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<br />confirmation of that kind of a change through the County Council because this is the
<br />body that serves both rather than just one, and that's my comment.
<br />RAY: Other comments?
<br />SUMADA: Not really, other than I think that allowing greater flexibility for any
<br />administrator is a benefit in that they can be more responsive as the needs of the public
<br />change. And I say that because when I first got here, I started working with Public
<br />Works, I never had realized how the public's demands do change, and they have
<br />changed from the time I started until now. For example, they are demanding greater
<br />accountability and more responsibility by the Department Heads for the programs we
<br />run. If you watch the Council on TV, there's a greater scrutiny thatis being gone into,
<br />and that's a good thing. But we need to be able to respond to that and the only time we
<br />can do that, because there's a Charter rule, or the Charter spells it out so specifically,
<br />that it limits that flexibility, then you leave it up to something that has to go on a two-
<br />year cycle to be considered, and for a Mayor to try and make change, or be flexible, to
<br />accommodate the needs of the changing public, then it kind of hampers that.
<br />RAY: Marni.
<br />HERKES: As you, no doubt, heard, the Planning Commission is not in favor
<br />of this, and one of their problems is that the Public Works Department does not have
<br />policies. That was one of their stated reasons, and I know why we don't have an
<br />impact fee. I don't know why we don't have policies, and program reviews, and
<br />measurements and outcomes, and those kinds of things as far as County Departments.
<br />That's how business runs. You set a goal and you reach it, and I wondered why you
<br />don't have policies, and if the Planning Department has policies.
<br />SUMADA: Is that what we're moving towards, road standards? I think in the
<br />broad perspective of things, I don't know why the department has not undertaken
<br />overall administrative rules. We do have some, at least, for example, in the Solid
<br />Waste Division, we do have administrative rules. Possibly, how specific the County
<br />Code is, provides that level of guidance or direction that's needed for us to operate
<br />under, and I can only guess that the creation of even more bureaucracy, by creating
<br />more rules to follow, was viewed as not a positive thing. But, again, like I mentioned
<br />just earlier, if that's the will of the public, or the community, that these policies, or type
<br />of rules, be established, I think the department would be more than willing to consider
<br />them.
<br />HERKES: It's not really County Charter, but I was curious because we've
<br />heard testimony against this move because of that.
<br />SUMADA: No, I'm sure the Planning Commission had their reasons why
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