2006-03-02 Cost of Government Commission Minutes

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advise them otherwise. He would rather have one department scrutinized thoroughly than just hitting the surface of each department. The Mayor thanked the commissioners for volunteering their time and promised that every single department would be told to provide them with all the information needed to do their job. There will be no barriers. Ms. Cushnie said she had some questions for the Mayor, since he had opened the door on the Commission's task. Ms. Cushnie said the last report she had from the COGC was dated February, 2003, which would mean the work was done primarily in 2002. She asked if there was a Commission in 2003 or 2004, and the Mayor answered no. Ms. Cushnie asked why. Ms. Garson explained that per the Charter, the Commission convenes in the first year after the term and that this Commission is to do the report for the second term. Ms. Cushnie said that the 2003 report had many recommendations and asked the Mayor if he felt they were worthy of his consideration and implementation. The Mayor indicated that some reports from departments had been collected and should be read by the commissions. Then if they had questions he would respond to them. Ms. Cushme asked the Mayor what he felt about the status of objectivity and trust of the COGC, since it served at his pleasure but was also responsible to the public and the Council. The Mayor explained that the commissioners were to work at the pleasure of the Charter and were to do their job like any commission. Their obligation was to do their job. He said he doesn't mean to sound arrogant, but he has absolute and total confidence in regards to what the County is doing and that everyone does the best they can. He knows things will be scrutinized and he expects disagreements on procedures and priorities, but that is normal. The Mayor said there is one guidance he tells people who recommend others for boards and commissions: That they nominate people who will represent the County, who have good reputations as to fairness and are aware and involved in events. Ms. Cushnie asked if there is a broader picture to be looked at than just individual departments— whether there is a cost to the government from outside forces, involving things such as environmental issues and the waste and litter problems. The Mayor responded: As an example, when the Commission looks at the Environmental Management Division, he believes it is the County's responsibility to limit what goes into the landfill, for the protection of the environment and to minimize waste —to minimize the waste of resources. He believes that can be accomplished by identifying two goals: No. I is to recycle as best as people can, and No. 2 is that what cannot be recycled should be made into the most productive use that it can. If the Commission looks at those objectives and looks at what the County does, and it is counter productive to those goals, then he expects the Commission to point that out to him. The County now has extra monies. The County did not expect this kind of inflation, although it did expect some inflation. The 3