Santa Clara County Grand Jury
• 2006-2007
2006-2007 Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury Report City of San Jose’s Military Leave Policy Fails to Pass Muster
⚠️ Aviso de traducción: Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 6 findings
F1
Prior to March 2005, Finance’s method of estimating supplemental pay was flawed and resulted in under and overpayments to a number of Reservists.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Audit the procedures for implementing the Policy within the Human Relations, Employee Relations, Retirement Services, and Finance Departments. Determine how these Departments can coordinate more effectively in serving Reservists’ interests.
F2
Finance has failed to act in a timely and consistent manner to collect documentation from Reservists that is required to complete the reconciliation process. Reservists and their families have been adversely affected by the City’s insistent demand for copies of LESs going as far back as 2002, which are difficult to obtain after one year.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Establish procedures that designate the department responsible for obtaining Reservist documentation. The procedure should set a timeline for obtaining missing documents. The responsible department should confirm in writing to the Reservists that their documentation has been received.
F3
Reconciliation of supplemental pay by Finance has been slow due to low prioritization, lack of effective supervision, and an absence of written procedures to guide staff through the complex reconciliation process.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
Payroll should elevate the reconciliation of supplemental pay to a high priority and provide written procedures for staff. The Policy should stipulate that reconciliation of a Reservist’s account will occur of Payroll receiving the required documentation.
F4
Retirement Services, as of November 2006, had a three to four-month backlog of work in calculating Reservists’ retirement contributions and retirement service credits.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
Retirement Services should assign sufficient staff to calculate the Reservists’ retirement credits and achieve payment of funds into the Reservists’ account of receiving reconciliation data from Finance.
F5
The City does not hold senior management accountable for implementing specific directives with regard to the military leave program.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
The City must proactively monitor the projects they assign staff to ensure projects are accomplished and those responsible are held accountable when such implementation does not occur.
F6
The City’s May 23, 2005, “Statement of Support for the Guard and Reserve” awarded by the United States Department of Defense in recognition of the City’s support of the Reservists, has been tarnished by the prolonged lack of interdepartmental coordination to implement Council’s directives. 5
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
Delegate responsibility for overall Policy administration to a senior level manager who also will act as Military Liaison for the Reservists. 6
Conclusions 1
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CL1 Page 5The City of San Jose’s nationally recognized Policy fails to pass muster due to miscalculations, mismanagement, and deficient communications. The consequences of staff not following Council’s directives are the undermining of the public’s trust in their representatives, an ill-served Council, and disgruntled Reservists. The lack of executing the Policy was summed up this way on March 12, 2007, by an official in the City Manager’s Office: “This has been a persistent embarrassment to the City.”