2006-07-20 Cost of Government Commission Minutes

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Mr. Nakasone said that when he first took over as superintendent, the resurfacing program was new and faced a lot of much resistance. The first year they only resurfaced one or two miles for the whole County. Today they do 35 to 40 miles a year. It took five years to train, to change attitudes, and to set performance standards. They had to fight the unions and bring in overseers from outside. He did not realize it would take five years for the County to learn about and implement this program. There are some people who resist stepping out of the box or being told to do better, and the first thing they will do is go to the union. If there were a managing director who was not involved in politics, and that person had a desire from within, he /she could get division chiefs to produce. The Highway Division is more than 50% of the Public Works Department, so he knows it can work. He would like to see some divisions step up, but someone needs to give them standards of performance. Ms. Nicholson asked Mr. Nakasone whether it would be helpful in his Division if the employees had incentives. She did not know what form an incentive could take, whether it would be a cash bonus, or temporary raise, or perhaps an extra day off —but some way of rewarding the employees who do an outstanding job. Mr. Nakasone said that the majority of their employees work hard, although there is that percentage that does not. Sometimes incentives might work, but he feels that telling an employee thanks for doing a good job, or having it reflected on his 7PR, should be sufficient. He does not feel comfortable about giving days off as an incentive, because there are some employees who are goof -offs but know how to look busy whenever the boss is around. If that employee were given the incentive, it would ruin it for the other employees. He is very careful, also, that if he calls an employee in to thank, it is the right employee he is thanking. The commissioners thanked Mr. Nakasone, and he left at 11:00 a.m. (A recess was held from 11:00 a.m. to 11:07 a.m., at which time the Chair called the meeting back to order. Mr. Brian Kajikawa entered and introduced himself.) Mr. Kajikawa explained that he is the chief of the Building Division in the Public Works Department. He j oined the County less than eight years ago as a proj ect coordinator, and over the years and divisions has become the Building Chief. Ms. Nicholson asked Mr. Kajikawa if he knew why he was there, and he said not really. The Chair explained that the Commission's task is to evaluate departments and commissions for the County. At the end of one year they will submit suggestions to the Mayor on how they feel the divisions can better their efficiency. Mr. Kajikawa said that the Building Division is responsible for the issuance of all building permits. They are also in charge of all violations concerning illegal structures. They also do the building maintenance for all County facilities other than those in Parks & Recreation, which maintains its own. They also put projects out to bid in which only the DPW is allowed to execute the contracts. They have several projects on board currently, including the West Hawaii Civic Center and the renovation of the County Building. His staff at one point had only two people, but additional staff was granted and they will have five project coordinators. Their building maintenance work includes repairing roof leaks, fixing toilets, etc.