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Home My WebLink About2006-09-21 Cost of Government Commission Agenda (2) COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION 101 Aupuni Street, Suite 325, Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720 A G E N D A Thursday, September 21, 2006 – 10:00 a.m. Department of Liquor Control - Conference Room 101 Aupuni Street, Suite 230 Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720 1.CALL TO ORDER 2.APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 7, 2006, MEETING 3.STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC 4.APPROVAL OF ADDENDUM AND/OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA (if necessary)[NOTE: Addendum requires 2/3 (Roll Call) Vote] 5.PRESENTATION AND QUESTION/ANSWER SESSION BY THE CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT Includes discussion and question and answer session relating to or arising from the following questions and issues: a.Do you have any ideas about what your department can do to save money while not compromising essential services? b.Do you see any way to consolidate services, activities, and functions of a similar nature within your own department as well as with other departments? c.Are there any services, activities, and functions not necessary to the efficient conduct of government that could be eliminated? d.Can privatization help you? If so, in what ways? What would you privatize? e.Can you suggest any modernization projects to streamline operations in lieu of privatization? f.Do you have any other ideas on how you can make your operations more efficient? g.Incentives for employees. h.Flexibility or authority for supervisors to hire quickly. i.How to fill positions in West Hawai‘i to avoid having East Hawai‘i employees drive to Kona and incur mileage and per diem costs. j.Orientation for new employees. k.Out-sourcing projects rather than hiring more employees. l.Implementation of a payroll lag. Hawai‘i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer m.Communication No. 2006-44 (the Civil Service Department’s response to the Commission’s letter dated April 10, 2006) 6.DISCUSSION/ACTION ON ITEMS TO ADD TO FINAL REPORT BASED ON PRESENTATION BY THE CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT 7.DISCUSSION ON FINAL DRAFT OF REPORT AND THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS: a.Department of Environmental Management (Wastewater):Recommend looking into developing more opportunities in wastewater recycling, primarily for environmental reasons but also to generate revenue (per 5/4/06 minutes, p. 15). b.Department of Environmental Management (Wastewater):Recommend development of a long-term strategic plan, as the island is growing and is only going to get bigger. It needs a plan for staffing, facilities, replacements, etc. (per 5/4/06 minutes, p. 15). c.Department of Environmental Management (Solid Waste): Recommend that Mike Dworsky receive clerical assistance (per 7/6/06 minutes, p. 2). d.Department of Environmental Management (Solid Waste): Recommend that CDL truck drivers be separated from the heavy equipment operators, since they work only at the landfills and should not need CDL licenses (per 7/6/06 minutes, p. 2). e.Department of Environmental Management (Solid Waste): Recommend that contract terms be lengthened to multi-year terms (per 7/6/06 minutes, p. 2). f.Department of Environmental Management (Solid Waste):Recommend additional trainers for transfer station attendants to become equipment operators, thus increasing their ability to multi-function (per 7/6/06 minutes, p. 3). g.Department of Environmental Management (Solid Waste):Recommend that employees be subject to random drug testing, which is to include current employees and not just new hires. (Note:issue may involve union negotiations) (per 7/6/06 minutes, p. 3). h.Department of Environmental Management (or all departments):Recommend consolidating personnel forms (e.g., vacation, sick leave, etc.) into one form (per 7/6/06 minutes, p. 7). i.Department of Environmental Management:Recommend hiring an additional engineer (or exploring the position and having a long-term plan to fund it, or having a long-term vision plan) (per 7/6/06 minutes, p. 7). j.Department of Environmental Management:Acquire the Computerized Maintenance Management System (per 7/6/06 minutes, p. 8). 2 k.Department of Public Works (Highway Maintenance): Recommend pursuing negotiations with the union to go to a 10-hour, 4-day work schedule for employees (per 7/20/06 minutes, p. 14). l.Department of Public Works (Highway Maintenance):Recommend that incorporating or consolidating all the State highways into the County highways system be pursued (per 7/20/06 minutes, p. 14). m.Department of Public Works (Building Division):Recommend providing them with an adequate travel budget in which certification and training opportunities would be available to staff (per 7/20/06 minutes, p. 14). n.Department of Public Works:Recommend investigating the creation of a traffic hotline, pursuant to item 4a of the DPW’s response (per 7/20/06 minutes, p. 15). o.Police Department:Recommend implementation of the 311 County-wide information telephone number (per 8/3/06 minutes, p. 10). p.Police Department:Recommend consolidating the Police and Fire Departments’ Dispatch into one unit (per 8/3/06 minutes, p. 10). q.Police Department:Recommend taking the abandoned/derelict vehicle program out of the Police Department and placing it with the Department of Environmental Management (per 8/3/06 minutes, pp. 10-11). r.Police Department:Recommend that entry-level police officers be compensated at a higher level to help the County recruit and retain officers (per 8/3/06 minutes, p. 12). s.Police Department:Recommend the Department go ahead with its Mobile Data Terminal program (per 8/3/06 minutes, p. 12). t.Planning Department (and Department of Public Works, Building Division): Recommend exploring consolidating the review of building permits (so two departments are not reviewing the same thing) (per 8/17/06 minutes, p. 8). u.Planning Department:Recommend that it give high priority to moving forward on the computerization of records and providing on-line services (per 8/17/06 minutes, p. 10). v.Pension Board:Recommend (or pass on to the Mayor) studying the number of people that would be most effective to serve on the Pension Board (per 8/17/06 minutes, pp. 10-11). w.Finance Department or appropriate department:Recommend that the County explore the possibility of leasing County vehicles (per 8/17/06 minutes, pp. 11-12). 8.DISCUSSION ON THE QUALIFICATIONS OF DEPARTMENT HEADS (Including Communication 2006-72, letter from Katherine A. Garson, Regarding the Qualifications of Department Heads) 3 9.DISCUSSION/ACTION ON POLICE COMMISSION RESPONSE TO THE COMMISSION’S LETTER DATED APRIL 10, 2006 (Comm. No. 2006-68) 10.DISCUSSION/ACTION ON CIVIL DEFENSE AGENCY RESPONSE TO THE COMMISSION’S LETTER DATED APRIL 10, 2006 (Comm. No. 2006-76) 11.DISCUSSION/ACTION ON OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK RESPONSE TO THE COMMISSION’S LETTER DATED APRIL 10, 2006 (Comm. No. 2006-77) 12.DISCUSSION/ACTION ON OFFICE OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT RESPONSE TO THE COMMISSION’S LETTER DATED APRIL 10, 2006 (Comm. No. 2006-78) 13.DISCUSSION/ACTION ON RHONDA HILTON’S RESPONSE TO THE COMMISSION’S LETTER DATED APRIL 10, 2006, REGARDING THE AQUATICS DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION (Comm. No. 2006-79) 14.DISCUSSION/ACTION REGARDING PRIORITIZING DEPARTMENTS/ BOARDS/COMMISSIONS OR ISSUES TO ACCOMPLISH THE MANDATE OF THE COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION Includes discussion and action on the prioritization of the departments/boards/ commissions to be analyzed, and a timeline for accomplishing the directive. Also includes discussion of items to be placed on draft list of recommendations to be included in the Commission’s report. 15.DISCUSSION OF ITEMS TO BE PLACED ON NEXT AGENDA 16.STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC 17.ANNOUNCEMENTS The next meeting of the Cost of Government Commission is scheduled for October 5, 2006, at 10:00 a.m., at the conference room at the Hilo Department of Liquor Control, 101 Aupuni Street, Suite 230, Hilo, Hawai‘i. 18.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 961-8304, x104. 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. 4