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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-05-27 Cost of Government Commission Agenda (2) COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street, Suite 325, Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720 AGENDA Friday, May 27, 2011 –10:00 a.m. Liquor Control Conference Room Hilo Lagoon Centre 101Aupuni Street, Suite 230 Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720 1.CALL TO ORDER 2.STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC 3.APPROVAL OF MINUTES (May 13, 2011) 4.DISCUSSION REGARDING ITEMS PREVIOUSLY RECOMMENDED TO BE PLACED IN DRAFT REPORT/FORMAT OF DRAFT REPORT/REVISION OF DRAFT REPORT A.See attached draft report. B.Draft introduction/executive summary to report to include recommendations for next Cost of Government Commission. C.Discussion regarding prioritized list of recommendations. D.Discussion regarding what to include in the appendices. 5.DISCUSSION REGARDING ITEMS TO BE ADDED TO THE LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS TO BE PLACED IN DRAFT REPORT INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: Discussion and recommendations may encompass anyitem contained or discussed in any communication (Comm. 2010-001 through Comm. 2011-008), or subcommittee report or presentation given at any prior meeting. A.How to support the Hawai‘i County Green Team’s cost saving recommendations. (September 10 meeting, Alex Frost) B.Delete audit of all programs every four years. (April 27 meeting-Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd) 6.DISCUSSION REGARDING APPROACH TO TAKE TO TIMELY ACCOMPLISH MANDATE OF THE COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION 7.DISCUSSION REGARDING FUTURE MEETING DATES 8.ITEMS TO BE PLACED ON NEXT AGENDA Hawai‘i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer 9. ANNOUNCEMENTS The next meeting of the Cost of Government Commission will be held on Wednesday, June 8, 2011, at 10:00 a.m., at the Hawai‘i County Building, Puna Conference Room,25 Aupuni Street,Ste. 1501, Hilo, HI 96720. 10.ADJOURNMENT NOTE: If you require an accommodation or auxiliary aid and/or services to participate in this meeting (i.e., sign language interpreter, large print, etc.) please call 961-8251. SUBMITTING TESTIMONY Those wishing to testify in person must register with the Commission Secretary at the meeting. Those submitting written testimony at the meeting should bring ten (10) copies for distribution. Testimony may also be submitted (1) by mail to Sandy Arriola c/o Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street, Suite 325, Hilo HI 96720; (2) by facsimile to (808) 961-8622; or (3) by e-mail to sarriola@co.hawaii.hi.us.Please submit separate testimony for each item. Copies will be distributed by the Commission Secretary at the meeting only if they are received before 12:00 noon on the business day prior to the meeting. All oral and written testimony will be public record. NOTICE TO LOBBYISTS If you are a lobbyist, you must register with the Hawai‘i County Clerk within five days of becoming a lobbyist (Article 15, Section 2-91.3(b), Hawai‘i County Code). A lobbyist means “any individual engaged for pay or other consideration who spends more than five hours in any month or $275 in any six-month period for the purpose of attempting to influence legislative or administrative action by communicating or urging others to communicate with public officials.” (Article 15, Section 2-91.3(a)(6), Hawai‘i County Code.) Registration forms and expenditure report documents are available at the Office of the County Clerk- Council, 25 Aupuni Street, Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720. 2 DRAFT REPORT INTRODUCTION/EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As stated in the Hawai‘i County Charter, Section 5-2.1, the policy of the county is to promote economy, efficiency and improved service in the transaction of the public business in the legislative and executive branches of the county by: 1. Limiting expenditures to the lowest amount consistent with the efficient performance of essential services, activities, and functions. 2. Eliminating duplication and overlapping of services, activities, and functions. 3. Consolidating services, activities, and functions of a similar nature. 4. Abolishing services, activities, and functions not necessary to the efficient conduct of government. As set forth by Charter the COGC took action to study and investigate the organizations and methods of operations of all departments, commissions, boards, offices and other instrumentalities of all branches of the county government and determine what changes, if any may be desirable to accomplish this policy set forth. Part 1 –Overarching Cost and Revenue Concerns for the County of Hawai‘i A.Changing the Way We Do Business As the Commission investigated how our County government could reduce costs and enhance revenues, we found that changing the way we do business as a County is imperative as we st advance into the 21century. Just as innovation and adaptability are the action words for private enterprise, these same concepts must motivate the public sector if we are to reduce the cost of government yet still provide essential services to support the quality of life its citizens desire. As the Commission gathered input from departments, legislators and County employees, we found that many excellent suggestions to save costs and enhance revenues were not being taken into consideration. The lack of flexibility in the negotiation of union contracts prevents the application of reasonable and efficient cost saving measures. The absence of a county-wide technology plan promotes inefficiencies of operations. A resistance to adoption of simple cost saving measures such as online approvals and electronic signatures makes the County’s contracting process slow and unresponsive. Continuing practices such as extending homeowner exemptions to unpermitted buildings not only short changes the County coffers, but encourages unsafe and unsanitary living conditions while forcing all the County’s residents to pay higher tax rates to fund this practice. The Commission decided to tackle its mandate by looking not only at ways to reduce the costs of government, but also by identifying ways to enhance revenues. Are building permit fees too low? Could the County charge user fees for services that are currently offered for free? We looked at what services really are the responsibility of the County to provide and how we can continue to support the needs of the island’s population and visitors without being forced to reduce public services to an unacceptable level. This Commission served during an especially difficult economic downturn as reflected by furlough days and implementation of other drastic measures to contain costs, yet the recommendations provided herein should be guiding principles for our County government even when the economy is expanding. 3 We organized our efforts to address a theme which was to investigate the essential services of County government. We then identified three overarching issues that the County must address: Technology, Contracting, Collections and Fees. The Commission organized into subcommittees and solicited input from all of the County’s workforce, its elected and appointed officials, and members of other Boards and Commissions. We used the information and feedback to develop the recommendations in this report. The specific recommendations of the Commission are presented in a top down manner. First we present county-wide actions that need to be addressed. Then we provide recommendations specific to some of the County’s departments. Lastly we addressedchanges that impact the rank and file workers of the County. The bottom line for our findings is that the way we do business as a local government has to change. Summary of COGC FY 2011 Efforts (July 2010 –June 2011) Theme: Identify What Services the County is Responsible to Provide Overarching Policy Issues: Contracting Process * Collection & Fees * County Technology Plan Invited Department Heads, Corporation Counsel, and personnel who deal with these processes and procedures to speak with COGC Focus Areas (3 Subcommittees) Operations/Budget Revenue Enhancement Technology Adoption Recommendations and Collections and Consolidation Analyzed Responses to Questionnaires and Conducted Interviews with Departments and Personnel Actions Taken by Commission: Provided a Questionnaire to County Agencies, Departments and Commissions via Letter Provided a Questionnaire to County Employees via Payroll Notice Logged and Categorized Responses to Questionnaires Received Presentation from County Green Team Analyzed Responses Regarding the Implementation Status & Adoption of 2007 COGC Recommendations Requested and Received Results from an Employee Survey that Dominic Yagong Conducted Received Presentations and Conducted Q&A with Specific Departments and County Administration Offices Received and Incorporated Feedback on Draft COGC 2011 Report 4 B.Essential Services Provided by the County Identification of the Essential Services of County Government, Specifically the Hawaii County Government. At one of the first COGC meetings it was determined that a principle that was required to study and investigate the organizations and methods of operations of all departments, commissions, boards, offices and other instrumentalities of all branches of the county government would be to identify the essential services of Hawaii County government. Therefore a narrow online survey was conducted for discussion between the Commissioners and local government functions were summarized as:. Though cities differ in the division of responsibility, the typical arrangement is to have the following departments handle the following roles: 1. Urban planning/zoning 2. Economic development/tourism 3. Public works -construction and maintenance of all city-owned or operated assets, including the water supply system, sewer, streets, storm water, snow removal,street cleaning,street signs, vehicles, buildings, land, etc. 4. Parks andrecreation -construction and maintenance of city parks, common areas, parkways, publicly-owned land, operation of various recreation programs and facilities 5. Police 6. Fire 7. Emergency medical services 8. Emergency management 9. Accounting/finance -often tax collection,audits 10.Human resources -for city workers 11.General counsel/city attorney/risk management -legal matters such as writing municipal bonds, ensuring city compliance with state andfederal law, responding to citizen lawsuits stemming from city actions or inactions. 12.Transportation (varies widely) -if the city has a municipal busorlight rail service, this function may be its own department or it may be folded into the another of the above departments. 13.Information technology -supports computer systems used by city employees; may be also responsible for a city website, phones and other systems. 14.Housing department 15.Municipal court Hawaii is the only U.S. state that has no incorporated municipalities. Instead it has four counties plus the "consolidated city-county" of Honolulu. All communities are considered to be census- designated places, with the exact boundaries being decided upon by co-operative agreement between the Governor's office and the U.S. Census Bureau. Kalawao County is the second smallest county in the United States, and is often considered part of Maui County.[Wikipedia cite] In other online sources, the consensus was that there are ten general service facilities the counties are responsible for providing which are listed below. It is evident that Hawaii county is 5 dissimilar for several reasons. In Hawai‘i the areas of Health and Education are largely overseen by the State. However, the county in the future, may want to take a more active role in these areas. 1.General Government 2.Public Safety 3.Public Works 4.Health 5.Education 6.Community Colleges 7.Libraries 8.Recreation and Parks 9.Land Planning and Development 10.Debt Service The County of Hawaii is organized as follows for budgetary purposes: GENERAL GOVERNMENT County Council Executive Auditing Elections Finance Information Technology Law Planning & Zoning Personnel Administration Research & Investigation Public Works PUBLIC SAFETY Police Fire Construction/Building Inspection Animal Control Civil Defense Liquor Control Flood Control Traffic Services Prosecuting Attorney HIGHWAYS Roadway Maintenance Public Transportation SANITATION & WASTE REMOVAL Environmental Management Sewer & Sewage Disposal Vehicle & Parts Disposal Waste Disposal 6 HEALTH, WELFARE, & EDUCATION County Physicians Aging Services Non-profit Grants Housing Cemeteries Cooperative Education Program CULTURE-RECREATION Community Music Organized Recreation Park Development and Maintenance DEBT SERVICE PENSION PAYMENTS & RETIREMENT SYSTEM CONTRIBUTIONS HEALTH FUND MISCELLANEOUS Worker’s Compensation Unemployment Compensation Contributions/Transfers to Other Funds Other One study published online identified the essential county services as: welfare, social and economic development services. The services most commonly provided by US county governments are: law enforcement, 911 service, and health clinic services. Two other prominent services are economic development and land use planning. In some US counties’ statements and studies it was stated that local governments need to acknowledge a new paradigm to operate efficiently and responsibly, establish priorities, and that core functions and priorities should be properly funded and well managed. Programs that are ineffective or no longer necessary and could be eliminated should be phased out. The new paradigm is for County governments to provide human services and various assistance programs in a facilitative role, rather than developing programs to solve problems. The evolution, it is said, is due to the devolution and economic changes of the times. The COGC considered the essential functions and the statements from various sources, together with our objective points of view, to make recommendations for efficiency, improved services, and to promote economy in Hawai‘i County. 7 C.County Level Specific Recommendations to Save Cost and Increase Revenues 1.Employee benefits and compensation a.Compensation Package 1) Allow employees to work 10 hours/4 days per week. Potential savings: lower utility costs, reduction in overtime costs for staff required to attend evening public meetings, reduction in travel time/mileage, and increased employee morale. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 3) 2) Institute a performance-based reward program. Rewards might be a bonus, time off, increase in compensation, etc. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 33) 3) Set the work week at 40-hours a week rather than eight hours a day, and allow an employee to flex their work schedules during the 40-hour work week to reduce overtime. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 33) 4) Link pay cuts to an economic index that would restore cuts as the economy Improves. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 33) 5) Focus work-hour cuts or shift personnel in departments that have less demand for their services in a slow economy to department or tasks acquiring additional man hours. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 35) 6) Establish a ‘voluntary furlough’ program. Suggested format is: a)Department head decides which positions or whether any positions can accommodate the personnel time reduction on a temporary basis only. b)Any employee may apply. c)Each eligible full-time employee may take a maximum of one day per week (two days per pay period) without pay. d) Eligible employees agree to a 90-day commitment to the voluntary furlough program, which may be renewed by application at least 20 days prior to expiration (for accounting management needs). Manager may require reduction to minimum (one day per month) or deny, based on personnel needs. 7) Review and reduce number of paid holidays. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 37) 8) Reduce monthly accrual of vacation or sick leave from 14 hours per month (4.5 weeks per year for each) to 10 hours per month (three weeks per year). (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 37) 9) Consolidate vacation and sick time into personal time off. Potential impacts would allow employees more flexibility to schedule personal time off, would reduce abuse of sick time. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 39) 10) Establish an early retirement incentive plan. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 37) b.Reimbursement for Expenses 1) Eliminate on-island meal reimbursements. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 39) 2) Replace set per diem with actual expenses, capped at per diem amount. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 40) c.Travel Policies 1) Limit attendance at off-island conferences and/or hold off-island conferences via Skype or video conferencing. Hold department and division meetings via video conferencing. Utilize multimedia communication in lieu of face-to-face meetings to reduce on and off-island travel. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 40) 8 2)Restrict the use of county take home vehicles. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 40) 3)Implement a vehicle pool that would be accessible to all county departments to limit vehicle purchases by individual departments. (April 8, 2011 minutes, page 33) d.Staff consolidations/eliminations and overtime reduction 1) Consolidate the enforcement responsibilities of Planning Department, Building Department, Real Property Tax, Environmental Management and the Department of Health (as contracted to the county)into an enforcement division. (November 17, 2010 minutes, page 21 and Comm. 2010-105) 2) Review and streamline the procedures for disciplining and terminating employees. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 41) 3) Cross train employees to perform multiple functions within a department. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 47) 4) Pool clerical staff among departments where possible. (January 14, 2011 meeting, page 47) 5)Recruit and use volunteers and volunteer groups at all levels of County operations. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 48) 6) Eliminate vacant funded positions. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 24) 7) Introduce a six month hiring freeze and review it every six months to see if it should be continued.(January 14, 2011 minutes, page 24) 8) Identify all jobs and tasks that are mandated by state and federal governments as well as in the County Charter and consider eliminating positions that don’t fall within those mandates. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 25) 9) Propose a resolution to the state allowing each county to negotiate collective bargaining contracts on behalf of the county. This would allow the county to be more responsive to the economic conditions and demographics of the areas served. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 25) 10)Consolidate similar functions such as project managers, engineers, maintenance personnel from various departments into a county-wide pool that all departments can draw from. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 27) 11)Direct the Human Resources department to examine countywide overtime policies to make sure they are fair, unambiguous and effective in reducing overtime. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 45 and February 25, 2011 minutes, page 17) 12)Eliminate the Personnel Officer position insmaller departments and designate a specialist in Human Resources to absorb these tasks. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 42) e.Creation of Positions to Enhance Revenues 1) Create a position dedicated to focusing on health care and education industries. (Operation, Budget and Consolidation subcommittee report on October 8, 2010; and Comm. 2010-123; December 10, 2010 minutes, page 43) 2) Centralize grant writing efforts by creating a Grant Specialist position to work with all departments in the county to improve the county’s ability to receive funds from various sources. (Operation, Budget and Consolidation subcommittee report on October 8, 2010; December 10, 2010 minutes, page 45) 2.Technology Adoption 1) Investigate county employee videotaping of council and committee meetings that would be available online through streaming or via ordering a DVD in lieu of the current contracted videotaping services. This would require timely posting of transcriptions online. This will increase availability to all county residents.(January 9 14, 2011 minutes, page 9, February 25, 2011 minutes, page 29 and March 23, 2011 minutes, page 11) 2)Develop and implement a county-wide technology management plan. (Eileen to rewrite) (November 17, 2010 minutes, page 25) 3)Implement the use of Laserfiche for all departments when and where practical. (Operation, Budget and Consolidation subcommittee report on October 8, 2010) 3.Contracting Process 1) Require each department to facilitate long term planning and budgeting by having an annual planning session toidentify their needs for outside contracting services over the next two to five years. This will allow each department to commence with drafting bid documents. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 9, February 25, 2011 minutes, page 27 and March 23, 2011 minutes, page 10) 2) Review internal processes that are currently in use to reduce change orders, renewals and processing in a timely manner. Utilize technology such as electronic signatures in each department, electronic distribution, and online approvals to increase efficiency. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 9, February 25, 2011 minutes, page 25 and March 23, 2011 minutes, page 8) 4.Budget Review Process 1) Develop three different budget scenarios for each department as part of the annual budgeting process. One version would be based on the current budget allocation, another version would reflect a five percent increase in funding, and the third would be based on a 10% decrease from the current budget. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 6) 2) Review the county’s operating budget semi-annually or quarterly to make needed adjustments. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 6) 5.Boards and Commissions 1) Request all Boards and Commissions to reduce the number of meetings. (Operation, Budget and Consolidation subcommittee report on October 8, 2010 minutes and February 25, 2011 minutes, page 32 6.Miscellaneous 1) Continue to update and enforce the county’s internet use policy for all employees. (December 10, 2010 minutes, page 27 and Comm. 2010-144) 2) Solicit employee suggestions and recommendations on a regular basis including cost saving suggestions. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 49) Part 2 –Department Specific Recommendations to Save Costs and Increase Revenues A.County Clerk 1) Use a hiring agency to staff temporary election clerk positions. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 44) 10 B.Environmental Management 1) Implement software solutions to coordinate collection of tipping fees at the scale house and insure accounting systems are able to read the data. (November 3, 2010 minutes, page 25; December 10, 2010 minutes, page 34) 2) Regulate septic and grease haulers and collect an annual fee for registration commensurate with fees of other counties in Hawai‘i.(November 3, 2010 minutes, page 25; December 10, 2010 minutes, page 35) 3) Charge an annual renewal fee for solid waste haulers and require all haulers to be current on solid waste bills to reduce delinquencies. (November 3, 2010 minutes, page 27) 4) Separate positionsfor heavy equipment operators in the Solid Waste Division who work only at landfills and don’t need a CDL license from those who drive off-site and do need a CDL license. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 42 and February 25, 2011 minutes, page 13) 5) Impose a fee to be included in each parcel’s tax bill to help fund recycling and efficient management of e-waste disposal. (May 13, 2011 minutes, page 54) (See also Real Property Tax) C.Finance 1) Establish a one-time auto salvage fee to be assessed when a vehicle is first registered in the county. This fee will be in addition to the disposal fee already in effect. (November 17, 2010 minutes, page 23 and Comm. 2010-105; December 10, 2010 minutes, page 38 and February 25, 2011 minutes, page 7) 2) Establish a salvage fee for commercial buses that would offset the cost of including their disposal through the counties scrap metal recycling program. (November 17, 2010 minutes, page 22 and Comm. 2010-105; December 10, 2010 minutes, page 38 and February 25, 2011 minutes, page 5) D.Fire 1) Investigate the cost effectiveness of implementing a jet ski program with our Ocean Safety Division. (December 10, 2010 minutes, page 29 and Comm. 2010-144 and February 25, 2011 minutes, page 10) E.Mayor’s Office 1) Using the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) as a template to expand opportunities for volunteers to work within the county and in response to county needs. 2) Direct all departments to utilize student interns. (March 23, 2011 minutes, page 16) F.Parks and Recreation 1) Streamline the re-contracting process for continuing, part-time temporary staff including eliminating the yearly requirement for a physical exam. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 41 and February 25, 2011 minutes, page 10) G.Planning 1) Combine the Steering Committeesand the Action Committeesinto one CDP Support Committee which will follow through on CDP recommendations within the first two years after adoption. (April 27, 2011 minutes, page 34) 11 2) Allow standardized housing that meets the minimum health and safety requirements and may include such things as minimum square footage, composting toilets and water catchment. This will save on enforcement fees. (November 17, 2010 minutes, page 23 and Comm. 2010-105; December 10, 2010 minutes, page 41 and February 25, 2011 minutes, page 8) (See also Public Works) H.Police 1) Base the fuel reimbursement for all Police Department personnel on actual mileage. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 43 and February 25, 2011 minutes, page 17) 2) Develop a notification system for police officers who have been subpoenaed for court hearings to let them know if the hearing has been cancelled or postponed, thus avoiding unnecessary travel and overtime pay. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 44) 3) Cut the monthly car allowance for police officers and replace it with a yearly servicing and maintenance allowance. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 44 and February 25, 2011 minutes, page 16) I.Public Works 1) Allow standardized housing that meets the minimum health and safety requirements and may include such things as minimum square footage, composting toilets and water catchment. This will save on enforcement fees. (November 17, 2011 minutes, page 23 and Comm. 2010-105; December 10, 2010 minutes, page 41 and February 25, 2011 minutes, page 8) (See also Planning) J.Real Property 1) Review the process for qualifying agricultural property tax exemptions and require financial documentation to verify and substantiate agricultural activity. Fine and/or revoke exemptions for violators. (November 3, 2010 minutes, page 25; December 10, 2010 minutes, page 34 and February 25, 2011 minutes, page 28) 2) Eliminate the Homeowner’s Real Property Exemption for unpermitted dwellings.(November 17, 2010 minutes, page 21 and Comm. 2010-105) 3) Review the property tax base for all categories and identify collections by district and category. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 9 and February 25, 2011 minutes, page 20) 4) Impose a fee to be included in each parcel’s tax bill to help fund recycling and efficient management of e-waste disposal. (May 13, 2011 minutes, page 54) (See also Environmental Management) K.Human Resources 1) Eliminate the Personnel Officer position insmaller departments and designate a specialist in Human Resources to absorb these tasks. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 42) 2) Reorganize the Human Resources Department to decrease staffing needs. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 43) 3) Direct the Human Resources department to examine countywide overtime policies to make sure they are fair, unambiguous and effective in reducing overtime. (January 14, 2011 minutes, page 45 and February 25, 2011 minutes, page 17) 12 Part 3 –Summary Conclusion of Recommendations The COGC Commissioners are concerned that the many recommendations contained herein may not be implemented. Therefore we have taken the following further steps to support the follow-through. a)A presentation of the final document of recommendations will be conveyed to the Mayor, County Council, and Department Heads before the end of the COGC term in June 2011; b)The written final document will be posted online for public view. c)The final document will be submitted to the two major newspapers on the Big Island (Hawai‘i Tribune Herald and West Hawai‘i Today). d) The COGC requests that the Mayor assign an administrative assistant to track the status of the tasks approved by the mayor and submit a report on a quarterly basis to him on all actions related to the recommendations. e) The quarterly reports shall be provided to the next term COGC at their first meeting. The 2010-2011COGC commissioners are pleased to provide an extensive list of recommendations.We would like to further submit a short-list of priority items from the comprehensive list, aside from what is currently in place, that we feel would realize the most cost-benefits to promote economy, efficiency and improved service in the transaction of the public business. We would be very pleased for the Mayor and/or County Council to take immediate action on the following: 1. Consolidate the enforcement responsibilities of Planning Department, Building Department, Real Property Tax, Environmental Management and the (State funded functions) Department of Health be consolidated into an Enforcement Division 2. Propose a resolution to the state allowing each county to negotiate collective bargaining contracts on behalf of the county. This would allow the county to be more responsive to the economic conditions and demographics of the areas served. 3. Create a position dedicated to focusing on health care and education industries to proactively address the essential function areas of county government responsibilities. 4. Centralize grant writing efforts by creating a Grant Specialist position to work with all departments in the county to improve the county’s ability to receive funds from various sources. 5. Develop and implement a county-wide technology management plan to strategically prepare for government service efficiency. 6. Implement the use of Laserfiche for all departments when and where practical. 7. Allow standardized housing that meets the minimum health and safety requirements and may include such things as minimum square footage, composting toilets and water catchment. 8. Eliminate the Homeowner’s Real Property Exemption for unpermitted dwellings.(November 17, 2010 minutes, page 21 and Comm. 2010-105) Appendices A. COGC Requests for Information B.Matrix of Responses to Questions C.Charter Provisions 13