2006-12-07 Cost of Government Commission Minutes

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h. Re- examine the functions of all departments; many departments appear to be saddled with functions or responsibilities that don't fit and consequently these functions are ignored or given a lower priority in the allocation of resources. Mr. Sakaguchi said he reached this conclusion after the meetings the COGC had with department representatives. Some departments felt they were saddled with functions that shouldn't be theirs and thus do not give full attention to those functions. He said the County should reexamine the functions of all departments to see whether the structure should be reorganized. He said it is not fair that some functions get ignored because a department does not feel a strong need to do them. Motion: Mr. Sakaguchi moved that the COGC adopt this recommendation. There was no second to the motion. Second tier career administrators in the County should be encouraged (maybe mandated) to change departments every ten years. Mr. Sakaguchi said that many managers have been in their jobs too long. He said to look at what private companies do in this situation. Motion: Mr. Sakaguchi moved to recommend that career administrators be encouraged to change departments every ten years, as this would revitalize them and bring new ideas into departments. There was no second to the motion. j. Provide opportunities for at least S% of County employees to attend national and regional conferences and go on visitations to other county governments of comparable size over the next three years. Motion: Mr. Sakaguchi moved that the COGC adopt this recommendation. There was no second to the motion. k. Every three years contract with the State of Hawai `i Legislative Auditor's Office to conduct a management and program audit of all or selected County departments to identify new practices or procedures which should be in place for efficiency and cost savings. Mr. Sakaguchi said he is not sure if the State Legislative Auditor's Office is the right agency or not, but that they do a good job in evaluating the success of government agencies. He said the County needs to have management and program audits. He said the COGC is just a temporary, part-time body and is not able to develop a body of expertise. The COGC spent a lot of time in just understanding what departments do and how they function. If the County contracted with another agency like the Auditor's Office, the review could be more substantive and in- depth. Motion: Mr. Sakaguchi moved that the COGC adopt this recommendation. Mr. Joseph seconded the motion. 13