Sutter County Grand Jury

2023-2024

2 reports

Findings & Recommendations 4 findings
F1: Difficulty in hiring and retaining staff due to noncompetitive compensation, source from Management Partners. Increase cost caused by forced inmate retention, as well as increased housing cost due to retention of IST inmates.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1: Review budget and pay structures to allow competitive pay with similar size Northern California counties by September 30, 2024.
F2: Potential contraband drop-off location at Southwest exterior door of the jail.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2: Build perimeter fencing adjacent to the Southwest exterior door location by December 31, 2024.
F3: Structural damage within the facility has led to pooling of water into the corridor areas posing a risk of slip and fall incidents as well as further structural deterioration.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3: Repair structural damage to the interior walls of the jail by December 31, 2024.
F4: Ineffective cooling system causing potential health risk (e.g. heat related medical issues). We have since received information at a recent Board of Supervisors' meeting that the existing cooling system is being put out for bid to be replaced.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4: Replace outdated cooling system at the jail. A contract should be in place by September 30, 2024.
Findings & Recommendations 7 findings
F1: (2022-2023): There is no access to the Grand Jury Room to allow someone in a wheelchair to access the jury room without assistance.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1: G2 S1 A1 N1 C3 U, N, C3 I1 T1 Y4
F2: The lack of light in the Grand Jury room when entering or exiting causes a high risk for trip injuries.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2: This recommendation will not be implemented because it is not BOS Response warranted or not reasonable. To be clear, the preceding language is legally required if the recommendation will not be implemented. The reason it will not be implemented is not because it is truly unreasonable, but because the County has a capital improvement plan, and jail cooling system is included in it with an estimated cost of $4,000,000. As noted by the Grand Jury's 2022-2023 report titled "Sutter County Public Buildings and Properties: Behind the Curve," there are multiple Sutter County facilities in need of repair or replacement. For many years, Sutter County has prioritized maintaining services to the public at the expense of facility maintenance, repair, and construction. Facility repairs are prioritized by need related to safety and then funding availability. If practical, funds will be set aside for a new cooling system in the jail, and the County will research grants. Sheriff's Office The Sheriff's Office supports this recommendation and will work Response in cooperation with the Board of Supervisors on potential funding solutions. The Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff's Office have identified 2023-2024 Grand Jury potential funding sources for this air-conditioning project. Follow-up Response Public Safety Grant Writing Position Sutter County has secured grant funds through the grant writing Grand Jury
F3: staff and unsafe living conditions for the inmates. The Board of Supervisors disagrees with the Grand Jury finding. BOS Response The evaporative cooling system that is utilized in some parts of the jail is not ideal and would be better served with a modern cooling system. The Sheriff's office agrees the evaporative cooling system is in Sheriff's Office need of replacement and this could potentially cause "Unsafe" Response working conditions. However, it is my belief staff goes to great lengths to ensure a safe environment for both staff and incarcerated persons. Some of these procedures included bringing in additional fans, handing out ice packs and mopping condensation from the floors. As noted in the Grand Jury's report, there have been no formal complaints lodged in the jail about excessive heat of heat related emergencies. Again, this credit belongs to our exceptional staff, we acknowledge improvements must be made with the cooling system. General Services should obtain a current cost estimate for the Grand Jury replacement of the air conditioning system in the old section of
Related Recommendations (1)
R3: grants by June 30, 2024. BOS Response This recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted or not reasonable. The County Administrative Office is currently reviewing a grant writing proposal from an agency that can research and write grants for any County department. A related recommendation will be brought to the Board of Supervisors by December 31, 2023. Sheriff's Office The Sheriff's Office supports this recommendation. The Sheriff's Office would recommend a "Public Safety" grant writing position Response that supports law, fire, Probation and our District Attorney's Office. The Sheriff's Office currently manages 14 different grants or legislative revenue streams (Table A [see original response on SCGJ website]). Grant writing requires a tremendous amount of research to meet specific grant requirements. Additionally, if a grant is awarded there are reporting requirements associated with most grants. The Sheriff's Office is limited on staffing that can accomplish such tasks given the current number of grants we currently manage. Having a designated position to write and monitor grant revenues would be a welcomed addition to our public safety departments. The Grand Jury was told by County Officials that a third-party 2023-2024 Grand Jury grant writing company was contracted by the County. As such, a reasonable solution has been implemented by the Board of Follow-up Response Supervisors. Sutter County Public Buildings and Properties: Behind the Curve SCGJ Room Accessibility There is no access to the Grand Jury Room to allow someone in Grand Jury a wheelchair to access the jury room without assistance.
F4: functions of the Development Officer position (libraries and museums) that well exceeds the cost of this position. The Board of Supervisors agrees with the Grand Jury finding. BOS Response Board of Supervisors should create a Public Safety Grant Writing Grand Jury position to research possible funding for facility improvements via
Related Recommendations (1)
R4: determine the appropriate customized CMMS that will meet the needs of Sutter County and purchase that program. This should be completed by September 30, 2023. (F4) BOS Response This Recommendation has not been implemented, but will be reconsidered in FY24-25 after current system implementations are completed. 2023-2024 The Board of Supervisors has not committed to implementing this Grand Jury recommendation; however, it has not ruled out some future Follow-up action. Response Boat Launch Facilities Some of the Sutter County boat launches are overdue for much Grand Jury
F5: annual updates to the Sutter County Transition Plan and to provide customer service to Sutter County residents. The Board of Supervisors disagrees with the Grand Jury finding. BOS Response The County has designated the Director of Development Services as ADA Coordinator for County roads and right of way and the Director of General Services for County facilities. The Board of Supervisors should either add the responsibilities of Grand Jury
Related Recommendations (1)
R5: known of this position and how the public can contact this staff member. This should be completed by August 31, 2023. (F5) This Recommendation has been implemented. It was BOS Response implemented before the Grand Jury report was issued. However, the County is in the process of designating the Risk Manager as the ADA Coordinator for County facilities. The Director of Development Services will remain the designated ADA Coordinator for County roads and right of way. The Board of Supervisors' response to the recommendation has 2023-2024 Grand Jury been implemented. Follow-up Response Sutter County Website Sutter County website is difficult to navigate and find resources Grand Jury related to ADA compliance. This makes it challenging for the
F6: needed maintenance and repairs as the grants were for one-time improvements/construction and ongoing maintenance. The Board of Supervisors agrees with the Grand Jury finding. BOS Response However, to clarify, the grants were not for ongoing maintenance. The Board of Supervisors should renegotiate grant funding for Grand Jury
Related Recommendations (1)
R6: maintenance and repairs, and ensure that these funds are used only for Sutter County boat launch facility maintenance and repair. This should be completed by August 31, 2023. (F6) This Recommendation will not be implemented because it is not BOS Response reasonable as the California State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways does not offer grant funding for operations or maintenance of a boat launching facility. Additionally, grants for capital improvements require a future operating period of 20 years, which is often beyond the useful life of the improvements, thus leaving the County responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars of repairs and maintenance that cannot be practically obtained through user fees. The Board of Supervisors will not entertain the recommendations. 2023-2024 The Grand Jury is satisfied with the response. Grand Jury Follow-up Response Grand Jury The cost for maintenance/repairs, water safety, and ensuring that
F7: the boat launches are ADA compliant exceeds the available revenues because the boat launch fees have not been adjusted with inflation. The Board of Supervisors was not asked to respond. However, BOS Response the Board of Supervisors partially disagrees with this finding. If boat launch fees were adjusted with inflation, it would still not cover the costs of operating the facilities. The Board of Supervisors should increase boat launch fees to Grand Jury Recommendatio help offset the cost of maintenance and repairs as well as making these launch facilities ADA compliant with equal accessibility and n R7 making water safety a priority. This should be completed by August 31, 2023. (F7) BOS Response This Recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted. The Board of Supervisors considers County fees as needed and will determine if any future fee changes are to be made. The Board of Supervisors will not entertain the recommendations. 2023-2024 Grand Jury The Grand Jury is satisfied with the response. Follow-up Response Local Government Report: Rough Roads Ahead for Yuba City The road pavements through Yuba City currently require Grand Jury extensive maintenance and refurbishment to sufficiently provide
Related Recommendations (1)
R7: making water safety a priority. This should be completed by August 31, 2023. (F7) BOS Response This Recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted. The Board of Supervisors considers County fees as needed and will determine if any future fee changes are to be made. The Board of Supervisors will not entertain the recommendations. 2023-2024 Grand Jury The Grand Jury is satisfied with the response. Follow-up Response Local Government Report: Rough Roads Ahead for Yuba City The road pavements through Yuba City currently require Grand Jury extensive maintenance and refurbishment to sufficiently provide

* 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.