Title
Receive and approve the second status report on Board Referral 2017.14, County Mandated Services;
Approve the use of the County Core Mandate web application as the single repository in which to store department mandates;
Direct departments to maintain the integrity of their information by reviewing and updating, every quarter, or as needed;
Direct the County Administrative Officer to manage the County Core Mandate web application by assigning a permanent Global Administrator to coordinate with Departments on maintenance and updates, as needed;
Direct the County Administrative Officer to submit the web application to the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) as a proposed concept to be made available for all California counties to manage and monitor mandates and use as an informational tool;
Determine Board Referral 2017.14 as complete; or
Provide direction to staff as to further study.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
Receive and approve the second status report on Board Referral 2017.14, County Mandated Services;
Approve the use of the County Core Mandate web application as the single repository in which to store department mandates;
Direct departments to maintain the integrity of their information by reviewing and updating, every quarter, or as needed;
Direct the County Administrative Officer to manage the County Core Mandate web application by assigning a permanent Global Administrator to coordinate with Departments on maintenance and updates, as needed;
Direct the County Administrative Officer to submit the web application to the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) as a proposed concept to be made available for all California counties to manage and monitor mandates and use as an informational tool;
Determine Board Referral 2017.14 as complete; or
Provide direction to staff as to further study.
SUMMARY:
On April 26, 2017, a member of the Board of Supervisors requested staff to develop a process to identify “Back to Basics” analysis of what are mandatory and discretionary County services. Board Referral 2017.14 was assigned to the CAO-Intergovernmental & Legislative Affairs (IGLA) Office (Attachment A).
Early in the process, the County Administrative Officer (CAO) and staff contacted the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) and local jurisdictions seeking internal processes that identified county mandates. CSAC had some mandate information but it was found to be limited. None of the jurisdictions contacted had a systematic process in place. Recently it was identified that the County of Sacramento conducted a similar study in April 2009.
On November 14, 2017, staff presented a status update on the Board Referral. Staff had collected department mandates and categorized by four types. Staff identified that it would entail intense department analysis and commitment of resources to complete the referral. The Board of Supervisors directed Staff to request departments to review their data, make final additions and corrections, and return to the Board of Supervisors in February 2018 with an update.
Staff partnered with Information Technology to create a single repository web application to maintain County Core Mandates. The dynamic application is searchable by key words and department names to filter department mandates easily. The application has review/approval capability for revisions and additions. The integrity of the data will be solely dependent on a vigilant review and update process.
DISCUSSION:
Early in 2017, the Board of Supervisors requested staff to research, analyze, and develop a process to identify County mandates and incorporate a process to use this information with the budget allocation process. On August 29, 2017, Board Referral 2017.14 was issued. The referral requests staff to inform the Board and the public about County mandated services and receive Board direction regarding the budgeting process for non-mandated programs. California counties are responsible for three general areas of municipal services:
1. Delegated state and federal programs
2. Countywide public services
3. Essential services for residents not receiving those services from a city or special district
Generally, mandates are laws passed by Congress or the State of California Legislature or regulations issued by agencies that direct counties to undertake specified governmental actions with or without funding. Typically, there is often not a specified minimum level of service that is required for the County to provide the service.
Project and Process
The CAO and staff contacted CSAC as a potential resource to identify best practices in collecting and maintaining mandate data. CSAC provided the “2016-17 State Budget - List of Mandates” document. The data was meaningful but it did not encompass all mandates related to the County of Monterey programs and services. Staff was of the opinion the list was incomplete for use in the Board referral study. (Attachment B). Staff recommends the CAO share our findings and tool with CSAC as a California Countywide tool. Recently staff was made aware of a similar study conducted in the County of Sacramento, April 2009. (Attachment C) Sacramento County Board of Supervisors received the study but did not use the information in their budget process.
Departments were directed to provide a single point of contact to act as the liaison between the department and the County Administrative Office (CAO). Departments were requested to identify department mandates:
• By Program/Service
• By Type
o Mandatory
§ Programs or services that are required by federal or state law
o Self-Imposed Mandate
§ Programs or services decided by the Board of Supervisors
o Discretionary
§ Program or services
Department mandates were than reviewed by County Counsel staff. Any discrepancies or variances were discussed and agreed upon between the department and County Counsel. On November 14, 2017, an initial list of department mandates was presented to the Board of Supervisors. The Board directed departments to finalize the review and update their information and submit a final list to the CAO-IGLA on or before December 8, 2017. County Counsel reviewed department information and collaborated with departments where there was variation of interpretation to reach agreement.
County Core Mandate Web Application and Standard Procedure (Attachment D)
Staff partnered with the Information Technology Department (ITD) to create a dynamic web application as a single repository for County Core Mandate data. The web application is a common, progressive approach to storing large amounts of data. It is dynamic because it has the add, edit, delete features with the electronic capability of approving and rejecting. The data is not static and changes. The application is searchable by key words and is considered user-friendly. The application is in “development phase” until the Board approves its use. Once approved, the web application will be placed on the CAO webpage on the Internet (external) and Infonet (internal). All departments have provided their department mandate data except for Cooperative Extension.
The following department mandate data was removed from the web application due to the need for more legal research into the duties and responsibilities of these elected County officials, especially as they relate to the authority of the Board of Supervisors. The data will be added to the web application once County Counsel has completed their research.
• Assessor Clerk Recorder
• Auditor-Controller
• District Attorney
• Sheriff
• Treasurer Tax Collector
The County Core Mandates will be available at: <http://0000sqldev002/CMP/> upon approval of the Board of Supervisors. Staff has compiled a current list as of the time of the writing of this report. (Attachment E)
The web application known as “County Core Mandates” has the following capabilities.
• Users are defined as the following:
o Staff - These are Department Point of Contacts who can enter new mandates and revise existing mandates. They can also request mandates to be removed (archived).
o Reviewers - This is County Counsel staff who review additions or changes.
o Final Approvers - This is the CAO, Assistant County Administrative Officers, and County Counsel. They are the final approvers for additions.
The County Core Mandate web application will require two essential functions to ensure its integrity.
1. Global Administrator (GA) - The GA function is to be the point of contact to coordinate, maintain Department Point of Contacts, Reviewer/Approver, and Final Approver users, and handle maintenance requirements with ITD staff.
2. Department Point of Contacts are responsible to review and maintain the accuracy of department mandates by consistently reviewing and revising on a quarterly basis, or as needed. They will work with County Counsel on reaching agreement to mandates, mandate types and the related citation. This work can be handled through electronic transmission although phone calls may be required from time to time.
Board Referral Phase Two
Staff has reviewed the County Core Mandate web application with Executive Leadership. The County Core Mandate web application is a useful tool to quickly identify mandates by types and to provide an understanding of what is mandatory, self-imposed, or discretionary.
In order to maintain the integrity of the County Core Mandate web application, staff recommends the Board of Supervisors to direct departments to maintain the integrity of their mandate information on a quarterly basis, or as needed. Staff recommends the CAO to permanently assign a Global Administrator to maintain the integrity of the application. Staff recommends that Board Referral No. 2017.14 be considered “Complete” at this time unless the Board directs otherwise.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
All County departments have been involved in the process of identifying programs and services with related citations. County Counsel assisted in vetting the lists and made appropriate corrections. Information Technology Department has collaborated with the special project to create and update the web application.
FINANCING:
Receiving and approving this report will not result in additional General Fund contributions.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
Most departments submitted final mandates by program/service area identified by mandatory, self-imposed, or discretionary.
Mark a check to the related Board of Supervisors Strategic Initiatives:
X Economic Development
X Administration
X Health & Human Services
X Infrastructure
X Public Safety
Prepared by: Joann Iwamoto, Management Analyst III, x3017
Approved by: Nicholas E. Chiulos, Assistant CAO, x5145
___________________________________________ ____________________
Nicholas E. Chiulos, Assistant County Administrative Officer Date
Attachments are on file with the Clerk of the Board
cc: Charles McKee, County Counsel
Dewayne Woods, Assistant County Administrative Officer
Attachments:
A: Board Referral No. 2017.14
B: CSAC, 2016-17 State Budget - List of Mandates
C: County of Sacramento, Overview of County Responsibilities, April 2009
D: County Core Mandates Web Application and Standard Procedure
E: County Core Mandates as of February 9, 2018