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Home My WebLink AboutCOMM. 061 PO Box 129 Kailua-Kona Hi, 196740 Charter Review Commission 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Ladies and Gentlemen: I thank you for the opportunity to speak briefly during last night ' s Kona Public Hearing . That meeting exemplified, I think you will agree, the priceless participation of concerned citizens in the process of protecting their liberty and freedom by working to keep their government subservient and responsive to the needs of the electorate. I am personally very concerned that your commission has had so little input from the general public of east Hawaii--and I do believe a basic reason is a lack of understanding by our neighbors over there of the rare opportunity this Charter Review offers them to participate in improving the quality of life on the Big Island --all parts of it--by improving the governing mechanism of our County. Our voices are being heard and our ideas are being careful consider- ation. In short we can be shapers of the democratic process and not just helpless pawns in the political game as so many people believe to be the case today. I believe this story needs to be told to the electorate by your Conuuission NOW by the most effective means available. I think we can see from the WHC publicity campaign here in Kona that people, when ap- praised of the issues at stake, do take an interest and will contribute their ideas to this vital process . Properly approached by the Commis- sion, it may be that the press and radio media could be induced to pro- vide such publicity on a gratis public service basis . T concur with the recommendation made last evening that you sched- ule public hearings on the draft revision when it is ready and after it has been amply exposed in the press to the public . And I recommend you take advantage of the time left to also stir up voter interest in the issues you have under consideration as part of the publicity campaign covered in the preceding paragraph. It is absolutely vital, in my judgement, to defer asking the people to vote on the revisions until you have an informed public ready to do so. Let us not have another CON-CON debacle. One final point . I believe our County government as presently g COMM. NO. ..� Charter Review Commission -2- May 23, 1979 constituted shuts itself off from a tremendous pool of financial, administrative, and problem solving expertise that resides on this island in persons in business , the professions, and especially in the growing retirement community. This latter group ' s experience, availability and willingness to serve':constitutes a resource that should and must be utilized by the County government, in planning, executing and evaluating the ever-changing process of managing the Big Island economy and government ' s role in that field . Too often large sums are spent instead by hiring consultants who, while pro- fessional and competent, frequently lack the knowledge of local sit- uations and produce impractical, dream-world studies that lie gather- ing dust on County shelves . I strongly recommend introducing language in the Charter which mandates the administration to create, work closely with, and make annual reports (review process) to a citizens advisory board . Obvious- ly details of selection, term, size need to be broadly defined as well. Such a group (or groups) will be expecially effective in dealing with problems related to physical and fiscal planning, organizational eff- iciency, job definition, setting goals, monitoring performance, and the budgeting process . Such citizen participation is not new, it has been a vital part of government by the people (and still is) in the rural and small town areas of New England where size and geographic characteristics are sc9milar to ours, for over 200 years . The enclosed reprint from the February 1979 Financier shows how the public sector and private are cooperating in a much more complicated but basically similar endeavour throughout the state of California. Very truly yours, J. �,/Curt T�'er, ge. cc; EditorWEst Hawaii Today Editor Hilo Herald Kona Chamber of Commerce Kona Realty Board . Exchange Club of Kona Women of Hawaii for Better Government twe444i/e4c-fulfzelir FINANCIER: Case Study 6wei liika" *, aPublic%Private....„.-.. ...:::,.•,,,y, . , : -: :,:-. 1, ---..,,,- c,_ ,,.- : s ' ' ' . . ' z,,.,..:. - :.: , For :City Financial :Planning- . , :-.,,, ,,. • , ., • by -Lloyd-B. Dennis 1 ,_ The pressures of inflation,Federal failing .in, the private as well as the -, cutbacks in aid to the cities, the' public sectors of the very_cities that are : painful examples of the troubles of ,. hurting the most. .-. Cleveland and New York,and Propo ' - - It is a.failure to- communicate,,a fail- - sition-13 model legislation pending,. • ure 'to accept responsibility, and a fail all press the need.for businesslike , 2 ure to see the long-range benefits that efficiency upon local Government both sides,,need,.:and.:which :can"be units of every size. ., achieved only through mutual-cooper ' California has created and tested ation. ,. - . many modelsef Government;prac- While the. blame for this lack of " tice whichhave ubsequently been cooperation must be shared equally; it ( adopted in other states with varying is notable that a leading Cleveland bus- degrees of success.But there is noth- ' inessman, after that city's loan default, ! - . ,. ing unique about the problem of the pointed out; that when businessmen ' cities, and the model of public-pri- had offered to lend management ex vate partnerships that has just been , perts to the city, the Mayor said No. - developed in California can be ap- 'We offered and offered and offered • plied to the financial problems of - .-but he told us-he didn't need help;- ' - ,.. ' any city in any state. :: As Chairman of the Social'Policy 'Rising Level_of Involvement, _ .Committee of 'United California --This kind of private-sector.offer, and, - Bank,Mr. Dennis,nearly three years - -its acceptance in an increasing number: - ago created a model program bring- . of US cities,.presages'a rising level of : . ing the human and mechanical re- volunteer business ;involvement in • _ sources of the-bank into combina- near-.and long-term financial.planning, ".`. tion.with.those:available in other -not'only:.for cities but`also:for many: major businesses,and offering them other.pressing areas of public services: to assist small cities in"their long- For`the-shrinking dollar will continue,. .,.. range-financial planning: Itis his • to`;diminish`:Government's ability 'to _- . - contention, in this article,he wrote meet citizen expectations, which'are • for Financier, that the expertise.of ' bound to remain at least at the same the private sector can be brought to: ''`le vel; and'probably to increase. bear on many of the local problems- The challenge is to make the offer- already visible, or discernible just ing of the help an orderly process, with below the surface. - - its goals well-defined, and its imple- • mentation monitored. In the Spring of The economic breakdown of several 1976, in the wake of the New. York ' _ major cities is due in largemeasure to a. : `: .financial crisis, -I began discussions •FINA•, IER February 1979 3 i ,art ems . FINANCIER; Cade Study 1 throughout California' with-a number consulting service promised enough of local-public officials, urban and po- difficulties under the best .of condi- litical strategists, and well-informed tions; it was imperative to start with a .. people in the academic community, to good relationship among all the pri'nci- test the premise that, under the right pal parties. " " - . ' = .' � N circumstances, the public and private It was-also important that the impact 4, - sectors could in_ fact create a partner- of the private sector teams be highly ship devoted to the 'long-term -eco- ' visible, not to the, public through'.the ti nomic health of our cities. - media, but to department "heads and These discussions went on for nearly- -staff'inside the local community. We s ' six months. In time, it became clear - wanted to,create a model for others to that to test the premise, there would be . - follow, to show that cooperation be- : need for a catalyst to help, make it tween ,the private and .public sectors . .- - happen. With the encouragement and s could, in fact, be achieved and exert a ,. strong support of our Chairman, Nor- , positive influence on the complex' man Barker, Jr., and our then Presi-- planning of a city's financial-structure. dent, Joe -Pinola, now Chairman of The evolution of the UCB program ;& Western Bancorporation, our- parent was'not the result of a structured cere- ' holding company, the bank assumed bral exercise, but rather a sensible an- this role. ticipation ofthe crisis of the cities — We would develop an "urban team" ' now likely to accelerate as Proposition ,,.t _ approach. 13 counterparts throughout the coun- In the private sector, we found im- try begin to have an impact. mediate support for organizing task Not Purely Altruistic forces of professionals from a variety of , fields who could go to small city Gov- : Nor was our development of this z ernments and offer their help. Profes- - program purely altruistic. No business sionals :in banking, accounting, urban can continue to grow if the communi- planning, economics, political science, ties in which 'it operates are not `, ,personnel, administration, and' com-- healthy. At the least, it amounts :to :,. puter- technology were organized. In enlightened self-interest, to focus pri- rr consultation with the League of. Cali vate,resources on the public problems fornia Cities we concluded that, for our .. of urban. America, either to correct _ initial test, cities with populations not those already apparent, or through as- exceeding 50,000 would be selected. , sistance with planning to avoid those - F discernible ahead. Harmony Imperative Although we brought the expertise . It was imperative„to find cities where of the urban teams to four small cities, ,_ the paid city manager and the elected I am convinced that the. manner 'in - city council 'members all worked in which we approached them could be 1 hmny, and the chief financial of ` applied just as eectvely to larger mu- fiver arof it into that same harmonious- nicipalities. Theffectively differences between relationship. That chemistry was criti- the troubles of New York and Cleve- - • _ cally important; we did not need politi-. ' land and those of smaller cities are- cal cliques .to take sides on any pro- .' really a matter 1 of scale rather than posed Cnges later on." The substance. complexi offering this type of free -When the pilot program was.started,` s. 38 Febr -irNANCIER _ { ,... ., Win. • FINANCIER: Case Study it took many more weeks to assemble annual spending to the long-term ser- • the two teams, each comprised of more vice objectives and the need to develop than 40 volunteers; two full-time pro- • , a stronger commercial- and industrial fessionals and one paid consultant with tax revenue base for.planned expan- : public service management experi- : sion. We found that communities had -. , ence. The work itself took over another no means forfinancial planning to 1 eight months. - ' , meet changes in the economic base and ' The.pilot cities were Montebello, a , in the mix and level of services they - .. largely blue-collar, ethnically-mixed, ` needed. . industrial community in Southern Cal- , ifornia, and Saratoga, a bedroom corn- Sensitivity and Understanding munity just outside of San Jose. It is all too easy, and convenient, to ' describe an effort such as this in sim- , - Focus On Three Areas plistic terms of problem definition and - The urban task force 'expertise was then•steps.one, 'two and three toward initially focused on three areas: Finan- , the solution. The importance of this ' cial . management, effective planning , program, and the efforts of the public . practice and work productivity' im- and private , sector people involved, provement. The major stages of the would- be unfairly diminished if this program were research to identify the 'effort were reduced to terms of a simple problems and opportunities, develop- -business task. Let no one be deluded _ ment of near and long-term solutions, into thinking that the bringing to- - and preparation of extensivespecific gether of public and private sector ex- ' • programs'in which the city executives " pertise is simply a matter of physically weretold just what needed to be done, - planting business experts in the city and work productivity programs were administrative offices. These programs • set up for city employees on all levels, require sensitivity and understanding teaching them how to.identifyineffi from people in both sectors. ciencies and correct them. - . The private sector teams let it be - In ,1978, based on our :success_in known explicitly that they were not ' Montebello and Saratoga, the program- some all-knowing auditing power corn- was repeated in Montclair in Southern ing in to open the closet door in search California and Union .City 'in the of skeletons. Atthe same time, the - North: The difference in 1978, how- teams asserted their independence ever, was that we did not have to seek from any constraints in coming up out candidates — -as 'the word spread,_ with what they thought-were-the best - . cities throughout the state began ask- solutions to city problems. ing to join in. That erased any linger- There was no evidence that any of - ing doubt in my mind about commu- the people with whom the urban teams nity response to private-sector worked felt threatened' by their pres- involvement. , ' ence. This'was due in part to the quail- ' 'At year-end '1978, we completed im- ty of the urban team members-as well plementation..of the 'Montclair and • as to the quality and self confidence of 'Union City programs. • the. city executives and staff. The ur- Although each of the four cities'had ban teams went in with'an attitude of distinct needs, the teams- uncovered trust in the capabilities of the public - common threads: Difficulties in tying sector workers who, in fact, showed a • FINANCIER February 1979 39 • r • ,. • I . , .•_ . ,, . .. FINANCIER: Case Study - ..--• . , . • , very high level of quality in their , which is positive, not judgmental. ' - - work. • ' - - . It is also a commitment of time; in Throughout the research and plan- our case,-12- to 15-hundred hours per , • -_ •ning process, perceptions among team team, per.city. Obviously, such a pro- members from both sides changed. For gram is not a mere public relations • • example, in addition to appreciation of gesture. • • ' ' • - i • the quality of work performed in pri- ,. I vate sector offices, it became apparent Some Immediate Results - that cliches such as "wheel spinning While the program's main,focus was , bureaucrats" are becoming .a thing of on long-term financial planning, there the past. Many small cities are today have been some immediate and poten- , run by -professional managers thor-, tially significant results. • oughly trained in public administra- In'Saratoga, public officials were pro- , • - tion. vided a planning mechanism permit- . Similarly,,many public sector work- ting them to examine the impact of , , , ers who formerly held anti-business additional residential or commercial bias welcomed our obvious concern , development or both. ' . over the future of the neighborhoods In Montebello, a new budgeting con- . ' -rwe share. The image of business, as cept enabled city officials to be better . purely profit-oriented, ivory-toWer peo- informed about the impact Of •any • pie who did not understand-conditions changes they might be contemplating- , at the local level, .was to a large extent, on the level of services to the citizens dispelled: "I didn't think a bank did (trash -collection, street lighting), and • this sort ofthing," said one city- • how that level of service would be - worker. • • affected by the availability of dollars. - - . 'In Union City, teani members ad-, Commitment Is Enormous dressed two significant planning issues• - , _. I must, however, warn any private over a five- to ten-year timespan: The sector group that is considering under- seriousness of the impact of environ- • , -taking a program such as this that the mental or transportation pro-blems • ., commitment is enormous_ _ upon the limited remaining land, and i - It means, "first of all, going public •the •complex question of generating with your intentions: Putting your more revenue when the retail sales tax • plans on the 'line before a meeting of ,,base was unlikely to grow any larger. the city's elected "officials — usually In Montclair, the team helpe-d design , • attended by the press and the pUblic: a planning process, which wo-uld give We took this approach because we the city a three- to five-year planning - wanted to work with the whole city ,capability, which had previously, been • ' rather than factions within a city Gov- , - limited,to only a one year time hori- eminent. We wanted the city council, zon. - ,• _ the chief financial officer and the city , The most tangible and immediate- manager to-work with us as,a team. results occurred in work productivity, We made it clear that we were,going a topic familiar to-bottom-line-oriented to assist them in dealing with their corporate planners but one not utilized ' problems problems and that it was not our objec- with great frequency in the public sec- • - tive to accuse, 'to judge or to make tor. Work productivity seminars con- anyone look bad .—• in an attitude ducted with 49 employees in the four , . . , - . 40 February 1979 FINANCIER , - ‘ . i - FINANCIER: Case Study _ have . .:1,.,' now been measured topro- gettingthe budget book a few days cities ject potential annual savings of about before the council vote. " , $100,000 in administrative or proce- Other important byproducts of the dural changes and paper efficiencies. program included establishment of a ' _ The seminars were based on the con- management 'information system .for cept that the. people that are doing a several police departments, including I .. specific job know that job best. They Montebello's, " throughput the San are best able to solve their own prob= Gabriel Valley, and a plan . for city ', lems. To this knowledge, the urban financial officers to make their invest- • teams brought expertise in work flow ment funds work better by pooling diagramming, floor plan layout, paper , them in a state investment program. management and improved communi- cations. But it was the employees them- ®they Gratifying Results selves who evolved the money-saving The project's success has brought plans for identifying waste and improv- other gratifying results. Under the ing the productivity of their own ef- leadership.of the Council'of Northeast I forts in their own departments. Economic Action, working with the " • First National Bank of.Boston, the pro- . " •"Longer-Term Changes gram is being adapted to the needs of In addition, there have been other several.small and medium-sized New " longer-term changes in the first-year ,, England cities, whose leadership had cities. In Saratoga, the data provided identified some ofthe early warning has been of significant help in city, signs of decay in financial planning. council decisions on land development ' In Seattle, Rainier National Bank is I projects, and an economist has been putting together •a small pilot effort ! hired to continue refining the task organizing teams to assist two or three j ' force data on land use planning. In a small cities in the.Puget Sound area. _ largely residential comfnunity, where ' We have also had talks with Philip- there is little desire to bring"in'com- pine government officials -who, saw ' mercial development — and its tax ":ways 'in which certain aspects of a income — that type of economic input similar private/public sector'program • can have important ramifications for could aid municipalities there. " growth. . And in the aftermath of Proposition – In Montebello, service-level budget- 13,-the California Roundtable, ,an or- , ing is now a fact of life. The first step at ganization of presidents and chairmen mid-range departmental planning and of the 'state's major corporations, .cre- . • overall long-range strategic planning ated a statewide Loaned Executive Pro- have been completed. For the first time gram = to extend the reach of the ' _ - in the city's history, the study served to models we made, widely across the persuade:elected council members to state to assistcounties, "water and- go away on a brief retreat with depart- school districts, public library systems ment heads several months before the and other Government units with the ' . next year's budget' was prepared, so financial management and planning they'd have a better understanding of they need now, more than ever. D ❑ ❑ what,goes into it — rather than just ' . FINANCIERY •Februar 1979 41