HomeMy WebLinkAboutReport of the Cost of Government Commission 2010-2011 TY OF N
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REPORT OF THE
COST OF GOVERNMENT
COMMISSION
COUNTY OF HAWAII
2010 =2011
2010-2011 Cost of Government Commission members
Marilyn Nicholson,Chair
Gloria Wong, Vice-Chair
Kenneth Armour
Glen Matsuda
Eileen O'Hara
Patricia Provalenko
William Takaba,ex-officio
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Introduction 1
Executive Summary with the COGC's Priority Recommendations 2
Part 1 — Cost and Revenue Concerns for the County of Hawaii 6
A. Changing the Way We Do Business 6
B. Process and Procedures Followed by the COGC 7
C. Essential County Services 8
Part 2 — Recommendations 11
A. County-Wide Recommendations to Save Costs and Increase Revenues 11
1. Employee Benefits and Compensation
a. Compensation Package
b. Reimbursement for Expenses
c. Travel Policies
d. Staff Consolidations/Eliminations and Overtime Reduction
e. Creation of Positions to Enhance Revenues
2. Technology Adoption
3. Contracting Process
4. Budget Review Process
5. Boards and Commissions
6. Miscellaneous
B. Department Specific Recommendations to Save Costs and Increase Revenue 14
1. County Clerk
2. Environmental Management
3. Finance
4. Fire
5. Mayor's Office
6. Parks and Recreation
7. Planning
8. Police
9. Public Works
10. Real Property
11. Human Resources
i Part 3 - Conclusion 17
Appendices 18
A. COGC Requests for Information 18
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INTRODUCTION
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.
The Cost of Government Commission (COGC) is mandated by the County of Hawai'i to be
convened every four years and for a term of eleven months. The 2010-2011 COGC met for the
first time on July 30, 2010. The COGC is designated to include one representative from each
Council district, for a total of nine members (plus the Managing Director as an ex-officio
member). A lack of willing and qualified volunteers left the 2010-2011 COGC with only.six
members, none of whom represented the Leeward side of the island. Although it is difficult to
say how this lack of representation may have affected the findings and recommendations in this
report, we can say that it did hamper the COGC's ability to gather a quorum for its bi-monthly
meetings. Despite this, the COGC met regularly throughout the past eleven months to arrive at
the report you have before you.
The report itself is organized with an Executive Summary and three (3) main parts. The
Executive Summary precedes the body of the report and provides a comprehensive discussion
on the COGC's top priority recommendations and justifications for taking those actions. Part 1
provides a discussion on the overarching costs and revenue concerns for the County of Hawai'i.
In that section the commissioners discuss the need for a change in how government
approaches the tasks of providing services. The process and procedures followed by this
commission in developing the report are explained in this section which ends with a discussion
of what essential services our County should and does provide to the public. In Part 2 we
provide specific recommendations on measures that could save the County considerable costs
and/or provide additional sources of revenues. Part 2 is broken down into two sections-, the first
describes County-wide recommendations and the second provides department specific
recommendations. Part 3 provides a general discussion on the potential outcomes of adopting
all, or some, of these recommendations, and includes the commissioners' concluding remarks.
Although his remarks came late in the process, Mayor Billy Kenoi appeared before the
commission to answer questions and give us a status report on County funding issues. At that
time, he remarked:
Government of tomorrow is not going to look like the government of yesterday.
Government is going to be very different going forward. We have to recognize that.
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EXECUTIVE U E SUMMARY WITH THE COGC S PRIORITY RECOMMENDATIONS
The 2010-2011 COGC commissioners are pleased to provide an extensive list of
recommendations on measures the County may well consider adopting to save costs and
enhance revenues. In this executive summary, we are submitting a short list of priority action
items, not necessarily in order of importance, which are taken from the comprehensive
recommendations in Part 2 of this report. We would be very pleased for the Mayor and County
Council to take immediate action on the following:
1. Consolidate and coordinate the inspection and enforcement responsibilities of
the Planning Department, Building Division, Real Property Tax Division,
Department of Environmental Management, and the State of Hawaii Department of
Health (as contracted to the County) under an inspection and enforcement
division.
Justification: Consolidating inspection and enforcement efforts under one division will
allow for a more effective and timely response on regulatory violations that are under the
County's jurisdiction. It would also allow for better interaction with State and Federal
agencies that may also have jurisdiction over a regulatory violation such that the public
is better served in resolving the issue(s). Consolidation may not require creation of new
positions, and may be achieved by transferring existing personnel.
There is an apparent lack of coordination between inspectors' observations and
enforcement activities. Currently when there is a complaint or enforcement violation,
personnel from several departments or divisions are required to respond. Consolidation
of these functions under one division would result in cost savings as well as provide
more timely service to the public.
2. Propose a resolution to the State allowing each County to negotiate collective
bargaining contracts with the Unions on behalf of the County.
Justification: Allowing the County to negotiate its employee contracts separately from
other counties in the State would allow Hawai'i County to negotiate terms that are more
responsive to the economic conditions, regional disparities in cost of living, differences in
County operations, and demographics of the areas served. Private enterprise has
already adopted many cost saving measures, yet the County is unable to curb costs or
move toward more efficient operations due to the restrictions on the current negotiating
process.
Note: Many of the recommendations found under Part 2A of this report concerning
i employee benefits and compensation are related to this item. {
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3. 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.
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Justification: There are many public and private grant opportunities that the County is
not taking advantage of because it lacks personnel at the department level who have the
expertise and experience necessary to successfully identify, apply for, and administer
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grants. A County Grant Specialist would also be able to foster intra-department
partnerships and private sector collaborations that could leverage the County's chances
of receiving funds and expand the scope of projects. Adding such a position has the
potential of increasing the County's annual funding significantly.
4. Develop and implement a County-wide technology management plan.
Justification: A comprehensive IT Strategic Plan will allow the County to be more
productive and efficient in completing tasks expected of local government, avoid
duplication of services within and between County departments, and increase the ability
of County departments to communicate online. Redesign of the County website would
allow it to be more user friendly for both internal County departments and the public. The
plan should identify ways to save money through computer and printer leasing and
networking. The plan should focus on ways to use all types of informational
technologies, including Laserfiche and Video Conferencing, to gain efficiency in
document management, reduce the physical storage of paper documents, and save the
cost of travel for County employees. Other technologies such as GPS vehicle tracking
could be considered to ensure efficient use of County fleet vehicles.
5. Review the internal process of procurement as to reduce change orders, facilitate
contract renewals and speed up contract processing. Utilize technology such as
electronic signatures, electronic distribution, and online approvals to increase
efficiency.
Justification: Change orders and delays in contract processing cost the County money.
In addition, the current system makes it difficult for vendors and the awarding
departments to track and renew their contracts in a timely manner. By modernizing the
processes the County uses in its procurement efforts cost savings would be realized.
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6. Increase the annual renewal fee to commercial solid waste haulers from the
current$25 and require all haulers to be current on their solid waste accounts to
reduce delinquencies. Implementing software solutions to coordinate collection
of tipping fees at the scale house will reduce delinquencies and ensure
accounting systems are able to read the data.
Justification: Currently there are a large number of delinquencies among the solid
waste haulers which can be remedied with a coordinated software system at the scale
houses that allows immediate access to accounting data. Implementing the requirement
that annual renewal fees for commercial solid waste hauler permits be issued only if the
hauler's account is in good standing would allow the department an opportunity to collect
delinquent fees. Increasing the annual renewal permit fee would help fund operations at
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7. Review the process for qualifying agricultural property tax benefits through the
agriculture use and dedication programs and require financial documentation to
verify and substantiate agricultural activity. Fine and/or revoke exemptions for
violators.
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Justification: There are widespread abuses to these tax benefits that cost the County
significant lost revenues. Inspections of properties claiming agricultural use are not
occurring on a regular basis and there is a wide range of interpretation of what
constitutes agricultural activity. In order to qualify for an agricultural use program,
property owners should be required to provide financial documentation that shows that
some portion of their income is derived, or will be derived, from the agricultural
production and/or processing activities on that parcel. Granting agricultural tax benefit
for casual agricultural activities such as growing a few fruit trees for personal
consumption and/or tethering a goat to keep down the grass should not qualify for
agricultural tax benefits. This tax benefit should be used to encourage an increase in
agricultural production in the County and not be used for undocumented purposes.
County property taxes are the largest source of revenue for County government and
revenues could increase if abuse of this agricultural use program is ended.
8. Eliminate the Homeowner's Real Property Tax Exemption for unpermitted
dwellings.
Justification: Unpermitted living structures are illegal and potentially pose health and
safety issues for the County. By providing a Homeowner's Real Property Tax Exemption
for these properties, the County is tacitly supporting the continuation and spread of
unpermitted structures. Elimination of this exemption would encourage homeowner's to
bring their living structures up to minimum County Building code standards in a
reasonable period of time, and generate additional revenues to help support this effort.
If the owner of an unpermitted dwelling receives a homeowner's exemption, this
property is currently placed in the Homeowners Class. The tax rate on the homeowner's
class is 56% - 66% less than properties in other classes. So with the benefit of the
homeowner's exemption(s) and the lower tax rate, the property owner is likely to pay
less in property taxes than if no dwelling existed. Both items #7 and #8 in this summary
are important actions that the County can take to increase its revenues and should be
considered in combination with efforts to ensure that property tax revenues are
expended in an equitable fashion.
9. Impose a fee to be included in each parcel's real property tax bill to help fund
recycling, a-waste disposal, and help offset the cost of solid waste disposal and
illegal dumping clean ups.
Justification: In most places in the U.S., residential solid waste disposal fees are charged
directly to the customer either by private companies that perform the solid waste
collections or by the municipality in the case of public sector collection services. Thus,
the cost of solid waste disposal is not a burden on the city or county general fund. As
disposal fees are charged only at the County's two landfills and disposal at the island's
transfer stations is free to the public, the County should consider collecting a small fee j
included on each real property's tax bill in lieu of instituting a pay as you throw system.
The COGC felt that instituting a solid waste disposal fee via the real property tax bill
would be more cost effective than restructuring the County's waste operations to create
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a pay as you throw system. The real property tax bill fee could be adjusted for TMKs that
have multiple structures or are zoned as multiple family dwellings.
10. Limit attendance at off-island conferences/meetings and/or hold off-island
conferences/meetings 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. i
Justification: As technology has improved, holding meetings through video
conferencing or Skype has become an accepted way to do business. It would be more
efficient and save the County money to conduct business using available technologies
including web-based meetings venues and video conferencing. The County has the
video conferencing capabilities and the IT Department indicated it needs to provide
training to more County personnel in the use of this technology. If the County requires
that attendance at conferences/meetings be achieved by utilizing technology,
considerable time and expense will be saved.
As part of our fact finding efforts, the COGC Commissioners queried County departments on the
status of efforts to implement department specific recommendations provided by the former
Cost of Government Commissions. It was determined that very little follow-through had
occurred with regard to implementing the previous commissions' recommendations. As such,
this commission is concerned that the many recommendations contained herein may not be
implemented or acted upon in a timely manner. Therefore, we have taken the following further
steps to support the follow-through.
a) The Report of the Cost of Government Commission, County of Hawai'i, 2010-2011 will be
conveyed to the Mayor, County Council, and Department Heads before the end of the
COGC term in June 2011;
b) The final report will be posted online for public view.
1 c) The final report 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.
j e) The quarterly reports shall be provided to the next term COGC at their first meeting.
Also as part of its investigative efforts, the COGC welcomed a presentation from the County's
Green Team. As identified by the Green Team, delivering essential local government services
requires significant use of energy and resources. As such the COGC supports the efforts put
forth in the Green Team's draft report, Chapter 6; Priorities for Action, that identifies reductions
in resources that will lead to cost savings while meeting the sustainability objectives in County
operations.
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Part 1 — Cost and Revenue Concerns for the County of Hawaii
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
advance into the 21St century. 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.
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 provide our concluding remarks and reflections on the process we undertook and its
potential outcomes. The bottom line for our findings is that the way we do business as a local
government has to change.
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B. Process and Procedures Followed by the COGC
Early on, reviewing the prior Cost of Government reports issued in 2003 and 2007, and in
discussion with current County employees, COGC members felt some concern about the
commitment of County government to take its recommendation seriously. However, given the
challenging environment, especially the fiscal restraints that the County now faces, it is hoped
that the recommendations included in this report will receive a careful and thoughtful reading by
the Mayor, members of the County Council, and the heads of all County departments.
The COGC, which held 18 meetings over the course of eleven months to formulate this report,
utilized a number of methods in its research. Surveys were developed and sent to all County
employees. Departmental inquiries that focused on specific questions as well as requests for
updated responses on actions recommended in previous COGC reports were also solicited.
Interviews were conducted with various County employees, including Department heads and/or
their designated representatives, employees, administrative and support staff, and affiliated
members of the public. Various County documents and focused internet research were also
helpful in formulating the basis for some of the interview questions as well as in preparing this
report. Due to time constraints public input, although welcomed, was not directly solicited.
Summary COGC Efforts: I
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
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Actions Taken by Commission:
• Provided a Questionnaire to County Agencies, Departments and Commissions via Letter
Provided a Questionnaire to County Employees via Payroll Notice
,I • Logged and Categorized Responses to Questionnaires
• Received Presentation from County Green Team
• Analyzed Responses Regarding the Implementation Status &Adoption of 2007 COGC
Recommendations
i • Requested and Received Results from an Employee Survey that Dominic Yagong
conducted in the Spring of 2009
• Received Presentations and Conducted Q&A with Specific Departments and County
Administration Offices including a member from the Council and the Mayor
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C. Essential County Services
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Identification of the Essential Services of County Government and Discussion of
Relevance to
The Hawai'i County Government
At one of the first COGC meetings it was determined that a guiding principle 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 Hawai'i County government. Therefore, a narrowly scoped
online survey of city/county essential services was conducted for discussion among the
Commissioners. 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 developmenbtourism
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 and recreation - 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 i
8. Emergency management
I 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 and federal law, responding to citizen
lawsuits stemming from city actions or inactions.
12. Transportation (varies widely) - if the city has a municipal bus or light rail service, this
i 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, June 2010. Local government in the
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United States. Retrieved June 1, 2011 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local government in the United States)
In other online sources, the consensus was that there are ten general service categories that
counties are responsible for providing which are listed below.
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
It is evident that Hawai'i County is dissimilar for several reasons. In Hawai'i the areas of Health
and Education are largely overseen by the State. However, in the future, the County may want
to take a more active role in these areas.
For budgetary purposes, the County of Hawai'i is organized as follows:
GENERAL GOVERNMENT
County Council
Executive
Auditing
Elections
Finance
III Information Technology
Law
Planning & Zoning
Personnel Administration
j Research & Investigation
Public Works
PUBLIC SAFETY
Police
Fire
Construction/Building Inspection
Animal Control
Civil Defense
Liquor Control
Flood Control
Traffic Services
i Prosecuting Attorney
HIGHWAYS
Roadway Maintenance
Public Transportation
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SANITATION &WASTE REMOVAL
Environmental Management
Sewer& Sewage Disposal
Vehicle & Parts Disposal
Waste Disposal
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
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. (Kraybill, D. and Lobao, L., August 5-8, 2001. The Emerging Roles of
County Governments in Rural America: Findings from a Recent National Survey. Retrieved
June 15, 2011 from http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/20697/l/sp0lkr0l.pd-)
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. (John Cook for
Supervisor, 2011. Effectively Managing County Government. Retrieved June 15, 2011 from
http://4ohncook4supervisor.com/ docs/Effective Government.pdf)
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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 the economy of Hawai'i County.
Part 2 — Recommendations
A. County-Wide Recommendations to Save Costs and Increase Revenues
1. Employee benefits and compensation
a. Compensation Package
1) Allow employees to work 10 hours/4 days per week. Potential savings would
be realized in lower utility costs, reduction in overtime costs for staff required
to attend evening public meetings, reduction in travel time/mileage, and
increased employee morale.
2) Institute a performance-based employee rewards program. Rewards might
be a bonus, time off, increase in compensation, etc.
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.
This would reduce overtime and allow employees who must travel some
distance to their job site to make more productive use of their work hours.
4) Link pay cuts to an economic index that would restore cuts as the economy
Improves.
5) Focus work-hour cuts or shift personnel in departments that have less
demand for their services in a slow economy to departments or tasks
requiring additional man hours.
6) Establish a 'voluntary furlough' program. Suggested format is:
a) Each department head decides which positions or whether any
positions can accommodate a personnel time reduction on a
temporary basis only.
b) Any employee may apply.
C) Each eligible full-time employee may take off 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
4 furlough program, which may be renewed by application at least
20 days prior to expiration (for accounting management needs).
Department heads or supervisors may reduce the time off
requested or may deny voluntary furlough time, based on
personnel needs.
7) Reduce the number of paid holidays for all County employees to be more in
line with current business practices.
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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).
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9) Consolidate vacation and sick time into personal time off. This would allow
employees more flexibility to schedule personal time off, would reduce abuse
of sick time.
10) Establish an early retirement incentive plan.
b. Reimbursement for Expenses
1) Eliminate on-island meal reimbursements unless work travel requires an
overnight stay.
2) Replace fixed per diem amounts for meals and lodging with actual expenses,
capped at per diem amount.
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. (See also Executive Summary)
2) Restrict the use of county take home vehicles to those employees who are
required to respond to off-hour emergencies.
3) Implement a vehicle pool that would be accessible to all county departments
to limit vehicle purchases by individual departments while still providing
vehicles to employees who may need use of a vehicle. A vehicle pool would
also centralize the purchase and maintenance of vehicles.
d. Staff consolidations/eliminations and overtime reduction
1) Consolidate the inspection and enforcement responsibilities of the Planning
Department, Building Department, Real Property Tax Division, Department of
Environmental Management and the Department of Health (as contracted to
the county) into an inspection and enforcement division. This would help
eliminate inspections from multiple departments and help to administer
enforcement of remedial actions and fines. (See also Executive Summary)
2) Review and streamline the procedures for disciplining and terminating
employees.
3) Cross train employees to perform multiple functions within a department.
4) Pool clerical staff among departments when appropriate.
5) Recruit and use volunteers and volunteer groups at all levels of County
operations.
6) Eliminate vacant funded positions.
7) Introduce a six month hiring freeze and review it every six months to see if it
should be continued.
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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.
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. (See also Executive Summary)
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.
11)Direct the Human Resources department to examine countywide overtime
policies to make sure they are fair, unambiguous and effective in reducing
overtime. (See also Human Resources)
12) Eliminate the Personnel Officer position in smaller departments and
designate a specialist in Human Resources to absorb these tasks. (see also
Human Resources)
e. Creation of Positions to Enhance Revenues
1) Create a position dedicated to focusing on health care and education
industries.
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. (See also Executive Summary)
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2. Technology Adoption
a. Investigate having county employees videotape council and committee meetings
and have these recordings 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.
b. Develop and implement a county-wide technology management plan. (See also
i Executive Summary)
C. Implement the use of Laserfiche for all departments when and where practical.
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3. Contracting Process
a. Require each department to facilitate long term planning and budgeting by
4 having an annual planning session to identify their needs for outside contracting
services over the next two to five years. This will allow each department to
commence with drafting bid documents and properly define their scope.
b. Review internal processes that are currently in use to reduce change orders,
contract renewals and processing in a timely manner. Utilize technology such as
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electronic signatures in each department, electronic distribution, and online
approvals to increase efficiency. (See also Executive Summary)
4. Budget Review Process
a. 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.
b. Review the county's operating budget semi-annually or quarterly to make needed
adjustments.
5. Boards and Commissions
a. Request that all Boards and Commissions reduce the number of their meetings
to help save on personnel time and travel reimbursements.
6. Miscellaneous
a. Continue to update and enforce the county's internet use policy for all
employees.
b. Solicit employee suggestions and recommendations on a regular basis including
cost saving suggestions.
B. Department Specific Recommendations to Save Costs and Increase Revenues
1. County Clerk
a. Use a hiring agency to staff temporary election clerk positions.
2. Environmental Management
a. Implement software solutions to coordinate collection of tipping fees at the scale
house and insure accounting systems are able to read the data. (See also
Executive Summary)
b. Regulate septic and grease haulers and increase the annual fee for registration
commensurate with fees of other counties in Hawai'i. (See also Executive
Summary)
C. Increase the annual renewal fee for solid waste haulers and require all haulers to
j be current on solid waste bills to reduce delinquencies. (See also Executive
! Summary)
d. Separate positions for 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.
e. impose a fee to be included in each parcel's tax bill to help fund recycling and
efficient management of a-waste disposal. (See also Real Property Tax) (See
also Executive Summary)
14
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3. Finance
a. 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.
b. Establish a salvage fee for commercial buses that would offset the cost of
including their disposal through the county scrap metal recycling program.
4. Fire
a. Investigate the cost effectiveness of implementing a jet ski program with our
Ocean Safety Division.
5. Mayor's Office
a. Use 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.
b. Direct all departments to utilize student interns.
6. Parks and Recreation
a. Streamline the re-contracting process for continuing, part-time temporary staff
including eliminating the yearly requirement for a physical exam.
7. Planning
a. Combine the Steering Committees and the Action Committees into one
Community Development Plan (CDP) Support Committee which will follow
through on CDP recommendations within the first two years after adoption.
b. 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 and
provide more affordable housing options for the public. (See also Public Works)
8. Police
a. Base the fuel reimbursement for all Police Department personnel on actual
mileage rather than a fixed amount that is not reflective of distances travelled.
i
b. 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.
C. Cut the monthly car allowance for police officers and replace it with a yearly
servicing and maintenance allowance.
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15
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9. Public Works
o s
a. 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 as
well as provide more affordable housing options for the public. (See also
Planning)
10. Real Property
a. 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. (See also Executive Summary)
b. Eliminate the Homeowner's Real Property Exemption for unpermitted dwellings.
(See also Executive Summary)
C. Impose a fee to be included in each parcel's tax bill to help fund recycling and
efficient management of a-waste disposal. (See also Environmental
Management and Executive Summary)
11. Human Resources
a. Eliminate the Personnel Officer position in smaller departments and designate a
specialist in Human Resources to absorb these tasks. (See also Staff
consolidations/eliminations and overtime reduction)
b. Reorganize the Human Resources Department to decrease staffing needs.
C. Direct the Human Resources department to examine countywide overtime
policies to make sure they are fair, unambiguous and effective in reducing
overtime. (See also Staff consolidations/eliminations and overtime reduction)
4
16
Part 3 - Conclusion
The essence of the work of this Cost of Government Commission has been to serve as a
conduit of public and private perspectives 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 the Hawai'i County Charter policy. Mahalo to all the elected
officials, department heads, County employees, volunteer board members, public citizens, and
the County staff who collaborated with the COGC members to contribute to the mission.
Mayor Billy Kenoi spoke to the COGC on April 27, 2011 when he expressed the value of the
COGC's representation as the public voice. Further he articulated, "when we talk about creating
a new economy, a 21St century knowledge based economy... you need three things... to create
a thriving, vibrant economy that allows our working families to raise healthy, safe children... you
need people, you need ideas, and you need capital."
Councilman Pete Hoffman addressed the COGC on January 14, 2011 when he spoke
passionately about the importance of the council and the administration working together—and
he asked to emphasize the attitude of cooperation between the two bodies. The attitude, he
said, that "we've always done it this way... and somewhere along the line we have to be smart
enough and courageous enough politically in order to say to ourselves that ain't good enough...
and until the administration and the council(are) willing to work together as a team to address
this and to make the real tough decisions, then we don't make the progress that we need to."
By the responses from the County employees and volunteers, we have respectfully surmised
that they generally want to do effective and efficient work for the good of the community. The
recommendations that we have listed herein are intended to support their efforts.
The task of delivering essential local government services, especially during these rough
economic times, requires innovative reforms that focus on efficiency and innovation... and, yes,
cooperation within government and between public and private groups. Bringing together our
people, resources, and ideas in a collaborative approach —with the aloha spirit— has been the
intention of the work of this COGC and the leadership of the Hawai'i County government
system.
We, the members of the 2010-2011 Cost of Government Commission, fully appreciate that there
are changes that not only should be made, but need to be made in order for the County to
provide the essential services in a cost effective manner that the County populace will require in
the years ahead. It is our hope that some of these changes will grow out of the
recommendations that we have put forth in the report.
These collective recommendations have been thoughtfully deliberated upon by the COGC to
serve as a plan of action for the County. We expect that the outcomes of adopting the
recommendations will make a significant start toward changing the way the Hawai'i County
government will do business. by incorporating the voices of its employees, its leadership, and its
volunteer commissioners who represent the local citizenship. Further, we expect innovative
collaboration with State and Federal governments and the unions to enhance the County efforts.
We are especially keen to see the priority action items identified in the Executive Summary
acted upon within the next year. We look forward to watching for the meaningful changes that
unfold over the next few years.
17
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Appendices
A. COGC Requests for Information
1. Notice to Employees
2. Generic letter to Department Heads
3. Generic letter to Boards and Commissions
4. Generic letter to Council
5. Letters sent to departments following up on previous COGC's recommendations
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18
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R
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COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION
c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720
;
SAMPLE OF LETTER TO EMPLOYEES
N OTi ' ' AL . OYfES
August 5, 2010
As required by law, the Cost of Government Commission was recently reconvened and
has begun its work. The Commission is comprised of volunteers from your community and is
charged with studying the organization and methods of operation of each County department in
an effort to promote economy, efficiency and improved service in the transaction of the public
business in the legislative and executive branches of the County.
As a starting point for discussion, the Commission asks for your input on the following
questions:
1. Do you have any ideas on how the County can save money while not
compromising essential services?
2. Do you have any ideas on how the County government can function more
efficiently?
Because we have only eleven(11) months to fulfill our Charter mandate, please provide
your input no later than September 13, 2010.
l YOUR RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE QUESTIONS MAY BE MADE
ANONYMOUSLY.
Please send your response to the Cost of Government Commission c/o Office of the
Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street, Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720. You may also fax your
response to 961-8622 or email your response to the Cost of Government Commission's secretary,
Sandy, at sarriola(a�co.hawaii.hi.us.
We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Very truly yours,
Gloria Wong
Vice-Chair
GW/KAG:emc
Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer
COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION
c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
=° Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720
SAMPLE OF LETTER TO DEPARTMENT HEADS
August 5, 2010
As you are aware, the Cost of Government Commission was recently reconvened and has
begun its work. The Commission is charged with studying the organization and methods of
operation of each County department in an effort to promote economy, efficiency and improved
service in the transaction of the public business in the legislative and executive branches of the
County.
As a starting point for discussion,the Commission asks that you provide, in no more than
two pages, responses to the following questions:
1. Please list the primary functions and services your department provides.
In your response, please prioritize the functions and services.
2. Please provide us with at least three (3) opportunities you see that
services, activities or functions can be consolidated within your
department or in tandem with other departments (within the next fiscal
year).
3. Please identify ways to enhance revenue and revenue collections in your
department, if applicable.
4. Can you suggest any technology that might streamline your department's '
operations? If you've investigated this technology, please provide the
implementation costs and potential savings to your department.
5. Please provide three (3) operational measures that you would like to
implement to make your operations more efficient.
Because we have only eleven (11)months to fulfill our Charter mandate, we would
greatly appreciate a response no later than September 1, 2010. Please send your response to the
Cost of Government Commission c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720. You may also fax your response to 961-8622 or email your
response to the Cost of Government Commission's secretary, Sandy, at sarriolagco.hawaii.hi.us.
Should you have any questions,please contact Katherine A. Garson, Assistant
Corporation Counsel, at 961-8251.
Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider
o,
Burt Tsuchiya, Director
Data Systems Department
August 5, 2010
Page 2 of 2
We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
�I
Very truly yours,
Gloria Wong
II
Vice-Chair
GW/KAG:emc
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COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION
c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720
•I
SAMPLE OF LETTER TO BOARDS & COMMISSIONS
August 5, 2010
i
As you are aware, the Cost of Government Commission was recently reconvened and has
begun its work. The Commission is charged with studying the organization and methods of
operation of each County department in an effort to promote economy, efficiency and improved
service in the transaction of the public business in the legislative and executive branches of the
County.
As a starting point for discussion, the Commission asks that you provide, in no more than
two pages, responses to the following questions:
1. Please list the primary functions and services your commission provides.
In your response, please prioritize the functions and services.
2. Please provide us with at least three (3) opportunities your commission
sees that services, activities or functions can be consolidated within the
County.
3. Please identify ways to enhance revenue and revenue collections within
the County.
4. Can you suggest any technology that might streamline the County's
operations? If you've investigated this technology, please provide the
implementation costs and potential savings to the County.
i
5. Please provide three (3) operational measures that you would like to
implement to make the County more efficient.
Because we have only eleven(11) months to fulfill our Charter mandate, we would
greatly appreciate a response no later than October 1, 2010. Please send your response to the
Cost of Government Commission c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720. You may also fax your response to 961-8622 or email your
response to the Cost of Government Commission's secretary, Sandy, at sarriolagco.hawaii.hi.us.
Should you have any questions, please contact Katherine A. Garson, Assistant
Corporation Counsel, at 961-8251.
Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider
i _
Judith Bell, Chair
Committee on Aging i
August 5, 2010
Page 2 of 2
i
We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Very truly yours, i
Gloria Wong i
Vice-Chair
GW/KAG:emc
i
COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION
c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street, `
Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720
�1
SAMPLE OF LETTER TO COUNCIL MEMBERS
August 5, 2010
As you are aware, the Cost of Government Commission was recently reconvened and has j
begun its work. The Commission is charged with studying the organization and methods of
operation of each County department in an effort to promote economy, efficiency and improved
service in the transaction of the public business in the legislative and executive branches of the
County.
As a starting point for discussion, the Commission asks that you provide, in no more than
two pages, responses to the following questions:
1. What do you consider the essential services, activities and functions of the
County? Please provide your response in priority order from the most
important to least important.
2. Do you have any suggestions on how to:
a) Limit expenditures to the lowest amount consistent with the efficient
performance of essential services, activities, and functions;
' b) Eliminate duplication and overlapping of services, activities, and
i
i functions;
c) Consolidate services, activities, and functions of a similar nature; and
d) Abolish services, activities, and functions not necessary to the efficient
conduct of government.
Because we have only eleven (11) months to fulfill our Charter mandate, we would
greatly appreciate a response no later than September 5, 2010. Please send your response to the
Cost of Government Commission c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720. You may also fax your response to 961-8622 or email your
response to the Cost of Government Commission's secretary, Sandy, at sarriolageo.hawaii.hi.us.
We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Very truly yours,
Gloria Wong
Vice-Chair
GW/KAG:emc
Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider
r �
COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION
—�—_ c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720
September 14, 2010
Kenneth G. Goodenow, County Clerk
Office of the County Clerk
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo,Hawaii 96720
Dear Mr. Goodenow:
The prior Cost of Government Commission issued a report on January 9, 2007. In that
report the Cost of Government Commission made the following recommendation for your
department:
• Recommend pursuing that each polling place have the ability.to
accommodate out-of-district voters through electronic voting only.
Please advise us if your department implemented said recommendation. If said
recommendation was not implemented, please state why it was not implemented (what were the
barriers with implementation).
Because we have only eleven(11)months to fulfill our Charter mandate, we would
greatly appreciate a response no later than October 1, 2010. Please send your response to the
Cost of Government Commission c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
Suite 325,Hilo,Hawaii 96720. You may also fax your response to 961-8622 or email your
! response to the Cost of Government Commission's secretary, Sandy, at sarriola(aco.hawaii.hi.us.
We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Very truly yours,
i
Marilyn Nicholson
Chair
MN/KAG:emc
i
Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider
I
COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION
c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720
September 14, 2010
Burt Tsuchiya, Director
Data Systems Department
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo,Hawai`i 96720
Dear Mr. Tsuchiya:
The prior Cost of Government Commission issued a report on January 9, 2007. In that
report the Cost of Government Commission made the following recommendations for your
department:
• Allow Data Systems to become a central point for all
PC/Peripherals/Software purchases for the entire County of Hawaii.
• Utilize the Police Department's microwave system to replace the monthly
recurring costs of Frame Relay/DSL circuits.
• Create a wireless network for the major urban areas of Hawaii island, ie.,
Kona, South Kohala, Waimea,Hilo, and Puna, to be used by the Public
Safety sector.
• Consolidate all analyst activities from other departments under Data
Systems (to include analysts from the Police Department, Prosecutor's
Office, Parks and Recreation, and the Office of Aging).
• Standardize the PC, LAN/WAN security and internet policies across the
entire County of Hawaii network.
• Consolidate and standardize GIS applications (ESRI versus Intergraph).
• Give Data Systems the authority to develop an internet policy on who has
access and non-access to internet websites and have them work with all
departments on formulating that policy.
Please advise us if your department implemented said recommendations. If said
recommendations were not implemented, please state why it was not implemented(what were
the barriers with implementation).
Because we have only eleven (11)months to fulfill our Charter mandate, we would
greatly appreciate a response no later than October 1, 2010. Please send your response to the
Cost of Government Commission c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
j Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720. You may also fax your response to 961-8622 or email your
response to the Cost of Government Commission's secretary, Sandy, at sarriola�a)co.hawaii.hi.us.
I
Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider
I
Burt Tsuchiya, Director
Data Systems Department
September 14, 2010
Page 2 of 2
I
We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Very truly yours,
Marilyn icholson
Chair
MN/KAG:emc
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COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION
c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720
September 14, 2010
Frank DeMarco, Department Head
Department of Environmental Management
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Dear Mr. DeMarco:
The prior Cost of Government Commission issued a report on January 9, 2007. In that
report the Cost of Government Commission made the following recommendations for your
department:
A. Wastewater Division:
• Recommend looking into developing more opportunities in wastewater
recycling,primarily for environmental reasons, but also to generate
revenue.
• Recommend combining the water and sewer bills into one bill.
• Recommend pursuing water turn-off approval for overdue sewer bills.
• Recommend that the Wastewater division develop proposals for stricter
enforcement of sewer connections for all homeowners where such
connections are available.
• Recommend expanding programs to assist homeowners to connect to the
sewer system where it is available.
B. Solid Waste Division:
• Recommend that the Solid Waste Division receive clerical assistance.
• Recommend that CDL truck drivers be separated from heavy equipment
operators, who work only at the landfills and should not need CDL
licenses.
• Recommend that contract terms be lengthened to multi-year terms. This is
regarding vendor contracts, not employee contracts.
• Recommend additional trainers to train transfer station attendants to
become equipment operators, thus increasing their ability to muilt-
function.
i
• Recommend that employees be subject to random drug testing, which is to
include current employees and not just new hires.
Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider
I
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Frank DeMarco, Department Head
Department of Environmental Management
September 14, 2010
Page 2 of 2
• Recommend taking the abandoned/derelict vehicle program out of the
Police Department and placing it with the Department of Environmental
Management.
Please advise us if your department implemented said recommendations. If said
recommendations were not implemented, please state why it was not implemented(what were
the barriers with implementation).
Because we have only eleven (11)months to fulfill our Charter mandate, we would
greatly appreciate a response no later than October 1, 2010. Please send your response to the
Cost of Government Commission c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
Suite 325, Hilo, Hawai;'i 96720. You may also fax your response to 961-8622 or email your
response to the Cost of Government Commission's secretary, Sandy, at sarriola@co.hawaii.hi.us.
We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Very truly yours__,,,
Y A
�
Marilyn Nicholson
Chair
MN/KAG:emc
II
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Of
COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION
c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
F Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720
September 14, 2010
Nancy Crawford, Director
Department of Finance
25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2103
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Dear Ms. Crawford:
The prior Cost of Government Commission issued a report on January 9, 2007. In that
report the Cost of Government Commission made the following recommendations for your
department:
• Have all departments revisit their telecommunication costs and verify the
number of lines within their department.
• Recommend implementation of a five-day payroll lag.
• Recommend that the County explore the possibility of leasing County
vehicles.
• Recommend discontinuing having all departmental bills come with return
envelopes enclosed for automatic payment customers.
Please advise us if your department implemented said recommendations. If said
recommendations were not implemented, please state why it was not implemented(what were
the barriers with implementation).
Because we have only eleven (11)months to fulfill our Charter mandate, we would
greatly appreciate a response no later than October 1,2010. Please send your response to the
Cost of Government Commission c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
Suite 325, Hilo,Hawaii 96720. You may also fax your response to 961-8622 or email your
Y 1?
response to the Cost of Government Commission's secretary, Sandy, at sarriolaQco.hawaii.hi.us.
We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Very truly yours,
Maril icholson
Chair
I
MN/KAG:emc
Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider
I
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COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION
c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
Vy Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720
September 14, 2010
Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, Director
Planning Department
101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Dear Ms. Leithead-Todd:
The prior Cost of Government Commission issued a report on January 9, 2007. In that
report the Cost of Government Commission made the following recommendations for your
department:
• Recommend exploring consolidating the review of building permits (so
two departments are not reviewing the same thing).
• Recommend that it give high priority to moving forward on the
computerization of records and providing on-line services.
Please advise us if your-department implemented said recommendations. If said
recommendations were not implemented,please state why it was not implemented(what were
the barriers with implementation).
Because we have only eleven(11)months to fulfill our Charter mandate,we would
greatly appreciate a response no later than October 1,2010. Please send your response to the
Co st of Goveriunent Commission c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel 10 1 Au P uni Street,
Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720. You may also fax your response to 961-8622 or email your
response to the Cost of Government Commission's secretary, Sandy, at sarriola(a),co.hawaii.hi.us.
We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Very truly yours,
Z
Marilyn Nicholson
Chair
MN/KAG:emc
Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider
G� COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION
— � c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
go Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720
September 14, 2010
Harry S. Kubojiri,Police Chief
Police Department
349 Kapiolani Street
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Dear Chief Kubojiri:
The prior Cost of Government Commission issued a report on January 9, 2007. In that
report the Cost of Government Commission made the following recommendations for your
department:
• Recommend implementation of a 311 County-wide information telephone
number.
• Recommend consolidating the Police and Fire Department's Dispatch into
one unit.
• Recommend taking the abandoned/derelict vehicle program out of the
Police Department and placing it with the Department of Environmental
Management.
• Recommend that entry-level police officers be compensated at a higher
level to help the County recruit and retain officers.
• Recommend the Department go ahead with its Mobile Data Terminals
program.
Please advise us if your department implemented said recommendations. If said
recommendations were not implemented,please state why it was not implemented (what were
the barriers with implementation).
Because we have only eleven (11) months to fulfill our Charter mandate, we would
greatly appreciate a response no later than October 1, 2010. Please send your response to the
Cost of Government Commission c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720. You may also fax your response to 961-8622 or email your
response to the Cost of Government Commission's secretary, Sandy, at sarriolaaco.hawaii.hi.us.
We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
V ry truly yours,
MaritywNkholson
Chair
MN/KAG:emc
Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider
i
' COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION
c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
_= Suite 325, Hilo, Hawai'i 96720
September 14, 2010
Warren Lee, Director
Department of Public Works
101 Pauahi Street, Suite 7
Hilo, Hawai`i 96720
Dear Mr. Lee:
The prior Cost of Government Commission issued a report on January 9, 2007. In that
report the Cost of Government Commission made the following recommendations for your
department:
A. Highway Maintenance Division:
• Recommend pursuing negotiations with the union to go to a 10-hour, 4-day
work schedule for employees.
• Recommend that County and State highways be"condensed"into one,
with the County handling all the maintenance of the State highways,be
pursued.
B. Building Division:
• Recommend exploring consolidating the review of building permits(so
two departments are not reviewing the same thing). j
Please advise us if your department implemented said recommendations. If said
recommendations were not implemented,please state why it was not implemented (what were
the barriers with implementation).
Because we have only eleven (11)months to fulfill our Charter mandate, we would
greatly appreciate a response no later than October 1, 2010. Please send your response to the
i Cost of Government Commission c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720. You may also fax your response to 961-8622 or email your
response to the Cost of Government Commission's secretary, Sandy, at sarriola a,co.hawaii.hi.us.
We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
V ry
Maril I�Ticholson
Chair
MN/KAG:emc
Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider
II
f
' COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION
Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
Suite 325, Hilo, Hawai'i 96720
September 14, 2010
Milton Pavao,Manager
Department of Water Supply
345 Kekuanaoa Street, Suite 20
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Dear Mr. Pavao:
The prior Cost of Government Commission issued a report on January 9, 2007. In that
report the Cost of Government Commission made the following recommendations for your
department:
• Recommend pursuing water turn-off approval for overdue sewer bills.
• Recommend combining the water and sewer bills into one bill.
Please advise us if your department implemented said recommendations. If said
recommendations were not implemented, please state why it was not implemented (what were
the barriers with implementation).
Because we have only eleven(11)months to fulfill our Charter mandate, we would
greatly appreciate a response no later than October 1, 2010. Please send your response to the
Cost of Government Commission c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street,
Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720. You may also fax your response to 961-8622 or email your
response to the Cost of Government Commission's secretary, Sandy, at sarriola(@,co.hawaii.hi.us.
We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. i
Very truly yours,
Marilyn .. icholson
Chair
MN/KAG:emc
Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider
1