Fiscal Year 2013 Recommended Budget Book - Lake County

Public WorksMission Statement:The mission of the Public Works Department is to provide timely services in a courteous and fiscally responsible manner toinclude planning, construction and maintenance of roads and to provide for the orderly, efficient and safe collection,recycling and disposal of solid waste. The Department provides for the planning, design, and construction of water qualityrelated stormwater improvements and to monitor and regulate discharges and land disturbing activities that could affect thequality of nearby receiving waters. Our objective is to protect public health through effective and environmentally safemethods of mosquito and aquatic plant control and continue to be responsible for the sampling and analysis of various typesof water including: surface water, ground water, industrial waste, springs and drinking water.Program Descriptions:• The Road Operations Division is responsible for the maintenance for all Lake County roads. There are approximately1,392 miles of county-maintained roads, 122 miles of which are clay. The Special Projects Section performs non-routineroad maintenance activities which allow regularly scheduled activities to continue withoutinterruption. In addition, the Division monitors the inspection andapproval of all new road construction in unincorporated Lake County.Subdivision and commercial sites in the unincorporated areas of LakeCounty are also monitored to ensure compliance with construction plans,applicable codes and engineering specifications. Construction Inspectionoperations ensure the timely and cost effective completion of roadconstruction projects. An annual Five-Year Transportation ConstructionProgram is developed in this Division.• The Engineering Division provides engineering support services to the Department and County. The Division providesmany areas of expertise which are needed to implement and construct Board of County Commissioners (BCC) programswhich include Engineering Design, Surveying, Right-of-Way research and acquisition, Stormwater permitting,Development Review, Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering and Maintenance. The Division manages countytraffic operational infrastructure and maintains the signs, signals and striping on county roads. The Division reviews theneeds for future road network additions and enhancements including new roads and lane widening. It ensures the existingtraffic safety needs and concerns are addressed by thorough study and evaluation. Improvements are made to signs,striping, and signals where needed to improve the safety of the roadways. The Division provides the technical expertiseto implement the BCC Five-Year Transportation Construction Program and also supports other county departmentswhen needed. While some of the projects are designed in-house, many of the projects are contracted with engineeringconsultants. The Division oversees these contracts and designs for the Department. The Survey/Design Section isresponsible for all types of technical work concerning highway construction, including project design and permitting,graphics and drafting. The Right-of-Way Section performs all research work pertaining to road construction and countyownedproperty. The Transportation Section conducts traffic counts, studies and capacity analysis which determineplacement of traffic signs and signals, speed limits, and turn lane configurations. The Development Review Sectionreviews all new development and commercial site plans. Finally, the Traffic Operations Section is responsible for thefabrication and/or installation of traffic control devices including signs, pavement markings and traffic signals.• The Solid Waste Division includes the management and operations for the Solid Waste Management System landfills,residential convenience centers, landfill construction, yard waste disposal, customer service, commercial, residential, andhazardous waste collections, solid waste fee assessments, administration, sales, processing, and shipping of recyclables,recycling programs and scale services. Solid Waste Closures and Long-Term Careprovides for escrowing funds for the closure of the County's operating landfills. Atthe time an operating landfill can no longer accept solid waste, the County isrequired to cover the landfill with an impermeable material and soil so as to limitstormwater intrusion and to provide for the growth of vegetation. Solid WasteClosures and Long-Term Care also provides for the post-closure and long-termcare of all closed County landfills. After a landfill is closed, the County isF - 139