2011-01-28 Cost of Government Commission Minutes

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MS. NICHOLSON: Would you prefer to request a written response? MS. WONG: Yes. Mr. Takaba arrived at 10:30. MS. NICHOLSON: Do you want to summarize? We’re talking about the boards and commission. MS. WONG: And I put on the board how we had discussed, not recommending but discussed, combining some of the boards and commissions or the X is possibly deleting those boards and commissions, asking the Energy to work with the Green Team; and Planning to combine the Action and Steering committees of the boards and commissions. And this is what we had discussed when we were meeting in a series of meetings with departments. So, we reviewed that for this body and we’re talking about how to get feedback from the boards and commissions, whether they think this possible or don’t want to do that, or if they’re open to recommending rescheduling whether it be monthly, quarterly, semi-annually. And we were just talking about me preparing a summary recommendation from our committee for this commission to go along with a letter out to the board member or president? MS. NICHOLSON: Chair as well as the department that is associated with it, requesting a written response or they can appear if they so choose. MS. WONG: That was when you walked in that we were talking about whether a written or in person response. And I was saying a written is fine. MR. TAKABA: So the different committees or commissions would respond or comment on that proposal, is that what you’re asking? MS. WONG: Yes. And I said a little earlier that before I do the summary, just to make sure because when we last mopped this up, we were ending the meeting and I wanted to make sure that you were okay with what I was saying that it would be doable. Cause some of the things that we talked about were not doable. MR. TAKABA: I’m not sure if any of them are Charter. Are there Charter commissions in here? MS. GARSON: Just as an example, the Cost of Government is a Chartered commission. MR. TAKABA: Some may be easier than others. It’s good to get feedback but some may be easier than others to combine and some may have regulations that don’t allow them to combine. Like Aging and Disabilities. It may make sense today if they’re federal funding is not jeopardized because Aging has to have a Committee on Aging to get Older Americans Act funds. And so I’m not sure if in the law they allow another function to be assumed by the Committee on Aging. It’s actually set up, although it’s in the code, its really set up under rules of the Older Americans Act to be able to receive 9