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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.
Yuba County Grand Jury
• 2007-2008
Yuba County Sheriff’s Department Jail Division
⚠️ 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 8 findings
F1
Page 76
As mentioned above, every construction professional required a promise of anonymity and secrecy before agreeing to be interviewed about their experiences with the building department because of a fear of reprisals.
F2
Page 76
One general finding, gleaned from a review of the County Committee’s notes and the satisfaction survey, is that persons who had completed projects several years ago had more, as well as more severe, complaints than more recent customers. The Grand Jury County Committee concluded that the building department is maturing and that the current staff is more professional and customer-focused than the prior field and counter staff (4 plus years ago.)
F3
Page 76
Senior building officials have questioned, even rejected, engineered “stamped” plans for homes, especially those that employ more modern construction techniques.
F4
Page 76
Over the past few years the county has improved the quality of building inspection as reflected by the professional demeanor of the inspectors whom the County Committee interviewed.
F5
Page 76
While the field interviews showed that newer projects suffered fewer complaints than older construction, there were still complaints and frustrations with the permit process.
F6
Page 77
AdvanTex filtration systems are currently being introduced as experimental systems in Yuba County in locations where sand filters were the only effluent processing means. The experimental program prudently allows the county Environmental Health Department to gather data from AdvanTex filter systems to compare with the large volume of available third party data. Once satisfied that AdvanTex systems process effluent as well or better than sand filtration, AdvanTex filters can become mainstream selections for homeowners, especially in the foothills.
F7
Page 77
The county surveyor has been working to simplify the lot line adjustment process. As a result of his work, a lot line adjustment is cheaper and easier than before.
F8
Page 77
During the housing boom, consultants were brought in to augment staff. Some of the contractors interviewed claimed that the consultants were actually slowing the permit process. Now that the housing boom has abated, consultants are still in use in at least one department.
Recommendations 5
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R1Page 76The building department needs to build a friendly approachable reputation, especially with construction professionals.
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R3Page 76Yuba County should retain the services of a licensed engineer to explain plans that employ new technology with which building officials are unfamiliar.
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R4Page 76Inspectors should continue their supervised weekly meetings. Field inspectors should also be allowed unsupervised meetings to compare field notes and educate themselves on new construction techniques.
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R5Page 76The building department needs to formalize a complaint process. Complaints and their solutions should be documented. Community Development and Services management should periodically review the complaint / solution database to determine that complaints are being resolved. Customers of the building department need to be made aware that such a system exists and that there will be no reprisals for using it. Yuba County Grand Jury Final Report June 26, 2008
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R8Page 77Review the functions performed by the outside consultants and assess whether those activities could be accomplished more efficiently and cost effectively in-house. PASSED and ADOPTED by the Yuba County Grand Jury on the 5th day of June, 2008.