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50 <br />Assignment Number ~ <br />Take a close look at the staffing levels in the 1~Ianager's office <br />with regards to existing and future challenges. <br />I need to comment on current staffu1g levels to the extent that it is <br />a direct reflection of the demands and expectations of the BOCC <br />individually and collectively. There is an "understanding" among <br />senior staff that "the BOCC gets what it wants -collectively and <br />individually". In straight talk -staff feels it must meet the <br />demands from direction provided by the Board or the staff's <br />perception of what "individual" members of the Board expect. <br />My best explanation of this factor is the time and effort spent by <br />staff in the Manager's office on the agenda preparation, review, <br />draft and redraft of the various submittals to accommodate the <br />interest of the BBOC. I expect all county staff to pay attention to <br />items coming before the BOCC. In Orange County an inordinate <br />amount of time is spent on issues ultimately insignificant to the <br />item(s) being considered. The pursuit of perfection is an <br />inherently difficult if not impossible, extremely expensive task. <br />Additionally, while on this subject, this is the first jurisdiction in <br />my career where the BOCC Clerk's staff has such limited <br />responsibilities associated with preparing the agenda. Thus when <br />analyzing staffmg level in the County Manager's office it is <br />important to recognize (especially if comparing to other counties) <br />the extensive role played by the Manager's staff in meeting agenda <br />preparation, especially with the number of times the BOCC meets <br />and technical revisions required in Orange County. <br />The BOCC Clerk's staff consists of four (4) fulltime positions and <br />the actual production of meeting minutes are a contracted function. <br />1 <br />