian travel areas, B) years until the sidewalk falls onto the schedule of repair under the Napa Neighborhood Streets and Sidewalk Program, C) tree issues around the sidewalk, D) proximity to schools and E) size of concrete displacement City Response: The City agrees with this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
Page 3
The City of Napa should use the Public Works Department website to explain how crew efficiency assists in getting more sidewalk repairs completed each year. City Response: The recommendation has been implemented. In July 2022, updated information regarding the sidewalk repair programs has been added to the City of Napa Public Works website. The information on the sidewalk repair programs can be found on the City webpage: https://www.citvofnapa.org/365/Sidewalks-Curbs-Gutters.
F4 Page 2
The Public Works Department goal for sidewalk repair is to group by proximity/location the highest-ranked priority projects, in order to develop a list of the maximum number of high priority repairs that can be completed as a single project. The goal is to complete repairs ranging from a minimum of 9 to a maximum of 15 locations to minimize movement of repair crews and maximize efficiency. City Response: The City agrees with this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
Page 3
The City of Napa should use the Public Works Depari:ment website to emphasize the Cost Sharing program and the benefits it provides to residents whose sidewalks are not scheduled for near-term repairs. City Response: The recommendation has been implemented. In July 2022, updated information regarding the sidewalk repair programs has been added to the City of Napa Public Works website. The information on the sidewalk repair programs can be found on the City webpage: https://www.cityofnapa.orc]/365/Sidewalks-Curbs-Gutters.
F5 Page 2
The Public Works Department views efficiency in sidewalk repairs as a major factor in the timely repair of all damaged sidewalks. The Public Works Department has evidence and experience that the sidewalk repair rates of the Napa Neighborhood Program are four to five times greater than completing individual priority locations. City Response: The City agrees with this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
Page 3
The City of Napa should update the Public Works Department website to reflect its strong financial and operational commitment to sidewalk repair year over year and to describe any plans for the future. City Response: The recommendation has been implemented. In July 2022, updated information regarding the sidewalk repair programs has been added to the City of Napa Public Works website. The information on the sidewalk repair programs can be found on the City webpage: https://www.citvofnapa.org/365/Sidewalks-Curbs-Gutters. Reporting from 2019-2020 Report The 2021-2022 Grand Jury Report appendix includes a
F6 Page 2
City residents do not have easy access to sidewalk repair information due to the Public Works Department's outdated sidewalks website. An updated website could help to inform the public about the City of Napa's strong financial and operational commitment to sidewalk repair given budgetary constraints. City Response: The City partially disagrees with this finding. The City's website did include information about the Napa Neighborhood Streets and Sidewalks Program, the Sidewalk Cost Share Program, Sidewalk Shaving Program, and sidewalk locations repaired over the previous fiscal year. The City does agree that improvements to the website would be useful in highlighting the sidewalk repair program as a City priority. In July 2022, additional information regarding the sidewalk repair programs was added to the City of Napa Public Works website.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
Page 4
The Jury recommends that the Public Works Department annually publish on the City of Napa's website a street address list of priority projects completed each year, to be completed by December 31, 2020. City Hall: 955 School Street, NapaCA 94559 | Mailing Address: P.O. Box 660, Napa CA 94559 | (707)257-9500 | www.cityofnapa.org City of Napa Response to 2021-2022 Napa County Grand Jury Compliance and Implementation Report City Response 2019-2020: This recommendation will be implemented by December 31, 2020. In January, with the assistance of the City's GIS Coordinator, the Public Works Department initiated work to produce an interactive map to display locations of sidewalk repairs. The interactive map is being modeled after one published by the City of Dublin, Ohio. (https://dublinohiousa.gov/engineering/sidewalk-maintenance-program/). Once completed, the interface will be updated annually. City Response 2021-2022: The detailed lists (by address) for repairs from July 2019 through 2020 was prepared for posting on the City's website by December 31, 2020. In October 2021 City staff identified that the detailed list for repairs was not locatable on the City's website. Links to the detailed lists were added to the City's website and verified in October 2021. In July 2022, there was a significant update to the sidewalk program information included on the City of Napa's Public Works webpages, including adding a list of sidewalk repairs made through June 2022. The information can be found at: https://www.cityofnapa.orc]/365/Sidewalks-Curbs-Gutters. 2019-2020