Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Board of Supervisors Adopts Recommendations Supported by Antonovich

The Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted the recommendations of the Interim Chief Executive Officer on a motion by Mayor Michael D. Antonovich and Supervisor Sheila Kuehl to enhance the efficiency of the governance structure and end the failed 2007 interim structure.  The Board also directed the CEO to report back to the Board in 90 days with additional changes to governance to further enhance operations.

“Today’s action will improve the Board’s ability to address emerging priorities and ensure effective service delivery with increased collaboration on vital county issues.” said Mayor Antonovich.  “The previous costly and bureaucratic interim governance structure was bloated and hindered the ability to provide coordinated services to emancipated youth, veterans, the mentally ill and other vial services.”

In February, the Board unanimously approved a motion by Mayor Antonovich and Supervisor Kuehl that directed the CEO to provide flexibility, transparency and accountability to the County governance structure.  The new structure provides Board interaction with departments and improves decision-making by creating ad hoc units in the Chief Executive Office dedicated to accomplishing Board priorities.

In 2007, the Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance establishing an interim governance structure for the County which created a “Chief Executive Officer” (CEO).  However, a consequence which added layers of county bureaucracy was an increased distance between departments and the Board of Supervisors — thereby reducing accountability to County residents.