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Home My WebLink AboutDPW LAPCounty of Hawai 'i Department of Public Works Language Access Plan (LAP) VISION : We will be a premier Public Works Department highly respected for the excellent services provided by our highly skilled and responsive employees. MISSION: Working together as ONE to improve the health and safety of our Big Island 'Ohana. PURPOSE The purpose of this Language Access Plan is to ensure that persons who are Limited English Proficient (LEP) will have meaningful access to the services, programs, and activities we offer. This Language Access Plan reflects our commitment to equal opportunity. DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW The Department of Public Works is composed of six (6) divisions: Administration, Automotive, Building, Engineering, Highway Maintenance, and Traffic. All divisions administer and implement specific respective regulatory Jaws. They perform essential functions during Civil Defense emergencies. • The Administration Division prepares and processes contract documents for design and construction projects, moving permits, complaints, and general information. Processing a contract includes the issuance of plans and specifications for the Department of Public Work's construction projects; bid openings, and tracking payments. In addition, the staff assists in the issuance of moving permits for over- sized or over- weight vehicles and/or objects on county roads (in accordance with the Hawai'i Revised Statutes Section 291-34 and 35). 1 The Automotive Division is responsible for the repair and maintenance of all County vehicles and equipment, except the equipment maintained by the respective departments. The division furnishes parts, labor, accessories, gasoline, diesel, lubricants, and tires. • The Building Division is responsible for inspections; plan review; enforcement of the Hawai'i County building, electrical, plumbing and sign codes; and the design, constru ction and maintenance of County-owned facilities. • The Engineering Division's primary responsibility is to plan, design, review, and construct road, bridge and flood control facilities. The division also enforces applicable regulatory requirements of Chapter 10 Hawai'i County Code (HCC), grading, grubbing and stockpiling, Chapter 22, HCC, the County Right-of-Way, and Chapter 27, HCC, flood control. The division also reviews applications for subdivisions, 'ohana, variance, and change of zone. • The Highway Maintenance Division is responsible for the repair, construction, maintenance, and improvement of County roads, flood control structures, devices, and channels. The Division maintains culverts, ditches, and other flood control devices; detectable warning mats on federally funded curb cuts, bridges, potholes, vegetation, and conducts litter and trash removal. Construction includes sidewalks, retaining walls, and headwalls. The Division also establishes safety programs and investigates complaints. • The Traffic Division is responsible for the maintenance and operation of all streetlights, traffic signals, traffic signs and markings, and other traffic control facilities and devices on state and county roads. DEFINITION LEP- Limited English Proficient (LEP) shall describe persons whose primary language is not English and who have a limited ability to read, write, speak, or, understand English. Such persons may be eligible to receive language assistance during interaction with Department of Public Works employees relating to a service or program. LAC - Language Access Coordinator (LAC) shall be the Information and Education Specialist or someone designated by the Director. RESPONSIBILITY FOR LANGUAGE ACCESS PLAN The Information and Education Specialist is the designated Language Access Coordinator (LAC) for the Department of Public Works. The LAC is responsible for implementing the Language Access Plan. This includes conducting the initial survey and subsequent surveys to monitor changes in the LEP population the Department of Public Works serves. The LAC assists the Administration outline the policy and procedures of the plan; identifies the need for training, with Human Resources to provide training as required; reviews, modifies the LAP as needed; and files the LAP with the Office of Language Access. 2 DATA COLLECTION-INTERPRETER REQUIREMENT To determine the communication barriers LEP persons may encounter, we conducted a survey to assess the frequency with which LEP persons have attempted to access services and programs. Surveys were sent to the Division Chiefs and the Business Manager to determine whether to provide language access. We considered the totality of the circumstances as directed by the Office of Language Access, using the following analysis: o Five Division Chiefs and one Business Manager surveyed their staff on the proportion of Limited English Proficient speakers. o Frequency of LEP contact with the Department of Public Works employees: o One hundred percent of staff members had no contact. o Nature and importance of services provided: o Customers interested in soliciting a bid for a contract, building, or renovating a home or commercial dwelling, grubbing or grading land, requesting repairs or investigating illega l structures are several primary functions for the Department. Customers may complete permit applications online or in person at the West Hawai'i, and Hila offices. Most applica nts speak and write English. When this is not the case, the front desk staff have the Language Line placard on their desks or an electronic version on their computers and tablets with the toll free number for language interpretation or written translation. Staff is instruct ed to show the LEP customer the "Interpretation Services Available" on display so the LEP customer can indicate what language is required to be interpreted. o Resources are available to the Department with costs for providing interpretation and translation services: o The County of Hawai'i has a contract with the Language Line to provide telephone interpretive services. Since the frequency with which LEP persons have contact with departmental employees is minimal, the cost of providing this service when needed is not prohibitive. RESOURCES Public Works has a list of bilingual staff willing to assist with interpretation in Arabic, Chinese, French, Hawaiian, lloca no, Japanese, Korean, Samoan, Spanish, and Italian. A current list provided by the Department of Human Resources is attached as Appendix A. The list is updated every January by Human Resources Department and sent to the Department. Division Chiefs have a printed and electronic version of the Language Line service with instructions for staff to access interpretive and translating services in 170 languages, att ached as Appendix B. This allows them to communicate with LED individuals in the field or the office through a toll free number. The service is available 24 hours a day. 3 Resource materials such as the Language Line Quick Reference Guide, "Interpretation Services Available," and "If you Need an Interpreter" are posted for public viewing in the offices of the Department of Public Works. The Quick Reference Guide is available online through Language Line Services. The Hawai'i State Judiciary offers a list of registered interpreters for interpreting for LED individuals in state court. The list of interpreters is available online http:/ /www.courts.state.hi.us/docs/services/interpreters.pdf. PROCEDURE Posters which state "Interpretation Services Available" (from the Language Line) and "If you Need an Interpreter" (from the State Office of Language Access) are on display for public viewing in the Department of Public Works. The Department of Public Works shall provide oral interpretation by showing the card or signage to help LEP customers identify the language they need. Multilingual personnel shall be used if available. The Language Line shall be used where no other help is available. The Department of Public Works will use the list employees within the Department who are able to speak other languages. Based on the LEP questionnaire, attached as Appendix C, no written material will be translated at this time. Because the number of persons in the LEP group was found to be less than 50, notice will be provided to LEP persons that written materials will be orally interpreted upon request. REPORTING SYSTEM The Division Chiefs documented the Needs Assessment form noting the programs and services provided to the public and the number of persons with LEP asking for assistance. The form was submitted to the Language Access Coordinator. A copy is attached as Appendix D. HIRING OF BILINGUAL STAFF Pursuant to HRS 371-33(d) if additional personnel are required to provide language access to our LEP customers as directed by the guidelines in HRS 371-33(A)-(4), Public Works will consider hiring qualified employees who are bilingual to a vacant, existing, budgeted position to serve the public. 4 TRAINING The Language Access Coordinator is responsible for the development, materials updates, and guidelines for training. These documents will be provided to Division Chiefs. At the time of hire, new employees will be aware of the l anguage Access Plan and its procedures and sign an acknowledgement form. EVALUATION The Plan will be reviewed every two years in December to ascertain its current applicability. Adjustments will be made to the Plan as necessary, based on comments from lEP individuals, other interested persons, and Department of Public Works staff. Any questions about this plan may be directed to the l anguage Access Coordinator at 961-8787 or email at nwhittington@hawaiicounty.gov Image: Warren H.W. Lee signature Warren H.W. Lee, P.E., Director Department of Public Works Image: Date signed 14-DEC-2012 5