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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-01-15 Cost of Government Commission AgendaCOST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION - w c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street, Suite 325, " V Hilo, Hawaii 96720 F uci =I •1 Thursday, January 15, 2015 — 10:00 a.m. Office of the Corporation Counsel Conference Room 101 Aupuni Street, Suite 325 Hilo, Hawai'i 96720 1. CALL TO ORDER s 2. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES (12 -11 -14 and 12- 18 -14) } 4. CORRESPONDENCE A. Comm. No. 2015 -001 Letter from Bonnie S. Nims, Office of the Legislative Auditor 5. DISCUSSION REGARDING SUBCOMMITTEE MEETINGS WITH VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES FOR THE PURPOSE OF GATHERING INFORMATION FOR THE FINAL REPORT The Commission will discuss the subcommittees' progress in meeting with the various County of Hawaii departments to investigate and gather information to assist in final report preparation. A. Fire Department i. Vehicle use policy & procedures ii. Overtime policies & procedures iii. Energy iv. Finance V. Technology vi. Staffing vii. Land (G. Matsuda) Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider 1 B. Department of Liquor Control i. Vehicle use policy & procedures ii. Overtime policies & procedures iii. Energy iv. Finance V. Technology vi. Staffing vii. Land (G. Matsuda) C. County Council i. Vehicle use policy & procedures ii. Overtime policies & procedures iii. Energy iv. Finance V. Technology vi. Staffing vii. Land (J. Mitchell) D. Department of Environmental Management Discussion regarding presentation on December 4, 2014 6. DISCUSSION /ACTION REGARDING PROPOSED RECOMMENDATIONS AND FORMAT AND CONTENTS OF FINAL REPORT Includes discussion /action on the proposed recommendations and format of the final report. A. Develop and implement a uniform computer mileage tracking system for all County -owned vehicles within significant departments [which do not currently have a tracking system] and /or Countywide. B. Explore the use of Mass Transit hubs for more rapid and shorter bus routes to improve service and possibly reduce repair and maintenance costs. Example: Create hubs in the Kealakehe /Airport area, Waikoloa area and Kona /Ocean View area. Explore and establish small to medium size mass transit hubs that are operated in a cooperative public - private partnership (P3). The mission of the hubs is to provide coordinated ride - share, van pool and bus service in a user friendly location operated in conjunction with a private vendor who will help offset costs. The transit hub is in a central location such as the airport where people can catch a ride share, or a van pool, or a bus into the town hub center. At this center would be a private vendor and from 2 that hub you may catch another ride to the next hub center. The centers may range from 12 to 30 miles from each other depending on the needs of the community. The transit hub model is in place in similar communities in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia. Reducing traffic, pollution, drive time, fossil fuel consumption while providing smart transportation for our community is within reach. C. Explore revenue - generating ideas for Mass Transit hubs. D. Declare to the public that Commission members find high levels of value in several if not most departments. We have found that many employees eat lunch at their desks, arrive early and /or stay late and spend personal time and money in benefit to the County and its people. This seems to be normal, not unusual whatsoever. E. Fund three positions dedicated to the protection of our County parks, beaches and recreational facilities from fire ants and spiders. Millions of dollars are at stake as the County has invested in family friendly parks and recreation centers, yet fire ants and spiders pose a very significant danger to these facilities. F. Examine "The Expanding Transportation Opportunities on Hawaii Island" comprehensive report authored by the University of Michigan sponsored by The Kohala Center, April 2014, and implement the report's recommendations in the short, medium and long term as much as possible within budgetary constraints. G. Mass Transit may be able to streamline the Hele On Bus system by identifying redundancies or unnecessary overlap in the current routing and scheduling system. Mountain View, Pahoa and Pahala, are served by one bus route and the very popular Mauna Kea State Park is without service. According to the report, the airports have limited bus service. H. Recommend collaboration with Maui transit officials and look into incorporating some of their innovations that offer the best path forward for Hawai'i County mass transit by utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Google Transit to enhance the quality of mass transit. Examine and establish a public - private partnership (P3) with the County for a unique rideshare - vanpool network. Combining and coordinating existing County, business and private person resources with mild additional funding will likely have significant impacts on traffic, drive time, pollution, gasoline consumption and vehicle wear and tear. J. Using current City & County of Honolulu and Maui County ordinances as a guide, explore a similar ordinance for Hawai'i County that would require alarm systems to register with the County and provide a mechanism to assess service charges for repeated false alarms. 3 K. Reinstate in 2015 -16 department operating budget, a line item to make phased purchases of "Blue & Whites" to replace current aging fleet. L. Urge County Council to increase the current County fuel tax of 8.8 cents /gallon, to a level commensurate with other Counties, for purpose of increasing funding available to repave roads in a timely manner. M. To promote transparency in County government, recommend that each County department make public in a user - friendly format on a regular basis the professional audits, reviews and plans that assess, guide and steer County government debate and course of action. An example is the federally mandated 20 -year transportation plan that does not appear in public debate and County officials seem unaware of. Likely, officials and the public are unclear or unaware of such research -based plans, reviews and assessments that can support debate and decision - making. N. Highlight specific recommendations from the 2010 -2011 Report of the Cost of Government Commission that the County has implemented. O. Recommend the Cost of Government Commission be convened annually as opposed to every four years. P. List of top ten County projects /initiatives that could impact the budget (i.e., LED street lights, possible waste to energy and more renewable energy projects). Q. For the Introduction section of the final report, state the challenges the community faced. R. Develop a Countywide policy and plan to convert County vehicles to biodiesel wherever possible using a local producer, which will contribute to a diversified economy, sustainability for local agriculture through cultivation of biodiesel- related crops. (12 /4/14 meeting minutes, pg 10, BJ Leithead -Todd presentation) S. Automate internal forms, such as time cards by implementing an a -time sheet system that allows the timesheet to pass electronically from employee through management to other departments could save hours of labor involved in current manual system. (Comm. 2014 -081, Don Jacobs, Information Technology, 4/14/14) T. Expand use of electronic signatures countywide as a secure and valid means of authorization to save money in paper, copying, handling and maintaining paper documentation where it is not needed. (Comm. 2014- 081 Don Jacobs, Information Technology, 4/14/14) U. Accept credit cards to complete transactions currently requiring "in person" counter payments of cash or check, such as licenses, taxes and renewals. (Comm. 2014 -081, Don Jacobs, Information Technology, 4/14/14) 4 V. Continue to expand and expedite use of web -based services and commerce, allowing the public to conduct business via the internet to reduce lines and improve interactions with the public. (Comm. 2014 -081, Don Jacobs, Information Technology, 4/14/14) W. Continue efforts to consolidate duplicative IT systems among /between departments to improve IT support and service, increase efficiency of information sharing and reduce costs. Centralize support and decision making for IT related to the overall network backbone, e-mail, internet access, anti -virus support, software updates and licensing. (Comm. 2014- 081, Don Jacobs, Information Technology, 4/14/14) X. Explore ways to streamline and expedite the process for position revisions and department reorganizations. Several department heads indicated they had invested more than two years in reorganizing department functions and positions, leading to inefficiency and inability to implement program improvement goals. Y. Explore ways to maximize use of the facility, including implementation of meeting room use fee. (Office of Aging) Z. Implement fees to cover sewer connection inspections, building permit reviews and administrative (annual) cost of septage hauler discharge permits. (Comm. 2014 -086, Response from BJ Leithead -Todd, 7/24/14) AA. Environmental Management Commission, like the Board of Water Supply, be given authority to set fees rather than having everything go through the County Council for codification in the County Code. The Commission meets every month with the Department, spends a great deal of time and attention on Department operations and are very familiar with County facilities. (12/4/14 meeting minutes, pg 7, BJ Leithead -Todd presentation) BB. Conduct study related to waste water rates, which were last adjusted in 2002, including a multi -year schedule of planned increases /adjustments. (12/4/14 meeting minutes, pg 4, BJ Leithead -Todd presentation) CC. Explore possibility of giving Wastewater Division to separate costs of electricity or diesel fuel on consumers' bills and to pass changes in those costs on to consumers. (12/4/14 meeting minutes, pg 7, BJ Leithead -Todd presentation) DD. Implement program of contracted small grinders at selected transfer stations to allow mulching in place, eliminating the need to haul green waste to Pu'uanahulu Landfill, and making mulch readily available in remote communities. (12/4/14 meeting minutes, pg 11, BJ Leithead -Todd presentation) EE. Implement the green waste fee program approved for the County Code in 2005, as means of generating department revenue. (12/4/14 meeting minutes, pg 13, BJ Leithead -Todd presentation) 61 7. FF. Expedite purchase of upgraded computers for Legislative Auditor department staff. (11/6/14 meeting minutes, pg 4) GG. Allow Legislative Auditor department staff to work remotely, with access to centralized information system, to improve efficiency. (11/6/14 meeting minutes, pg 4) HH. Create a Kailua -Kona Mass Transit base yard to save downtime while responding to trouble calls, increasing efficiency to the public. Currently the only base yard is in Hilo requiring mechanics to be dispatched to respond to breakdowns island -wide. Kailua -Kona base yard would allow buses to be repaired in West Hawaii rather than being towed to Hilo. (Comm. 2014 -080 recommendation from T. Kai, 4/3/14) PREVIOUSLY APPROVED RECOMMENDATIONS SUBJECT TO LANGUAGE REVISION FOR THE FINAL REPORT A. Explore a flexible schedule model for employees. (Recommendation approved 12/4/14 meeting) B. Modify overly burdensome form policies within County Departments to increase the flow of communication (Recommendation approved 12/4/14 meeting) Example: Explore the implementation of employee punch clocks. C. Pursue placing property liens for unpaid water bills in addition to current tools, which would cut down on suits and court time and costs, shorten collection times and afford customers due process through an administrative hearing. (Recommendation approved 11/6/14 meeting) D. Explore use of debit and credit cards at the Department of Motor Vehicles. (Recommendation approved 12/4/14 meeting) E. Continue to update policies and procedures to expand and accelerate use of technology related to processes for online contracts and forms and use of electronic signatures. (Recommendation approved 11/6/14 meeting) F. Implement jet ski program within the Ocean Safety Division of the Hawaii County Fire Department. See Communication 2014 -063 for more detailed cost breakdown; 4/17/14 agenda) Powered Water Craft (PWC) (2) $12,000 each $ 24,000 Equipment for PWC $7,800 $ 7,800 Personal Equipment (2) $600 each $ 1,200 Salary for Water Safety Officer (2) $40,000 each $ 80,000 Training Cost $3,000 $ 3,000 Maintenance $15,000 $ 15,000 Total start up cost: $131,000 (Recommendation approved 11/6/14 meeting) 0 G. Allocate funds from the general operating budget to purchase personnel /HR software to accurately and efficiently manage County employee /personnel records /actions and time sheet submission /payroll processing. (Recommendation approved 11/6/14 meeting) H. Implement smart card payment system for Mass Transit in place of tickets and monthly passes to improve cash handling procedures and increase efficiency and accuracy. (Recommendation approved 11/6/14 meeting) Implement a countywide vehicle pool program, using computer /internet reservation system to reduce the number of department fleets and gain improved efficiency of vehicle use. (Recommendation approved 12/4/14) J. Continue to improve County of Hawaii communications with public (Recommendation approved 12/4/14 meeting) K. Explore combining the East and West Hawaii County Bands or contracting to non - profit to oversee. (Recommendation approved 12/4/14 meeting) L. Expand designers, lumberyards and contractors' program of permit "pre - approval" related to package homes. (Recommendation approved 11/6/14 meeting) 8. FINALIZATION OF REPORT The Commission will finalize their report at this meeting. Please note that the above recommendations or similar recommendations may be included in the final report. 9. CHAIR'S STATEMENT 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 969 -8251. 7 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 Jennifer Kualii c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street, Suite 325, Hilo HI 96720; (2) by facsimile to (808) 961 -8622; or (3) by e-mail to Jennifer .kualii(dhawaiicounty.gov. 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), Hawaii 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 Au uni Street, Hilo, Hawai'i 96720. 0