2011-06-24 Cost of Government Draft Report

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The 2010-2011 COGC commissioners are pleased to provide an extensive list of recommendations on measures the County may consider adopting to save costs and enhance revenues. In this executive summary, we are submitting a short list of action items, not necessarily in priority order, which are taken from the comprehensive recommendations in Part 2 of this report. We would be very pleased for the Mayor and/or County Council to take immediate action on the following: Consolidate and coordinate the inspection and enforcement responsibilities of 1. the Planning Department, Building Division, Real Property Tax Division, Department of Environmental Management, and the State of Hawai`i Department of Health (as contracted to the County) under an enforcement division . Justification: Consolidating enforcement and inspection efforts under one division will allow for a more effective and timely response on regulatory violations that are under the County’s jurisdiction. It would also allow for better interaction with State and Federal agencies that may also have jurisdiction over a regulatory violation such that the public is better served in resolving the issue(s). Consolidation may not require creation of new positions, and may be achieved by transferring existing personnel. Currently when there is a complaint or enforcement violation, personnel from several departments or divisions are required to respond. There is an apparent lack of coordination between inspectors’ observations and enforcement activities. Consolidation of these functions under one division would result in cost savings as well as provide more timely service to the public. Propose a resolution to the State allowing each County to negotiate collective 2. bargaining contracts with the Unions on behalf of the County. Justification: Allowing the County to negotiate its employee contracts separately from other counties in the State would allow Hawaii County to negotiate terms that are more responsive to the economic conditions, regional disparities in cost of living, differences in County operations, and demographics of the areas served. Private enterprise has already adopted many cost saving measures, yet the County is unable to curb costs or move toward more efficient operations due to the restrictions on the current negotiating process. Note: Many of the recommendations found under Part 2A of this Report concerning employee benefits and compensation are related to this item. Centralize grant writing efforts by creating a Grant Specialist position to work with 3. all departments in the County to improve the County’s ability to receive funds from various sources. Justification: There are many public and private grant opportunities that the County is not taking advantage of because it lacks personnel at the department level who have the expertise and experience necessary to successfully identify, apply for, and administer grants. A County Grant Specialist would also be able to foster intra-department 2