1996-97 Grand Jury Recommendations

Comment

Amador County Archivist

Move County Archives to a more suitable location.

Increase funding to allow Archives to be open more than current hours.

Include Archivist’s salary in Archive budget

Provide inventory of archival material to GSA Director

Consult with County Counsel to develop a donor agreement form

Require signatures of both Archivist and GSA Director to use "Friends of the Archives" bank account

Amador County Fire Protection District

Hire a full-time professional Fire Chief.

Develop a master plan to consolidate existing Fire Districts into a comprehensive Amador District.

Implement a plan to share revenue and costs between the existing Fire Districts.

Amador County Grand Jury

Provide permanent facilities large enough for equipment and full panel meetings.

Compensate Grand Jurors on an hourly basis for service over four hours daily.

Provide updated computer equipment, a collating copy machine, a telephone with answering machine, a tape recorder, a portable computer, a fax machine, a paper shredder and another filing cabinet.

Amador County Museum

Repair roof and supporting structure.

Install climate control system.

Improve ground security.

Comment

Implement a procedure for drivers to provide written reports on problems with Maintenance vehicles.

Provide means to secure tools and materials in cargo areas of Maintenance vehicles.

Provide protective barriers between cargo and passenger areas of Maintenance vehicles.

Amador County Mental Health Department

Provide direct 24-hour phone service between clients and a therapist for purposes of screening crisis calls.

Amador County Office of Emergency Services

Separate responsibilities of Emergency Services and Risk Management and update the job descriptions.

Jackson Police Department

Hire a new officer to fill the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant position.

Reinstate the current COPS officer into a non-grant position.

Require the new COPS officer to sign a contract reflecting the requirements of the COPS position.

Include material in the personnel file of all officers hired under a grant to reflect their status.

1996-97 Grand Jury Recommendations

Directly involve the Chief of Police in ongoing grant administration.

Require the Chief to review and initial all grant documentation sent to the City Manager for signature.

Prepare and preserve memorandum showing contact with agencies providing grant monies.

Develop a plan for employing grant officers following exhaustion of grant funds.

Make a good faith effort to retain grant officers following expiration of the grant period.

Note

The City stated that "we are surprised that it [the Grand Jury] found reason to conduct an investigation into a matter that is clearly between the City of Jackson and the Federal Department of Justice." The City also felt that "the manner in which the Grand Jury has presented its information, and the conclusions and findings might lead one to believe that there was greater cause for this particular investigation than the need to pursue a criminal complaint."

The current Grand Jury finds that statute allows a Grand Jury full latitude to investigate the relationship between an agency of local government and the agencies providing funding to the local agency. Specifically, the issue related to the use of COPS grant monies to hire additional officers, as intended by the federal legislation, rather than fund existing officers.

In the opinion of the current Jury, the manner in which the 1996-97 Grand Jury constructed its report is entirely appropriate.

Amador County Jail

Assign an additional officer to the jail area.

Replace the officer door with a security door.

Preston School of Industry

Install a new perimeter fence.

Complete the automated telephone alert system.

Replace damaged chairs in Manzanita Lodge.

Amador County Probation Department

Remodel office to provide additional security for personnel.

Include Probation budget in Superior Court budget.

Expand staff to allow more thorough supervision of probationers.

Provide a local long-term facility for detaining juveniles.

1996-97 Grand Jury Recommendations

Jackson Business Improvement District

Establish a collection procedure for delinquent assessments.

Provide revenue and expenditure reports to business owners.

Establish and implement short-term visible goals.

Hold regularly scheduled membership meetings.

Request that the City of Jackson take a more active role when City funds are involved.

Volcano Cemetery

Complete the plot map.

Price available plots as a level comparable to those in surrounding communities.

Establish a procedure for public selection and purchase of plots.

Request that the Board of Supervisors adopt one of the recommendations presented by the County Counsel in his letter of September 17, 1991.

Buena Vista Solid Waste Landfill

Install the certified public scale.

Implement required public education programs.