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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 02-10-2009 - 2ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: February 10, 2009 Action Agenda Item No. c~ SUBJECT: Creation of the Department of Environment Sustainabilit and Public Assets DEPARTMENT: County Manager PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): Memorandum Draft Organizational Chart INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Blackmon (919) 245-2300 Pam Jones (919) 245-2652 David Stancil (919) 245-2598 Wilbert McAdoo (919) 245-2625 PURPOSE: To discuss the Manager's recommendation. to reconfigure several County departments and functions responsible for the management of public assets, including environmental assets, into a single consolidated operation. BACKGROUND: When the new County Manager was hired in November 2006, the Board of Commissioners urged her to find creative ways in which to streamline County operations. One such initiative has been to consolidate departments, particularly smaller ones, with overlapping functions into a single department. Information contained in the attached memorandum will outline plans to consolidate functions that encompass the care of County assets, including the environment into a new department titled the Department of Environment Sustainability and Public Assets (ESPA). The organizational structure would include the following current existing departments or functions: • Engineering (part of the County Manager's office) • Environment and Resource Conservation (including parkland) • Public Works • Components of Purchasing and Central Services • Soil and Water District (as an affiliated agency) Department Directors of the affected departments met over the course of several months to discuss the operations of a combined department and to arrive at an organizational structure which would carry out the desired mission and maximize available resources. While additional refinements in the organizational chart will be forthcoming, a draft organizational chart reflecting current thinking is attached. A final organizational chart will be included with future Board actions required to fully implement the plan. Implementation of the new department is proposed for July 1, 2009. 2 FINANCIAL IMPACT: Specific financial impact of the proposed new department has not been determined. While the reorganization is not necessarily acost-saving initiative at first, the long- term benefits will allow better use of existing resources and will minimize the need for future staffing requests. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board support the reconfiguration of several departments and functions into one new department with the creation of a new department entitled Department of Environment Sustainability and Public Assets and direct the Manager to present the matter on the first available regular Board meeting agenda for approval. 3 Memorandum TO: County Commissioners From: Laura Blackmon, County Manager RE: Proposed Reorganization Plans Date: February 10, 2009 One of the Board's clear directives when I was hired in November 2006 was to streamline County operations in a manner to promote efficiency and maximize utilization of limited resources. The maximization of limited resources is even more critical and urgent now than it was in 2006. In fact, in recent worksessions and retreat settings I have highlighted my concerns that our resources are so constrained at this point we may face reduction of services in order to meet your budget goals. The reorganization being proposed for the departments associated with the management of our public assets, both physical and environmental was not conceived lightly and I believe keeps faith with the Board's 2006 directive to me. Understandably, however, the recommended change raises concerns that previously established goals and objectives, particularly in the area of the environment, will face competition for resources within the new structure and will not be met in a manner consistent with the Board's desire or the public's expectations. Ironically, the thinking that lead me to the recommendation is based on just the opposite assumption-the reorganization will provide additional resources to accomplish these goals more expediently and will promote the saturation of environmental Initiatives deeper into the daily operations. This reorganization does not seek to change the service or mission of the individual parts but rather to change the functional structure within which it operates to one that will more effectively serve their customers, whether public or internal to county operations. Further, I believe the new functional structure will be critical in my efforts as Manager to develop succession planning within County operations. There is a gold mine of historical perspective among the current department directors and staff who join forces under this reorganization plan. Some of the key staff are within five-seven years of retirement, so the timing is critical to develop a sustainable structure for the core functions represented in this grouping. I continue to believe it is a plan that when fully implemented, will better serve our residents and will consistently use their tax dollars more wisely. The attached memorandum from the November 18, 2008 agenda materials will provide more detail of the proposed reorganization. My staff and I stand ready to discuss this more fully with the Board on February 10. In the meantime, I ask that you seriously consider my recommendations and I ask for your support of this initiative as I strive to establish functional structures which will enable us to move the organization forward more strategically. Memorandum TO: County Commissioners From: Laura Blackmon, County Manager RE: Proposed Reorganization Plans Date: November 18, 2008 There is probably not a governmental entity in existence that is not considering ways to streamline operations and utilize limited funding to the max. Since November 2006 when I was hired as the Orange County Manager, I have explored options for more efficient county operations. The County's departmental organization was noted as an area where changes and consolidation could bring greater efficiency and better service delivery to the residents. Such changes are already in effect in the Financial Services Department, which consolidated Budget, Finance and Purchasing; and in the merger of GIS into Information Technology and Land Records into the Tax Assessor's office. The purpose of this memorandum is to outline my recommendations which continue reorganization of departments and functions which acquire, develop, manage and preserve the County's many and varied assets. Mission of Proposed New Department Discussions among department representatives of the ERCD, Engineering, Public Works and Purchasing and Central Services Departments over the past several months have yielded a consolidation plan that would carry out the following mission elements: 1. Acquire, maintain and sustainably manage the public assets of Orange County government, including lands, facilities and grounds, and vehicles. 2. Promote and coordinate efforts for the conservation, preservation and stewardship of the County's environmental and cultural assets, including land resources, water resources, air/climate and agriculture. 3. Monitor and assess the County's progress towards sustainability, both in terms of internal County operations and for the County as a whole, developing recommendations, implementation measures and reports (such as an Annual sustainability Report Card) to address needs. 4. Oversee, implement and coordinate County goals for environmental protection and natural and cultural resource conservation, including periodic assessments of environmental protection efforts (such as the State of the Environment report and open space reports). 5. Plan, conduct and implement the construction of all County capital projects and facilities, including project administration and management. 6. Develop, implement and coordinate a County deconstruction program to ensure its long-term viability and continued marketability of the recovered inventory. 5 7. Acquire land in keeping with adopted plans for conservation of natural and cultural resources (Lands Legacy), as well as for County facilities and grounds. 8. Maintain a comprehensive database (GIS and tabular) of natural and cultural resources in the County, as well as all County facilities and landholdings. 9. Provide staff support to advisory boards and commissions and ad hoc committees related to natural and cultural resources and facilities planning.' 10. Conduct capital needs assessments for County government and serve as the coordinator of annual County Capital Investment Plans, including evaluation and creation. 11. Provide assistance to other County departments and agencies in assessment and evaluation of capital planning. 12. Provide technical expertise and data to the public regarding the natural and cultural resources of the County and mechanisms of conservation. 13. Monitor and develop programs for energy efficiency and reduction of energy use. 14. Assure protection of the County's assets through development and implementation of effective risk management programs. 15. Assess trends and impacts of new natural and human-made phenomena, such as climate change, on the County's environment and facilities. 16. Provide customer service to all public needing assistance in the areas of operation of the department. Organizational Structure The new department will have both an internal and external focus of responsibilities and activities - an innovative hybrid of the conventional "line" and "staff° departmental organization. It would be administered by a director and deputy director, with associated administrative support. The organizational structure would include the following current existing departments or functions: • Engineering (part of the County Manager's office) • Environment and Resource Conservation (including parkland) • Public Works • Components of Purchasing and Central Services • Soil and Water District (affiliated agency) At present, this would include the following standing committees -the Commission for the Environment, Agricultural Preservation Board, Historic Preservation Commission and Intergovernmental Parks Work Group. Special ad hoc committees for certain projects (such as new facilities and parks) would also be staffed from this department. ~D Functionally, the envisioned organization may fall into multiple work groups or divisions as follows: • Capital Projects (including design and engineering) • Cultural Resources (including parkland and agriculture) • Natural Resources • Public Works • Risk Management • Sustainable Government • Soil and Water, as an affiliated agency Capital Projects and Public Works will involve largely internal functions of capital facility planning, engineering, construction management, and the management and maintenance of existing facilities, including: • Construction Management • Design and Engineering • Sustainability (County Government focus) • Capital Investment Planning • Facility (buildings and grounds) Management • Motor Vehicle Fleet Management and Maintenance The Natural and Cultural Resources work groups will involve functions that are largely external oriented and focused around these non-structural resources. This includes programs for the planning, conservation and/or preservation of natural and cultural resources in the County (programs that relate to both publicly-owned or privately-held resources of this type), such as: • Biological resources (natural lands, prime forest, flora and fauna) • Water resources (ground water and surface water) • Air quality and climate • Agricultural preservation • Cultural, historic and archaeological preservation (including scenic resources) • Stewardship and management of natural lands and open space lands (Including parkland and nature preserves) • Environmental education and sustainability (community-wide focus) Soil and Water, an affiliated agency with similar focus, would also be administered through the Natural Resources work group. Risk Management will allow the design and implementation of programs to protect County assets more comprehensively. Greater coordination in this area will allow a more direct correlation between cause and effect of actions and will prompt the development and implementation of programs and policies to help reduce the County's exposure both in liability and worker's compensation claims. 7 The department will include a Sustainability Coordinator who will work in both internal and external areas -such as implementing internal `green government' measures and assessing and identifying community sustainability programs. The Department Director would report to the County Manager and oversee and administer all divisions and functions of the department, and initially would provide direct supervision of the Public Works and Capital Projects work group. The Risk Manager and Sustainability Coordinator would also report directly to the Department Director. The Deputy Director would report to the Department Director and assist in administering all functions and divisions and would provide direct supervision to the Natural and Cultural Resources work groups and Soil and Water. Refinements to the organizational structure are still being discussed and finalized. Materials provided to the Board in early 2009 will detail the finalized organization structure and seek approval for the realignment of positions needed to carry out the reorganization plan. Location With the exception of Public Works the new department would be located on the third floor of the new office building scheduled for completion in late Spring-2009. Public Works operations staff would remain at their current location on Highway 86N, Hillsborough. Soil and Water, an affiliated agency to the new department, would continue to occupy space at the Planning and Ag Building on Revere Road, Hillsborough. Name of Department Several names for the department have been suggested. Those most descriptive of the function include: • Department of Public and Environmental Assets (PEA) • Department of Public Assets and Environmental Stewardship (PAES) • Department of Environmental and Public Assets (EPA) • Department of Environment, Sustainability and Public Assets (ESPA) Staff considers the latter name to be most reflective of the responsibilities vested to its care and therefore recommends the Department of Environment, Sustainability and Public Assets (ESPA) as the department name. 8 Reorganization Timeline November 18, 2008 BOCC considers reorganization plan January 2009 Re-organization plans finalized February-March 2009 Position realignment approvals considered by BOCC January-June 2009 Staff prepares and presents combined budget for new department July 1, 2009 New Department effective date Conclusion While this is the most aggressive and unique reorganization plan I have put forth, I believe it will prove to be one of the most advantageous to both the County organization and its residents. The size of the department (approximately 50 employees) will provide considerable flexibility to accomplish departmental goals and will provide new opportunities for the staff to cross-train in specific functions which will not only enrich the employee's experience but will provide greater sustainability within County operations. It will provide a structure to engrain environmental issues to the cellular level of county operations and will overall create a more cohesive and responsible way to maintain all of the County's assets, physical, cultural and environmental. Further, the hybrid nature of the department will allow a broader base of resources to address the external customer needs as well. Although we may not see immediate cost savings through this model, it provides the opportunity to minimize future cost increases by allowing maximization of current resources. I believe the melding of these specific functions allows each of them to evolve to the next stage of their mission and will truly embody the belief that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It is my hope the Board of Commissioners will share in this vision of the future and endorse this reorganization plan, which can become a model for other governments seeking ways to more effectively and efficiently use their resources while providing an excellent level of service to the community. DIRECTOR DEPUTY DIRECTOR NRCS ~OIC. AND WATER ADMIN ONLY NATURAL RESOURCES CULTURAL RESOURCES RISK t~iANAGEMENT FAGIL[TIES DESIGRI AND CpNSTRUCTICJN ENGINEERING AND DESIGN SER~iCES ~UST,~IINABILITY CUORDINATUR PUBLIC Wt~RKS FACILITIES FLEET CARE tuiANAGEME~IT Department flf Environment Sustainability & Public Assets ~