Administrative Support Division
The Administrative Support Division at City Hall is responsible for customer service at the counter, on the telephone and via email. Admin Support is the first line of response for the public at City Hall, providing information, answering questions, routing phone calls, and ensuring customers are helped by the appropriate staff person. Admin Support staff monitors resident concerns from the public and Councilmembers and facilitates timely responses. The Division is also responsible for maintaining the Department pages on the City website, processing City Council agenda items, records management, along with secretarial and clerical support to the Department.
Resource Management
Animal Care and Control
The City contracts with the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control. Services from this agency include pet licensing, rabies vaccination, sheltering, animal welfare investigations, adoption services, low cost spray and neutering, and code enforcement (i.e., barking dogs, stray animal pickup, etc.).
Business Management
The Resource Management Division is responsible for budget preparation and monitoring, accounts payable and receivable, the development of Fees and Rates for trash/recycling services, water and wastewater, financial planning for the water and wastewater enterprise funds, preparation of purchase requisitions and various related duties as required.
Community Enhancement
Promoting civic responsibility and community pride, the City’s California Adopt-A-Highway Program offers education and support in keeping highways around Thousand Oaks beautiful. Enhancement grants are awarded annually to local organizations for projects such as median clean-up and tree planting. Residents may also coordinate Neighborhood Clean-Up Events. Two Community Clean-Up Programs are hosted by the City annually – a Community Clean-Up Day in May and Landfill Disposal Day in September. Also in September, a “Coastal Clean-Up” event is held for removing trash from the Arroyo Conejo.
Drinking Water Quality
The City of Thousand Oaks is served by three water purveyors: California-American Water Company, City of Thousand Oaks, and California Water Service. The State Department of Health Services requires regular monitoring of the City’s drinking water supply. The Annual Water Quality Report is provided to City customers annually and is posted on the City’s website at www.toaks.org.
Hazardous Waste Collection Services
The City provides an award winning Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program to residents and small businesses. The program is “By Appointment Only” and is offered on the first Saturday of each month. Examples of materials accepted include motor oil, paints, electronics, propane cylinders, medical needles, smoke detectors, and weed killers. A Material Reuse area is also offered to participants. Products that are new or nearly new, i.e., paint, cleaners, and fertilizers, are set aside and returned to the public. Also, a small business disposal program is offered to companies that generate less than 220 pounds (approximately 27 gallons per month) of hazardous waste. Offered by appointment only, this program is affordable, convenient, safe and legal.
Municipal Service Center
Daily Functions
Municipal Service Center staff maintain the infrastructure for the City including landscaped areas, streets, the storm drain system, water distribution, wastewater collection, as well as providing transportation, crossing guards, fleet services, purchasing, and administrative functions.
Administrative Division
The Administrative Division is responsible for customer service, office administration, dispatch, and information technology support. Annually over 5,000 work orders for field maintenance and repair are managed by administrative staff. Approximately 2,000 children and adults participate in the annual Public Works Awareness Week held in May of each year.
Fleet Services Division
Our Fleet Services Division manages and maintains the City's 242 vehicles and equipment with an ASE certified shop and has a public compressed natural gas station. More than one-third of our City’s fleet are alternative fuel vehicles. The shop performs many environmentally friendly practices including using re-refined and recycled products, as well as providing facility maintenance for the MSC and performing purchasing and inventory functions for all divisions. Fleet Services also manage the City employee car/vanpool program.
Thousand Oaks Transit System
Annually, 170,000 passengers ride the Thousand Oaks Transit System. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses operate on fixed routes with very affordable fares. There is also a Dial-A-Ride/Paratransit Program for seniors and the disabled. The Thousand Oaks Transportation Center is used by many bus services including VISTA and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Landscape Division
The Landscape Division maintains over 25,000 street trees and 400 acres of landscaped areas throughout the City, as well as City-maintained Open Space. Thousand Oaks is designated as a Tree City USA. Staff removes approximately 500 incidents of graffiti per year within 24 hours of reporting. Ladybugs and other beneficial insects are released as part of the Integrated Pest Management Program.
Street Division
The Street Division maintains the City's road system including 750 miles of concrete sidewalks, 380 miles of streets, and storm drains. Staff sweeps 783 curb miles of residential streets each month and 265 curb miles of arterial/commercial streets weekly. In order to maintain the streets, asphalt crews fill cracks and repair potholes, while concrete crews repair sidewalks, curbs and gutter. Other services include storm drain cleaning and maintenance, and sign and signal maintenance.
Wastewater Division
The Wastewater Division maintains a safe and reliable wastewater collection system. Our staff maintains 8,500 manholes and cleans over 500 miles of sewer mainlines within a service area from the west end of Newbury Park to the North Ranch area in Westlake using the latest technology.
Water Division
The Water Division delivers high quality, healthy, potable water to 16,500 customers and 50,000 residents, as well as maintaining adequate pressure for fire protection. Staff maintains the water storage and distribution system including reservoir storage facilities (35 million gallon capacity) and pump stations in five pressure zones.
Emergency Preparedness
Preparedness
The City is a partner with other public safety agencies such as Police, Fire, Public Health, and the American Red Cross for preparation and response to emergencies. The City and its Emergency Preparedness Program are dedicated to the service of the community before, during, and after local and state emergencies. The City supports State and National response protocols and is within an operational area managed by the County Office of Emergency Services. The City coordinates all state and federal grant reimbursement requests through the County.
Public Education
The City, in partnership with the Police and Fire Departments, offers Disaster Assistance Response Training (DART) and Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) Programs in addition to supporting training offered by the local American Red Cross and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES). Individual preparedness for all emergencies is a critical element to ensuring the community is prepared. The City distributes emergency preparedness brochures and offers public presentations to interested groups.
Emergency Operations Center
The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is located at City Hall and is used to coordinate emergency operations for the City. All full-time City employees are Disaster Service Workers. The City has an established Emergency Operations Team trained and prepared to respond to emergencies.
Wastewater Treatment
Operations
Hill Canyon Wastewater Treatment Plant (HCTP) is a state-of-the art 14,000,000 gallon a day nutrient removal facility that produces an effluent low in nitrogen and crystal clear in appearance. The facility, open 24 hours/365 days a year, provides service to 95 percent of wastewater customers in Thousand Oaks and is staffed 20 hours a day, 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. The City spent over $70,000,000 in the last decade upgrading its wastewater treatment system to meet stringent state discharge standards and receives about $1,000,000 for reclaimed water sold annually to the Calleguas Municipal Water District.
HCTP effluent is ultimately recycled by the Camrosa Water District for agricultural and landscape irrigation. Biosolids created through the HCTP process, are recycled after being composted with green waste to achieve Environmental Protection Agency Class A Exceptional Quality recognition. HCTP staffing consists of chemists, State Certified Operators, Control Technologists, Mechanics, and Administrative personnel.
Wetlands
Recognized as a past Project of the Year by the American Public Works Association, the HCTP Wetlands Creation Project is approximately seven acres in size and operates as an environmental mitigation bank. The project is fed by HCTP effluent and has become host to a wide variety of plants and wildlife.
Energy
HCTP operates the largest solar facility of its kind in Ventura County. This 500kW solar system offsets 13 percent of the facility's electrical costs at a time when electricity is most expensive.
HCTP generates 50 percent of its electrical load by burning methane gas created in its anaerobic digesters. The goal is to eventually create all of the renewable energy needed to run the facility. Both the cogeneration and solar systems came as a result of power purchase agreements that did not require any up front funding by the City. Both projects combined are expected to save $200,000 annually.
HCTP extensively uses alternative fuel vehicles which include electric carts for in-plant transportation, and a fleet of hybrid, natural gas, and conventional gasoline burning vehicles. Two natural gas powered carpool vans ferry employees to and from work, decreasing pollution and excess traffic.
Public education concerning clean effluent at the HCTP begins with an informed citizenry that does not introduce hazardous or inappropriate chemicals into the sewer system. City Industrial Wastewater Pretreatment Program employees work with the business community to ensure that discharges are non-toxic and suitable for recycling.
Engineering Services
The Engineering Services Division manages the design activities related to the City’s Capital Improvement Program provides engineering support to the Municipal Service Center (MSC) and Hill Canyon Treatment Plant (HCTP), and maintains the Department’s Geographic Information System (GIS) and Atlas Maps.
Capital Improvement Program (CIP)
The City’s CIP includes projects valued at about $20 million per year for water, wastewater, stormwater, traffic, and transportation improvements to meet the City’s current and future infrastructure needs, enhance reliability, and comply with regulatory requirements. To fulfill its role in implementing the CIP, the Engineering Services Division acquires professional engineering services, administers project engineering and design, conducts the public bid process, pursues available funding initiatives, updates the City’s Design and Construction Standards and Master Construction Specifications, and updates the biennial CIP budget.
Engineering Support The City is transitioning from a “growth” to a “maintenance” community. The Engineering Services Division evaluates methods and techniques, tests materials and processes, and recommends engineering solutions that improve the operation and maintenance of the City’s facilities. Significant engineering support is provided in the maintenance of the City’s water telemetry and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, Computerized Maintenance Management System, and wastewater flow metering system.
GIS and Atlas Maps The Department’s Geographic Information System (GIS) and Atlas Maps are available to the public through MapGuide® on the City’s website. Changes to City maps are generally made by the Engineering Services Division based on as-built drawings submitted by CIP contractors, developers, and the MSC. Layers are added in the GIS as new maps are developed or made available. GIS and Atlas Maps are used in-house for water, wastewater, and stormwater flow modeling, and are used for spatial data links in the Computerized Maintenance Management System.
Traffic Engineering and Transportation Planning
Community Support
This Division is responsible for traffic operation in the City and assists in long term planning of automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian circulation. The most important part of addressing citizen traffic concerns is to communicate reasonably and regularly with them. The Traffic Engineering Division prepares for and provides technical support for the City’s Traffic and Transportation Advisory Commission. Individual or resident group concerns are responded to by Division staff. Traffic Engineering Division staff applies for Safe Routes to School Grants, addresses issues concerning traffic calming and residential speed control, on street parking concerns, as well as collision analysis and reporting.
Community Planning
The Traffic Engineering Division conducts traffic investigations and studies to determine what improvements may be warranted to improve the flow and circulation of traffic. This involves working with CalTrans and reviewing development traffic impact studies. Decisions regarding traffic arterial street sizing and desired flow patterns are guided by the Circulation Element of the City’s General Plan. The Traffic Engineering Division uses transportation planning methods and evaluates the impacts of proposed solutions in the environmental impact report process.
Community Development
Development projects generally have impacts upon City traffic. The Traffic Engineering Division prepares conditions of approval to help mitigate such impacts. Conditions will frequently be discussed at the City’s Planning Commission meetings. After conditions are approved, the project plans must be plan checked by Division staff for conditions compliance and conformance to City standards. When construction is imminent, Division staff will also review traffic control plans to ensure minimal disruption and inconvenience to the public as a result of project construction. Both onsite and offsite improvements, as well as traffic control, will be inspected by Division staff as construction proceeds and nears completion. Division staff must also modify the City’s traffic fee structure.
Traffic Operations
City traffic signals must be constantly maintained and adjusted over time to assure traffic flows smoothly. The Traffic Engineering Division conducts regular counts of vehicles along arterial roadway segments and at major intersections all over the City. Radar speed surveys are also conducted, with resulting legal speed limits being posted and updated in accordance with standard practice and laws. The Traffic Engineering Division also issues signing and striping work orders and issues permits to citizens who are moving oversized vehicles through the City.
Construction and Right of Way
Public Infrastructure
Ensures public sidewalks are accessible to all users and coordinates repair work of utility companies such as gas, electric, inspection, quality control and code compliance for capital construction and private sector projects.
Streets
Rubber from discarded tires is ground into hot liquid asphalt mixed with crushed rock to make asphalt paving mix and is spread over City streets. The City has recycled close to two million discarded tires that have been spread over 385 miles of City streets. Street surfaces are tested approximately every five years to maintain the highest level of condition.
Development Services
The Development Services Division coordinates onsite private property improvements, and facilitates private connections to public infrastructures.
Planning
Development on private property is governed by many codes and requirements that may not be well-known to the average citizen or property owner. Conditions of approval are prepared to guide applicants toward a code compliant and responsible development project. Issues such as paving, grading, drainage, floodplain, stormwater pollution, environmental considerations, and construction standards must be considered. Some cases must be heard before the Planning Commission, which provides plan reviewing assistance to the City Council, and Division staff will be present to respond to Public Works oriented questions. The Division also establishes street addresses for new projects.
Construction
Typically, private construction involves construction permits and associated fees including grading, paving and drainage projects, and encroachment permits for connections to the public roadway. Connections to the public wastewater and water system also require permits. The improvement plans for the project must be plan checked by the City to confirm compliance with City codes and standards. Permits issued by the Development Services Division are generally reviewed by the Construction and Right-of-Way Management Division.
Utility Operations
As projects make connections to the public water and wastewater systems, it is necessary to ensure such connections are constructed properly. The Development Services Division prepares work orders for staff to make proper connections, set water meters, and to occasionally (as required) install new or improved fire hydrants. The water supply must be protected from contamination through privately owned and maintained hardware which is monitored by our backflow prevention program. The City also maintains inventory records of infrastructure (roads, pipelines, lights, signals, etc.), and must annually update and assess the age and valuation of the infrastructure assets. Another operation in the Development Services Division is managing the Lighting and Landscape District, a means to fund the energy expenses of Citywide lighting and the maintenance of landscaping typically located along street medians and certain parkways.
Reference Counter
The Development Services Division also operates reference services for Thousand Oaks citizens. Records of maps, easements, improvement plans, etc., are securely stored and made available for public review and occasional copying. The reference counter also serves as a starting point for a project proposal, since all planning and development issues can be reviewed in detail with one of the Division’s helpful technicians or engineers.
