If you don't make the choices, and put your decisions into a will document, a court may decide and the law may not allow the court to take your wishes into consideration. 

Your religion, your culture, and your lifestyle can determine how you want your person and your estate to be handled.  With a will you can assure the distribution of assets as you wish.  Without a will your estate could literally be handed over to a blood relative that you have never met in your life. 

Planning may be especially important to Americans from other cultures.  They may not know our laws or customs.  They may not know to plan or how simple it can be.  Talk to your family, friends, and neighbors, so they can get interested in this topic that is too commonly avoided.

Bookmark this page.  Send your friends and family here for information.  And if they like what they see, tell them to vote for JOHN J CAHILL.  

It's your choice too who will serve you as Clark County Public Administrator.  How about a man with a plan?   I know that presenting possible changes is risky and it's easy to attack details in any proposal.  But citizens deserve a manager who won't challenge the staff to evaluate changes that could improve services.  I am sure that the staff will add many ideas that are equally useful to our operations when they are presented with the opportunity to be involved.  That will happen when John J Cahill is Clark County Public Administrator. 

1. Recycling of unopened non-narcotic Rx maintenance drugs for certification and distribution by a designated proper authority to the needy and homeless. 

This proposal will involve cooperation of the Coroner’s Office and relevant authorities. 

 Currently all Rx drugs are inventoried and is immediately disposed of by flushing down the toilet at the residence of the decedent.  This includes disposal of unopened bottles of maintenance prescription medications, sometimes hundreds of tablets of unexpired medications treating diabetes, blood pressure, and other illnesses common to the elderly.  These drugs could be inventoried, recorded and witnessed, and held in custody for pickup by a designated organization qualified to certify these medications as usable and redistribute them. 

Cost to Budget = No Cost

Benefit = Large to specific segments of community: needy and homeless, including homeless Vets who refuse VA services

Measurable = by participant feedback, and statistical analysis

2. Resident Investigators/Case Managers for Laughlin and the Mesquite/Moapa/Overton area.

Currently Law Enforcement in the outlying communities must wait for a PA Investigator to drive from Las Vegas some 90 miles to Mesquite or Laughlin.  Resident Coroner assignments have been successful in Laughlin.  Resident PA Investigator/Case Managers in Laughlin and Mesquite would provide families there with improved services by releasing Police back to duty faster and resident Case Managers could return property eliminating the need for family to drive the 180 mile round trip to Las Vegas. 

Cost to Budget = None - Training cost offset by decrease in hours and travel

Benefit = Large to families

Measurable = by participant feedback and statistical analysis

3. Weekend and Evening Property Recovery by Appointment

Currently Case Managers release property by appointment Monday through Friday, except on Holidays.  By cross training Investigators and Case Managers, an Investigator could respond to a scheduled release of property on weekends and holidays saving families the cost of staying extra days for release of personal valuables, cash, or unlocking of residences. 

Cost to Budget = Minimal, estimated at $3000 yr

Benefit = Large

Measurable = by participant feedback and statistical analysis

4. Volunteer Speakers Program

PA management and staff who volunteer will reach out to our community partners in Law Enforcement, Hospitals, Hospices to develop an increased understanding of the statutory role of the PA, and to citizens as speakers for clubs and meeting to inform families how to find information to assist estate planning and wills, and to encourage families to do the hard task of talking about issues. 

 Currently our community partners have no direct information supplied by the PA about the responsibility and work of the office.  We will offer to provide presentations, perhaps partnering with the Coroner, at the Police Academy, at Hospital management meetings, and at Hospice management meetings. 

 Very little is know to the public about the office of Public Administrator and there is little information available on the County web page.  We will publish an upgraded web page with information and links to sites with information on estate planning will improve presentation of the department on the web. 

This program has perhaps the greatest potential for the impact by assisting the community with practical information that will make the process easier for families by encouraging planning and open discussion about estate management.  It will give information to the many kind individuals who assist friends and neighbors so that they can ask questions and offer guidance to the elderly.

Cost to Budget = Insignificant or No Cost, some cost benefit may be experienced if unnecessary calls to hospitals are reduced. 

Benefit = Large to the community and increases in staff’s job pride

Measurable = by participant feedback

5. Structured Training/Mentoring Program 

Currently Training does not use a check-off list for the trainer and trainee to certify that each area of training has been given and received.  No knowledge testing is required, no remedial training is offered, and no formal quality control is in place for operations or training. Turn-over of part-time staff is routine, so training must be efficient.  Simple improvements, including web training on operational procedures, will produce substantial results.

Cost to Budget = Savings of $5000 or more per year in wages and travel

Benefit = Large for staff professionalism and client services

Measurable = Client feedback and staff evaluation. 

6. Staff Cross Training

Currently Investigators are not training to act as Case Managers and do not have the knowledge to assist operations in the main office.  Some Case Managers have never been on a field Investigation.  Voluntary cross training improves appreciation of the differences in duties and would allow hourly Investigators to back up Case Managers as needed and to do scheduled distribution of property evening and weekends to the convenience of families.  Also for evaluation will be direct input of cases into the Case Management system by Investigators who use the computer for reports.  Currently all reports, including reports completed on computer, are printed out and then the same information is entered into the system by the office manager or case manager.

Cost to Budget = Moderate, estimated at below $5000 first year and $2000/yr in future years

Benefit = Large in improved service to families and increased staff professionalism

Measurable = by participant feedback and by statistical analysis

7. Case Management and Warehouse Property Tracking and Inventory Technology Upgrade

Portions of this item will require coordination with the Public Guardian Office.

 Currently vault inventory is kept on 3x5 cards and all data is processed and accessed by hand.  Action is required to evaluate the use of latest technology in off-the-shelf data base and spreadsheet software and inventory tools and techniques including bar code and RFI tagging. Evaluation of task specific software designed for use by PA’s, such as the systems from Panoramic http://www.panosoft.com and Computrust http://www.computrustcorp.com  

Install simple ID card readers for all secure areas to log the entry and exit of all personnel. 

Cost to Budget = Uncertain until an evaluation is completed.  Expected to be moderate in cost. 

Benefit = Medium to Large

Measurable = yes by audit and inventory time.   

8.  Investigator and Case Manager Safety Program

Currently there could be two, three, or more Investigators in the field with little knowledge or coordination of their location or safety.  Call outs will remain the same, but Investigators will notify dispatch when they clear an investigation scene and are in route to another call or back to the office.  Investigators will be compensated for the use of their personal cell phone minutes on a per-investigation allowance.  Auditing of Investigator time and mileage will be performed by management on a routine random basis or if necessary in the course of fact finding.  A log book kept on computer will be used to provide a record of movement.  Training on infectious diseases and protective procedure will be updated and required on a routine, but reasonable basis.  

Cost to Budget = Minimal Cost

Benefit = Large

Measurable = by participant feedback and tracking exposure reports

9. Full Accountability and Open Access to client families.

Currently the system responds primarily to complaints.  Positive feedback depends on motivated customers who send thank-you notes.  Client families will be asked to return a questionnaire to rate the office on service and to suggest areas of improvement.  Client complaints will be responded to by the PA or designee.  (It is current policy that any allegations of theft by a PA employee receive an investigation by Law Enforcement and prosecution if found to be true, and that will continue.  Theft is never tolerated in such a position of trust.)

Also the evaluation of a wide range of technical tools to locate the family will be evaluated and training will take place as needed.  From Google to high-end Genealogy services like the American Research Bureau http://www.arb.com and Pacific Reference Service http://www.pacificreference.com will be evaluated for use if an estate value would justify such an investigation. 

Cost to Budget = $750 yr printing and postage for questionnaires

Benefit = Large

Measurable = by participant feedback

10. Re-evaluation of fee collection giving respect to families of the deceased but improving income to reduce taxpayer cost of operations. Use of means testing and a sliding scale.

Currently residents of Clark County may or may not pay the fees established by statute for PA services.  No fee should be charged when the family’s ability to pay is limited.  However when real estate or other significant assets suggest the ability to pay the statutory fee must be collected. 

Cost to Budget = No Cost

Benefit = Unknown without an evaluation and analysis

Measurable = Yes, by simple comparison of income revenue