Report of the Cost of Government Commission 2014-2015

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OVERARCHING THEMES & RECOMMENDATIONS VEHICLE POLICIES All department heads interviewed were asked to comment on whether the department has a written vehicle take home policy, including criteria for taking a vehicle home, and what steps are taken to ensure enforcement. Generally, departments either have a specific policy, or use the Finance Department - established vehicle use policy. RECOMMENDATION: Feedback the Commission received indicates there is a perception that County vehicles may be misused. To address this, the Commission recommends development and implementation of a uniform computer mileage tracking system for all County -owned vehicles. OVERTIME Due to the amount of feedback from employees (generally anonymous) about overtime and a perception there are instances of abuse, Commissioners felt it was important to understand current department policies related to overtime. All department heads indicated having clear written policies related to overtime, requiring approval in advance by the direct supervisor and within the department's approved budget. Several departments have extremely limited overtime budgets, and use flexible scheduling whenever possible to avoid overtime. RECOMMENDATION: Explore a flexible schedule model for employees, including a 10 hr./day 4 day/week schedule. ENERGY The price of electricity in Hawaii is the highest in the nation at more than 40 cents per kWh. County government is the largest consumer of electricity in the County and also uses significant amounts of fossil fuels to power County vehicles. Efforts to increase energy efficiency and leverage local resources such as sun and wind are being undertaken to drive down energy costs. The Commission appreciated Energy Coordinator, William Rolston, attending a Commission meeting to share information and answer questions about the energy projects on the island. RECOMMENDATION: Given that a significant portion of all imported oil is used for transportation, expedite the conversion of the County's fleet to electric vehicles and/or biodiesel wherever possible using a local producer which will 3