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geographic challenges we have. We have to give our kids the tools to succeed in the
<br />future. Government has to be more efficient.
<br />Permitting process for one example. We came in and we said, hey, unconscionable
<br />that in a difficult economy people are ready to go to work. Financing is in place, but
<br />they’re waiting for the permit. They’re waiting six months to a year. So if somebody is
<br />not working because of global economic forces beyond our control, cannot help. But if
<br />somebody not working because of inefficiencies in county government, that’s
<br />unacceptable. So the employees got together, had a team together, Planning, Public
<br />Works, Environmental Management, Fire. Department of Health came over because
<br />they are part of the permitting process. No jurisdiction authority over them, but they
<br />agreed to be part of the process. And what they do is once a week, everybody sits in
<br />the same room. Because what wewere hearing was it goes to Planning. It takes
<br />maybe about five minutes for a review. Goes to Environmental Management, five to
<br />seven minutes. Goes to Public Works, seven to ten. Goes to Fire, three to five. Goes
<br />to Department of Health, five to ten. But it takes six to eight weeks to get to you, four to
<br />six weeks to get to you, another four to six to get to you. Maybe six to eight to you. And
<br />then if it gets bounced at any point, you’re back at square one. It was exasperating to
<br />people. And it’s not just contractors, engineers, planners, mom and pops, aunty, uncles
<br />coming up, trying to build a garage. Trying to build an addition for the kids coming
<br />home. And it’s just exasperating. So, to Bobby and Warren and all of the department
<br />heads involved, they took the six to twelve month process, started it in November, now
<br />it’s one month, down to one month. Everybody sit down one time. Common sense.
<br />Never cost a lot of money. Now we’re going to overlay it with a software system. That
<br />is going to cost money. But what that does is creates transparency in the system. So if
<br />you apply after me, I don’t get my permit before you because you see, everybody can
<br />see who is getting what, who is applying, when, what’s sitting on whose desk. Where is
<br />the backlog being created. What do we need to do to improve our efficiency? So, it’s
<br />not just reducing the size and cost of government, it’s improving our efficiency as well.
<br />And we’re open to all suggestions. I sit and talk story with everybody. I get good ideas
<br />on the soccer field, with my kids when I’m at the soccer field. I hear it at church on the
<br />way to the car, get it in the aisles at the supermarket. People share ideas with me
<br />surfing at Honolii. As long as the waves small, I listen. But if it’s big, I tell them, can we
<br />talk about this later. But that’s the Big Island, right? I mean, we don’t have all the
<br />answers. A lot of the answers come from people who see things in a clearer way.
<br />Sometimes when you fill in the potholes, you forget to see the whole street, right? The
<br />whole road, the whole map of the island. So, we’re very open to suggestions. We’ve
<br />always been. The more input we get, the more ideas we get, the more creative and
<br />innovative ideas we get, I think a better government ultimately we’ll all have. So, that’s
<br />kind of the big picture of the challenges we’re confronting, the decisions we’ve made
<br />and the fact that we will continue to reduce government. But I think we’re very proud
<br />that we continue to get projects done, and we’ll continue to serve the community well.
<br />That’s our job. But always room for improvement, lots of improvement.
<br />MS. WONG:
<br />Mr. Mayor, sounds like you folks, the county administration has been
<br />looking at every dollar savings, every efficiency. And we, the Cost of Government are
<br />tasked to do the same. I guess one of the questions we’ve had, I’ve had, is, is this Cost
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