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[I.Call Commission meeting to order ]
UH, 5:00 PM JANUARY 21ST.UH, I'D LIKE TO CALL THE COMMISSION MEETING TO ORDER.
THANK YOU FIRST ON THE AGENDA.
[Additional Item ]
UH, FIRST, UH, WE HAVE A MOTION TO AMEND THE AGENDA.UH, MR. COMMISSIONER, AS YOU ARE AWARE, OUR FORMER CHAIR, UH, CHRIS CLEMENT HAS, UH, BECAUSE OF HIS RE THANK YOU, BECAUSE OF HIS RELOCATION, OUTTA STATE HAS RESIGNED FROM THE COMMISSION BECAUSE HE IS NO LONGER A RESIDENT OF JEFFERSON PARISH.
UH, SO WE WILL NEED A NEW CHAIR APPOINTED THAT WAS NOT ON THE ORIGINAL AGENDA.
SO WE WOULD NEED A MOTION, A SECOND TO AMEND AND THEN A ROLL CALL.
ANY MOTION TO AMEND THE AGENDA? I MAKE A MOTION TO AMEND THE AGENDA.
[Additional Item]
COMMISSIONER, WE WILL NEED A, A, THIS WOULD BE FOR THE MOTION TO, UH, ELECT A NEW CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR OF THE COMMISSION.I MOVE TO ELECT A NEW CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR OF THE COMMISSION.
WHO WOULD BE WHO? OH, I GET TO SAY, OKAY.
I LIKE TO, UH, UH, UH, FRANK YOUNG AS THE, THE CHAIR.
IS THAT RIGHT? NO, I JUST, ONE, I THOUGHT YOU WERE DOING, I THOUGHT YOU WERE DOING VICE CHAIR.
WELL, I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DO THAT WITH ME, RIGHT? OKAY.
YOU, I, I, HOW ABOUT YOU HUMBLY? HUMBLY.
DOES THE CHAIR HAVE A VOTE? YES.
EVERYBODY WILL HAVE A VOTE ON.
OH, I THOUGHT THAT WAS JUST THE MOTION TO I, SO, YEAH, IT'S JUST, IT'S AYE.
IS EVERYBODY IN AGREEMENT? SO, UH, WE'LL NEED A, A, A, A VERBAL YAY FOR EVERYBODY ON.
SO THE MOTION AS IT STANDS IS THAT, UH, UH, FRANK YOUNG, UH, WILL BE THE CHAIRMAN AND THAT MONICA PIERRE WILL BE THE VICE CHAIR, CORRECT.
IS THAT RIGHT? THAT IS CORRECT.
UH, I WILL, AND I NEED A SECOND.
AND THEN JUST A YAY OR NAY VOTE.
I'D LIKE TO CALL THIS TO A VOTE.
NOW WE CAN GO BACK ON THE REGULAR AGENDA.
WE NEED A MOTION, UM, REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES.
[III.Review and approval of Minutes from the November 19, 2025 meeting ]
THE MINUTES FROM NOVEMBER 19TH, 2025.MEETING, SECONDED WITH NO CORRECTIONS, UNANIM.
UH, GINA, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT THAT'S NEXT ON THE AGENDA? I DON'T KNOW ANY.
[V.Discussion regarding Parish President’s opposition to educating Parish employees about reporting fraud, waste and abuse]
DISCUSSION REGARDING PARISH PRESIDENTS, PARISH PRESIDENT'S, OPPOSITION TO EDUCATING PARISH EMPLOYEES ABOUT REPORTING FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE.UM, THAT'S, UH, NEXT ON THE AGENDA.
DO WE HAVE, UH, WHO, WHO, WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK FIRST, IF I MAY? MR. CHAIRMAN, I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK.
COMMISSIONER, FIRST SPEAKING, CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYBODY.
LEMME EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE, UM, FOR YOUR SERVICE.
I FEEL LIKE THE THREE THAT'LL LAST STANDING, UM, GOT BATHED IN FIRE JUST TO COME ON THIS COMMISSION.
SO THANK YOU FOR STILL STANDING.
UM, I WANNA BRING THIS, UM, ISSUE TO YOUR ATTENTION.
I ACTUALLY THINK IT'S A SHARED CONCERN BETWEEN THE IGS OFFICE AS WELL AS THE ECCS.
UM, AS PART OF 2026, UM, I REACHED OUT TO THE PARISH PRESIDENT, UM, TO TRY TO LAUNCH AN EDUCATION INITIATIVE, UM, BY WAY OF JUST BACKGROUND AND HISTORY.
UM, ACROSS THE LIFESPAN OF THE OFFICE, WE HAVE ENGAGED IN DIFFERENT EDUCATION INITIATIVES.
WHEN THE OFFICE WAS FIRST STOOD UP, WE WERE PERMITTED TIME AT NEW EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION.
WE PRESENTED THEM TO NEW EMPLOYEES.
AND SORT OF LIKE OVER TIME, IT
[00:05:01]
EVOLVED.UM, AT ONE TIME, OUR PREDECESSOR APPROACHED A PARISH PRESIDENT AND OUR HOTLINE WAS PRINTED ON EVERY SINGLE PARISH ID.
SO AT VARIOUS POINTS IN TIME, WE HAVE RECEIVED THE REPORT OF PARISH PRESIDENTS FOR EDUCATION INITIATIVES.
UM, THIS YEAR I APPROACHED THE PARISH PRESIDENT, UM, TO SEND OUT ONE EMAIL A MONTH.
AND THE EMAILS WERE INTENDED TO BE PRETTY INNOCUOUS.
JUST A SINGLE IMAGE REPORT, FRAUD, WASTE AND ABUSE, OR A SINGLE IMAGE.
LIKE WHAT DOES THE IG OFFICE DO? UM, THE REASON THAT I WANTED TO LAUNCH THIS PARTICULAR EDUCATION INITIATIVE, AND, AND BECAUSE OF YOUR TIME ON THE COMMISSION, YOU'RE NOT GONNA FULLY APPRECIATE IT.
BUT FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, WE WERE PRESENTING A LOT OF REPORTS ON VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANIES DURING THE TIME THAT WE WERE PRESENTING A LOT OF REPORTS ON VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANIES.
WHAT KIND OF COMPLAINTS DID WE RECEIVE? COMPLAINTS ABOUT VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANIES, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE WERE RAISING AWARENESS, UM, FOR OTHER PERIODS OF TIME.
THE MINUTE WE COVER DEPARTMENT, WE GET MORE TIPS ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT.
PROBLEM IS, IS THAT IN THAT APPROACH, YOU KNOW, JUST RELYING UPON THAT, WE'RE NOT REALLY REACHING THE MASS POPULATION.
SO I REACHED OUT TO THE PARISH PRESIDENT AND SPECIFICALLY SAID, BEGINNING IN 2026, I WOULD LIKE TO LAUNCH AN EDUCATION INITIATIVE ACROSS PARISH GOVERNMENT BY WAY OF MONTHLY REMINDERS.
THESE REMINDERS WILL BE A SINGLE IMAGE APPEARING IN AN EMAIL SENT TO ALL USERS.
THEY MAY BE GENERIC, SUCH AS REPORT FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE.
THEY MAY ALSO BE AN IMAGE OF AN OVERVIEW OF A RECENTLY RELEASED REPORT.
UM, WHILE NOT EXCLUSIVELY THE TARGET AUDIENCE BY WAY OF CONTENT AND SUBJECT WILL BE DIRECTORS AND EMPLOYEES, UM, FOCUSING ON RED FLAGS OF INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR, UM, AND BASICALLY WHERE TO REPORT FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE.
I DID NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE TO THIS COMMUNICATION.
UM, BUT I DID ATTACH SAMPLES OF THIS COMMUNICATION TO THE PARISH PRESIDENT AND ALSO COPIED THE COO.
SO THESE ARE TWO EXAMPLES OF THE IMAGES, WHICH WOULD BE PART OF AN EDUCATION INITIATIVE.
BY WAY OF ONE EMAIL PER MONTH, I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM, AT THE TIME, THE COO STEVE UTE, WHO SIMPLY REPORTED THAT THE PARISH PRESIDENT THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE.
AND THAT WAS THE SPECIFIC WORD HE USED, THAT IT WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE.
WHAT ABOUT THIS DO YOU THINK WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE? RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT REPORTING, LIKE THE METHOD? IT'S INAPPROPRIATE.
THE PARISH PRESIDENT SAID IT WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE.
SO NOT WANTING FOR THERE TO BE ANY RISK OF MISCOMMUNICATION.
UM, I LET THE COO KNOW THAT I WOULD BE FOLLOWING UP WITH A CONFIRMATION, LIKE, I'M NOT MISUNDERSTANDING.
SHE THINKS IT'S INAPPROPRIATE.
UM, AND SO I SENT A FOLLOW UP EMAIL TO THE PARISH PRESIDENT AS WELL AS THE COO, UM, ESSENTIALLY CONFIRMING THE CONVERSATION THAT I HAD WITH HIM AND REITERATING THE IMPORTANCE OF RAISING AWARENESS ON HOW TO REPORT FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE, AND DOING IT ACROSS THE EMPLOYEE POPULATION.
UM, I DID NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE TO THIS EMAIL EITHER.
UM, HOWEVER, ON THE DAY OF THE COUNCIL MEETING, UM, THE PARISH PRESIDENT DID APPROACH ME AND SAY, I WANT YOU TO KNOW MY DECISION IS FINAL.
AND I JUST STOOD IN A LITTLE BIT OF A SHOCK.
'CAUSE I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, 12 EMAILS LIKE A YEAR ISN'T, SHOULDN'T BE A BIG DEAL.
BUT SHE SAID, UM, WE DON'T ALLOW PEOPLE TO SEND OUT EMAILS TO ALL USERS.
WE'RE VERY RESTRICTIVE ABOUT IT.
I'M WELL AWARE OF LIKE WHAT EMAILS FLOW THROUGH THE SYSTEM.
SO GOING BACK, WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT ON AVERAGE, THERE'S 121 EMAILS SENT OUT TO ALL USERS ACROSS THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
IN TWENTY TWENTY FIVE, A HUNDRED AND FORTY SIX EMAILS WAS SENT OUT TO ALL USERS ON VARIOUS TOPICS.
SO WHAT I'M ASKING THE PARISH PRESIDENT FOR ESSENTIALLY IS YOU SENT OUT 1 46 LAST YEAR.
DO YOU MIND LIKE ADDING 12 TO IT SO THAT THE EMPLOYEES WILL KNOW WOULD REPORT FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE? 79 OF THE EMAILS THAT WERE SENT OUT IN 2025 WERE FROM JEFF FIT AN EMAIL ADDRESS ACCESSED BY A NON-PAR EMPLOYEE OF UNITED HEALTH INSURANCE.
SO THIS IS NOT EVEN A PARISH EMPLOYEE SENDING OUT 79 EMAILS.
THE BULK OF WHICH I THINK WERE
[00:10:01]
RECIPES.IF THEY WEREN'T RECIPES, THEY WERE REWARD PROGRAMS. SO 79 EMAILS WE'RE GETTING MORE THAN AN EMAIL A WEEK FORWARDING RECIPES TO HELP US BE HEALTHY.
36 EMAILS WAS FROM JESSICA PALERMO OF HUMAN RESOURCES REGARDING BENEFITS AND OTHER ISSUES OF RELEVANCE, OF COURSE, TO PARISH EMPLOYEES.
10 EMAILS WAS FROM THE PERSONNEL DIRECTOR LETTING US KNOW WHEN THE PERSONNEL MEETINGS ARE GOING TO TAKE PLACE AS A BASIC PREMISE, EDUCATING THE WORKFORCE AND RAISING AWARENESS OF HOW TO REPORT FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE ARE INEXTRICABLY INTERTWINED WITH EFFECTIVE OVERSIGHT IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC SECTOR.
I HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU A PARTICULAR ARTICLE THAT WAS PUBLISHED, UM, IN COMPLIANCE COMPLIANCE TODAY.
I BELIEVE THIS PARTICULAR ONE WAS PUBLISHED IN COMPLIANCE TODAY.
UM, AND IT WAS WRITTEN BY BETSY WADE FOR COMPLIANCE TODAY.
AND ACTUALLY THE ARTICLE COVERS, UM, BEST PRACTICES SUGGESTED BY FEDERAL OFFICES OF INSPECTOR GENERAL OVER HEALTHCARE.
UM, AND THE, THE ARTICLE COVERS THE IMPORTANCE OF ADVERTISING HOTLINES AND REPORTING OPTIONS.
HER KEY TAKEAWAYS INCLUDED, QUOTE, DISPLAY THE ORGANIZATION'S HOTLINE OR INDEPENDENT REPORTING METHODS FOR REPORTING POTENTIAL FRAUD, WASTE AND ABUSE, AND INCLUDE THEM IN ORIENTATION AND GENERAL COMPLIANCE EDUCATION.
YOUR HOTLINE AND THE VISIBILITY OF YOUR HOTLINE ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO YOUR ABILITY TO GET TIPS TO GO INVESTIGATE FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE ERGO PREVENTED.
UM, SIMILARLY, UM, WE HAVE ANOTHER ARTICLE BY A GENTLEMAN, UH, JIM WALTON, UM, WHO WROTE IT FOR THE CEP.
THIS IS ALL COMPLIANCE PROFESSIONALS.
UM, TALKING ABOUT, UM, ACTUALLY A PARTICULAR EXECUTIVE AT A COMPANY WAS UNCOVERED HAVING AN INAPPROPRIATE RELATIONSHIP WITH A SUBORDINATE.
AND THE REASON THEY FOUND OUT ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP WAS QUITE LITERALLY THROUGH EMPLOYEE EDUCATION AND AWARENESS OF THE HOTLINE.
AND THIS IS SORT OF CARRIED OVER AS WELL INTO A MULTITUDE OF IG OFFICES.
SO WE CONTACTED SEVERAL OF THEM JUST TO SORT OF INQUIRE BOTH HOW ARE YOU RAISING AWARENESS AND WHAT IS YOUR AGENCY SUPPORT.
SO MIAMI-DADE, THEY ACTUALLY HAVE THE INFORMATION PRINTED ON EMPLOYEE CHECKS.
THEY HAVE BANNERS THAT EDUCATE PEOPLE.
THEY PARTICIPATE IN MEETINGS WITH VENDORS.
UM, WE HAVE PALM BEACH SENDS OUT QUARTERLY EMAILS ON IG EDUCATION, SENDS OUT SPECIAL EMAILS, HAS SIGNAGE UP THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY, UM, AND ALSO POST COMMERCIALS, WHICH WE THOUGHT WAS REALLY INTERESTING.
UM, BROWARD COUNTY MESSAGES ON EMPLOYEE PAY STUBS AS WELL, PROVIDES TRAINING FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS.
BALTIMORE SENDS OUT MONTHLY EMAILS, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING, PROVIDES TRAINING.
UM, EDUCATION IS PART OF HER PERFORMANCE METRICS, MEANING THE PEOPLE WHO HIRE AND FIRE HER ACTUALLY EVALUATE HER ON EDUCATION INITIATIVES AT NEW YORK.
LIKEWISE, UH, PROVIDES INDIVIDUAL TRAINING, HAS A TRAINING TEAM, UM, AND HAS UNDERSTANDINGS WITH AGENCIES TO GO IN AND EDUCATE MONTGOMERY.
UM, IN NOVEMBER OF EVERY YEAR, SENT OUT A COUNTYWIDE, UH, EMAIL ON FRAUD, OCCASIONAL EMAILS TO ALL EMPLOYEES, UM, SIGNAGE POSTERS.
WHEN A REPORT IS ISSUED, PRESS RELEASES ARE SHARED.
BALTIMORE HOWARD, UH, CREATED A TRAINING PROGRAM.
TRAINING IS REQUIRED ANNUALLY.
CREATED A WELCOME VIDEO, UM, HAS TRAINING SCENARIOS AND QUESTIONS.
UM, COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS SIMILARLY AND ALSO SENDS OUT EMAILS.
SO JEFFERSON PARISH, WHAT DO THEY PROMOTE? UM, JEFFERSON PARISH HAS A POSTER FOR LLA IN A MULTITUDE OF LANGUAGES, UM, THAT WE BELIEVE IS SPREAD ACROSS THE PARISH.
UM, AND SO THEY ARE PROMOTING THE LLA, UM, THEY DO NOTHING TO PROMOTE THIS OFFICE.
AND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS MEETING, I WOULD JUST BE SO APPRECIATIVE IF YOU WOULD GO ON JEFF PARRISH.GOV AND I CHALLENGE YOU TO FIND THE OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL.
LIKE SEE IF YOU CAN FIND THE OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL ANYWHERE ON THE PARISH WEBSITE.
AND HOW DIFFICULT IS IT FOR YOU TO FIND.
IF YOU GO TO THE PARISH WEBSITE AND YOU LOOK UNDER TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT, OR YOU MIGHT THINK YOU WOULD FIND THE OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL, YOU WILL SEE FRAUD, WASTE AND ABUSE.
PDF, THAT IS FRAUD, WASTE AND ABUSE TO THE LLA.
[00:15:01]
YOU FIND NO PROMOTION WHATSOEVER OF THIS OFFICE.THE PURPOSE OF THE OFFICE IS TO PROVIDE A FULL-TIME PROGRAM OF INVESTIGATION, AUDIT INSPECTIONS, AND PERFORMANCE REVIEWS.
UM, IN PURSUING THIS MANDATE, WE ARE TO PREVENT AND TO DETECT, AND THAT WE NEED TO USE ALL OUR POWERS PERMITTED TO MAKE THIS MISSION, UM, HAPPEN.
PART OF OUR AUTHORITY IS TO ENGAGE IN PREVENTION ACTIVITIES.
THIS IS A MATTER OF ORDINANCE.
AND WITHIN THAT AUTHORITY LIES THE SUPPLYING, PROVIDING, AND CONDUCTING OF PROGRAMS FOR TRAINING AND EDUCATION.
THE POWERS OF OUR OFFICE PERMIT THAT THE INSPECTOR GENERAL SHALL HAVE ACCESS TO ALL EMPLOYEES OF THE PARISH.
SO BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE APPROACH THE ADMINISTRATION FOR 12 EMAILS YEARLY, ONE PER MONTH TO RAISE AWARENESS TO PARISH EMPLOYEES.
AND CONSIDERING THEY SENT OUT 146, THEY CONCLUDED IT WAS INAPPROPRIATE FOR US TO SEND OUT 12.
UM, AT A FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL, THE ABILITY OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL TO COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH PARISH EMPLOYEES REGARDING THE PREVENTION AND REPORTING OF FRAUD, WASTE AND ABUSE REPRESENTS A THRESHOLD, MINIMUM LEVEL OF INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE MISSION AND PURPOSE OF THIS OFFICE.
UM, IN MY TIME HERE, I THINK MAYBE IT WAS LAST YEAR, MAYBE IT WAS NOT LAST YEAR OR YEAR BEFORE LAST.
UM, I DESIGNED A PROGRAM AND REACHED OUT TO DIRECTORS TO EDUCATE THEM ON THE OFFICE.
UM, AS YOU WELL KNOW, I GO OUT TO CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS, EDUCATE THEM ON THE OFFICE.
BUT THE FRONTIER THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IS THE EVERYDAY EMPLOYEES WHO KNOW WHETHER THEIR COWORKER IS COMING IN LATE OR LEAVING EARLY, OR USING PARISH EQUIPMENT INAPPROPRIATELY.
I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY OR THE REASONING BEHIND THE PARISH PRESIDENT'S POSITION TO THINK THAT IT IS INAPPROPRIATE TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THIS OFFICE AND ENCOURAGE BAD CONDUCT TO BE REPORTED AND EDUCATE THE EMPLOYEES ON WHERE TO REPORT THEM.
I HAVE THE UTMOST RESPECT FOR THE LEGISLATIVE AUDITOR.
THE LEGISLATIVE AUDITOR IS OVER THE ENTIRE STATE OF LOUISIANA.
AND DARE I SUGGEST, I DO NOT THINK THAT THEY HAVE THE TIME TO DEAL WITH THE PAYROLL ISSUES THAT WE HAVE GOING ON IN THE PARISH.
UM, I'D LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK AND YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS.
I THINK RAISING AWARENESS REGARDING ETHICS IS EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT AS IT IS FOR THIS OFFICE.
UM, AND WHAT I REALLY HOPE IS THAT Y'ALL WILL CONSIDER TAKING A POSITION AND CALLING THIS CONDUCT OUT TO THE PARISH PRESIDENT AS WELL AS THE PARISH COUNCIL TO URGE THEM TO SUPPORT THIS INITIATIVE.
I DO BELIEVE IT'S I IMPORTANT NOT ONLY TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE OFFICE, BUT TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THIS COMMISSION.
UH, THE COMMISSION IS CHARGED WITH REVIEWING ANY ETHICAL VIOLATIONS.
UH, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A REPORT SOMETIMES TO KNOW THAT AN ETHICAL VIOLATION OCCURS.
UH, SO I THINK PART OF THE EDUCATION, AND I'VE ASKED HIM TO INCLUDE ANY EDUCATION THAT SHE COULD ON THE ETHICS COMMISSION AS WELL, BECAUSE THAT'S CRITICAL PART.
ALTHOUGH WE, WE DON'T DEAL WITH BROAD WASTE AND ABUSE TO THE EXTENT THAT THE COM THE INSPECTOR GENERAL DOES, WE CERTAINLY OVERSEE ETHICS VIOLATIONS.
AND THAT'S A CRITICAL COMPONENT.
AND OFTEN EMPLOYEES DON'T KNOW WHO TO GET IN TOUCH WITH, HOW TO GET IN TOUCH, HOW TO FILE A COMPLAINT.
AND I THINK THOSE ARE CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF A VIBRANT AND STRONG ETHICS PROGRAM FOR THE PARISH.
AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE PART OF THIS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM.
AND I THINK KIM WOULD AGREE WITH THAT.
UM, BUT IT, WHAT WHAT KIM IS ASKING IS IF WE CANNOT MANDATE THAT ACTION BE TAKEN, WE CAN MERELY MAKE, TAKE A POSITION THAT WE REQUEST THAT THE COUNCIL AND THE ADMINISTRATION REVIEW THIS AND CONSIDER IT, UH, BASED UPON OUR RECOMMENDATION AS WELL AS THE RECOMMENDATION AND REQUEST OF THE, UH, INSPECTOR GENERAL COMMISSIONERS.
DO YOU ALL HAVE QUESTIONS? I HAVE A FEW.
FIRST, UM, WHAT ARE WE CURRENTLY DOING OTHER THAN THE, THE, UH, THE MEETINGS YOU GO TO AND THINGS LIKE THAT? 'CAUSE THIS IS ONLY ABOUT THE 12 EMAILS.
I I SAW THAT SOME OF THE OTHER COUNTIES AND SUCH HAD MANY DIFFERENT WAYS OF DOING IT.
LIKE JUST ONE, ONE THOUGHT IS THESE TWO WOULD BE BETTER ON A FLYER BY BY TIME CARDS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, NOT AN EMAIL BOX.
IS THERE A REASON BEHIND, I, I GET THE EFFICIENCY ANGLE BEHIND EMAILS, BUT JUST WONDERING ABOUT ALTERNATE MODALITIES THAT MIGHT NOT REQUIRE PERMISSION FROM THE TOP? ACTUALLY, ANY AND EVERY MODALITY ULTIMATELY RESTS UPON PERMISSION FROM THE TOP.
UM, WE, UH, DISCUSSED INTERNALLY, UM, ALL THE DIFFERENT INITIATIVES THAT THESE VARIOUS OFFICES HAVE TAKEN.
UM, I WILL TELL YOU FOR THE TIME BEING UNTIL
[00:20:01]
THEY CHANGED THE ID CARDS, UM, PUTTING OUR HOTLINE ON EVERY EMPLOYEE ID CARD WAS ACTUALLY AN IDEA THAT WE STOLE FROM ANOTHER INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE.AND FOR AS LONG AS THE PARISH PRESIDENT OF THE ADMINISTRATION, UH, STAYED COMMITTED TO IT, WELL THEN THAT WAS AN INITIATIVE THAT WAS UNDERWAY.
UM, I WOULD SUPPORT ANY AND ALL MODALITIES TO BE ABLE TO REACH, UH, THE EMPLOYEES.
I THOUGHT THAT 12 EMAILS WAS PRETTY BASIC AND NOT BURDENSOME OR DISRUPTIVE OR WOULD REQUIRE ANYBODY ELSE TO POST OR MAINTAIN.
AND, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT FIRST STEP.
NOT A LAST STEP, BUT A FIRST STEP.
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE FREQUENCY OF, YOU KNOW, ONCE A MONTH.
WHAT ABOUT THE, THE PAYROLL AND THE PAYCHECKS? HOW OFTEN DO EMPLOYEES TYPICALLY GET PAID? UH, WE GET PAID EVERY OTHER WEEK.
OKAY, SO YOU COULD HAVE DONE TWO A MONTH.
AND HOW EFFECTIVE WHEN YOU STUDIED SOME OF THE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES IN PARTICULAR, WAS EMAILING AND HAVING IT WHERE IT WAS ATTACHED TO, WHAT SOMETHING THEY WOULD TOUCH ALL THE TIME? MM-HMM
UM, IT'S HARD TO GIVE LIKE THE EXACT METRIC ON THAT CORRELATION.
WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THE REASON I BROUGHT UP THE ARTICLES FROM THE ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE PROFESSIONALS IS THAT WHEN I SERVED AS A DIRECTOR OF ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE, I BECAME CERTIFIED AS AN ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE PROFESSIONAL.
AND AS THE DIRECTOR OF ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE, I HAD ACCESS TO ALL USERS.
AND AS THE DIRECTOR, I SENT OUT EDUCATION NOTICES ABOUT ETHICS ISSUES IN THAT CAPACITY.
SO WHEN I STUDY AND WHEN WE ATTEND CONFERENCES EITHER AS AN INSPECTOR GENERALS, BUT ALSO ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE OFFICERS, THERE'S USUALLY GOING TO BE ONE BLOCK OF INSTRUCTION OR WEBINARS THAT ABSOLUTELY TIE VISIBILITY OF HOTLINE TO QUALITY OF COMPLAINTS.
AND THERE'S ACTUALLY PRIVATE COMPANIES THAT OPERATE HOTLINES AND THEY FOLLOW AND CHECK THOSE, UH, METRICS OF VISIBILITY OF HOTLINE TO QUALITY OF COMPLAINTS.
THAT BRINGS ME TO A QUESTION WITH YOUR EMAIL AND WITH YOUR JP EMAIL MM-HMM
CAN YOU, UH, DO YOU HAVE ACCESS TO AN ALL USERS TO, TO SEND AN EMAIL ALL USERS? I I DO NOT.
AND THAT WAS THE REQUEST TO THE PARISH PRESIDENT.
I MEAN, I CAN SPEAK BASED UPON MY KNOWLEDGE WHEN I WAS A DIRECTOR, WHEN I WAS A DIRECTOR, UM, IN, IN THE PARISH.
WELL, I, I JUST WANT TO CLEAR, BE CLEAR, IS THAT I'M ASKING IF YOU HAD THE CAPABILITY, LIKE IF YOU TRIED TO DO IT, WOULD THE COMPUTER NOT ALLOW YOU TO DO IT? CORRECT.
BECAUSE YOUR ACCESS IS LIMITED BY, I I GATHER THE PARISH IT MM-HMM
IN OTHER WORDS, IT WAS AT THE TIME THAT ALL DIRECTORS HAD ACCESS TO ALL USERS.
SO WHEN I WAS THE DIRECTOR OF ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE, MY NAME WAS ON THAT LIST BECAUSE I WAS A DIRECTOR.
I DUNNO IF THIS POLICY HAS CHANGED.
I CAN CERTAINLY VALIDATE THAT FOR YOU.
UM, MY BELIEF GENERALLY IS THAT ALL DIRECTORS STILL HAVE ACCESS TO ALL USERS.
UM, BECAUSE I AM THE INSPECTOR GENERAL AND THE PARISH HAS NEVER RECOGNIZED ME AS THE DIRECTOR OF A PART OF DEPARTMENT, EVEN THOUGH I AM THE HEAD OF A DEPARTMENT, THEY HAVE NEVER INCLUDED MY NAME IN THE LIST OF PEOPLE WHO COULD SEND EMAILS OUT TO ALL USERS.
AND THAT WAS THE ASK, PLEASE INCLUDE MY JEFF PARRISH.GOV EMAIL TO THE LIST OF DIRECTORS WHO CAN SEND OUT EMAILS TO ALL USERS.
THAT'S MUCH LIKE THE AS TODAY, RIGHT? MUCH LIKE THE AS TODAY.
SO JERRY, UH, A AGAIN, ALL THE COMMISSION CAN DO IS RECOMMEND AND REQUEST AND, AND URGE THAT IT BE DONE.
WE HAVE NO AUTHORITY BEYOND THAT.
I, I, IT IT IS ENTIRELY WITHIN YOUR DISCRETION AS TO HOW YOU WISH TO PROCEED.
RIGHT? BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO SORT OF LIKE CONSIDER, AND I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE, AND I HOPE AS YOU CONTINUE TO SERVE, EITHER IT'LL BE DISPROVED APPROVED, OTHERWISE, UM, I'M HERE TO GET THE JOB DONE.
THESE SORTS OF INITIATIVES, IT'S NOT ABOUT ME, IT'S ABOUT THE OFFICE.
IT'S ABOUT THE OFFICE'S SUSTAINABILITY AND VIABILITY.
[00:25:01]
THESE IN PARTICULAR, AT THIS TIME, THE PARISH PRESIDENT IS SOMEBODY WHO CAME BEFORE YOU A YEAR AGO, CRITICAL OF THIS OFFICE, NO APOLOGIZE, CRITICAL OF ME SUPPORTING THE OFFICE.AND I SAID THEN, AND I SAY NOW, THE AMOUNT OF HOSTILITY THAT WE DEAL WITH IN OBSTRUCTION AND OPPOSITION FROM GOVERNMENT HAPPENS WEEKLY, IF NOT DAILY.
AND IN ORDER TO SUCCEED, WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT AS MUCH AS THEY CAME TO YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, TO SEND A MESSAGE THAT THIS IS A VALUE THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT PARISH EMPLOYEES KNOW WHERE TO REPORT, KNOW WHERE TO GO, AND ARE ENCOURAGED TO DO SO.
I AGREE WITH YOU AND I SUPPORT THAT SENTIMENT.
AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SAME, SAME, UH, AS WELL.
SO DOES THAT LOOK LIKE A LETTER? THIS IS GONNA LOOK LIKE I'M TRYING TO FIGURE AND WRAP MY HEAD AROUND HOW DO WE MOVE THROUGH IT? WELL, WHAT IT WOULD FIRST DO, WE WOULD, IT WOULD REQUIRE RESOLUTION.
SO WE WOULD NEED A MOTION TO ACCEPT A RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT THE INITIATIVE, UM, TO NOTIFY THE COUNCIL AND THE PARISH PRESIDENT OF OUR SUPPORT OF THAT INITIATIVE TO ENABLE THE COMMUNICATION DIRECTLY WITH ALL, ALL USERS.
UH, WE WOULD SEND THAT RESOLUTION WITH A LETTER TO THE PARISH PRESIDENT AND TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, UH, URGING THEM TO, TO CONSIDER THAT, UH, REQUEST.
AND THAT'S ALL, THAT'S ALL THIS COMMISSION CAN DO.
BUT I, BUT IN ORDER TO DO THAT, YOU WILL NEED A, A FORMAL MOTION SECOND AND A RESOLUTION.
WILL THAT APPEAR IN NEW BUSINESS OR NOW? IT WOULD APPEAR NOW SINCE IT'S COMING BEFORE YOU AT THIS POINT.
AND IT WAS ON THE AGENDA, THE DISCUSSION.
THIS WAS ITEM NUMBER FIVE, SO I SEE FAST.
UM, SO YOU MENTIONED THAT WAS LIKE THE MOST, THE, THE 12 EMAILS WOULD BE LIKE THE MOST CONSERVATIVE.
IF WE'RE GONNA DO ALL THIS BOTHER, WOULD THERE BE A LONGER LIST WE SHOULD PUT ON IT? JUST, JUST CURIOUS.
UM, I BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE RESOLUTION TO SAY TO SUPPORT EDUCATION EDUCATION INITIATIVES TO INCLUDE THE PROPOSED INITIATIVE OF 12 EMAILS, BUT NOT LIMITED TWO KIND OF LANGUAGE.
I, I THINK THAT THAT'S EXPANSIVE ENOUGH, BUT NOT, NOT PIGEONHOLING ONE THING.
SO AGAIN, THE FIRST THING IS A MOTION.
FIRST THING IS A MOTION AND FOLLOW EXACTLY WHAT WAS JUST DISCUSSED.
IF, IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO MOVE THAT IT AT THAT, UM, THE ESSEX AND COMPLIANCE COMMISSION CALL UPON THE PA PARISH PRESIDENT AND PARISH COUNCIL TO SUPPORT AND FACILITATE EDUCATION INITIATIVES OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, UM, PERMITTING INSPECTOR GENERAL TO SEND EMAILS TO ALL PARISH EMPLOYEES AS PROPOSED.
ENABLING THE INSPECTOR GENERAL TO COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH EMPLOYEES REGARDING FRAUD REPORTING IS CONSISTENT WITH BEST PRACTICES IN ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE AND FUNDAMENTAL TO EFFECTIVE OVERSIGHT.
THAT WOULD BE THE, THE RESOLUTION.
AND THEN WE WOULD WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL WITH REGARD TO EDUCATION INITIATIVES.
SO TO THE EXTENT THAT THE COMMISSION WOULD WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT, WE WOULD BE COLLABORATIVE IN THAT EFFORT RATHER THAN DUPLICATIVE.
MAKES A LOT MORE SENSE NOW THAT I FOUND THIS.
SO, UH, TO PUT THAT INTO WORDS, UH, UH, AM I GONNA MOVE THAT WE ACCEPT THIS? THIS IS THE, OKAY.
IF, IF YOU READ THE RESIDENT, I'VE READ IT.
AND DO YOU WANT ME TO READ IT ONTO THE RECORD? UH, THE, THE SECOND PAGE? YES.
IF YOU, IF, IF THAT'S WHAT THE COMMISSION WOULD APPROVE, THEREFORE RESOLVED, YES.
AND I THOUGHT HE JUST DID TO READ THE, THE MOTION AS WRITTEN.
I MOVE TO READ THE RESOLUTION AS WRITTEN.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE JEFFERSON PARISH ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE COMMISSION THAT THE PARISH PRESIDENT AND
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PARISH COUNCIL ARE CALLED UPON TO SUPPORT AND FACILITATE THE EDUCATION INITIATIVES OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL, INCLUDING PERMITTING THE INSPECTOR GENERAL TO SEND EMAILS TO ALL PARISH EMPLOYEES AS PROPOSED, ENABLING THE INSPECTOR GENERAL TO COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH EMPLOYEES REGARDING FRAUD REPORTING IS CONSISTENT WITH BE BEST PRACTICES AND ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE, AND IS FUNDAMENTAL TO EFFECTIVE OVERSIGHT.NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE JEFFERSON PARISH ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE COMMISSION, THAT THE PARISH LEADERSHIP WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL TO ENSURE THAT EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH EFFORTS ARE IMPLEMENTED IN A MANNER THAT SUPPORTS TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST.
[VI.Presentation and discussion of Inspector General Report and public discussion of any recently published reports, open letters, data, and statistics by the Office of Inspector General ]
THE PRESENTATION OF REPORTS.UH, ITEM SIX ON THE AGENDA PRESENTATION, UH, OF REPORTS INSPECTOR GENERAL.
UM, I HAVE FORWARDED YOU ROB REPORT, I BELIEVE ON, UM, YESTERDAY, UM, HOPING THAT YOU'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW IT.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CERTAINLY, UM, BRING THEM FORWARD.
JUST TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE THINGS COVERED IN THE REPORT.
UH, WE DID, UM, UH, TIMELY EVALUATE JIM MITCHELL.
UM, OUR AUDITORS WE'RE GRATEFUL TO DO THAT.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE, UH, A RECRUITMENT TO ANNOUNCE.
UM, WE WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME ITS NEWEST MEMBER TO THE TEAM, UM, SPECIAL AGENT TODD GOODSON.
AND I'LL ASK TODD TO PLEASE STAND TO BE RECOGNIZED.
UM, MR. GOODSON HOLDS A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE AND ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE AND BIOLOGY FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, AND HAS ALSO COMPLETED GRADUATE LEVEL STUDIES IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE AT NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY.
UM, WE ARE PLEASED THAT HE HAS 30 YEARS OF INVESTIGATIVE EXPERIENCE, INCLUDING MORE THAN 20 YEARS AS A SPECIAL AGENT WITH THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION IN NEW ORLEANS AND ATLANTA.
UM, I WILL HIGHLIGHT THAT HE ALSO HAS INVESTIGATIVE EXPERIENCE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AS WELL, WORKING AS AN INVESTIGATOR FOR VARIOUS, UM, COMPANIES.
UM, HE, I KNOW, 'CAUSE I'VE ASKED HIM, UH, WHETHER HE'S HAD EXPERIENCE TRAINING PEOPLE, UM, AND HE HAS.
AND SO WE'RE VERY PLEASED TO BRING HIM ONTO THE TEAM.
WE THINK HE'S GONNA BE A WONDERFUL ASSET, UM, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HIS SHARED KNOWLEDGE.
UM, IN TERMS OF PROCUREMENT, WE HAVE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN OF NEW WEBSITES FOR BOTH THE J-P-O-I-G AND THE J-P-E-C-C.
UM, IN CASE YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN, I WILL ISSUE A REMINDER, UM, THAT KEN MARLEY, OUR SHARED DATA ANALYST, IT, UM, GENTLEMAN HAS RECEIVED WORDS, UM, THAT ARE SITES SUCH AS THEY ARE, ARE NOT GOING TO BE SUPPORTED.
UM, WE HAVE NOT GOTTEN THE OFF SWITCH NOTICE YET, BUT THAT IS DEFINITELY COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE AND IT IS IMMINENT.
UM, WHAT WE HAVE DONE, UH, FOR, UH, BOTH THE IG AND FOR THE ECC, IS THAT WE HAVE WORKED TO MAKE APPLICATIONS FOR A.GOV, UM, EMAIL ADDRESS.
WE HAVE TO MAKE THAT, UH, THROUGH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
UM, WE STARTED THE PROCESS, BUT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WAS CLOSED.
WE COULDN'T COMPLETE THE PROCESS.
UM, WE HAVE RESTARTED THAT PROCESS AND MADE THE APPLICATION.
WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED WORD ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
UM, DEPENDING UPON THE TIMING OF THAT, WE WILL PROCEED FORWARD WITH OUR.NET, UM, EMAIL AND JUST IN FOR THOSE.
UH, I MIGHT HAVE MISSED SOMETHING.
SO WHAT'S NOT BEING SUPPORTED? OUR CURRENT WEBSITES, BOTH OF THEM ARE SUPPORTED ON A VERSION OF JULA AND ARE HARD COATED.
AND THAT VERSION OF JULA IS NOT GOING TO BE SUPPORTED.
SO WE ARE GO, WE HAVE TO, UH, WHEN THE WEBSITES WERE LAUNCHED, WE WERE PUT ON JULA, UM, AND IT WAS CUSTOM COATED.
AND THEN FOR US, WE HAVE BOOTSTRAPPED ON SUPPORTED BY IT'S SUPPORTED BY NOBODY.
SO YOU'RE SAYING IT'S NOT GONNA BE SUPPORTED BY SOME IT ON THE, IT'S NOT GONNA BE MADE ANYMORE.
I THINK IT'S LIKE A MICROSOFT NO LONGER SUPPORTS, RIGHT? YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT GETTING ANY UPDATE.
AND I, I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF, IF OUR WEBSITES ARE AADA A COMPLIANT, WHICH ARE REQUIRED NOW BY LAW, UH, WHICH IS A VERY BIG ISSUE THAT OKAY, EVERYBODY'S GOING THROUGH.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, TO SEE IF IT WAS
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A TECHNICAL ISSUE OR A, AN OBSTRUCTION ISSUE.AND WE'RE ABOUT TO, YES, IT'S A TECHNICAL ISSUE.
AND WE'RE ABOUT TO PURSUE BIDS FOR A REVAMPED WEBSITE THAT WILL GO ON THIS NEW DOMAIN.
SO THAT IT'S A PURE, THAT IT'S A SHARED PROCUREMENT EFFORT, OF COURSE, WE'RE SHARED BUDGET.
UM, AND SO THAT RFP WENT OUT AND THE RFP WAS IN FACT SHARED WITH YOUR COUNSEL, AND I SHARED IT WITH DR.
MCCLELLAN, WHO IS THE GO-TO PERSON ON BEHALF OF THE COMMISSION.
SO, UM, OUR FINDINGS TRACKER WAS UPDATED, UM, AND THAT NEW INFORMATION, UH, WAS SHARED WITH YOU.
UM, IN TERMS OF AUDITS, WE HAVE AN ONGOING AUDIT OF JEFFERSON FACILITIES INC.
UM, AND JEFFERSON REDEVELOPMENT INC.
THOSE ARE THE TWO ENTITIES, UM, RELATED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BREW HUB.
UM, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE AN ONGOING AUDIT OF THE PARISH'S USE OF LCMC HOSPITAL LEASE PROCEEDS.
WE HAVE CONCLUDED OUR AUDIT OF LCM C'S COMPLIANCE WITH THE CEA.
SO WE'VE CONCLUDED THAT PART THAT WILL BE PRESENTED TONIGHT.
AND THEN THE OTHER PART OF THE EQUATION IS WHAT HAS THE PARISH DONE WITH THE LEASE PROCEEDS? UM, IN TERMS OF EVALUATIONS AND INSPECTIONS, UH, WE HAVE AN ONGOING EVALUATION OF THIRD PARTY INSPECTIONS, AND THAT IS BURIED WITHIN THE PARISH'S PERMITTING SYSTEM.
UM, WE EXPECT THAT TO GO OUT AND DRAFT PROBABLY WITHIN THE NEXT 60 DAYS IF EVERYTHING GOES TO TARGET.
UM, AND CERTAINLY EXPECT THAT TO BE PUBLISHED, UH, RIGHT AFTER THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR.
UM, WE HAVE AN EAST BANK CONSOLIDATED FIRE DEPARTMENT, SECONDARY EMPLOYMENT AUDIT, UM, EVALUATION THAT'S ALSO ONGOING.
UM, WE HAVE REVIEW OF THE TRANSACTION FOR RENOVATION AND LEASE OF FIVE 19 HUEY P LONG.
THAT IS A PARISH BUILDING, UM, THAT IS CURRENTLY BEING HELD BY, UM, JEFFERSON FACILITIES INC.
AND THERE'S CERTAIN MONEY TRANSACTIONS INVOLVED WITH THAT.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE A REVIEW OF THE PARISH CAPITAL PROJECT PROCESS FOR THE MULTI-USE DEVELOPMENT.
IF ANYONE HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THE NEWS, UM, THERE HAS BEEN NEWS STORIES COVERING HOW THE PARISH IS NOT GOING TO BE GETTING CAPITAL PROJECT MONEY TO CONSTRUCT THE GARAGE ON THE SITE, UM, BASED UPON USING THE BREW PUB 10.3 MILLION AS THE MATCH, MEANING WE ARE SHORT A MATCH AT THIS TIME.
UM, BASED UPON THE NEWS THAT WAS COVERED.
UM, OF COURSE WE HAVE OPEN AND CLOSED INVESTIGATIONS REPORTED TO YOU.
WE DON'T DISCUSS THE SUMMON AND SUBSTANCE OF THOSE INVESTIGATIONS FOR OBVIOUS REASONS.
UM, WE HAVE A PUBLIC LETTER THAT WENT OUT IN DRAFT AND THAT WILL BE PUBLISHED, UM, I BELIEVE NEXT WEEK.
UM, AND IT IS A HUNDRED PERCENT COMPLETE.
UM, SO BASICALLY IN SUMMARY, UM, WE HAVE AN AUDIT REPORT OF LCMC, UM, THAT'S BEEN PUBLISHED.
WE HAVE A PUBLIC LETTER, UM, THAT'S GOING TO BE, UM, PUBLISHED THIS MONTH.
UM, WE HAVE AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORT, UM, WHICH PUBLICLY RELEASED WILL BE, UM, BRIEFED NOT THIS MEETING.
UM, AND AN EVALUATION REPORT, PERSONNEL HIRING PRACTICES THAT WILL BE BRIEFED, UH, THIS MEETING.
UM, AND WITH THAT, UH, IF YOU MAY, I WOULD INVITE ERICA SMITH TO COME UP, UM, AND GIVE YOU A BRIEFING ON HER CONCLUSIONS OF THE AUDIT OF WEST JEFF.
I, IF I MAY COMMENT ON THE REPORT BEFORE ERICA STARTS, UM, WHAT, AND I READ IT PROBABLY SEVERAL TIMES IN, IN DETAIL.
UM, WHAT'S, WHAT I WAS MOST IMPRESSED WITH IN THIS REPORT.
NOT ONLY DID SHE TRACK THE MONEY, BUT SHE TRACKED THE EQUIPMENT THAT WAS PURCHASED WITH THE MONEY TO ENSURE THAT THE EQUIPMENT MATCHED THE, UH, THE OBLIGATIONS OF LCMC.
SO, UH, I WAS DELIGHTED TO SEE THE, THE ULTIMATE RESULT OF THE REPORT WERE, WAS A GREAT REPORT, BUT, BUT NOT ONLY, UH, THE REPORT ITSELF, BUT THEY ACTUALLY TRACKED NOT JUST THE DOLLARS, BUT WHERE THE DOLLARS WENT AND DID IT, DID IT GO INTO THE RIGHT SOURCE? SO, UH, KUDOS ON THAT.
WELL, I CAN'T TAKE ALL THE CREDIT BECAUSE, UM, HALEY LOVELL, UH, PROBABLY DID A, A BULK OF THE WORK THROUGH 2023.
BUT YES, IT WAS IMPORTANT TO LOOK AND, AND MAKE SURE THAT NOT ONLY DID THEY SPEND THE MONEY THE WAY THAT THE CONTRACT REQUIRED THEM, BUT TO ALSO UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF THE EQUIPMENT THAT WAS PURCHASED AND HOW THAT BENEFITS THE PATIENTS OF WEST JEFFERSON MEDICAL CENTER.
SO THAT WAS A, A KEY COMPONENT.
AND I THINK THERE'S THOUSANDS OF PHOTOS ACROSS PHONES OF, OF VARIOUS MEDICAL EQUIPMENT.
[00:40:01]
THAT.UM, JUST A QUICK TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES DOWN.
JUST A QUICK LITTLE OVERVIEW OF LCMC HEALTH.
I'M SURE MOST OF US ARE FAMILIAR WITH IT, BUT THEY ARE A NEW ORLEANS BASED NOT-FOR-PROFIT HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.
THEY OPERATE EIGHT HOSPITALS, INCLUDING WEST JEFFERSON MEDICAL CENTER, WHICH IS LOCATED IN MARRERO, LOUISIANA.
UM, THEY ALSO HAVE A NETWORK OF URGENT CARE CENTERS ACROSS THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA.
TAMMANY ORLEANS PARISH AND, UM, JEFFERSON PARISH.
SO BACK IN 2015, LCMC HEALTH VIA WEST JEFFERSON HOLDING, THAT'S ESSENTIALLY, IT'S ESSENTIALLY A HOLDING COMPANY ENTERED INTO A CONTRACT WITH HOSPITAL SERVICE DISTRICT NUMBER ONE, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY PART OF THE PARISH.
SO THAT COOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT REALLY, AND THE MASTER LEASE WAS TO TAKE OVER OPERATIONS OF WEST JEFFERSON MEDICAL CENTER.
SO IT STARTED IN 2015, SPECIFICALLY OCTOBER 1ST, 2015.
BUT IT REQUIRED LCMC HEALTH AND, AND OR WEST JEFFERSON HOLDINGS TO ESSENTIALLY INVEST $340 MILLION IN CAPITAL EXPENDITURES OVER A 15 YEAR PERIOD.
AND THAT WAS BROKEN UP INTO KIND OF THREE, FIVE YEAR INCREMENTS.
SO THE FIRST FIVE YEARS THEY HAD TO SPEND 95 MILLION.
THE SECOND FIVE YEARS THEY HAD TO SPEND 115.
AND THEN THE LAST FULL COMMITMENT PERIOD REQUIRED 130 MILLION.
SO THAT'S WHERE YOU GET YOUR 340 MILLION.
SO WE ARE ESSENTIALLY, UM, WHEN WE WENT IN TO DO THE AUDIT, THEY WERE APPROACHING THAT 10 YEAR MARK.
SO WE WANTED TO JUST GET A SENSE GAUGE, WHERE WERE THEY AT? IT'S SUCH A HIGH DOLLAR AMOUNT.
SO NOT ONLY IS IT 340 MILLION IN CAPITAL EXPENDITURES, BUT THEY ALSO PAID OVER $200 MILLION IN PREPAID RENT, WHICH IS WHAT REALLY THE SECOND PART OF THE AUDIT IS.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT OVER A HALF A BILLION DOLLARS.
SO THAT'S A A LOT OF MONEY, WHICH IS WHY WE DECIDED TO GO OUT AND, AND, AND LOOK AT THIS.
SO WHEN I TALK ABOUT CAPITAL EXPENDITURES, I REALLY JUST MEAN, UM, ASSETS THAT HAVE A LIFE OVER ONE YEAR.
SO IF YOU CAN USE IT OVER ONE YEAR, UM, IT'S, THEY TYPICALLY GET DEPRECIATED, AMORTIZED.
UM, SO THAT'S REALLY THE CRITERIA FOR WHAT CAPITAL WAS.
AND LIKE JERRY MENTIONED, NOT ONLY DID WE, WHAT WE WOULD CALL VOUCH, SO WE LOOKED AT CHECKS, WE LOOKED AT INVOICES, WE LOOKED AT CONTRACTS, BUT WE DID GO OUT AND ACTUALLY INSPECT THE ASSETS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY EXISTED AND THAT THEY WERE WHAT LCMC HEALTH PURPORTED THAT THEY WERE.
SO WE FOUND THAT IN THE FIRST COMMITMENT PERIOD.
SO AGAIN, THAT FIRST FIVE YEARS, THEY SPENT $111 MILLION, AND THEN THROUGH THE SECOND COMMITMENT PERIOD, 151 MILLION.
SO IN TOTAL, THEY'VE SPENT $263 MILLION INVESTING IN WEST JEFFERSON MEDICAL CENTER.
THEY HAVE ANOTHER $76 MILLION TO GO TO REACH THE FULL, UH, CAPITAL COMMITMENT AMOUNT THROUGH YEAR 15.
UH, I MEAN, IF YOU'VE LOOKED AT THE REPORT, IT LOOKS A LOT LIKE A PICTURE BOOK
SO I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT ALL OF THE EXPENDITURES, BUT YOU CAN FIND THESE IN THE REPORT.
BUT I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A, A FEW OF THEM.
THEY SPENT 115 MILLION ESSENTIALLY ON CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS.
SO THEY UPGRADED THIS ENTIRE SOUTH WING OF THE HOSPITAL.
THEY, THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT, THEY COMPLETELY REDID THEIR OUTPATIENT SURGERY CENTER.
THEY DID UPGRADES TO THEIR NEUROCRITICAL CENTER, UH, COMPLETELY REDONE ENDOSCOPY SUITE WOUND CARE.
SO THAT'S REALLY A, A BULK OF WHERE THAT CONSTRUCTION COMES IN.
THEY ALSO INVESTED ABOUT $32 MILLION IN MEDICAL EQUIPMENT.
ONE OF THEM WAS THE DA VINCI ROBOT.
I ACTUALLY HAD THE, THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIT BEHIND THAT ROBOT AND THEY SHOWED ME HOW IT WORKED AND I TIED A LITTLE KNOT.
SO THAT WAS QUITE AN EXPERIENCE.
UM, BUT, BUT REALLY SPENT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY, UM, AGAIN, INVESTING IN THAT HOSPITAL.
THEY ALSO HAD A NUMBER OF PLANT AND SECURITY OPERATIONS.
UH, PLANT AND SECURITY OPERATIONS, JUST UPGRADING BOILERS AND ROOFS AND JUST KIND OF THINGS THAT YOU DON'T THINK ABOUT THAT YOU NEED IN TERMS OF INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A HOSPITAL.
ALSO, A LOT OF IT UPGRADES AS WELL.
THEY IMPLEMENTED EPIC ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD SYSTEM.
SO THAT'S REALLY WHERE ALL OF OUR, UH, OUR AS PATIENTS WHERE ALL OF YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS ARE KEPT WORKDAY, WHICH FACILITATES A LOT OF THEIR ACCOUNTING.
THEY HAD A LOT OF CORPORATE IT EXPENDITURES IN TERMS OF FIREWALLS AND SECURITY THAT THEY INVESTED IN.
UM, AND SO REALLY THAT KIND OF MAKES UP THE, THE, THE BULK OF THIS, AGAIN, IF YOU KIND OF LOOK THROUGH THE REPORT, YOU'LL SEE IT REALLY LOOKS LIKE MOSTLY A PICTURE BOOK, BUT SPENT REALLY $53 MILLION MORE THAN WHAT THEY WERE REQUIRED TO THROUGH THE SECOND CAPITAL COMMITMENT PERIOD.
AND THAT'S SHORT, SWEET, TO THE POINT.
ANY QUESTIONS? LARGELY COMPLIANT.
I MEAN, WE DID FIND SOME THINGS THAT WE DISALLOWED THAT DIDN'T QUALIFY.
BUT I MEAN, IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, WHEN YOU SPEND 53 MILLION OVER WHAT YOU'RE REQUIRED TO SPEND, IT'S IMMATERIAL IN THE AGGREGATE
[00:45:01]
AND INDIVIDUALLY.AND APPARENTLY THEY WERE VERY COOPERATIVE.
THEY WERE EXTREMELY COOPERATIVE.
I HAVE NEVER HAD ACCESS THE WAY THAT I'VE HAD ACCESS IN THAT HOSPITAL.
I MEAN, WE WERE, HALEY AND I, THE, THE AUDITOR, WERE ABLE TO ACCESS VERY SENSITIVE AREAS, OPERATING ROOMS, OUTPATIENT SURGERY CENTERS, ENDOSCOPY SUITES.
I MEAN, YOU'RE THREE FEET FROM PATIENTS.
SO YEAH, WE'VE, WE'VE RECEIVED FANTASTIC ACCESS THROUGHOUT THAT HOSPITAL.
ANY CONCERNS ABOUT THE RELATIVELY SMALLER AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS? THE 76? 'CAUSE IT'S LESS THAN THE PREVIOUS TWO.
UM, I CAN TAKE THAT ONE AND PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF A CONTEXT.
THE FIRST REPORTS EVER ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE RELATED TO THE PARISH PRIVATIZING ITS HOSPITALS.
AT THE TIME IT WAS PLURAL HOSPITALS.
'CAUSE EAST JEFFERSON WAS ALSO SUPPOSED TO BE PRIVATIZED.
WE ULTIMATELY LANDED IN THIS PLACE WITH THE CEA, WITH LCMC ON A LEASE.
AND AT THE TIME IT WAS EXECUTED.
WE HAD NO ARRANGEMENTS FOR EJ, WHICH WAS NOT GOOD FOR EJ AT THAT TIME.
UM, ONE OF OUR EQUIPMENT NATION THAT WE MADE AT THAT TIME WAS THAT THE PARISH ESTABLISHED A COMPLIANCE PROGRAM TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS ENTITY COMPLIED WITH THE CEA.
UM, AND UNTIL WE PICKED UP THIS AUDIT, THERE HAS BEEN NO IN-DEPTH LOOK AT WHETHER OR NOT THEY WERE COMPLYING WITH THAT CEA, BUT IT IS A SPECIFIED AMOUNT OF MONEY TO BE SPREAD IN INCREMENTS.
AND I THINK THAT THEY ARE MEETING AND EXCEEDING THE EXPECTATIONS, WHICH IS A GOOD THING.
UM, WE MIGHT HAVE GONE IN AND FOUND OUT THEY WEREN'T, BUT, UM, THEY WERE, AND I PROBABLY THINK THAT THEY WERE ENORMOUSLY COOPERATIVE BECAUSE I DO BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE BEEN ACTING IN GOOD FAITH TO IMPROVE THE HOSPITAL IN GREAT.
AND, AND ALSO, YES, THERE'S 76 MILLION LEFT, BUT REMEMBER THEY SPENT 53 MILLION MORE THAN WHAT THEY NEEDED TO THROUGH THE SECOND CAPITAL COMMITMENT PERIOD.
SO WHEN YOU KIND OF PUT THOSE TWO NUMBERS TOGETHER, IT'S NOT REALLY SMALLER, IT'S JUST THAT THEY OUTPERFORMED REALLY WHAT WAS EXPECTED OF THEM THROUGH THE SECOND CAPITAL COMMITMENT PERIOD.
GOOD NEWS ON A, ON A GOOD PROJECT.
IT'S NICE TO HAVE GOOD NEWS EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.
UM, OUR NEXT, UM, PRESENTATION IS GOING TO BE GIVEN BY JIM MITCHELL, UM, WHO CUSTOMARILY PERFORMS AUDITS, BUT IN THIS CASE PERFORMED AN EVALUATION OF PERSONNEL HIRING PRACTICES.
UM, BUT THIS IS AN EVALUATION.
UM, WE CONDUCT AN EVALUATION OF THE, UH, PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT TO ASSESS THE TIMELINESS, EFFICIENCY, AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PARISH'S HIRING PROCESS.
WE LOOKED AT EMPLOYEES HIRED BETWEEN OCTOBER OF 2022 THROUGH SEPTEMBER OF 2023.
AND WE ALSO DID A SURVEY OF DIRECTORS, UM, LAST YEAR FROM JANUARY THROUGH FEBRUARY, AND GOT RESPONSES FROM THEM.
AS A BRIEF OVERVIEW, I'M GONNA, THE CHARTER REQUIRES THE PARISH TO EMPLOY THE MOST QUALIFIED IN INDIVIDUALS TO WORK FOR THE, UH, PARISH.
AND IT'S BASED ON MERIT AND FITNESS BY COMPETITIVE TESTING AS MUCH AS PRACTICAL, UM, RESPONSIBLY ABILITY FOR THE PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT RESTS WITH THE PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT AND THE PERSONAL BOARD ME COORDINATE THIS.
BUT ANYWAY, UM, THE PERSONNEL BOARD IS COMPOSED OF THREE ELECTORS OF THE PARISH, EACH APPOINTED BY THE P PARISH PRESIDENT.
THE DIRECTOR IS APPOINTED BY THE PERSONNEL BOARD, IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GENERAL ADMINISTRATION OF ALL CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES.
THE DEPARTMENT ITSELF HAS 21 CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES AND A BUDGET OF ABOUT 2.2 MILLION.
RECRUITMENT, TESTING, AND, AND EXAMINATION CERTIFICATION AND CLASSIFICATION.
AS OF JANUARY, 2025, PARISH EMPLOYED OVER 3000 INDIVIDUALS.
2200 OR 66% WERE CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES, UH, SUBJECT TO COMPETITIVE HIRING PROCESS.
THAT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF HOW EXTENSIVE THIS IS FOR,
[00:50:01]
UM, THE DEPARTMENT.NOW, I'LL JUST MOVE OVER TO THE FINDINGS.
I'VE SEEN, I'M SURE YOU'VE READ THE REPORT.
THERE'S A LOT IN IT, BUT I JUST WANTED TO GO OVER IT BRIEFLY.
THE DEPARTMENT'S CURRENT HIRING PROCESS DOESN'T SUPPORT THE EFFICIENT AND TIMELY HIRE OF EMPLOYEES.
WE CALCULATED THAT IT TOOK 341 DAYS, UM, AS THE DEPARTMENT'S AVERAGE TIME TO HIRE.
NOW WHAT'S REALLY INTERESTING, WE USE BENCHMARKS FROM THE US DEPARTMENT, UH, PERSONAL MANAGEMENT, THEIR END-TO-END HIRING INITIATIVE.
IT'S AN 81 DAY MODEL FOR EFFICIENT HIRING THAT FEDERAL AGENCIES CAN USE AND CAN ADJUST TO THE UNIQUE OPERATIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
WE ALSO FOUND OUT FROM THE SURVEY, UM, DIRECTORS FELT THAT THEY WERE NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY THE INABILITY TO HIRE PROMPTLY.
NOW, THE CITED LIMITED CANDIDATE POOLS FRUSTRATION WITH THE NEOGA, WHICH IS THE, UH, APPLICANT TRACKING PROGRAM THAT PERSONNEL USES AND INADEQUATE COMMUNICATION OR TRAINING FROM THE PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT.
UM, FINDING TWO, WE WERE LOOKING AT HOW THE DEPARTMENT LOOKS AT JOBS BEFORE THEY POST, AND WE FOUND THAT THEY DID NOT CONDUCT JOB STUDIES BEFORE POSTING.
NOW THE, UM, THE FEDERAL DELEGATED EXAMINING OPERATIONS HANDBOOK EMPHASIZES THAT A JOB ANALYSIS IS THE CRITICAL STEP BEFORE ADVERTISING A POSITION AND A VALID ANALYSIS SYSTEMATICALLY IDENTIFIES DUTIES, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES KSAS REQUIRED FOR A SUCCESSFUL JOB PERFORMANCE.
NOW, THE DEPARTMENT DIDN'T PERFORM ANY ANALYSES, UM, IN OUR GROUP OR OUR SAMPLE OF EMPLOYEES THAT WE LOOKED AT.
AND THEY GENERALLY SAID THEY DON'T DO THAT, UM, BEFORE POSTING.
THE RISK IN THAT IS THAT THE JOB POSTINGS MAY NOT ACCURATELY REFLECT CURRENT OPERATIONAL NEEDS AND MAY BE MAY RESULT IN MISALIGNED QUALIFICATIONS OUT OF DATE REQUIREMENTS AND POTENTIAL HIRING INEFFICIENCIES.
SO THAT WAS A NOTE THAT WE MADE.
UM, ON FINDING THREE, WE HAD A PROBLEM WITH TESTING METHODS.
WE FOUND THAT THEIR, UM, WRITTEN TESTS WERE ESSENTIALLY OUTDATED.
UM, AND THE RATINGS OF TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE ONLY TESTED MINIMAL QUALIFICATIONS AND DID NOT TEST KSAS.
AND THAT WOULD SHOW THAT ANY CANDIDATE REALLY HAD THE ABILITY TO PERFORM THE JOB.
ALSO, THE DIRECTORS RESPONDING TO OUR SURVEY, UH, EXPRESSED DISSATISFACTION WITH THE HIRING PROCESS BECAUSE PERSONNEL, IN THEIR OPINION, REFERRED UNQUALIFIED CANDIDATES.
AND OUR RECOMMENDATIONS, YOU CAN SEE OUR RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, WE RECOMMENDED THAT PERSONNEL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT REASONABLE TIME TO HIRE GOALS, SHARE BEST PRACTICES WITH HIRING DEPARTMENTS TO REDUCE THE TIME FOR CANDIDATE INTERVIEWING SELECTION, PROVIDE FOCUS TRAINING FOR HIRING MANAGERS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE USE OF THE PARISH'S APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM, WHICH IS CALLED NEO GOV, UM, DEVELOPMENT.
I IMPLEMENT A PERFORMING POLICY THAT A JOB ANALYSIS AND REVIEW OF THE POSITIONS DESCRIPTION BE CONDUCTED BEFORE POSTING ANY JOB ANNOUNCEMENT, AND CONSIDERING, CONSIDERING INCLUDING OTHER ASSESSMENT TOOLS TO EVALUATE CANDIDATE COMPETENCIES AND ALSO ESTABLISH A POLICY AND SCHEDULE FOR REVIEW AND EDUCATION OF ALL ASSEMBLED TESTS, DEVELOP POLICIES AND PROCEDURES TO ASSESS APPLICANTS BASED ON REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE KSAS RATHER THAN JUST ON EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE.
NOW, UM, THE PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT ACTUALLY GAVE US AN EXTENSIVE RESPONSE.
WE SHARED OUR RESULTS WITH THEM, AND I GUESS AT, TO, TO SUMMARIZE, THEY TALKED ABOUT UTILIZING METRICS TO TRACK WHAT THEY CALL TIME TO FILL POSITIONS AT THE POINT AT WHICH A REQUISITION HAS BEEN APPROVED.
UM, THEY WANT TO REQUIRE PARISH DEPARTMENTS TO UPDATE ALL POSITION DESCRIPTIONS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THREE TO FIVE YEARS, DEVELOP PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES TO ENSURE THAT TESTS ARE UPDATED IN A MORE FREQUENT BASIS, THREE TO FIVE YEARS, AND MEET
[00:55:01]
WITH EACH PARISH DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR THROUGH THIS COMING YEAR TO UNDERSTAND THE SPECIFIC, THEIR SPECIFIC CONCERNS.AND THEY HAD A VERY LONG RESPONSE ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO.
THEY DIDN'T PARTICULARLY DISAGREE OR AGREE WITH ANY OF THE FINDINGS, BUT WE HAD A REALLY INTERESTING CONVERSATION WITH THEM.
SO IT WAS, I THINK WE, WE DID A THOROUGH JOB AND, AND THEY DIDN'T REALLY DISAGREE, BUT THEY WERE LOOKING TO IMPROVE OPERATIONS OVER THERE.
UM, I'M HERE TO ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE? NOT REALLY.
I GUESS I'M JUST STUCK AT THE HOW LONG IT TAKES TO HIRE SOMEBODY.
I JUST, THAT'S JUST MIND BLOWING.
WELL, WE WERE ASKED IF WE HAD LOOKED AT ANY OTHER AGENCIES, AND THE ISSUE THAT WE HAD IS THAT THE FEDERAL PROGRAM WAS PUBLICLY AVAILABLE AND IT WAS VERY, VERY DETAILED.
AND THERE MAY HAVE BEEN PROBLEMS GETTING INFORMATION, INTERNAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AND ACTUAL INFORMATION ON CANDIDATES, HIRES, HIRES HIRED IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS.
SO WE THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE THE BEST USE OF A MM-HMM
THE ONE CONCERN I, I WOULD HAVE, AND IT'S BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THIS REPORT SINCE THIS IS PERFORMANCE OF, OF THE DEPARTMENT, IS HOW DOES THE, THE LEAD TIME OR THE LACK OF LEAD TIME IMPACT FUNCTIONS WITHIN DEPARTMENTS.
BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MONTHS AND MONTHS TO GET A POSITION FEEL FILLED, HOW DOES THAT IMPACT, AND AGAIN, I KNOW IT'S BEYOND THE, THE SCOPE OF THIS REPORT, BUT IT WOULD BE A, A, A, AN INTERESTING, UH, EVALUATION TO UNDERSTAND WHAT, WHAT DO THE DIRECTORS FEEL LIKE IS IMPACTING THEM ON THE DELAY IN THE HIRING.
I'D LIKE TO POINT AL ALSO THAT THIS PERIOD, UM, COVERED PART OF THE COVID, UM, TIME.
AND THERE, THERE WERE A FEW EXCEPTIONS WHICH WE SAW, UM, WERE PROBABLY CAUSED BY AN EMPLOYEE THAT WOULD BE HIRED IN A PUBLIC FACING POSITION.
SO THAT WOULD'VE, THAT WOULD'VE ADDED TO THE DELAY AT THE TIME.
UH, CAN YOU GIVE ME CONTEXT ON THE, SO YOU SAID 66% OF PARISH EMPLOYEES OF THE 3,333 WERE OUR CERTIFIED ARE YEAH.
CLASSIFIED AND THEREFORE SUBJECT TO THEY'RE CLASSIFIED YES.
CAN YOU GIVE A LITTLE OF CONTEXT ABOUT THE OTHER 34%? HOW DOES THAT COMPARE TO OTHER PARISHES OR COUNTIES? IS THAT UNUSUAL? THAT STRIKES ME AS HIGH THAT I DON'T HAVE CLASSIFIED SYSTEM.
OUR CLASSIFIED, EVERYBODY, ESSENTIALLY EVERYBODY WHO'S GOT A FULL-TIME JOB IS A CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEE AND THEY'RE IN THE CLASSIFIED PAYROLL.
UM, UNLESS YOU'RE IN THE EXECUTIVE PAY PLAN.
AND THE EXECUTIVE PLAY PLAN, UM, IS COUNCIL EMPLOYEES, PARISH ATTORNEY, UM, EMPLOYEES OF THE PARISH PRESIDENT.
BUT THEN THERE'S THIS OTHER LITTLE POPULATION THAT, UM, WHEN I WAS HERE, WE USED TO CALL 'EM PP EMPLOYEES AND IT WAS CODE FOR PARKS AND REC.
SO THERE IS A FLUCTUATING NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES THAT DON'T ACTUALLY FALL INTO THE CLASSIFIED SYSTEM BECAUSE THEY'RE SEASONAL OR ROTATIONAL, OR THERE'S SOME OTHER EXCEPTION ABOUT THEM.
BUT YOUR FULL-TIME PEOPLE THAT YOU ENCOUNTER, SAY, UM, IN THE OFFICE OR IN A DEPARTMENT, IS GOING TO PRIMARILY BE CLASSIFIED.
AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE LIKE WITHIN THE CHARTER, UNLESS YOU'RE ACCEPTED, YOU'RE CLASSIFIED.
IN ESSENCE, I I WILL SAY, UH, LAW DEPARTMENTS ACROSS GOVERNMENT LINES, WHETHER IT'S LOCAL, STATE, OR FEDERAL, WOULD NOT, WOULD BE EXCEPT ACCEPTED EMPLOYEES.
THEY WOULD NOT BE CLASSIFIED AT ANY EX INSTANCE AS WOULD EMPLOYEES THAT WORK FOR THE VARIOUS COUNCIL MEMBERS OR THE ADMINISTRATION.
SO EVERYBODY IN THE TOP E ECHELON OF GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS AT THE DISCRETION OF, OF THE ELECTED OFFICIALS WOULD BE EXEMPT FROM THE CLASSIFIED SYSTEM, AS WOULD THE LAW DEPARTMENT.
SO ANYBODY WHO'S A LAWYER FOR THE PARISH, YOU HAVE NO PROTECTIONS THAT YOU HAVE IN THE CLASSIFIED SYSTEM.
SO I WOULD SAY THAT'S, THAT REPRESENTS ALMOST A THIRD OF, OF THE POPULATION OF THE PARISH, BUT THAT ALSO INCLUDE TEMPORARY AND EMERGENCY APPOINTMENTS.
UM, AND JUST IN FINAL REMARKS, I WANT TO SAY THAT, UM, THIS WAS DE DECLARED TO BE AN EVALUATION THAT I WANTED TO UNDERTAKE.
UM, IN MY YEARS IN THE PARISH, UM, ANECDOTALLY I HAD HEARD THAT THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH HIRING OR
[01:00:01]
EFFICIENCIES AND EFFECTIVENESS OUTTA THE PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT.UM, ONE OF THE COMPONENTS OF THIS EVALUATION WAS IN FACT A SURVEY.
UM, EVALUATIONS, JUST TO SORT OF CHIME IN ONE MORE TIME, IS A FUNCTION THAT WAS NOT DONE UNTIL I CAME ON.
UM, IT'S ONE THAT WE'VE UNDERTAKEN EVERY TIME WE DO IT.
IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A CHALLENGE 'CAUSE IT MAKES, UM, IT MAKES GUYS LIKE JIM WEAR DIFFERENT HATS AND DEPLOY DIFFERENT METHODS SUCH AS SURVEYS.
UM, AT THE END OF THE DAY WHEN WE HAD OUR EXIT CONFERENCE PRESENT AT THAT EXIT CONFERENCE WAS THE DIRECTOR OF PERSONNEL, THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PERSONNEL, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE PERSONNEL BOARD.
I DON'T ATTEND EVERY EXIT CONFERENCE, UM, BUT I'VE ATTENDED MANY OF 'EM AND I HAVE NOT SEEN, UM, MORE PASSION AND MORE COMMITMENT AND MORE ENGAGEMENT WITH OUR REPORT THAN I DID OUT OF PERSONNEL.
AND I KNOW THAT THIS EVALUATION WEIGHED ON THEM HEAVILY.
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY ENGAGED FULLY WITH THE PROCESS.
AND I DO THINK THAT THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE, UM, IMPROVEMENTS AND CHANGES.
UM, ONE OF THE BIGGEST DISCONNECTS WAS THAT THEY WORKED REALLY HARD TO GET REQUISITIONS FOR POSITIONS.
UM, AND THESE REQUISITIONS WERE VERY DETAILED, BUT THEN WHEN YOU ACTUALLY TESTED THE PERSON FOR THE EMPLOYMENT, THEY DIDN'T CONSIDER ANYTHING THAT WAS LAID OUT IN THOSE REQUISITIONS.
SO QUITE LITERALLY, UM, YOU WERE GETTING CANDIDATES PUSHED ALONG.
AND ONE OF THE, THE ISSUES THAT THE DIRECTORS HAVE WAS THAT THEY WERE GETTING CANDIDATES WHO COULDN'T DO THE JOB, LITERALLY COULDN'T DO THE JOB.
AND I THINK, UH, GOING FORWARD, PERSONNEL IS GOING TO BE WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH DIRECTORS TO RESOLVE THESE.
UM, I THINK THAT THEY WERE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY MOVED THEM, I BELIEVE, WAS HEARING, UH, WHAT THE DIRECTORS SAID IN THEIR SURVEYS.
AND I THINK THAT WAS THE IMPETUS BEHIND THE COMMITMENT OF THE PERSONNEL DIRECTOR TO WORK TO MEET WITH EVERY DIRECTOR ACROSS THE YEAR.
SO I'M, I'M PROUD OF PERSONNEL'S ENGAGEMENT.
I'M GRATEFUL THAT WE DID THE EVALUATION AND I WISH EVERY PRODUCT, UH, WOULD HAVE THE RESULTS THAT THIS ONE DID.
YOU HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS? UH, THANK YOU.
JUST REAL QUICK, DID, DID YOU FIND THAT THEY WERE ADEQUATELY STAFFED AND FUNDED? THEY'VE BEEN AT THE, THE SAME STAFFING LEVEL FOR AT LEAST THREE YEARS.
UM, 21, I DIDN'T GET THE SENSE THAT THEY FELT THAT THEY WERE UNDERSTAFFED.
UM, I SPENT A LOT OF TIME WITH THEM OVER THE LAST YEAR AND THEY'VE BEEN VERY COOPERATIVE FOR THE MOST PART.
THAT'LL CONCLUDE OUR BRIEFINGS AND OUR REPORT.
UNLESS YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS.
ALRIGHT, THOROUGH ITEM NUMBER SEVEN
[VII.Discussion regarding the Ethics & Compliance Commission appointment selection for the Quality Assurance Review Committee ]
ON THE AGENDA DISCUSSION REGARDING ECC APPOINTMENT SELECTION FOR THE QUALITY ASSURANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE.THIS IS A POSITION THAT THE COMMISSION APPOINTS ONE MEMBER OF A THREE MEMBER QUALITY ASSURANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE, WHO CONDUCTS INTERVIEWS WITH BOTH THE, UM, OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL REVIEWS THEIR REPORTS.
UH, THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONDUCT INTERVIEWS WITH ANYBODY ELSE AT THE PARISHS, AND THEN THEY PUBLISH A REPORT NO LATER THAN THE END OF MAY OF EACH YEAR, AND THEY PUBLISH IT PUBLICLY HERE IN, IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS.
JIM LETTON HAS SERVED ON THE COMMITTEE ON BEHALF OF THE COMMISSION FOR APPROXIMATELY EIGHT YEARS.
UH, HE HAS SINCE, BECAUSE OF WORK OBLIGATIONS RESIGNED ABOUT A MONTH AGO.
AND WE TALKED ABOUT IN THE LAST MEETING, WE HAD A COUPLE OF NAMES THAT CAME UP.
I WAS UNABLE TO REACH TWO OF THEM.
ONE OF THEM I SPOKE WITH AT, AT SIGNIFICANT LENGTH AND PRIOR TO ALLOWING HIM TO SAY YES OR NO, I URGED HIM TO SPEAK WITH MR. LETTON BECAUSE IT'S A HEAVY LIFT.
NOT ONLY ARE THEY EXPECTED TO INTERVIEW THE INSPECTOR GENERAL AND OTHER MEMBERS OF HER STAFF, BUT THEY HAVE TO READ THE REPORTS.
AND THE REPORTS, AS YOU KNOW, ARE SOMEWHAT VOLUMINOUS.
AND WE EXPECT THEM TO READ THE REPORTS BECAUSE WE EXPECT THEM TO GIVE US A QUALITY PRODUCT.
UH, THAT INDIVIDUAL IS KYLE HONUS.
MR. HONUS HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF THE BAR FOR APPROXIMATELY 45 YEARS.
HE'S ONE OF NEW ORLEANS AND LOUISIANA SUPER LAWYERS.
UH, HE HAS, UH, HE'S RATED AB, WHICH IS A, A PREEMINENT RATING WITH THE VERY HIGHEST OF TRIC ETHICAL STANDARDS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE CALLED, CALLED MARTINDALE HUBBLE.
UH, HE IS AN ARBITRATOR FOR THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ARBITRATORS AS WELL AS NASD, WHICH IS SECURITY DEALERS ARBITRATOR.
UM, HE'S A MEMBER OF WHO'S WHO.
HE DOES BOTH WHITE COLLAR CRIMINAL DEFENSE.
HE, UH, ALSO DOES COMMERCIAL LITIGATION.
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AT STONE PIGMENT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS FROM 1979 THROUGH 1998.HE WORKED AT STONE PIGMENT SINCE 1999.
HE IS THE MANAGING PARTNER OF HIS OWN FIRM PRIOR TO GOING TO STONE PIGMENT.
AND FOLLOWING HIS GRADUATION FROM LSU, HE WAS A LAW CLERK TO A FEDERAL DISTRICT JUDGE IN THE NEW ORLEANS AREA.
UH, INTERESTINGLY WENT TO UNO PRIOR TO TO LSU.
UH, HE DID SPEAK WITH MR. LATIN AT LENGTH.
UH, I BELIEVE HE WOULD, WOULD SERVE THIS COMMISSION WELL AS A, AN APPOINTEE, UH, FOR THE EVALUATION, WHICH IS DUE IN FOUR MONTHS.
SO UNFORTUNATELY, JIM'S RESIGNATION WAS TOUGH BECAUSE WE'RE NOW, WE'RE IN A SHORT WINDOW TO COMPLETE THAT, THAT, UM, REPORT.
ALSO AS OF LAST WEEK, UH, JOHN BENZ, WHO IS A COUNCIL'S APPOINTEE, WHO IS THE CHAIRMAN OF THAT COMMITTEE, HAS ALSO, UH, TENDERED HIS RESIGNATION BECAUSE OF HEALTH AND AGE RELATED ISSUES.
I DID REACH OUT TO COUNCIL CHAIR, UH, VAN BRANK YESTERDAY.
I WAS UNABLE TO SPEAK TO HER ON THE PHONE.
I SENT HER A LENGTHY EMAIL INDICATING THAT IN LIGHT OF MR. BIN'S RESIGNATION, THE COUNCIL DID NEED TO APPOINT A NEW MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE AND THAT, UM, AND I GAVE THE QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPECTATIONS TO HER.
SO I WOULD ANTICIPATE FOLLOWING UP WITH THAT IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
AND HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE ON THE COUNCIL'S AGENDA, IF NOT THIS NEXT MEETING, THE MEETING AFTER, BECAUSE THE, FOR MANY YEARS WE WERE UNABLE TO HAVE THE QUALITY ASSURANCE COMMITTEE BECAUSE THE COMMISSION WAS THE ONLY ENTITY THAT APPOINTED THEIR MEMBER
UH, IT WAS APPROXIMATELY SIX YEARS AGO, SEVEN YEARS AGO, THAT, UH, THE COUNCIL AND THE ADMINISTRATION APPOINTED THEIR DESIGNATED MEMBERS AND THEY'VE BEEN ACTIVE EVER SINCE.
SADLY, MAYBE 10 PEOPLE COME TO THE HEAR THE REPORT AT THE END OF MAY.
UH, MS. PIERRE CAME LAST TIME AND IT, IT, IT'S, IT'S FASCINATING TO HEAR THEIR, THEIR TAKE ON THE INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE AND THE DEEP DIVE THAT THEY DO.
BUT WE DO NEED SOMEBODY, MR. HANUS HAS INDICATED HIS WILLINGNESS TO SERVE IT IS A ONE YEAR APPOINTMENT SUBJECT TO REVIEW, UH, EACH YEAR BY THIS COMMISSION TO, TO GO FURTHER IF YOU WISH TO HAVE THEM CONTINUE IN THE APPOINTMENT.
BUT, UM, AGAIN, HE IS A, A VERY RECOGNIZED, PROMINENT NEW ORLEANS ATTORNEY WHO DOES HAVE THE BANDWIDTH TO DO IT AND HAS THE OFFICE RESOURCES TO MUSTER A REPORT.
'CAUSE THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT REPORT THAT'S PREPARED.
UH, MR. LA'S OFFICE ALWAYS PREPARED THE REPORT PREVIOUSLY.
UH, SO I, I INDICATED TO MR. HONUS IF HE WERE APPOINTED, THAT WOULD BE AN EXPECTATION.
UH, I DID ALSO CONFIRM WITH MR. HONUS.
HE HAS NO PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH MS. SHALAN OR ANY MEMBER OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE BECAUSE I BELIEVE WE WANT TRANSPARENCY AND INDEPENDENCE.
AND AS FAR AS THE AGENDA TONIGHT, WE WERE JUST SCHEDULED TO DISCUSS THAT, CORRECT? WE ARE NOT.
YOU CAN, YOU CAN'T APPOINT, BUT I WILL FOR THAT, I WOULD NEED, UH, A MOTION.
SECOND IN TO APPOINT MR. KYLE SHANIK TO THE QUALITY ASSURANCE FOR REVIEW COMMITTEE.
I'LL MOVE TO, TO APPOINT MR. SHUS TO THE QUALITY ASSURANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE.
MOTION JEAN, IF YOU WANT, DO VOTE YES.
AND IF I MAY, I WILL INVITE MR. HONUS TO THE NEXT COMMISSION MEETING SO THAT HE MAY INTRODUCE HIMSELF FORMALLY AND, AND HAVE A DISCUSSION OPENLY AND TRANSPARENTLY WITH THE COMMISSION.
UH, DO WE HAVE ANY? I DON'T THINK SO, NO.
[IX.Next Meeting Date: March 18, 2026 ]
ANNOUNCE THE DATE OF OUR NEXT MEETING IS MARCH 18TH, 2026.AND I'M CALLING, I MOVE TO ADJOURN.