DPW Goals

Department Description

The Department of Public Works (DPW) is responsible for: County-maintained roads; traffic engineering; land development civil engineering review; design engineering and construction management; land surveying and map processing; cartographic services; watershed quality and flood protection; environmental planning; County Airports; solid waste planning and diversion; inactive landfills;  wastewater systems management; and special districts.

Mission Statement

Preserve and enhance public safety and quality of life through reliable, cost effective infrastructure.

Foster partnerships that strengthen relationships with communities and industry. 

Provide quality and responsive service through highly motivated, professional, and knowledgeable staff in a safe and fair work environment.

Continually improve quality of service through optimal resource management.

2006-07 Accomplishments

Strategic Initiative – Kids

• Enhanced school children’s safety by analyzing, identifying, and implementing school zone improvements for pedestrians, bicyclists, buses, and automobiles at 12 schools (13% of all public schools in the unincorporated area), exceeding goal of 10 schools. Among the improvements were new school zone flashing beacons, enhanced crosswalk features (including the installation of in-pavement flashing warning lights), pedestrian countdown heads that show how much time remains to cross the street at signalized intersections, and improved signing and striping.

• Significantly enhanced safe routes to schools for children by reviewing and inspecting private developments to ensure that all new school developments, as well as new developments near schools include pedestrian facilities such as sidewalks and pathways, as well as other traffic safety features. In Fiscal Year 2006-07 there were six schools and 75 other developments near schools reviewed and inspected. In addition, Public Works completed the construction of five projects worth approximately $4.5 million, to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety to provide safe routes to school. 

• Educated children on watershed protection and water quality by conducting 117 presentations (exceeding goal of 95 presentations) to approximately 2,960 school children from 24 of the 57 K- 6 schools in the unincorporated area, (42% total,  exceeded goal of 40%). These presentations assist in educating the highest priority target audience to instill long term valuing and care of this precious resource.

• Promoted recycling and composting at 45 schools (50% of all public schools in the unincorporated area) to teach practices to sustain and expand these efforts; and supported schools in implementing and/or sustaining their recycling programs.

• Encouraged children’s interest in aviation through outreach programs, providing 26 airport tours for over 300 students (exceeding goal of six tours) and participating in school aviation education career events; Participated in airfield events including Wings Over Gillespie (in El Cajon), the Fallbrook Avocado Festival, and Ramona Air Show.  

Strategic Initiative – The Environment

• Enhanced water quality by removing over 55 acres of invasive vegetation from the headwaters of the Tijuana River (meeting goal). Removed 2.56 acres of non-native vegetation, including Arundo donax, from various sites throughout the county. Invasive species clog rivers downstream, degrade water quality, and impact native vegetation.  The Brookside Creek conversion, which was also a goal, is planned for Fiscal Year 2007-08.

• Supported the Watershed Protection Program by conducting 568 dry weather site investigations (exceeding goal of 240 investigations). These investigations provide crucial data for understanding the condition of receiving waters in all eight watersheds, and how they are impacted by discharges from unincorporated communities. Information gained from these site investigations also provides guidance in determining areas that could potentially cause greater pollution and therefore require increased stormwater quality management.

• Improved water quality in San Diego County watersheds by preventing polluting debris from entering waterways as follows:

  • Swept 16,826 miles of road and cleared 28,700 cubic yards of debris to keep road debris out of waterways.

  • Completed cleaning of approximately 346 miles of sewer lines and completed $430,000 in major sewer line maintenance as part of an on-going preventative maintenance program. 

  • Placed construction stormwater protection devices at 100% of 40 active Public Works project sites.

• Helped ensure environmental preservation at County Airports with the following projects:

  • Constructed a detention basin at McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad that improved stormwater outflow.

  • Developed an integrated pest management and habitat control program at County Airports.  This program will address environmental needs and improve safety.

  • Completed the purchase of 30 acres of mitigation land at Ramona Airport to restore and preserve vernal pool basins and habitat satisfying requirements created by a runway extension project.   Grant funding of $0.4 million from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was used for this land acquisition. 

• Enhanced the County’s natural resources by establishing 6.4 acres of habitat restoration and/or creation (goal was eight acres) through the 2006-07 Capital Improvement Program. The remaining 1.6 acres will be established next fiscal year.

• Promoted environmental conservation and education through coordination of the following:

  • Held seven community cleanup and free tire recycling collection events (exceeding goal of two). 

  • Held 12 residential composting workshops including one for landscaping contractors and one for horse manure management.  

  • Maintained 30 used oil collection centers for recycling used oil and filters.  

  • Initiated a new County Ordinance to increase diversion of construction and demolition materials from landfills.

Strategic Initiative – Safe and Livable Communities  

• Initiated construction of nine (non-sidewalk/pathway) Capital Improvement Program projects (exceeding goal of seven) to enhance safety and improved traffic flow for the public.

• Improved flood control by completing an update of four Drainage Master Plans (40% of the County’s special drainage areas) serving various communities throughout the county, meeting goal of four plans.  Drainage Master Plans provide a better understanding of the flooding concerns affecting the various unincorporated communities. These plans also contain flood control project lists that will help the Flood Control District to prioritize the most critical projects necessary to protect County residents from flooding.

• Completed the design of major improvements to the terminal, parking areas and runway safety areas at McClellan-Palomar Airport which will provide additional safety and convenience for the flying public. These projects are on target, with construction to be completed next fiscal year.

• Implemented a new Board of Supervisors Policy - Community Facilities District Goals and Policies - to help master-planned communities provide quality infrastructure through bond financing.

• Formed six underground utility districts, including several in Bonita and one in Julian to enhance the character of that historic town by eliminating all the overhead cables and wiring in the downtown district.

Required Discipline – Essential Infrastructure

• Maintained quality road surfaces through rehabilitating 70 miles of existing unincorporated area roads with paving overlays and seals with a total construction value of $19.9 million.

Required Disciplines -- Fiscal Stability

• Promoted fiscal stability and environmental conservation by selling energy generated through new microturbines at the Jamacha Landfill to the Otay Water District (meeting goal). An existing microturbine system was in place at the Jamacha Landfill and sold energy to San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E).  New microturbines for the Otay contract were purchased through grant funding. Analyzed the feasibility of relocating the used Jamacha Landfill microturbines to other inactive landfills (meeting goal).  Determined that moving the used microturbines to another inactive landfill would provide the best rate of return on investment assuming grant funds can be obtained to assist with installation costs.  Currently researching grant programs to make the microturbine relocation economically feasible.

Required Disciplines – Customer Satisfaction

• Enhanced the access to road information for the public, County, and other public agencies by converting 100% of the existing data to a Geographic Information System (GIS) County Maintained Roads layer, exceeding goal of 75%.  This online tool provides a more efficient way for staff to research road data and provide prompt information and maps to the public and other agencies.

• Improved community relations by meeting with interested parties through the McClellan-Palomar Airport Voluntary Noise Abatement Program and the Gillespie Field Good Neighbor Program to address noise and safety concerns.  As a result, Gillespie air traffic was balanced across two runways and the left aircraft traffic pattern was raised from 1,200 to 1,400 feet to reduce aircraft noise.  Additionally, an FAA funded noise study was completed at McClellan-Palomar Airport . 

Required Disciplines – Continuous Improvement

• Improved Capital Improvement Project delivery by establishing new project management design tracking and monitoring procedures. This was accomplished by conducting a project design scoping Business Process Re-engineering effort as well as fully implementing Phase II of the Enterprise Project Management System (EPMS).  EPMS is a state-of-the-art web based management tool that enhances team collaboration and efficiencies by leveraging existing County software. 

2007-09 Objectives

Strategic Initiative – Kids

• Enhance school children’s safety throughout the unincorporated portion of the county with the following:

  • Work with school administrations to analyze, identify, and implement school zone improvements for pedestrians, bicyclists, buses, and automobiles at a minimum of 10 schools per year (11% of all public schools in the unincorporated area).

  • School Zone Safety.  Repaint and re-mark crosswalks and roadway legends adjacent to all 90 public school locations throughout the unincorporated areas of the county.

  • Complete construction or award construction contracts for at least five Capital Improvement Projects that improve traffic flow around schools and provide safe routes to schools.

  • Review all discretionary projects near schools, and school projects within the unincorporated area and neighboring cities (approximately 80 projects) during the environmental process to ensure all impacts to traffic on County roads, pedestrian access, and safety concerns are identified and mitigated.

• Educate children on watershed protection and water quality by conducting 95 presentations to school children at 40% of the unincorporated areas’ 57 K-6 schools as a long-term strategy for achieving positive behavioral changes.

• Teach children the value of conserving energy and helping the environment by promoting recycling and composting at 45 county schools by June 2008, and by helping school administrators to implement or enhance recycling programs.

• Continue to encourage interest in aviation through providing six tours and presentations at County Airports, and through active participation in airfield events including Wings Over Gillespie, Fallbrook Avocado Festival, and Ramona Air Show.  

Strategic Initiative – The Environment

• Establish a North County Wetland Mitigation Area to provide a continuous block of habitat to mitigate for DPW Capital Improvement Projects.

• Support best practices in wildlife preservation by initiating and completing a study to test the effectiveness of new wildlife crossings along roads in the East County . This study will provide data on wildlife corridors and activity for the whole region, and will help the County and other jurisdictions determine how to design and build wildlife crossings in new construction projects.

• Enhance water quality by converting concrete bottomed segments of Ruxton Road Channel and Brookside Creek in the Sweetwater Watershed, to natural, vegetated, watercourses that provide natural filtration.

• Conduct 340 site investigations (40% increase to prior year’s goal). These investigations provide crucial data for understanding the condition of receiving waters in all eight watersheds and how they are impacted by discharges from unincorporated communities.

• Remove 25,000 cubic yards of debris from culverts, drainage channels, and roads through a systematic cleaning program to prevent pollution of our rivers, bays, and ocean.

• Work with at least 20 private developments to increase tonnage of construction and demolition materials being diverted from landfills, with a goal of diverting at least 800 tons of material.

• Clean a minimum of 400 miles of sewer mains within the County’s sanitary sewer system to protect public health and the environment by minimizing the risk of sanitary sewer overflows.

• Hold 12 workshops on residential composting including one for landscapers and one for horse owners.

Strategic Initiative – Safe and Livable Communities

• Provide enhanced crosswalk lighting and/or flashers in locations where pedestrian safety would benefit. Identify two candidate locations eligible for crosswalk flashers and/or school flashers and seek grant funding through application to the State Office of Traffic Safety and other funding resources.

• Award construction contracts for seven (non school-related) Capital Improvement Projects in county communities that enhance safety and improve traffic flow.

• Enhance the safety of pedestrians by retrofitting at least six signalized intersections with countdown pedestrian indications that display a clear message to the pedestrian.

• Improve flood control by updating four new Drainage Master Plans (additional 40% of County’s special drainage areas) serving various communities throughout the county.

• Develop real-time flood forecasting model and protocol to determine extent of river flooding to be used for major rivers in the unincorporated areas.

• Enhance safety and convenience for the flying public through construction of a new terminal, vehicle parking lot and runway safety area at McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad . 

• Implement new integrated management and habitat control program at County Airports.  The program is a systematic method of controlling wildlife attractants, such as food sources, habitat areas, etc., by mowing, maintenance of drainage to remove standing water, etc.  Program implementation will address environmental needs and improve safety, keeping wildlife off runways and away from flight corridors.

Required Disciplines -- Fiscal Stability

• Promote fiscal stability and environmental conservation by continuing to explore feasible landfill gas to energy technologies at inactive landfills, such as, microturbines and fuel cells.

Required Disciplines – Customer Satisfaction

• Promote positive community relations by holding McClellan-Palomar and Gillespie Field Voluntary Noise Abatement / Good Neighbor Program meetings to provide an ongoing forum for idea exchange and implementation of improvements.

Required Disciplines – Skilled, Competent and Diverse Workforce

• Invest amount equal to one percent of total Salaries and Benefits ($0.6 million) into training to develop and strengthen employee skills.

•  “Grow our own civil engineers” through outreach to universities, student worker program, and a junior engineer program, which aims to recruit college graduates and rotate them through the department. Goal is to employ ten student engineers and three junior engineers in Fiscal Year 2007-08.

Required Disciplines – Continuous Improvement

• Develop desk manuals for all Financial Services staff to document their current work processes, and an accounting manual to standardize the process flow for Accounts Payable, vendor invoice approval, receipt of cash/checks, and deposits for internal control purposes.

Changes from 2006-07 Adopted

A transfer of $1.4 million from the Department of Public Works to the Department of Planning & Land Use is proposed for the following County Service Areas (CSA) and associated Fire Mitigation Funds:  Elfin Forest (CSA 107); Mount Laguna (CSA 109); Palomar Mountain (CSA 110); Boulevard (CSA 111); Campo (CSA 112); San Pasqual (CSA 113); and Pepper Drive (CSA 115).  This transfer is administrative only to consolidate fire related services and increase efficiencies. 

There are no significant changes to the Fiscal Year 2007-09 proposed CSA budgets and there is no net impact to the General Fund associated with this transfer. All historical data will move with this transfer so no variance appears.

Staffing

Increase of 23.00 staff years includes transfers between DPW funds or divisions to meet operational needs.

• Increase of 18.00 staff years in Road Fund for anticipated workload associated with increasing volume of Capital Improvement Projects includes the transfers of 1.00 staff year from the Department of Parks and Recreation and 2.00 staff years from the Inactive Waste Site Management Fund for capital projects, and the transfer of 3.00 staff years from the Department of Planning and Land Use (DPLU) for increased public counter activity resulting from the closure of DPLU satellite offices in San Marcos and El Cajon approved by the Board of Supervisors on May 23, 2007 (6).

• No net increase. Increase of 2.00 staff years in the General Fund Watershed Protection Program for increased testing and monitoring, and implementation of more stringent and costly Best Management Practices due to new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit requirements and a decrease of 2.00 staff years in General Fund Project Management resulting from transfer of PBViews project activity and management to the Financial General Government Group. 

• Increase of 3.00 staff years in the Inactive Waste Site Management Fund due to conversion to an in-house maintenance crew from contracted services for support of landfill field maintenance to reduce costs.

• Increase of 1.00 staff year in the Airports Program (Airport Enterprise Fund) for facilities planning and operation support of rents and leases at the County Airports.

• Increase of 1.00 staff year in the Wastewater Management Program (Wastewater Enterprise Fund) based on increasing operations and maintenance needs for sanitation districts to assure regulatory agency permit requirements are achieved and maintained continuously.

Expenditures

Increase of $38.9 million.

• $4.5 million net increase in Salaries and Benefits due to the cost of additional staff years and an allowance for negotiated cost of living adjustments.

• $15 million net increase in Services and Supplies due to an increase in Capital Improvement Projects and contracted road services.

• $6.0 million net increase in Other Charges based on projected purchases of right-of-way.

• $9.2 million net increase in Capital Assets/Land Acquisition due to an increase in Job Order Contracts for Airport Capital Improvement Projects.

• $0.4 million net increase in Capital Assets Equipment for replacement of vehicles.

• $1.4 million net increase in Reserve/Designation Increases for operational contingency.

• $2.4 million net increase in Operating Transfer Out due primarily to transfers from Wastewater Enterprise Fund to the Sanitation Districts for projects.

Revenues

Increase of $38.9 million.

• $0.4 million net increase in Taxes Current Property based on projected taxes from property owners.

• $6.3 million net increase in Taxes Other Than Current Secured based on increased TransNet funding for the Detailed Work Program.

• $0.3 million net increase in Licenses, Permits & Franchises based on approved increases.

• $3.4 million net increase in Revenue from Use of Money and Property from Airports rents and concessions.

• $22.8 million net increase in Intergovernmental Revenues from Propositions 1B, Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, and Port Security, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and other grants.

• $0.1 million net increase in Charges for Current Services for increased service to property owners.

• $1.4 million net increase in Miscellaneous Revenue for reimbursement of proposed projects for the Flood Control District Special Drainage Areas, and Inactive Waste operations based on revenue from the Environmental Trust Fund.

• $2.1 million net increase in Other Financing Sources due to operating transfers for projects.

• $1.0 million net decrease in Reserve/Designation Decreases due to increase of revenue from the Sanitation District’s sewer and water service charges and fees, property taxes, interest on deposits, and service to property owners.

• $2.8 million net increase in Fund Balance includes funding for one-time Watershed Protection Program projects and one-time operational costs increases, such as vehicle replacement, in Special Districts and Special Revenue funds.

Budgeted fund balance of $14.0 million includes one-time funding of $1.2 million for Watershed Protection Program projects, and $12.8 million for projects in various Department of Public Work funds. Funding will be used to buy equipment in the various Internal Service Acquisition funds, as a match for federal funding for completion of various Airport Enterprise Fund capital projects, one-time funding for an operating transfer from the Wastewater Enterprise Fund to the Sanitation Districts for operations and maintenance of the Sanitation Districts and to pay off Pine Valley and Julian Sanitation District loans, to support maintenance for paving projects and potential emergencies in the Permanent Road Divisions, and for funding irrigation projects in County Service Area Landscaping Districts.

• $0.3 million net increase in General Revenue Allocation for negotiated cost of living adjustments and additional staff in the Watershed Protection Program.

Summary of Changes in Fiscal Year 2008-09

A net decrease of $18.8 million. Net increase of $2.8 million is projected for Salaries and Benefits based on negotiated labor rates. Net decrease of $4.8 million in Services and Supplies, $0.3 million in Other Charges, $11.4 million in Capital Assets/Land Acquisition, and $0.4 million in Capital Assets Equipment is due to projected completion of capital projects. Net decrease of $1.9 million in Reserve/Designation Increase is due to completion of projects. Net decrease of $2.8 million in Operating Transfers Out is due to completion of one-time projects.  The $9.9 million in Fund Balance is for projects in various Department of Public Works funds. Funds will be used to support maintenance for paving projects and potential emergencies in the Permanent Road Divisions, support completion of irrigation projects in County Service Area Landscaping Districts, and buy replacement or new equipment in the various Internal Service Acquisition funds.

Table Notes 

1  Traffic-safe school zones are one of DPW’s top priorities. Annually, Traffic Engineering staff work with school administrations at 10 of the 90 public schools located throughout the unincorporated area to enhance school pedestrian safety and improve on-and off-site circulation for parents and others driving near schools.

2  Developments include both new school projects and developments adjacent to schools. Project managers and DPW inspectors oversee the work from design through construction to ensure they meet County safety standards. There were six schools and 75 developments near schools that included school safety elements in the review.

3  Fiscal Year 2005-06 debris volume was unusually high due to winter storm activity.

4  The County had 36 active Public Works construction sites that had to maintain proper stormwater controls throughout construction to ensure they would not cause pollution in water systems (such as silt and debris).

5  This reflects the number of major capital projects initiated (designed and construction contract awarded) during the year to enhance community traffic flow and safety.

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