Title
Chief Administrative Office recommending the Board consider the following:
1) Adopt Board of Supervisors Policy A-1, Development and Distribution of Board of Supervisors Policies; and
2) Adopt Board of Supervisors Policy A-2, Guidelines for Writing Board of Supervisors Policies.
Body
Background
On November 5, 2013 the Board approved staff's recommendations for updating and revising the Board of Supervisors Policy Manual. At that meeting, staff recommended an approach for this policy revision project that would provide continuity with current policy but also develop mechanisms to ensure efficient development of new policies and provide for the maintenance and upkeep of the Policy Manual.
Overall structure
While County Ordinances set laws for residents of the County, the Policies define the rules under which the Board of Supervisors directs the County organization to operate. These rules should be user-friendly (organized, up-to-date, clearly written), generally no more regulatory in nature than state law or codes in surrounding jurisdictions, and consistently written following a basic framework. To accomplish this Policy update, staff recommends the following:
1) Establish policies and/or update policies that provide overall guidance, while providing continuity with current policy.
2) Establish an Administrative Procedures Manual that contains the details for implementing the Policies.
3) Establish a sunset date for each policy to ensure timely and orderly review of Policies.
Reason for Recommendation
The two proposed policies establish the foundation for the revision project and provide guidelines and procedures for developing, distributing, writing, and formatting Board policies. They also provide for the ongoing maintenance of the Policy Manual. Policies A-1 and A-1.1 (now A-2) were provided in draft form at the November meeting. Since that time, staff has worked with County Counsel and departments to review and refine the proposed policies. This review resulted in minor revisions which are viewable in "tracked change" format in Attachments 3A and 3B. The "clean" versions of the proposed policies incorporating the revisions are provided as Attachments 3C and 3D.
Should the Board adopt the policies presented today, staff will begin using them as guidance for a comprehensive review and update of the Policy Manual. Based on direction provided last November, staff has been working on updating policies pertaining to Personnel and Payroll (current Section E) to make them consistent with the recently adopted Personnel Rules and will bring them to the Board for consideration on July 15, 2014. In addition, staff will undertake updates specifically requested by the Board (such as the current Travel Policy, D-1). Staff will then work with departments to determine a priority schedule for policy review and update.
Contact
Terri Daly, Chief Administrative Officer