Report 2015-134 Recommendation 7 Responses

Report 2015-134: Residential Building Records: The Cities of San Rafael, Novato, and Pasadena Need to Strengthen the Implementation of Their Resale Record Programs (Release Date: March 2016)

Recommendation #7 To: San Rafael, City of

To ensure that it can monitor the satisfaction individuals have with the resale record program and that it has a uniform approach for resolving complaints, San Rafael should develop a formal process for tracking the complaints it receives. In addition, San Rafael should develop a formal policy that describes how staff should evaluate complaints, and it should document its activities associated with resolving complaints, such as the resolution and the rationale for the resolution. The city should also establish a designated location in its database to record this information.

1-Year Agency Response

An appeal process has been developed and memorialized in City Ordinance No. 1945, adopted by the San Rafael City Council on December 5, 2016. Ordinance No. 1945 established a new municipal code chapter (Chapter 12.36) adopting new provisions and requirements for a Report on Residential Building Record. A copy of this ordinance is provided as a supplement to this response.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented

San Rafael cites the formal appeal process in the new city ordinance and informed us that all appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, meaning that the measures used to reach a decision will vary depending on the nature of the appeal. As referenced in its six-month response, the city is tracking complaints in its database.

6-Month Agency Response

City staff has set up a procedure for receiving and tracking complaints in our Trakit permit tracking system. Additional fields have been added to the resale report file to enter the complaint and follow-up response/resolution.

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

The city has begun identifying complaints in its database. In addition, as of November 2016, the city was considering the implementation of an appeal process. However, documentation that the city provided did not contain any details on how its staff should evaluate complaints and document activities related to complaints. We look forward to learning of the city's progress in fully addressing the recommendation in its one-year response.

60-Day Agency Response

See May 21, 2016 memorandum forwarded via email to Myriam Czarniecki. On April 4, 2016, the performance audit report was presented to the San Rafael City Council. The City Council directed staff to return with options to the residential building records program. A report on the options will return to the City Council in June/July 2016. Web links to the staff report and streaming video of this public meeting are provided in this memo.

City staff has set up a procedure for receiving and tracking complaints in our Trak-it permit tracking system. Additional fields have been added to the resale report file to enter the complaint and follow-up response/resolution.

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

The city's procedures identify obtaining formal complaints, but the policy does not identify how staff should evaluate complaints and document activities related to complaints. We look forward to learning of the city's progress in fully addressing the recommendation in its six-month response.

All Recommendations in 2015-134

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.