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Creativity
Behind the Scenes
Despite
budget disagreements that grab the headlines,
Virginia lawmakers are coming to quiet agreement
on several ways to make government work more
productively.
For
all the atmospherics over a yet-to-be-approved state budget, there are some fascinating discussions
-- and even some actions -- taking place in
Virginia that could foreshadow more innovative
approaches to state spending and economic
development.
Much
of the credit goes to Bill Leighty, the Governor’s
chief of staff, who is bringing creative and workable ideas to state government. His background with past Democrat and Republican
governors make him a credible advocate for reforming the way the state carries out the people’s business.
But there are other creative thinkers as well,
from Attorney General Bob McDonnell to Del. Leo C.
Wardrup, R-Virginia Beach.
Thanks
to Wardrup, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, state law now requires all maintenance on
Virginia's Interstate road system to be contracted out by 2009. This should save
at least $3 million a year and open up the option of expanding private-sector road maintenance to
all 56,000 miles of state managed roads. Based on
Florida's privatization experience, total savings
could range between $92 million and $158 million a year.
Every journey begins with the first step, and this limited expansion of contracting out road maintenance is definitely a good first step.
Likewise,
public-private partnerships for building HOV lanes on I-95 in Northern Virginia, improving I-81 in the Shenandoah and
upgrading U.S. 460 in Southside offer huge savings in money and time to completion. And
those initiatives don't include many other public-private and totally private projects under
study. There is every prospect that private investment in
Virginia's transportation system will go a
long way to accommodating the growth in traffic.
Serious discussion
also is occurring on the subject of using business-type incentives to
reward state employees for good suggestions. The idea is to encourage innovation from those who work inside government.
When employees come up with ideas that save money,
a substantial percentage of the savings would be
awarded both to the employee and to the agency as
encouragement to leadership to promote good ideas.
There is even discussion to actually
set up “venture budgets” that an agency could use to develop new approaches and new processes
to save money and deliver services more efficiently.
The idea is very preliminary at this point, but the fact that it is being discussed at all is exciting.
Over
in the Attorney General's office, Bob McDonnell is bringing a group of folks together to review various regulations which hinder efficiency within government and force unnecessary requirements on the private sector. Just having this review to make state government regulations more streamlined, up-to-date and reasonable is critical to the on-going effort to make the state more
user friendly.
Meanwhile,
the Council for Virginia’s Future is producing a series of suggestions to measure how well state government provides services. This can be a huge addition to bringing best business practices to the management of state government.
In
the realm of economic development, the recent Congressional Quarterly conference in Virginia Beach
exhibited a more rational environmental approach
to exploring and drilling for natural gas off the coast of Virginia.
About 30 folks discussed this issue in some depth for three hours. Except
to those who are opposed to most all economic development, it was clear that drilling for natural gas,
likely to be found
80 miles or more off the Atlantic coast, should be encouraged.
Private oil and gas companies have developed environmentally sound drilling procedures over the years. Clearly, if gas reserves are found, drilling should begin immediately with all necessary coordination with the Navy and its training and defense needs.
The
idea of bringing market-based programs to the clean up of our rivers and of the Chesapeake Bay has gained credibility. Agriculture is the main contributor to the environmental problems in our rivers and
streams. Under discussion are ways to harness the
profit motive to encourage better stewardship of
farmland. These ideas could have a dramatic impact on the clean-up of our waterways,
which, in turn, could catalyze renewals of the
state's once-vibrant fishing industry.
So, although the “budget mess” continues to grab headlines, an awful lot of good is taking place in circles of influence among those who understand that government must change just as the private and the non-profit sectors have changed in recent years.
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June 12, 2006
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