BCC Minutes 06/13/2006 W/Prod
June 13,2006
MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
PRODUCTIVITY COMMITTEE WORKSHOP
Naples, Florida, June 13,2006
LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Collier County Board of County
Commissioners and Productivity Committee in and for the County of
Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 2:00 PM in a
WORKSHOP in Building "F" of the Government Complex, East Naples,
Florida with the following members present:
CHAIRMAN: Commissioner Frank Halas
Commissioner Jim Coletta
Commissioner Fred Coyle
Commissioner Donna Fiala
Commissioner Tom Henning
ALSO PRESENT: Steve Harrison, Chairman, Productivity Committee
John Barlow, Productivity Committee
Larry Baytos, Productivity Committee
Syd Blum, Productivity Committee
Brad Boaz, Productivity Committee
Dave Anderson, Assistant Chief - G. G. Fire Control District
Ray Baker, Superintendent - District School Board of Collier
County
Jennifer Edwards, Supervisor of Elections
Douglas Gorham, Property Appraiser Dept.
Claude Haynes, Deputy Tax Collector
James Mudd, County Manager
Leo E. Ochs, Jr., Deputy County Manager
Becky Pogan, Dir. of Finance, North Naples Fire District
Kevin Rambosk, Under Sheriff - C.C. Sheriffs Dept.
COLLIER COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
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AGENDA
June 13,2006
2:00 p.m.
BCC/Productivity Committee Workshop
3rd Floor Boardroom
W. Harmon Turner Building
Frank Halas, Chairman, District 2
Jim Coletta, Vice-Chairman, District 5
Donna Fiala, Commissioner, District 1
Tom Henning, Commissioner, District 3
Fred W. Coyle, Commissioner, District 4
NOTICE: ALL PERSONS WISHING TO SPEAK ON ANY AGENDA ITEM
MUST REGISTER PRIOR TO SPEAKING. SPEAKERS MUST REGISTER
WITH THE COUNTY MANAGER PRIOR TO THE PRESENTATION OF THE
AGENDA ITEM TO BE ADDRESSED. ALL REGISTERED PUBLIC
SPEAKERS WILL RECEIVE UP TO THREE (3) MINUTES UNLESS THE
TIME IS ADJUSTED BY THE CHAIRMAN.
COLLIER COUNTY ORDINANCE NO. 2004-05, AS AMENDED, REQUIRES
THAT ALL LOBBYISTS SHALL, BEFORE ENGAGING IN ANY LOBBYING
ACTIVITIES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ADDRESSING THE
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS), REGISTER WITH THE CLERK
TO THE BOARD AT THE BOARD MINUTES AND RECORDS
DEPARTMENT.
IF YOU ARE A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY WHO NEEDS ANY
ACCOMMODATION IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCEEDING,
YOU ARE ENTITLED, AT NO COST TO YOU, TO THE PROVISION OF
CERTAIN ASSISTANCE. PLEASE CONTACT THE COLLIER COUNTY
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT LOCATED AT 3301 EAST
TAMIAMI TRAIL, NAPLES, FLORIDA, 34112, (239) 774-8380; ASSISTED
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June 13,2006
LISTENING DEVICES FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED ARE AVAILABLE IN
THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' OFFICE.
1. Pledge of Allegiance
2. Welcome - Commissioner Coletta, BCC Liaison to the Productivity
Committee
3. Introduction and Overview - Steve Harrison, Project Chair
4. Human Resources - Larry Baytos
5. Information Technology Planning and Coordination - John Barlow
6. Capital Projects Planning and Execution - Brad Boaz
7. Finance Planning, Processes and Control - Steve Harrison
8. Summation - Question and Answer Period-Steve Harrison
9. Adjourn
INQUIRIES CONCERNING CHANGES TO THE BOARD'S AGENDA
SHOULD BE MADE TO THE COUNTY MANAGER'S OFFICE AT 774-8383.
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June 13, 2006
June 13, 2006
1. The meeting was called to order at 2:00 PM with the Pledge of Allegiance by
Chairman Frank Halas.
2. Commissioner Coletta, BCC (Board of County Commissioner) Liaison to the
Productivity Committee, made opening remarks for the Workshop. He noted that,
in the belief that the County's taxpayers would benefit from the standardization
and consolidation of certain functions now being performed within various
County organizations, the Productivity Committee had undertaken a study to
identify ways to increase efficiency and cost effectiveness in Collier County.
3. Steve Harrison, Productivity Committee Project Chairman, provided an
introduction and overview of the Committee's presentation:
· The Productivity Committee is charged with looking into areas that could offer
potential benefits to the County and its taxpayers. The presentation contains
things that have the potential of saving millions of dollars for the County, and
of helping to identify resources that might be redeployed to higher priority
uses.
· Eighteen months ago the Productivity Committee undertook to review
administration in different Collier County departments relative to the Human
Resources, Information Technology, Finance and Accounting functions, to
determine if the County Government is organized as efficiently as possible.
. The current situation in Collier County:
o Many years of double digit population growth
o Some unmet public needs caused by rapid growth
o Affordable workforce housing shortages.
· Collier County Government is currently organized in a "Silo" structure:
o The various departments operating somewhat independently of each
other.
o There are different goals and agendas within each department, and they
move at different rates and compete for resources.
o Efforts among departments are less coordinated than they might be; there
could be some duplication of effort, and economies of scale are under-
leveraged.
4. Larry Baytos, Productivity Committee Member, discussed Human Resources
Productivity within Collier County:
· Employee turnover has been increasing, from 11 % in 2004 to 16% in 2005.
The national average for local government employee turnover is about 7%.
Losing so many experienced workers has a negative impact on productivity.
. There are currently 131 openings within Collier County government, and
it's getting tougher to fill those openings.
· Factors negatively affecting recruitment and retention include population
growth (about 5 BCC workers are needed for every 1,000 additional
residents), unemployment (which is only 2.4% in Collier County),
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June 13, 2006
competition (other employers in the area are hiring), and very expensive
housing costs.
. Recommendations:
o Provide a housing cost relocation incentive, and increase relocation
expense payments from one month of salary to three month's of salary.
o Increase the current BCC pay policy pay ranges from 5% above
"market" to 10% above market, and evaluate the impact of this change in
six months. The incremental expense of implementing this policy at the
beginning of FY 2007 would be $4.3 million for the year but because of
the current high number of job openings, staff expenses would probably
not exceed the amount budgeted for them.
· Other issues include traffic congestion in peak season and the distance of
key government centers to affordable housing. Recommendations:
o Minimize S.W. Collier additions, and distribute functions and satellites
to the Immokalee zone.
o Expand outsourcing.
o Expand work plans such as flexible hours, work at home and compressed
work schedules.
· Employee benefits and allowances such as employee health insurance costs,
vacation accrual, sick pay accrual and personal time off, vary from agency
to agency. The one constant is the Florida Retirement System which is
available to employees of all agencies. Recommendations:
o Standardize benefits and allowances across all Agencies without
aggregate cost increase.
o Consolidate payroll processing, possibly outsourcing this function.
o Paperless payroll - all employees on direct deposit.
o Tailor policies for at-risk employees.
5. John Barlow, Productivity Committee Member, discussed Information
Technology Planning and Coordination:
· Much has been done to make Government accessible, but public data files
can be arranged more efficiently. A data standard for the County will help
for moving data across systems.
· Every Government department uses applications for functions like Human
Resources, Purchasing, E-mail, Internet access and Finance, but not every
department uses the same systems for these functions, foregoing the
advantages of scale. There are opportunities for cost savings and to
discontinue less productive systems.
· The Productivity Committee recommends establishing an independent IT
Policy and Procedures Board for the County, and charging it to:
o Develop a County-wide IT Strategic Plan
o Develop an IT Disaster Recovery Plan
o Plan for Enterprise Data Integration (create data standards to allow data
to be dispersed among applications)
o Review and Recommend IT Project Plans with a 1-3 year horizon
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June 13,2006
o Identify and recommend for funding higher priority County-wide needs
o Phase out redundant and obsolete technologies
· The core software system used by BCC departments and the Supervisor of
Elections is SAP systems. The Clerk of Courts will begin using SAP in
October 2006.
o The SAP release purchased three years ago will be updated in 2007,
providing increased functionality.
o Other County agencies use different financial software; each system has
its own servers, network and support. This needs to be reviewed to
determine if functions can be consolidated efficiently.
o There is good cooperation among the various IT organizations.
o The Productivity Committee recommends accelerating the use of SAP
Finance, HR and Purchasing systems in all County Government
departments. Other systems currently being used by some departments
require separate licenses, internal/external support and training, and
should be phased out.
· The School Board, BCC IT and Collier County Transportation Department
are jointly constructing a fiber optic communications network. Other
government departments should investigate using this network in their
remote facilities on an as needed basis.
6. Brad Boaz, Productivity Committee Member, discussed Capital Projects
Planning and Execution:
· There are nearly $2 billion of capital projects planned over the next five
years. These are as important as the operating budget in the magnitude of
dollars to be spent.
. Project Planning Issues:
o Project designs are subject to changing regulations
o Materials availability due to a high number of projects competing for
limited materials
o Uncertainty related to projects ifnot addressed properly can lead to
delays and higher project costs
. Project Planning Recommendations:
o Establish target timelines for various size projects
o Assign more resources to shorten planning timelines
o Use independent "value engineers." Given the magnitude of some of the
County's projects, consider involving a second engineering firm to see if
it can identify enhancements to the lead engineer's work.
o Freeze designs as early as possible
· Control over projects is complicated by the volume of projects and staff
specialization. The Productivity Committee recommends:
o Acquiring commodity materials well in advance of need
o Regular assessment of cost and time to complete
o Increased project manager accountability for budget control
o Increased use of contract post-audits
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June 13, 2006
· Given the magnitude of the cost oflarge projects, funding is not available
until design and timing are final. The Productivity Committee
recommends:
o Early planning of bond issue amount and timing.
o Taking advantage of periods of lower interest rates (there are indications
that staff is already doing this, utilizing state funds which are at very low
interest rates and working with bond counsel).
o Considering hiring a treasurer to manage debt service, refinancing
activity, interest expense, etc. due to the high magnitude of debt and debt
servlcmg.
7. Steve Harrison talked about Finance Planning, Process and Control:
· Annual operating and capital budgets for Collier County government are
approximately as follows: BCC $1 billion, School Districts $750 million,
Independent Fire Districts $10 to $30 million each. When added together,
these are the equivalent of the budget of a fairly large enterprise.
· Each County division has employees performing accounting functions:
o Sometimes using different computer systems
o Small groups limit specialization and economies of scale opportunities
o Mix of administrative and mission critical employees may create pay
inequities
. The Productivity Committee recommends:
o Consolidate all Accounting, Auditing and Financial Reporting in a single
organizational unit
o Consolidate dispersed accounting work
o Consolidate all financial information systems
o Develop and implement more effective management information on staff
utilization, cost control and cost of services provided
o Hire/develop staff with skills needed for growth
· Functional Accounting Issues
o Budgeting and Bookkeeping has had a focus on funding source, not on
who is managing expenditures and how efficiently have they been
managed.
o Transaction accounting review has extra, unnecessary levels of review
and approval.
· Staff Utilization and Management Recommendations to increase attention
to streamlining work content and staff utilization:
o At least annually identify "low value" work for elimination or
automation
o Consolidate fragmented work among fewer
o Budget expected utilization by task
o Require cost justification of headcount additions
o Review planned versus actual utilization of each employee
o Use technology to call people to meetings as neededb
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June 13, 2006
8. Steve Harrison provided a summation of the Workshop:
· Achieving the benefits discussed today requires the cooperation of all
agencies concerned. If that is not possible, consider other ways of
organizing including Charter Government.
. Summary ofHR Recommendations:
o Raise BCC pay scale and relocation allowances
o Shift BCC focus from S.W. Collier, out where affordable housing is
located, and increase outsourcing
o Creative work scheduling to ease commuting
o Standardize all insurance benefits and employee contributions,
allowances
. Summary of IT Recommendations:
o Form IT planning and control group
o Prepare long range IT plan
o Prepare IT disaster recovery plan
o Convert to SAP for standardization
o Install more SAP modules
o Uniform data definitions and data bases
o Construct links to CCSD fiber optics network, directly impacting phone
bills and data transmission
. Summary of Capital Project Recommendations:
o Continue to enhance capital project planning
o Formalize value engineering procedures
o Expand contract administration role and project accountability
o Enhance treasury role in project funding alternatives
. Summary of Finance and Control Recommendations:
o Consolidate accounts payable/cash disbursement under Clerk
o More management info other than fund accounting
o More electronic purchasing, invoicing and payments
. Implementation Steps:
o Form teams to implement recommendations adopted
o Prepare associated transition plans and budgets
o Meet again in 2 - 4 months
o Consider more basic government organization change if little progress
9. Questions and Answers
Commissioner Halas complimented the Productivity Committee for an
outstanding job. He indicated that the Charter Government organization
should be seriously looked at. He also encouraged use of flextime.
Commissioner Coletta also complimented the Productivity Committee for
presenting some great ideas, something to build on. He indicated that he
could be supportive of Charter Government to consolidate government and
bring together a more effective entity, but it would probably take many years
to get there.
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June 13, 2006
Commissioner Coyle also complimented the Productivity Committee for its
work and recommendations, many of which the Commissioners did not
anticipate. Although many of the recommendations are very good, the wide
range of suggestions cannot be implemented without first getting all of the
other agencies to sign on to the process, and he asked the Productivity
Committee for recommendations on how to solve that problem.
The County government has a wide range of activities and services, including
building roads, storm water management, and operating parks, educational
facilities, police departments, and courts. There is no single authority to
provide direction. As an example, for a capital improvement project, staff
tries to accelerate the project by overlapping critical tasks by developing a
project design and seeking a bidder while trying to get permits from state and
federal agencies that are out of our control. Sometimes we are ready to award
a contract and there won't be a permit, and we don't know when we will get
one.
In Information Technology, because of the wide range of services that we
perform, people in government are constantly finding ways to adapt new
technology to their work functions in a way to make them more efficient. As
a result, there are inevitable conflicts in platform architecture and data base
design.
Commissioner Coyle asked for suggestions on organizing and getting the job
done in addressing the Productivity Committee's recommendations.
Mr. Harrison noted that the BCC could task the Productivity Committee to
look specifically at some other organization options.
Commissioner Coyle indicated that he would be in favor of that. Many
departments were represented at the Workshop, but that didn't mean that they
would all be willing to participate.
Commissioner Halas questioned whether we are really producing affordable
housing. He also indicated that the Productivity Committee should look
seriously at Charter Government as an amendment, putting it on the ballot and
get the feeling of the general populace. It would be a start towards
consolidating government.
Commissioner Henning stated that the Sheriff s Department implemented a
pay raise last year, and asked what effect this had on retention issues - are
people still cashing in and moving out of state?
Kevin Rambosk, Under Sheriff, Collier County Sheriff's Department
responded that the initial purpose was to try to stem the flood of people
leaving the agency - at one point 25 people left in 25 days. The pay raise did
accomplish what needed to be accomplished. The question remains how can
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June 13, 2006
we retain those people who are on the fence and make sure they can maintain
the cost of living, and bring in new people. The cost of living incentive to
stay stopped departures almost immediately, except for normal retirements.
Commissioner Henning expressed concern with bringing the constitutional
officers under one management. There needs to be a separation of duties. He
asked what was wrong with working together instead of working under one
roof.
Commissioner Fiala asked the Productivity Committee to consider
determining why the County government is having such a problem retaining
staff. She stated that, if someone already lives here and owns a home here,
increasing home costs shouldn't affect him.
Mr. Harrison responded that the Productivity Committee is looking at the
issue of attracting new employees into County government jobs, and they are
in the early stages of thinking about an employee home purchase assistance
plan.
Commissioner Fiala noted that with the current weak real estate market, this
should be a good time to recruit. Another issue is the conversion of rentals to
condominiums has reduced the opportunity to find attractive rental
apartments.
Commissioner Coyle agreed with Commissioner Fiala - the problem isn't so
much in retaining current employees, the problem is attracting replacements
for those employees who are leaving Collier County.
The way to approach Charter Government is to appoint a Commission to
study it and find out what efficiencies can be gained. If there are compelling
reasons to consider Charter Government, the Commission will have to spell
those out, and recommend which offices should be folded together and which
should be kept entirely separate, and that would go on the ballot.
Commissioner Halas noted they need to find ways to keep newly trained
government employees from leaving for other jobs.
Commissioner Fiala said she would like to see a report or study on
consolidating Human Resources departments. Prospective employees
probably don't realize that when they apply for ajob with Collier County,
their applications are only seen by the department applied to, although their
may be other departments in the same location that also have openings.
Commissioner Coyle recommended asking the Productivity Committee to
propose an organizational structure. He also asked the Productivity
Committee to rank its suggestions which they think the BCC would have the
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June 13, 2006
authority to implement starting with those that would achieve the greatest
benefit for the taxpayers. Then the BCC could take action where they can
while the Productivity Committee continues to study the big picture issues.
All of the other Commissioners agreed.
· Under Sheriff Rambosk said that the constitutional officers asked him to
represent them today. He thanked the Productivity Committee for their
contribution of time. He said that the constitutional officers are very
interested in finding out the detailed information that led to today's
recommendations so that they could each review those and provide input.
He noted that they are interested in providing information as to the
feasibility of moving forward with any of the recommendations.
*****
There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was
concluded by order of the Chair at 3:59 PM.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS -
PRODUCTIVITY COMMITTEE WORKSHOP
~-~-/
Chairman Commissioner Frank Halas
ATTEST:
Dwight E. Brock, Clerk
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