Councilman Bob Dyer penned this op-ed in today’s Virginian-Pilot (VP never puts these online). With his permission, we reprint it here.
Time to reform government — at all levels
AN ANGRY and frustrated public is demanding smaller, leaner and more transparent government. Given the challenges of an unstable and uncertain economy, now is the opportune time to reform the size and scope of government.
A recent Pew Research Poll indicated that 80 percent of the public has lost faith in the federal government, contending that government is too big and too powerful. These attitudes cascade down to state and local governments, necessitating a call to action at all levels.
Gov. Bob McDonnell is convening a Commission on Government Reform and Restructuring with the goal of a leaner, more efficient government. It would behoove cities like Virginia Beach to work with this commission and form their own task force to accomplish the same goals.
To have meaningful reform, the corporate culture — and the manner in which people perceive government — must change. It is likely that the actions in Washington and revenue woes in Richmond will have profound and lasting detrimental impacts on local budgets for the foreseeable future. We can no longer champion the status quo of doing business and expect to survive.
Immediately after passing the budget in May, the Virginia Beach City Council should convene a task force with the mission of improving city operations. The committee should be composed of the major stakeholders in the city: citizens, staff, elected officials and business community.
The current budget process is flawed. Cuts will dramatically impact service delivery. Many of our citizens are experiencing economic challenges and cannot bear the brunt of tax and fee increases. We will no doubt make it through this budget cycle, but unless we change the way we do business, future services and programs will be at risk.
The public expects government to deal with the pain the same way citizens do: by reducing its size and scope while continuing to provide essential services. This can be accomplished by re-evaluating and reorganizing our business methods.
Given that we are a part-time council with full-time accountabilities and responsibilities, year-round interaction is essential to the process. Better oversight, clear direction and ongoing reprioritization are essential.
Reform would involve a department-bydepartment review and analysis. Rather than cut essential positions, like police and fire, we should determine what positions are necessary to provide the services people want — and also what positions and services are redundant or obsolete.
Inevitably a work force reduction will be necessary to achieve long-term sustainability. This can be accomplished by retirement and attrition combined with smarter work processes, consolidation and crosstraining.
Reform should also look at what the function of government should be. Should we be in the golf course business? When will we have acquired enough open space? Should we rely on the private sector for real estate development? What do we currently do that can be eliminated? How do we protect and promote our small businesses? How can government be more user-friendly?
Our future is changing due to a turbulent and uncertain economy. The public must change its expectations of government as resources continue to diminish. Leaders must find innovative ways to deliver services at reduced costs.
The people and their government must work collaboratively to get through this. We must embrace government reform and change rather than fight it. At this time there is no definite plan or path, but all stakeholders coming to the realization that government reform is in everyone’s best interest is a good start.
