Report 2012-121.2 Recommendation 13 Responses

Report 2012-121.2: Department of Parks and Recreation: Flaws in Its Budget Allocation Processes Hinder Its Ability to Effectively Manage the Park System (Release Date: September 2013)

Recommendation #13 To: Parks and Recreation, Department of

To improve the effectiveness of the EPRC, the department should establish policies and procedures by March 2014 to govern the EPRC's decisions on personnel actions. These policies and procedures should include the specific factors and their relative importance that the members must consider when making decisions and should require the EPRC to document its decisions and the reasons for those decisions.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From September 2015

The EPRC was disbanded as part of a process improvement team using the Lean 6-Sigma process learned through the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (Go-Biz) program. Each Deputy will have the determination of priorities delegated to him/her.

Attachment K:

Departmental Notice 2015-04 - DPR 81/501 Package - Administrative Review and Approval

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Resolved

We have assessed the status as resolved because the department has disbanded the EPRC making it unnecessary to establish policies and procedures to govern the EPRC's decisions on personnel actions and to document the reasons for its decisions. In lieu of the EPRC, the department uses a supplemental hiring justification packet to document the decisions and reasons for decisions on personnel actions.

1-Year Agency Response

EPRC was disbanded as was recommended by a process improvement team using the Lean 6-Sigma process learned through the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) program. As such, establishing policies and procedures is no longer necessary.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: No Action Taken

The department asserts that it has disbanded the EPRC but did not include details on the policies and procedures it uses in lieu of the EPRC to govern the personnel action decision making process.

6-Month Agency Response

A draft Administrative Manual update is being routed through senior management for review; we are anticipating full implementation in March 2014. Elaine

Currently the Classification and Pay (C&P) Manager captures the decisions and relays them to the C&P staff for handling.

The Executive/Administrative Assistant for Administrative Services will capture and transcribe the decisions and reasons for each DPR 81. The EPRC will determine if the DPR 81 is critical. Those that are a high-priority, move forward, while those that are questionable are held for further assessment.

Administration has created a spreadsheet that will indicate the EPRCs assessment of criticality, consistency, and funding. This table will be used in conjunction with the meeting notes.

The Department will update the Administrative Manual to specify the members of the EPRC, their roles and responsibilities and the personnel actions that EPRC is responsible for reviewing. The Department is establishing policies and procedures to govern the EPRCs decisions on personnel actions including specific factors and their relative importance to be considered when making decisions on personnel actions and will establish a method to document its decisions including reasons for the decisions.

The EPRC will establish a protocol to provide a summary report of its decisions to the Directors Office in conduction with establishing a process through which the Directors Office will provide formal direction regarding staffing priorities.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

The Department prepared changes to the Administrative Manual that specify the members of the EPRC, their roles and responsibilities and the personnel actions that the EPRC is responsibl for reviewing. This will form the basis for policies and procedures for the EPRC including specific factors to be considered when making decisions. The EPRC will document its decisions and the reasons for those decisions.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

The department states that changes to its administrative manual will form the basis for policies and procedures for the EPRC including specific factors to be considered when making decisions.

All Recommendations in 2012-121.2

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.