2011-04-27 Cost of Government Commission Minutes

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you’re not doing it in a non-threatening way is have HR way come in and they do an asset map of the department. And that’s when we’re looking at revenue generating tools. And in Solid Waste and in Wastewater, we have a huge unpaid or outstanding collectible we need to regulate at least to be collected. And we haven’t done a very good job of collecting those sewer fees and tipping fees. So we’re restructuring our administrative, Department of Environmental Management, to provide, nothire more people to do it, but take existing personnel, reallocate them and dedicate a larger group of existing personnel to focus on just collecting uncollected revenues. So, we just met yesterday to follow through on that. But that’s going to come with a larger restructuring of that department because of, it’s not a bad, structural and institutional challenges that have been there. And Eileen, you know that it exists there that isn’t, I’m not going to blame a department head or past mayor or existing personnel, it just is. So what, but I cannot just continue to go, eh, you guys are you going to do something about it? You have to change. I’ve got to come in and not break it, but I don’t want to say, it sounds so negative, restructure. It’s going to be an aggressive restructuring of Environmental Management to focus on, and let people know going forward there is going to be more accountability. We have to. There’s a challenge. You know, Solid Waste tipping, you no like guys start dumping. You know you have commercial haulers. It’s a big island, right? You have Saddle Road. I have a friend who goes up there, one of my staff. That’s what he does with kids on weekends. He lives up there. He go up and every time he said he clean. The next week people dumping washers in gulches and it’s just abominable behavior. How you do that to this island? But to your question, we’re focused on that. Property tax appraisal. I know the quick challenge when I ask Finance people, ehBill, how come we not holding these guys inaudible, you have to go three years of unpaid before the county can act. Like, if you don’t pay your property tax this year, I cannot come in and tag you. You don’t pay them next year, I cannot tag you yet. You have to wait three years unpaid before we can implement forfeiture proceedings or go to a tax sale to get our revenue back. So, real property tax appraisals, I can assure all of you here, that there’s going to be a thorough review of our property tax appraisal. We cannot have properties not being properly assessed. That’s loss revenues. That means you either cut a program or service or somebody else pays. Both of which shouldn’t happen when it’s our own efficiencies or oversight that causes the lack of revenue. So, we’re accountable and we have to step up to that. We’re trying to be aggressive about it. That’s a good thing about challenging economy. Bill told me, he said you got a couple of positives with the down budget. He said, one, is you’re probably smarter about the budget than anybody. Bill has been in county government for 32 years. But because it’s so tough, you’re forced to look at every piece of it all the time. He said you’re probably more knowledgeable about this budget than probably most people. He said that’s a good. Number two, it’s because it’s so tough of an environment, you can make changes that people would be unwilling or unable to make in another time. So when it’s tough, you can make changes, make cuts, make adjustments that at another time people would be –no way. So, there’s opportunities and the challenges is what I’m saying, I guess. Sorry Ken, I promised one short answer. Politician right? 16