Score: +1
(5/7/4)
El Dorado County Grand Jury
• 2021-2022
EL Dorado County
Published: June 13, 2022
7 pages
⚠️ 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.
Conclusions 1
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CL1The Grand Jury developed a much greater appreciation for County Elections staff and the procedures they must perform to make our election processes function efficiently and accurately. Election Oversight of June 13, 2022 Members of the Grand Jury were confident with the integrity of the signature verification process (machine checked and human eye review) and the Dominion Voting System and all the options it provides to the voters and County Elections staff. The system provides an important level of security with checks and balances to uphold the integrity of the voting process. County Elections staff are knowledgeable of the software and hardware of the Dominion Voting System. Overall, the Grand Jury is extremely impressed with the integrity of protocols and procedures developed and implemented by County Elections for mail-in ballots, as well as in-person voting. Election Oversight of June 13, 2022
Observations 1
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OB1Vote Centers Vote Centers had three Check-In Stations and one Ballot Station to print provisional ballots for voters who have lost their ballots, who want to change their vote, or who register to vote that day. Stations were staffed by high school students who earn school credits for assisting and volunteers who receive a stipend. Vote Centers have a County Elections Inspector who oversees the operations and answers questions that volunteers are unable to provide. Three automated voting machines were set up at each of the Vote Centers to give voters the option of using Dominion's ImageCast X Ballot Marking Device, which prints a marked vote record that can be counted just like any other ballot. Long tables were set up for paper voting with cardboard shields to offer privacy, and the ballots were dropped in a box on-site. There was an additional box at the Vote Center for voters to deposit their vote-by-mail ballots. County Elections on Elections Day Grand Jury observers had to sign the entry log to enter the County Elections area. They saw several batches of ballots scanned in the Tabulations Room and watched two staff members adjudicate ballots for irregular marks and attempt to determine voter intent. They were able to see and discuss the process used by staff in determining the intent of the voter. Grand Jury observers also saw staff drop off over 800 ballots from the Drop Box located outside County Elections which was collected every two hours by two clerks.
Agency Responses 3
Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.
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Board Of Supervisors Response(PDF, 131KB)
April 19, 2022
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6 pages
• 14 responses
•
Score: -1
(+3, 6, -4)
View Details ▾
14 responses to findings and recommendations
F2
The Consolidated ER does not properly use the service radius to determine the special and general assessment for each LLAD.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
F2. The comparative compensation levels determined by the County include other California counties and the State of California, but do not include local private industry. The Board of Supervisors agrees with the finding.
R2
The EDH CSD should utilize the Carson Creek LLAD #39 deferred maintenance reserve to fund the approved assessment refund for FY 2021-2022. This should be completed
Response: Requires Analysis
Score: 0
R2. The Board of Supervisors should ensure that future compensation studies include pay levels only from Sacramento and Placer Counties and, where appropriate, similar classifications in local private industries. The recommendation requires further analysis and staff should make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors no later than Decembe
F3
The ERs are incomplete and lack the required information for improvements and do not list upcoming major maintenance projects for each LLAD.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
F3. Many employees see the County as a place to develop their skills and then leave for higher- paying positions in other counties or private industry, resulting in the County paying for training for which it does not receive the ongoing benefit. The Board of Supervisors agrees with the finding.
R3
The EDH CSD should recalculate the maximum assessment for Carson Creek LLAD #39 using the current number of benefit units. This recalculation should be completed
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
r 3 months, with an opportunity to extend the life of (he list upon request by an appointing authority for up to one year. Human Resources strives to have a current list available for those job classifications that are used broadly across all departments and frequently recruited, such as the Office Assistant series, Administrative Technician, and Administrative Analyst, to name a few. This is done so hiring departments will have a list of candidates at the ready as unanticipated vacancies arise in these commonly used classifications. The promulgation and expiration of these lists are managed a...
F4
Periodic surveys regarding park usage have not been conducted to determine if the special versus general benefit calculation for each LLAD is correct.
Response: Disagree Partially
Score: 0
F4. The County does not have knowledge of the cost of hiring a new individual, including the recruitment process, County training, and learning the role, duties, and responsibilities. The Board of Supervisors disagrees partially with the finding. The Board is aware of various studies identifying the cost of turnover but does not have costs for each position/job classification in the county which would differ significantly depending on the role.
R4
The EDH CSD should contract with an outside consulting firm to develop and implement a quality control process to ensure the annual assessment file sent to the County Auditor-Controller’s Office is correct. This quality control process should be in place
Response: Will Not Implement
Score: -1
R4. The Board of Supervisors should commission a study into the true cost of recruiting and training new hires within one year of the date of issue of this report. This recommendation should not be implemented because it is not warranted or is not reasonable. The Board of Supervisors agrees there is a cost associated with recruiting and training new staff and should do everything reasonable to reduce turnover. However, those costs will be different depending on the job classification and duties and using taxpayer dollars to pay for this study is not a wise use of funds that could be better spe...
F5
Heritage Park in the Carson Creek LLAD #39 has not been accepted by the EDH CSD, yet assessments have been collected and the maximum assessment has increased every year since FY 2015-2016.
Response: Disagree Partially
Score: 0
F5. Due to the length of time required to complete the recruitment process, departments have lost potential candidates. The Board of Supervisors disagrees partially with the finding. There are exceptional situations where a recruitment has experienced significant delays, and a candidate has accepted another offer from a competing employer in the meantime. Most recruitments take approximately two months to complete (including the recruitment posting and application acceptance phase). There are several factors that may cause delays that are beyond the control of Human Resources, including delays...
R5
The EDH CSD should transfer the general benefit amount as calculated in the ER to the underlying LLAD.
Response: Will Not Implement
Score: -1
R5. The Human Resources Department should maintain ongoing lists of potential candidates for all positions to decrease time to bring in new employees and keep the application process for lower-level positions open on a continuous basis, within 90 days of the date of issue of this report. This recommendation should not be implemented because if is not warranted or is not reasonable. The County currently has just ove
F6
There were differences found between the EDH CSD assessment file sent to the County Auditor-Controller and the property tax statements for Carson Creek LLAD #39 for FY 2019-2020 and FY 2020-2021.
Response: Disagree Partially
Score: 0
F6. If there are not enough acceptable applicants for a position, the hiring department and the Human Resources Department can rewrite the specifications and advertise a revised position listing to attract more potential recruits. The Board of Supervisors disagrees partially with the finding. The hiring department and the Human Resources Department can rewrite job specifications with Board of Supervisors approval and then advertise a revised position listing to attract more potential recruits; however, job specifications and, specifically, Minimum Qualifications are already inherently develope...
R6
The EDH CSD should change its internal processes and begin crediting rental income to the LLAD that generated the income. This should be completed by December 31, 2022. June 30, 2022 EDH CSD Management of the Landscape
Response: Implemented
Score: 0
R6. The Human Resources Department, in conjunction with County departments, should review that job descriptions are written to the lowest possible level for the position (especially recurring) to ensure the largest selection for that role, completed within 180 days of the date of issue of this report. The recommendation has been implemented. Human Resources already performs this function on an ongoing basis. There is currently a process in place that triggers a subsequent review and analysis of the entire job specification, including the Minimum Qualifications. The Minimum Qualifications are j...
F7
The EDH CSD does not transfer the general benefit amount specified in the ER to the LLADs.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
F7. With the pandemic, the County is attempting to become more telework-friendly by allowing certain staff to work from home. This tends to be on a hybrid schedule, as determined by an employee's manager. The Board of Supervisors agrees with this finding. While some departments may have delegated authority to the employee's manager to determine if an employee can telework, the Department Head is ultimately responsible for the final decision.
R7
The EDH CSD should provide the LLADs with more details on the financial effect the Zuri Alliance Consolidated Services agreement will have on their LLAD assessments. This should be completed
Response: Will Not Implement
Score: -1
R7. The Chief Administrative Officer, in conjunction with the Human Resources Department, should expand the option of the hybrid telework model to as many positions as are practical within 180 days of the date of issue of this report. This recommendation should not be implemented because it is not warranted or is not reasonable. Telework opportunities are encouraged and available to all staff based on the determination of the Department Head. It is the responsibility of the Department Head, upon consideration of a number of factors associated with each position and employee, to determine if te...
F8
The LLADs do not receive credit for rental income for the usage of their improvements, and thus, the ER does not use the rental income in its assessment calculation.
Response: Disagree Partially
Score: 0
F8. Many managers expressed that there is a lack of morale among staff due to low staffing levels contributing to burnout and more staff attrition. The Board of Supervisors disagrees partially with this finding. The Board of Supervisors agrees we have lower staffing levels per capita than other counties in our region as published in the Recommended Budget book on an annual basis. The Board of Supervisors also agrees this is likely a contributing factor to burnout and more staff attrition; however, there are many factors that are in the control of the employee's manager that can be taken to imp...
R8
The EDH CSD should create and publicize policies and procedures, including timeframes and record-keeping requirements, in one accessible online location, to address assessment complaints and appeals. These policies and procedures should be completed and publicized
Response: Will Not Implement
Score: -1
R8. The Board of Supervisors should direct the Human Resources Department and elected department heads to implement a program to foster teamwork, and morale-building throughout the organization within 180 days of the date of issue of this report. This recommendation should not be implemented because it is not warranted or is not reasonable. Asking the Human Resources Department to convene a meeting only with elected departments heads fails to receive input from more than half of the department heads who manage the majority of county employees. The County, through the executive leadership team ...
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Board Of Supervisors Response(PDF, 137KB)
February 11, 2020
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4 pages
• 2 responses
•
Score: +1
(+1, 0, 0)
View Details ▾
2 responses to findings and recommendations
R5
The South Lake Tahoe Police Department should establish an internal standard for Continuing Professional Training for Crisis Intervention Training course hours and Refresher Training Crisis Intervention Training and have their officers attend such training.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
R5. The BOS should send a letter by Decembe
F7
The Auditor/Controller’s Office spends an inordinate amount of time resolving minor discrepancies between transaction detail and the bank charge.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
F7. Availability and affordability of fire insurance is an ongoing issue in the County. The Board of Supervisors agrees with the finding. RECOMMENDATIONS Rl. The BOS should provide the new Wildfire Resiliency Office with appropriate staffing, resources, and funding, to meet its goals by Decembe
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Board of Supervisors Response(PDF, 52KB)
January 31, 2023
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2 pages
• 4 responses
•
Score: +1
(+1, 1, 0)
View Details ▾
4 responses to findings and recommendations
F3
The ERs are incomplete and lack the required information for improvements and do not list upcoming major maintenance projects for each LLAD.
Response: Disagree Partially
Score: 0
F3. The Grand Jury found examples that HHSA did not follow its written procedures for invoice approval. The Board of Supervisors disagrees partially with this finding. The Board of Supervisors finds it difficult to respond to this finding due to the absence of documentation supporting the examples found by the Grand Jury.
R3
The EDH CSD should recalculate the maximum assessment for Carson Creek LLAD #39 using the current number of benefit units. This recalculation should be completed
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
R3. Probation and HHSA management should send a monthly report to the CAO demonstrating they are consistently following their internal written procedures for processing hotel vendor invoices, from receipt through fiscal oversight, until it is sent to the Auditor-Controller's Office. This monthly reporting process should begin by Septembe
F5
Heritage Park in the Carson Creek LLAD #39 has not been accepted by the EDH CSD, yet assessments have been collected and the maximum assessment has increased every year since FY 2015-2016.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
F5. There are no formal contracts in place between the County and hotel vendors. The Board of Supervisors agrees with this finding. Page 1 RECOMMENDATIONS Rl. The CAO should direct County departments to coordinate housing stays and work to use an expanded list of hotels, as appropriate, for emergency housing of their clients on the Western Slope. This directive should be given by Septembe
R5
The EDH CSD should transfer the general benefit amount as calculated in the ER to the underlying LLAD.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
Recommendation 5. The Auditor-Controller was also asked to prepare a response to this report. Consistent with previous practice and pursuant to Board Policy A-11, the Chief Administrative Office is responsible for coordinating the County's response to the Grand Jury. Responses to the Grand Jury Report are directed by Board Policy A-l 1 and Penal Code 933.05. Accordingly, the Chief Administrative Office has reviewed and compiled the responses from all non-elected department heads into this Initial Draft Response for the Board's consideration. FINDINGS Fl. Probation and HHSA have a limited numbe...