2010-11-17 Cost of Government Commission Minutes

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Consolidation of enforcement/compliance into one department. Ms. O'Hara thought it was an excellent idea and would cut many costly steps. It would also cost the county to implement or create the new department and may require a change in the County Charter or going through the election process. Ms. Garson suggested that the commissioners focus on the suggestions themselves but not get bogged down in the details of how to implement them, as that could be left to the administration and council. Ms. O'Hara stated she felt it is important for them to think of the process, because when the Environmental Management Department was created, there was no budgeting for it or allocation of employees to be transferred from the Public Works Department. As a consequence, the DEM had a hard start and has taken years to develop the capacity to function properly. Certain details of the process should be worked out up front. Ms. Wong suggested it be done as a pilot project within another department, in order to be tested out. Both she and Ms. O'Hara said they liked this suggestion of Mr. Leonard the most. The Chair said they could maintain this recommendation in their draft as is for now, and then add other recommendations to it, such as where the personnel would come from. She agreed with Ms. Garson that they shouldn't get too involved in the nitty - gritty details. However, Ms. O'Hara's observations about what happened with DEM could be included. Ms. O'Hara said that as they proceed in their task, they may discover other consolidations to recommend, and a task force to look at them may be more efficient. Mr. Matsuda said the Code Compliance Office could be made a part of an existing department, rather than created as a new department in itself. The Chair asked the commissioners how they wanted to handle the recommendation did they want it carried forward in its current form, or did they want to add to it? Did they want a section on potential consolidations in their report? Ms. Wong suggested that real property tax delinquencies could also possibly be a part of the Compliance Office. After further discussion, it was decided to put Mr. Leonard's recommendation into their report as is for the time being, and not get into the mechanics of where it belonged and staffing. 2. Elimination of homeowner's exemption for unpermitted dwellings. Ms. O'Hara said she would not vote to carry this forward, as it would be a huge issue for revenues. Ms. Wong said she wanted more information on the consequences and wanted someone from the real estate industry to speak to them about it. She did not feel comfortable recommending it at this time. 21