Sierra County Municipal Code Ch. 2.14 County Administrative Officer

Pursuant to Cal. Gov’t. Code § 24000(t), the position and office of the Administrative Officer of the Board of Supervisors is established. The Administrative Officer is the administrative assistant to the Board of Supervisors. (Ord. 503, eff. 7/21/77)

The Administrative Officer shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Board of Supervisors. He may be discharged and his appointment terminated by a four-fifths vote of the Board of Supervisors upon 60 days written notice to him of such decision. The Administrative Officer shall give the Board of Supervisors 60 days written notice of his intent to resign. (Ord. 503, eff. 7/21/77)

Following an annual review of the Administrative Officer’s performance by the Board of Supervisors, the Board shall establish his salary to be effective July 1st of each year. His salary shall be paid by the Auditor in accordance with prevailing payroll procedures. He is granted and is entitled to all of the benefits usual to unclassified employees. (Ord. 503, eff. 7/21/77)

The Administrative Officer shall be chosen and evaluated upon the basis of his performance, administrative ability, education, experience, and knowledge of county government and its relationship with other public entities and levels of government. (Ord. 503, eff. 7/21/77)

The County Administrative Officer is the Administrative Officer and aide of the Board of Supervisors and exercises administrative supervision in control of the affairs of the County and those districts under the jurisdiction of the Board of Supervisors as delegated by the Board of Supervisors. The Administrative Officer is responsible and accountable for the proper and efficient administration of all governmental affairs of the County which legally may be placed in his charge or under his control.

He shall attend all scheduled meetings of the Board except when excused therefrom. He shall prepare matters for the consideration of the Board and advise and make recommendations to the Board on such matters brought before it as are within his authority. He shall supervise and direct the enforcement and execution of orders and directives of the Board. (Ord. 503, eff. 7/21/77)

The specific duties and responsibilities of the Administrative Officer shall be assigned to him from time to time by the Board of Supervisors. Such duties may include but need not be limited to the following:

A. General.

1. He shall be responsible for the compilation and preparation of County goals and objectives which result from the policy statements and objectives set out by the Board of Supervisors and correlate these goals and objectives with those recommended by various agency, department and budgetary units of the County.

2. He shall administer the preparation and maintenance of County policies and administrative procedures as those may be adopted or approved by the Board of Supervisors.

3. He shall supervise the preparation, revision, updating, and implementation of the County’s organizational development plan. In that duty he shall recommend to the Board appropriate assignments, additions, or consolidations of County functions, programs, or services.

4. He shall recommend to the Board the use of and arrange to provide for any services found reasonably necessary by the Board with respect to outside consultants, experts, or advisors. (In this respect the Board may from time to time wish to delegate authority to its Administrative Officer to utilize such consultants when the cost is nominal and the Board does not wish to have the matter brought directly before it.)

B. Financial.

1. He may administer the preparation of the annual County budget. In the performance of that duty, the Administrative Officer shall review and evaluate with County officers and department heads all of the program objectives, expenditure requests, revenue forecasts, and reserves and determine that these are consistent with the Board’s goals and objectives and policies. He shall submit a recommended budget to the Board for review and for public hearing.

2. On a continuing basis he may review and analyze department and program expenditures throughout the fiscal year. This shall be done to assure that the expenditures which are being made are consistent with the final budget as adopted by the Board. Requests for the transfer of budgeted funds or for appropriations between objects of expenditure or budget units shall be reviewed by the Administrative Officer with the officers or department heads who make such requests. The Administrative Officer shall transmit such requests to the Board with his recommendations.

3. For each fiscal year he may provide one or more status reports to the Board concerning expenditures, revenues, progress towards objectives, problems, and projections of the County’s year-end financial condition.

4. He may prepare and present to the Board such plans and proposals as are requested by department heads or as, in his judgment, are necessary for the conservation and effective use of the County’s resources and for the prevention and solution of problems created by development and growth in the County.

In the performance of that duty the County Administrative Officer may supervise the maintenance and implementation of such plans as are generated and approved by the Board of Supervisors.

5. He may supervise and direct the preparation, revision, maintenance, coordination, and control of long-range plans for management of County property and the construction, alteration, and use of physical facilities which are necessary and proper to render those County services which are under the jurisdiction of the Board of Supervisors.

6. He may recommend to the Board of Supervisors the preparation and revision of such state and federal grants-in-aid and contract programs as are in the judgment of department heads, or in his judgment, beneficial and necessary to the prevention or solution of problems in the county.

7. In cooperation with the Auditor, he may assist in planning and may supervise, direct, review, and maintain an adequate internal accounting and auditing system. He may, with the concurrence of the Board of Supervisors, seek out and obtain and utilize such outside accounting and financial consulting services as are consistent with the objectives and the cost restrictions placed upon this activity by the Board of Supervisors.

8. He may be delegated in the task of supervising and reviewing the purchase of supplies, materials, and equipment necessary for the operation of the functions of county government which require the approval of or are under the jurisdiction of the Board of Supervisors.

9. He may supervise and direct the annual inventory and control of county personal property. He may be delegated by the Board authority to relieve persons from responsibility for items having a replacement value of up to $500.00 if he were to find the loss or theft of the property to be without fault on the part of the responsible individual. Where amounts greater than $500.00 were involved, he shall refer the matter to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation.

10. He shall be provided by the Board of Supervisors with such personnel, facilities, equipment, and services as may be required in the discharge of his duties and responsibilities.

11. With respect to risk management, loss prevention, safety and claims, the administrative officer may recommend appropriate programs to the Board with the objective of reducing losses and thus reducing insurance costs.

C. Personnel.

1. He may serve as the Personnel Officer of the Board of Supervisors. In this area, he will be responsible for the affirmative action program of the county and would be responsible for development and administration of such a program.

2. In his capacity as Personnel Officer, he would supervise the recruitment, examination, appointment, promotion, demotion, transfer, or dismissal of county employees in accordance with the appropriate county code.

3. He would study and make recommendations to the Board with respect to existing personnel conditions and with respect to a request, by any office, or employee for increases or reduction of personnel, or changes in classification, changes in assignment, changes in salary for any county officer or employee.

4. He would coordinate activities with respect to the recruitment, examination, interviewing and grading of all applicants for positions for which appointments are made by the Board of Supervisors and he would make recommendations as deemed appropriate to the Board. Appointees or applicants to commissions, advisory committees, and special boards would be generally excluded from this duty unless otherwise specifically directed to be included by the Board of Supervisors.

5. He shall act as liaison and agent for the Board of Supervisors in dealing with salary and employee negotiations and relations where the Board of Supervisors so requests and at interims between Board meetings. In this duty, it shall be his duty to review and make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors. (Ord. 503, eff. 7/21/77)

No limitation of the authority and powers of the County Administrative Officer shall be implied from any omission of this chapter to delegate expressly to the Administrative Officer any authority, duty or function which is in the power of the Board to so delegate. (Ord. 503, eff. 7/21/77)