San Diego County Grand Jury
• 2012-2013
Improved Access to Land Survey Records and Monuments Why is This Important?
⚠️ 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 12 findings
F01
The County appears to perform a good job of serving the needs of the land surveying community. Fact: The City generates survey documents for projects within the City needed by private practice professional surveyors and the public. Fact: Locating physical records through the City Records Office is time consuming and frustrating to professional surveyors. Fact: The City currently utilizes an antiquated records retrieval system. Fact: Surveyors use specialized jargon that may not be familiar to a clerk trained in general record retrieval. Fact: In some cases, documents known to exist have been misplaced or lost. Moreover, documents known to exist were reported as unavailable because an undertrained clerk did not recognize the identifiers cited in the request. Fact: Current policy for serving the public is that a request for documents starts at the 2nd Floor of the City Operations Building. If documents are not found at the 2nd Floor, an appointment can be made to research documents at the Field Engineering Office on Aero Drive.
F02
Many of the allegations and accusations about access to survey records were aimed at the City Records Office known as the 2nd Floor.
F03
Physical storage of maps and microfiche files at both Aero Drive and the 2nd Floor is chaotic to the casual observer. The filing system tends to depend on the memory of the clerks and relies on 1950’s technology and library practice.
F04
Because the professional land survey community is a small percentage of the population served by the City Records Office, many members of this community accuse upper management of not listening to or caring about the private sector surveyors who do research in City Records.
F05
The City land survey records system is difficult to use and results in extra work, costing both the private and public sectors additional money. Fact: City storage areas of originals and copies of maps and other documents on paper, Mylar and velum lacked visible fire protection systems.
F06
This apparent lack of fire protection and personnel fire safety is disturbing. Fact: Tie point sheets were created prior to implementation of the California Professional Land Surveyors Act. These are considered historical documents. Originals are not available to the public. Copies will be made upon request for a fee. Fact: Field notes are not included in formal survey records. Fact: Some private sector surveyors want easier access to tie point sheets and field notes. Fact: DSD recently elevated the City Land Surveyor to an unclassified management (non-civil service) position. The City Land Surveyor advises the Directors and Deputy Directors about current issues, challenges, and potential process improvements. Fact: The Director of Development Services and the Director of Public Works seem to recognize the need to upgrade and improve how the City goes about land surveying. Fact: City Records is overseen by personnel with IT background. Fact: The City Records Office and Field Engineering Office do take Public Records Act Requests seriously. They understand the law and comply with the law to the best of their ability.
F07
There appears to be no systemic problem with private surveyors seeking and obtaining copies of records they want. In the past there may have been failures of communication. There may have been misunderstandings about what the City can and should provide to the public to private surveyors.
F08
Recent changes in personnel may help alleviate lack of communication between the City and industry workers. Cooperation is likely to improve. Regular conversations about issues are likely to dispel misunderstandings.
F09
The current City records access system is antiquated and cumbersome. The City needs to make changes to simplify the records acquisition process.
F10
It may be inappropriate to place IT personnel in charge of records. Though IT is an important component of records keeping, an expert in IT may not have the expertise to implement a user-friendly records access system. Fact: Survey monuments belong to the public. Fact: On-going City development and capital improvement projects disrupt existing survey monuments.
F11
The City has a responsibility to make sure survey monuments are being preserved properly. The City has a responsibility in the plan-check and permitting process and in administering private contracts for public works to be sure existing monuments are accounted for and new monuments are placed and properly recorded when needed.
F12
The City Records Office should make available on line access to all of the documents it manages related to development, permits and land surveying. City public documents should be available on line in a searchable database.
Recommendations 6
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13-13Page 14Assign a specific individual to be responsible for identifying and
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13-14Page 14Develop an action plan to identify suitable hardware and software to
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13-15Page 14Starting in the next budget cycle, and continuing over the next five
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13-16Page 14Develop an action plan to improve fire protection and personnel fire
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13-17Page 14Implement improved fire protection in all areas where land survey
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13-18Page 14Implement a program designed to improve customer service in the
No Responses Found 1
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