2006-05-04 Cost of Government Commission Minutes

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He believes the advancement in computerization was mainly in the area of payroll, so that all departments could have payroll through one system. Mr. Joseph said the payroll lag does not need to be two weeks, just as long as they recommend a lag. Mr. Sakaguchi said the purpose of the lag would be to save money by not having employees go back and make corrections to timesheets. Ms. Nicholson said they needed to decide which of Ms. Beck's suggestions they agreed to include as recommendations in their report. Motion and Vote: Mr. Joseph moved to place the payroll lag on their list of recommendations; Mr. Sakaguchi seconded the motion; and all members voted aye. Mr. Sakaguchi said they should refer to the Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) when they go back to computerization, as a specific recommendation for the DEM. Motion and Vote: Ms. Nicholson moved to include on their list Ms. Beck's suggestion to review the payroll forms for consolidation; Ms. Stremski seconded; and all members voted aye. The commissioners discussed Ms. Beck's suggestion on a grants manager position. Mr. Sakaguchi said he wanted to include something on their list about this, as the County is probably losing out on money because it doesn't know where to look, and it probably applies to all departments. The Chair suggested they follow this issue for now. Motion: Ms. Stremski moved to include on their list the establishment of the grants manager position for DEM and Mr. Sakaguchi seconded. Discussion, Motion Amended, and Vote. Ms. Nicholson said she would recommend that they pursue grants rather than a grants manager position. Mr. Joseph agreed. Ms. Stremski said she would amend her motion to that effect; Mr. Sakaguchi seconded; and all members voted in favor. Mr. Sakaguchi said he would like to recommend in- service training or other opportunities to attend conferences for employees, as these are sources of new ideas, strategies, and software. It may not save money in the short run, but it would in the long run. The commissioners discussed the public's negative perception about County employees traveling, as seen in the newspaper letters recently published about the Mayor's trip to Germany. Mr. Joseph said it is a difficult issue—it would be good to send enthusiastic, hard - working employees someplace for training, but not those who just want to play. Mr. Sakaguchi said a department head should know which employees are worthy of being sent. Motion and Vote: Ms. Nicholson moved to include on their list that the County encourage and support expanding staff training opportunities, including travel to the mainland, to gain professional experience and to improve services or increase the efficiency of government operations. Mr. Sakaguchi suggested that the wording for the training should be to provide 14