Report of the Cost of Government Commission 2014-2015

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POLICE RECOMMENDATION: Explore passing an ordinance that would require alarm systems to register with the police department and provide a mechanism to assess service charges for repeated false alarms. City & County of Honolulu and Maui County have already passed similar ordinances. RECOMMENDATION: Reinstate in the 2015-16 department operating budget, a line item to make phased -in purchases of "Blue & Whites" to replace current aging fleet. PUBLIC WORKS The Commission appreciated the attendance of Director Warren Lee and Deputy Director Brandon Gonzalez at a Commission meeting to share information and answer questions about all the department's areas of responsibility. RECOMMENDATION: Urge County Council to increase the current County fuel tax of 8.8 cents/gallon to a level commensurate with other counties, for the purpose of increasing funding available to repave roads in a timely manner. CONCLUSIONS As previous Commissions have noted, the Commission's scope of responsibility and short timeline presented significant challenges. The Commissioners spent a considerable amount of time outside of meetings learning how County government functions, researching related topics and meeting with department heads. The Commissioners hope their recommendations are given serious consideration. Commissioners believe the following suggestions will benefit future Cost of Government Commissions: (1) have all districts represented; (2) fully explain to potential commissioners the time commitment involved; (3) consider having at least one previous Cost of Government member serve on a subsequent commission; (4) emphasize the Sunshine Law requirements related to agendizing topics to be discussed; and (5) encourage department heads to attend commission meetings. The Commissioners would like thank all department heads and employees, especially the Office of Corporation Counsel, for their support of the Commission's work. 9