Job Description Outlines Supervisors’ Duties

Orange County supervisors are responsible for overseeing the independently elected county treasurer and have a duty to make sure the county does not borrow more money than it can pay back in a single year, according to an 86-page job description of the supervisors released Tuesday.

Following the county’s December 1994 bankruptcy, the supervisors maintained that they were not responsible for the financial collapse because they relied on the professional advice of others and could not control an independently elected treasurer.

But the new, detailed explanation of a board member’s duties seems to indicate that supervisors share more of the blame than they had been willing to accept.

According to the job description, which was compiled by the county counsel’s office, a board member should “supervise the official conduct of county officers and officers of all districts and other subdivisions of the county.”

Furthermore, the supervisors have the authority to “inquire into the policies and practices of a county officer to determine whether he is properly performing his official duties.”

William Mitchell, a county activist who has participated in several government restructuring committees since the bankruptcy, said it was about time the duties of a supervisor were documented in writing for them.

“They didn’t know what they were doing,” Mitchell said of the pre-bankruptcy board members. “Of course they weren’t doing their jobs. I think [the job description] helps everyone, the public and the board members, to have their responsibilities clearly defined.”

Board members have acknowledged that their jobs are complex and sometimes confusing.

In fact, Supervisor William G. Steiner told the grand jury last year that he was uncertain of his job duties and did not know he was responsible for overseeing the conduct of other elected county officials.

“There was no orientation as a new member of the Board of Supervisors,” Steiner told the grand jury. “There was no training program. It was more or less . . . sink or swim.”

*

Steiner and Supervisor Roger R. Stanton face civil charges of “willful misconduct” for failing to supervise the activities of former Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron.

Steiner and Stanton have denied any wrongdoing.

In addition to overseeing other county officials, the supervisors are also prohibited by the state’s Constitution from borrowing more money than the county can pay back in a single year.

The supervisors, however, did just that in 1994, when they approved several large borrowings that helped fund Citron’s high-risk investment scheme, according to the county’s bankruptcy attorneys. In fact, the county is suing Merrill Lynch & Co., alleging that the Wall Street firm also violated the state Constitution by engaging in transactions with the county that created an illegal indebtedness. Merrill Lynch has denied any wrongdoing.

Steiner said Tuesday that the job description document was “overdue.”

“This will provide a good orientation for new members as well as for those who are now on the board,” he said.

The document spells out a number of the supervisors’ functions and responsibilities in areas such as tort liability, environmental quality, eminent domain, land-use planning, police powers, employee relations, county contracts, taxes, assessments and governmental ethics.

The document also explains the supervisors’ roll in making laws and holding public meetings.

County Counsel Laurence M. Watson said the document is intended to be used as a “handy reference” for supervisors and their executive assistants.

Watson added that his office is compiling a document for supervisors that will detail their duties and responsibilities on bond offerings and financings.