HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0230.001 2002-2004 or
Harry Kim ~,c~ ~ William Takaba
Mayor Director
Nancy E. Crawford
Depuly Direcmr
~h~0f ~Mr
County of Hawaii
Finance Department
?5 Aupuni Strcct, Room 118 I~lilo, Hawaii 96720
(808)9G1-8234 • Fax (808)961-8248
April 30, 2003
The Honorable James Arakaki, Chairman,
and Members of the County Council
County of Hawai'I
Hilo HI 96720
RE: Resolution 68-03, Request for Positions for Treasury Division
Dear Chairman Arakaki and Council Members:
The purpose of this letter is to provide background and justification for Resolution 68-03
that will be taken up by the Finance Committee on May 6, 2003.
In the last ten years motor vehicle registrations have increased from 118,000 per year to
150,000 per year. One registration clerk position was added in the last ten years, in the
Kona office. The average number of registrations per employee has increased from
9,800 per year in 1992 to 11,500 per year in 2002. The office also handles a very high
volume of telephone inquiries. The result has been a significant degradation in service
at the counter, in response time to mailed applications and in handling telephone
inquiries. There has also been a significant rise in overtime, 930 hours this fiscal year
to date, and an impact on the other operations of the division as non-motor vehicle
personnel postpone their regular work to assist in registrations.
The Treasury accounting functions are performed by four positions, including the
Treasurer. There has been no increase of staff to handle these duties in over twenty
years. During that time the number of Treasury Receipts processed has increased
from 6,400 to 9,400. The number of petty cash accounts managed has increased, as
has the number of bicycle and dog licenses. Arbitrage issues related to bond funds
have become more complex and bond sales, including improvement districts and USDA
loan bonds have increased in frequency. The Treasurer would like to increase yield on
investments through more complex investing, which will require additional time to
manage.
Comm. No.
Ref. ~°spntso
Ref. Date
County Council
April 30, 2003
Page 2
This fiscal year the County Council approved new County registration fee, as well as
increases to other related fees. It was stated during Council review of the rate increase
that increased fees should relate to cost of services provided and be used to improve
service.
Adding two clerks to the motor vehicle registration section will reduce the number of
registrations per employee to 10,000, still above the 1992 average. Adding a position in
the Treasury accounting section will allow more productive use of time. Professionals
will be able to focus on their own responsibilities instead of assisting with clerical work.
In summary we are requesting the following:
Motor Vehicle Registration Clerk I $25,656
Clerk III $22,812
Account Clerk $23,700
The Kona office received an additional Motor Vehicle Registration Clerk position in
2001. All mail and most of the telephone inquiries are handled by the Hilo office. For
these reasons, all of the requested positions are in the Hilo office. The first two clerks
would be assigned to the Motor Vehicle Registration section and the Account Clerk
would be an addition to the Treasury Accounting section.
Bringing the Treasury staffing to an adequate level will allow the division to set and
achieve service goals. The division will commit to specific customer service objectives
and other productivity measures, as listed on the attached summary.
Please feel free to call Nancy Crawford (x8092) or Mike Okumoto (x8303) if you have
any questions or would like additional information.
Sincerely,
William Takaba
Director of Finance
Attachment
Department of Finance
Treasury Division
Request for Additional Personnel
I. The Problems
? Many customers waiting in line for service
? Customers waiting up to thirty minutes during busy times of month
? Shortage of registration clerks to operate service windows
? Slow turn around time with mailed in registration requests
? Telephone calls go unanswered
? Accounting work delayed or left undone
? High overtime rates
? Low employee morale
? Customer dissatisfaction
• 54% of Service Excellence Surveys contain negative comments
about waiting
II. The Reasons
? 27% increase in registrations in the last ten years with no increase in
staff
? 25% increase in non-registration workload with no increase in staff
? Increasingly complex issues related to debt and investments
III. The Solutions
? Increase fees to generate funds for adequate staff
• New County registration fee is generating approximately $650,000
per year
? Add one new Motor Vehicle Registration Clerk
? Add one Clerk III to support Motor Vehicle Registrations, performing
non-technical duties
? Add one Account Clerk to support Treasury accounting functions
IV. The Commitments
? No customer waits longer than ten minutes, 90% of the time
? Mailed registrations processed within three business days
? Telephones answered by the third ring
? Bank reconciliations completed within three weeks
? Arbitrage worksheets maintained on a monthly basis
? Reduction of overtime
? Improved Service Excellence Survey responses