Government Reform

1
Government Reform

• A Brief History
• and
• a Few Ideas to Consider
• Bill Leighty and Mike Thompson
• Senior Advisors

2
Government Reform History

• Since 1916 there have been 14 major efforts at
  government reform in Virginia
• Either the state government defies
  reorganization or it just wont stay organized.
• James Latimer, Richmond Times Dispatch

3
Earlier Efforts

• Building Boxes
• From 1916 through 1960s
• Moving Boxes
• 1970s
• Shrinking Boxes
• 1980S AND 1990S

4
Earlier Efforts

• Most significant reform efforts
• 1927 Reed Commission (Governor Byrd)
• Short ballot, governor as chief executive
  (centralization of government)
• 1977 Hopkins Commission (Governor Godwin)
• Led to existing agency structure
• 5 year study

5
Successful Commissions

• Personal commitment of the governor
• High degree of involvement by, and coordination
  with, the General Assembly
• Sufficient staff resources
• Longer study and reporting time frame
• Concentration of public opinion

6
Recent Reform Efforts

• Governor Doug Wilder 1990-1992
• Project Streamline
• Governor George Allen 1994
• Blue Ribbon Strike Force on Government
  Reform
• VA Govt Competition Act 1995
• Commonwealth Competition Council

7
Recent Reform Efforts cont

• Governor Warner 2002
• Commission on Efficiency and Effectiveness
• The Wilder Commission
• AGs Regulatory Reform Commissions
• Attorney General Jerry Kilgore
• Attorney General Bob McDonnell
• Council on Virginias Future

8
Project Streamline Gov. Wilder

• Many Recommendations Implemented
• Two Not Implemented
• Privatize Virginia Welcome Centers

9
Blue Ribbon Strike Force Gov. Allen

• 160 Recommendations Suggested
• 77.5 Fully or partially implemented
• 18.75 Not implemented
• 3.75 No longer valid

10
Blue Ribbon Strike Force

• Four Recommendations Not Implemented
• Eliminate use of Maximum Employment Levels when
  discussing state employment and replace it with a
  budget control system
• Increase privatization of mental health and
  mental retardation facilities, rehabilitation
  facilities and child support enforcement

11
Blue Ribbon Strike Force Continued

• Competitively bid more road maintenance
• -- Interstates do it, not other roads
• Abolish the Compensation Board

12
Commonwealth Competition Council

• Created in 1995
• Council Members appointed by General Assembly and
  Governor
• Basically reduced to a footnote in the about
  2002/03 period although Council still meets

13
CCC -- Continued

• Among its Activities when active
• Worked with Sen. Walter Stosch on the Public
  Private Education Infrastructure Act Public
  Private Transportation Act
• Saved Tens of Millions
• Created accounting software called COMPETE
• could determine full cost of government
  services
• Analysis of State Commercial Activities
• 37,555 FTE positions that could be competitively
  bid

14
Wilder Commission --Governor Warner

• 62 Recommendations Suggested
• 62 Fully or partially implemented
• 39 Not implemented
• 9 No longer valid

15
Wilder Commission

• Four Recommendations Not Implemented
• Consolidate/eliminate Exec agencies
• Unify payroll systems for higher ed
• Reduce state funding of Constitutional
  offices
• Study privatizing ABC stores

16
Other Ideas to Possibly Consider

• Employee levels
• Update 1999 CCC FTE study by state agencies
• If 4,000 more than 2005 -- 528 million in two
  years
• 8 turnover every year
• Today there are 975 jobs listed as vacant
• Truly critical at this time?
• Employment freeze until better times?

17
Ideas Cont

• Electronic meetings
• VA is an at will state in private sector
  employment. State system is more difficult to
  get rid of bad employees
• Create Citizens Friendly Budget Document
  General Assembly document not adequate to any
  normal person
• Construction on campus as much as 50 higher than
  similar construction off campus.

18
Ideas Cont

• Court locations
• Several courts are within walking distance of
  each other
• Re-establish /Rename the Commonwealth Competition
  Council as a major part of this reform effort
  and/or ..
• Establish an Inspector General position
• Privatize and Consolidate Health Human Services
  Help Lines into One Call Center

19
Ideas Cont

• Organization charts
• State Government as a whole
• Every Secretariat and Agency
• Public Private Partnerships
• Lease/lease backs billions potentially
• Toll Roads, HOT lanes, even airports
• Missouri Bridge Idea
• Centralize/Privatize Eligibility/Enrollment
  functions for Medicaid and other health programs.

20
Ideas Cont

• All state agencies contract for electricity under
  the state negotiated price
• 43 agencies analyzed had 200 financial software
  packages
• State fleet maintenance competitively bid and
  local govts could learn from this
• Reward costs savings ideas from state employees
  with percentage of savings

21
Allen Louderbach Ideas

• Car Pooling to state meetings required
• VDOT fencing at 32,000/mile
  reviewed
• One license plate, not two
• County Commissioners/Treasurers
• Track down state debtors
• Sales tax collections at local level
• Cut state admin costs

22
Conclusion

• The only way we will make a better future is by
  making wise choices about what government does
  and then executing those undertakings
  effectively.
• Bill Eggers, in his recent book,
• If We Can Put a Man on the Moon