2010-10-22 Cost of Government Commission Minutes

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we have another form that they have to fill out justifying that. Telling us whether it’s a replacement or it’s new, who is going to use it and the justification. And depending on the dollar amount either the budget administrator can approve it or if it’s a high dollar amount, it would go to the mayor’s office. And so for instance if they are asking for multiple copiers or printers or something like that, we will be talking with them absolutely about the possibility of sharing within their department or even some cases with another department if it makes sense. The only thing is if you lose such efficiency through sharing wouldn’t pay for it than we would go forward with that. MR. MATSUDA: In regards to the printers, and I’m just curious to see, because printers are very well used daily, the question I have has to do with, apparently the department heads will decide whether they can have or someone can request for a new printer according to what I’m hearing, according to the budget. But would the individual himself say okay, well, I need a new printer and say, maybe tomorrow or two years, how long a frame, taking into consideration that the printer is not broken, is there a time period that a person, say okay, well we just got you a printer last year or 2008. You still have to use that printer. Or can one just say, okay, I want a new printer now because the old printer, I don’t like that one. I just want this one here. There has to be some sort of control or at least some kind of criteria that you use to determine okay, yes, let’s allow or yes, it’s affordable, or it’s usable like same thing as combine the printers as was mentioned here. What is your insight on that? Because I’m familiar whereby we’ve requested printers before. This is at a different level. And we were not able to get that. And I just want to know what is your criteria’s on something like that. Because everybody wants a new printer. Everybody wants to pass the printers and all that kind of stuff. Is there any rule of thumb that you use? MS. CRAWFORD: The Finance’s role would be in the budget process, when this department is being required to identify what they expect to be purchasing in the future year. And so, they have to have some justification there or we’re probably going to question it. The other thing is that there are very limited budgeting dollars and they’re very careful. That department head is going to be very careful about how they decide they’re going to spend that. What is their highest priority equipment? Sometimes they’ve been required to prioritize their equipment because we’re going to be cutting, and we’ll cut from the bottom. What we probably don’t do, it is not my role as the Finance Director to override the director of Public Works and say that what he has said is his highest priority piece of equipment. I don’t take on the responsibility unless it’s something very bizarre, I would not question him on that. That’s his budgetary decision. Once the budget is in place and you’re in the real life situation of day to day, and a clerical person would like a new printer, the controls there are, that will have to be approved up the line. So they don’t have the freedom to just submit a requisition and go straight over to Purchasing. MR. MATSUDA: Okay, everything rests with the department head? MS. CRAWFORD: Yes. MR. TAKABA: You may want to touch on zero discovery concept. 11