Tuolumne County Grand Jury
• 2024-2025
• Agency Response
Heather Ryan Tuolumne County Executive Assistant/Deputy Clerk*
⚠️ 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 and Recommendations 3 findings
F1
Page 1
The Board of Supervisors failed to provide sufficient transparency, nor honest and effective communication to staff and the community regarding board decisions, goals, and financial liabilities. This lack of transparency eroded public trust in the Board of Supervisors. F-1 Response: The Board of Supervisors partially agrees with this finding. However, they have taken steps over the last several years to address communication and transparency, including using the OpenGov budget software so the public can easily access the budget detail online, they have used ClearPoint to create Board priorities, and Board meetings are available to livestream. The BOS ACTIONS AND OBLIGATIONS - GRAND JURY RESPONSE | 3 Board of Supervisors agrees that the County needs to improve communications and transparency with the citizens of this county.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Page 2
public information program by January 1, 2026, utilizing both digital and traditional media platforms to proactively communicate the Board's priorities and objectives, with particular emphasis on public safety initiatives and fiscal accountability measures. R-1 Response: The recommendation has not yet been implemented, but will be implemented in the future as the Board of Supervisors agrees that the County needs to improve communications and transparency on items. The Board of Supervisors should develop and implement formal procedures-
F2
Page 2
The Board of Supervisors failed to comply with the provisions and intent of the Brown Act, further contributing to mistrust of the Board by both the public and county staff. F-2 Response: The Board of Supervisors disagrees with this finding, as there is insufficient evidence that a Brown Act violation occurred.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Page 2
no later than January 1, 2026-authorizing a Public Information Officer or other designated representative to serve as the Board's official spokesperson under clearly defined circumstances. R-2 Response: The recommendation requires further analysis, because the Board would like to study whether or not a Public Information Officer is necessary and examine the cost of such a position. This is anticipated to be reviewed within the fiscal year. The Board of Supervisors should strictly and immediately comply with the
F3
Page 2
The Board of Supervisors failed to exercise adequate direction and oversight over the CAO and non-elected Department Heads to ensure proper personnel policies and procedures were followed. This failure fostered a widespread perception among county employees and the public, that favoritism influenced hiring and promotions, and that policies and procedures were implemented inequitably. F-3 Response: <u>The Board of Supervisors partially agrees with this finding</u>. The County has used a protocol to address this in the past. The County also implemented a formal process for recruitment in 2024, which includes increased oversight by HR and a broader Nepotism policy in the updated personnel policies that more explicitly outlines conflicts of interest. In a small county, there will be family members and friends who may be employed/applicants across the organization.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
Page 2
Brown Act, upholding its provisions with the utmost diligence and adhering to County Counsel's guidance on compliance. R-3 Response: The recommendation has been implemented, and if an inadvertent error occurs, the Board of Supervisors takes efforts to correct violations.
* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.