2011-03-23 Cost of Government Commission Minutes

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MS. WONG: Yes. MS. NICHOLSON: I think we should turn these into sentences. MS. WONG: Well before we turn these into sentences I specifically asked for discussion from the committee. Is this something that we want to move forward? I mean I like it but I didn’t think that the rest of the commission members…. We hadn’t gotten that far to discuss whether we wanted to keep this in or not. We just said let’s discuss this at the next meeting. MS. NICHOLSON: I would need to know what the need is here and if this is a really pressing county need at this time to create a new position. MS. WONG: I don’t know that you would say a need but something that would be helpful as an ongoing… It would have been helpful last year and during the last…. When times are rough is when you want the volunteer program active not when times are easy. So you have available like Red Cross, you don’t need them when times are easy you need them when there’s problems. I saw in today’s paper I think… I watched t.v. and read the paper. Maui is looking towards a volunteer program. Part of this came from in my reading what counties are doing nationally isthey are developing volunteer programs. And sponsored in the counties. MS. NICHOLSON: I guess what I’m trying to get at… The discussion is we are recommending creating a new position of a volunteer coordinator. What would that person do? I’m not getting a handle on what their job description would be that we could justify the need for the county to hire this new position. MS. WONG: They would set up the program for volunteers. Set up for training programs. Also, I don’t know if the Sate still has one but Mary Matayoshi was the state coordinator for volunteer programs. Is she still doing that? I think she’s retired. MR. TAKABA: Retired. There was a program. MS. NICHOLSON: What would the volunteers do? I’m not getting at it still. MS. WONG: When there were needs that the State wanted to provide assistance she would come up with a program and bring in corporate sponsors. MS. NICHOLSON: But for the county the volunteer coordinator would recruit other volunteers to do what? MS. WONG: Depending on what the need is. MS. O’HARA: Can you give us some examples of need? MS. WONG: Clean up after a tsunami or I know there are organizations but to get those organizations corralled, exercise programs, some of the things that perhaps Office of Aging is doing for the senior citizens, exercise programs, health programs, demonstration programs, Office of Aging does it for senior citizens. There could be programs for children that don’t have classes because the schools are furloughed. There could be homeless programs, yes Department of Health has programs for that but you might be able to utilize some volunteers. 17