2006-12-07 Cost of Government Commission Minutes

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and facility maintenance costs. Additionally, there should be a clear statement of the primary functions of the department. This information should be available to all members of the department and to the general public. Motion and Vote: Mr. Sakaguchi moved to recommend "a" above. Ms. Provalenko seconded the motion. After no further discussion, Mr. Sakaguchi, Ms. Provalenko, and Ms. Nicholson voted aye. Mr. Joseph and the Chair voted against the motion. The motion passed. Mr. Sakaguchi moved to his second recommendation: b. The County should lease facilities used by County departments and agencies, instead of building facilities. Mr. Sakaguchi said he is suggesting that the County stop building more buildings. He said that leasing makes sense financially and would be cheaper because of tax incentives to lease or rent buildings. Leasing would also benefit developers and make for better utilization of existing facilities. In addition, the population is shifting so that Hilo may no longer be the center of the County. As long as they keep building in Hilo, they are saying that forever Hilo will be the center of the island. Motion: Mr. Sakaguchi moved for the COGC to adopt the recommendation. There was no second to the motion. C. Transfer all billing and receivable functions (utilities, property tax, etc) as well as payroll services to a private vendor. Mr. Sakaguchi said that it makes sense for the County to contract with private venders, whether banks or financial service companies, to do all of the billing and receivable functions, as well as payroll. This would enable the County to reap the benefits of computerizing its systems without investing more money. He said most corporations have this practice now. Motion: Mr. Sakaguchi moved for the COGC to adopt this recommendation. There was no second to the motion. d. Expedite the development of an island -wide public safety communication network being initiated by the Police Department; allow private telecommunication companies to install transmission equipment on the towers to insure that all residents on the island have access to telecom service during emergencies. Mr. Sakaguchi said he was responding to recommendations made by the Police Department and Data Systems, as well as what Ms. Testa alluded to at today's meeting. The concern is about public safety. The infrastructure should be available to make sure that all segments of the population can access a good cell phone system. He said he believes income could also be generated by renting the towers to private cell phone operators. Motion: Mr. Sakaguchi moved for the COGC to adopt this recommendation. There was no second to the motion. 11