Memorandum
Date: April 25, 2023
To: The Honorable Lake County Air Quality Management District Board of Directors
From: Douglas Gearhart, APCO
Subject: Authorize the APCO to Establish Temporary Counter Hours for the LCAQMD.
Executive Summary:
The LCAQMD is requesting consideration of temporarily reducing office counter hours due to significant workload increases with State Reports, illegal burning, permit issues, enforcement activities, grant programs, and other mandatory activities. District Staff are unable to complete required work timely due to lack of uninterrupted work times. With only 4 staff, we directly answer nearly all phone calls without letting it go to voicemail and we help people at our counter regularly throughout the day. The result is that staff does not have uninterrupted work time. This has led to us having so little time for the normal workload activities that tasks that should take only a few hours or a day to complete are now taking days or weeks. This is creating delays in permitting and projects throughout the County. We are not exceeding our statutory requirements, but we are having delays that are longer than our goals.
Currently we are experiencing days where we only have one staff person available at the office and we have to close the office when there is a complaint investigation, field work, inspections, meetings, and other essential/mandatory activities. This results in unscheduled office closures that in many cases could be avoided if we modify the hours that we are fully open to the public. Many of the above activities can be performed during scheduled office closures, so we can minimize unscheduled office closures. As staff is available, we will be taking appointments during office closures.
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Recommended Action:
That the Board of Directors authorize the APCO to close the office to walk-in traffic Monday through Thursday from 8am to 10am and 4pm to 5pm, and all day Fridays for 6 months.