2022 Report of the Cost of Government Commission

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ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS Volunteers RECOMMENDATION: 1. Increase use of volunteers to reduce costs and backlogs EVALUATION: The County has several volunteer groups that assist and supplement staff: The major force is the Fire Department volunteer program, where individuals receive extensive training in return for their services. The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), run by Parks and Recreation. Volunteers man reception booths, assist with putting together events, fill in for answering phones and have other clerical assignments. Boy Scouts have helped with gym and bus stop graffiti clean-up, sanding, painting, trash collection and weeding... supplementing County duties. Although the County Prosecutor is a different leg of government and its chief executive is elected by the people, the department uses volunteers in the areas of clerical, legal research, victim assistance, domestic violence and youth -focused initiatives. And there are Community Service workers who are ordered by a judge to devote time to county efforts. There are also many summer interns, County Council assistants, AARP volunteers, those who help during elections and some who do public area cleanup. This volunteer support saves tax -payer money. There may be other areas where such assistance can be used while avoiding conflict with union collective bargaining rules regarding County employees. Examples might be manning information booths, answering phones, helping with selection of board/commission members, and assisting the people who are queuing in lines at County facilities. A good start might be assigning an ad hoc group to investigate new opportunities. 31 2022 Cost of Govemment Commission —County of Hawai'i - Final Report