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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.

Santa Cruz County Grand Jury • 2008-2009

Supplemental Employee Retirement Plans (serp) in Santa Cruz County School Districts

Published: November 15, 2009 6 pages
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Findings 7 findings

F1 Page 68
Central Stores charges other county departments for storage space used and delivery of stored supplies. Total charges to other departments should be equal to or greater than the cost to operate Stores. If total income is less than the cost, then money from 58 What’s in Store for Stores? 2008–2009 Santa Cruz County Grand Jury Final Report with Responses the county general fund must be used to supplement the Stores budget. The following graph details county cost to maintain the Stores facility over and above the revenue generated from billing individual departments for Stores services. Net County Cost for Central Stores Fiscal Year Net Cost 1999-2000 $ 42,854.74 2000-2001 $ 11,259.11 2001-2002 $ 50,202.18 2002-2003 $102,963.65 2003-2004 $ 76,881.37 2004-2005 $ 35,870.59 2005-2006 $ 63,996.81 2006-2007 $ 79,319.90
F2 Page 69
Purchasing orders large quantities of items the County needs, such as copy paper and canned and dry goods for the jails, to take advantage of volume price discounts. The items are stored until they are requested by and delivered to a department. Inventory items are done by hand and cannot be viewed on computers within other county departments.
F3 Page 69
A single vender contractor sells the same supplies at a similar cost and delivers in an as needed time frame.
F4 Page 70
Many county departments and agencies have a need for more record file storage space. Without additional file storage racks at Stores they cannot be properly accommodated.
F5 Page 70
Because of the security needed to safeguard ballots and sophisticated voting machines, the County Clerk Elections Department decided to relocate them from Stores and lease outside commercial space rather than improve the county facility. The leased space is secured with building locks, chain link fence, internal room with key pad locks and monitored security cameras and also has a temperature controlled environment to protect ballots and computer voting machines.
F6 Page 70
In May 2006, the County signed a ten-year lease for 6,500 sq. ft. of commercial storage space. The lease was amended in March 2008 for an additional 2,600 sq. ft. Total rent is $6,765 per month, or $81,180 per year for the next 3 years. The lease includes annual increases in monthly rent beginning in July 2011. The cost of tenant improvements on the leased space totaled about $107,200 of which $100,000 was recuperated from the Help America Vote Act which is a federal law passed in 2002. One section of the law established a grant program for payments to states to improve election administration.
F7 Page 70
Warehouse space is currently being used to store outdated equipment, 20 year-old wall partitions, and ruined 100-year-old County Recorder books.

Recommendations 4