$750 Million Savings in Search of a Candidate

From the Wilder Commission
FINAL REPORT
December 12, 2002
The Commission recommends that the following steps be taken to streamline and consolidate Virginia state government.
• Merge the Virginia Museum of Natural History into the Science Museum of Virginia
• Merge the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Department into the Department of Conservation and Recreation and maintain as a separate division within the department.
• Merge the Commission on Local Government into the Department of Housing and Community Development (maintaining the annexation functions and the collegial body within DHCD)
• Merge the State Milk Commission with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (with input from the Milk Commission’s regulants about the best means of accomplishing this task.)
• Consolidate the Charitable Gaming Commission, Racing Commission and Lottery into a single department under the Lottery after a determination by the Governor of the most appropriate methods and timing for the consolidation..
• Merge the Council on Human Rights with the Office of the Attorney General. (Ensure the maintenance of all functions and the continuation of public input into its operations.)
• Integrate Richard Bland College into the Community College System.
• Eliminate the Center for Innovative Technology in its existing form and reconstitute it as part of a statewide initiative to enhance Virginia’s research and development infrastructure.
• The Governor should acquire sound business assessments of the real value of a privatized ABC retail operation and develop an RFP process to realize this value and authorize legislation for the 2003 General Assembly session. Privatization should be structured so as to provide at least as equal a revenue stream to the localities and to the state activities that are presently supported by ABC earned income.
• Merge Chippokes Plantation into the Department of Conservation and Recreation
• Move the office of Consumer Services from the Department of Agriculture
• Eliminate all general fund support for the Commonwealth Competition Council
• Merge the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired, the Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Department of Rehabilitative Services in a manner that will result in an enhancement and not a diminution of services. The Commission believes a consolidation plan that can result in the provision of more effective services needs to have genuine input and participation from the stakeholder groups.
• Develop a common chart of accounts that can identify with precision the total amount of dollars spent on consultants, utilize a return on investment criteria for consultant engagements and implement periodic external reviews of consultant utilization and renewal procedures.
• Eliminate the Commonwealth’s function as a power plant operator by developing an energy management process that will enable the private sector to take over the management, upkeep and upgrade of power plants.
• The Governor should develop a plan for reforming the administration and funding of local constitutional officers. This plan should examine: a) ways of eliminating duplication of efforts between constitutional officers and local officials; b) the possible regional provision of services currently provided by constitutional officers; c) the possible use of constitutional officers in collecting state receivables to offset potential reductions in general fund support; and d) possible streamlinings and consolidations that could be achieved in the agencies- The Compensation Board and the Commonwealth Attorneys Services Council- that currently administer and support constitutional officers.
(Click on the comments link below to view the rest of the Wilder Commission recommendations)