Legislature(1999 - 2000)
12/01/1999 09:15 AM House PRI
| Audio | Topic |
|---|
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
COMMISSION ON PRIVATIZATION AND DELIVERY OF GOVERNMENT SERVICES
Anchorage, Alaska
December 1, 1999
9:15 a.m.
COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Ward, Co-Chair
Representative Cowdery, Co-Chair
Representative Brice (via teleconference)
Mike Harper, President, Kuskokwim Corporation (via
teleconference)
Tom Fink, Former Mayor of Anchorage
Emil Notti
Kathryn Thomas, Former Chair of Alaska State Chamber of Commerce
George Wuerch, Alaska Municipal League
COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Adams
Bill Allen, Former Mayor of Fairbanks
Don Valesko, Business Manager of Public Employees Local 71
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Discussion of the procedure to be used to prepare the final
report
PREVIOUS ACTION
See Commission on Privatization minutes dated 7/20/99, 8/16/99,
9/20/99, 10/28/99, 11/4/99, 11/10/99, 11/18/99, 11/24/99 and
11/30/99.
WITNESS REGISTER
ANNETTE DEAL, Staff to Commission and
to Representative John Cowdery
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented information about members' packets
and pending reports from departments.
MARCO PIGNALBERI, Commission Director and
Legislative Assistant to Representative John Cowdery
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions and presented
information.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 99-21, SIDE A
CO-CHAIR WARD called the Commission on Privatization and Delivery
of Government Services meeting to order at 9:15 a.m. Members
present at the call to order were Representatives Cowdery and
Brice; Senator Ward; and Commissioners Fink, Notti, Wuerch,
Thomas and Harper. Marco Pignalberi, Commission Director, was
also present. Commissioners Allen and Valesko and Senator Adams
were not in attendance.
[Participating via teleconference from Juneau were the following:
Karen Rehfeld, Early Development, Department of Education and
Early Development; Dan Spencer, Director of the Division of
Administrative Services, Department of Administration; Llewelyn
Lutchansky, staff to Senator Torgerson; Mary Siroky, Information
Education and Coordination, Department of Environmental
Conservation; and John Cyr, NEA-Alaska. Participating via
teleconference from Fairbanks was Jeff Walters, Member,
Department of Education Subcommittee.]
OLD BUSINESS
ANNETTE DEAL, Staff to Commission and to Representative John
Cowdery, informed members that the items listed under "old
business" are pending information requests made of departments
and agencies; all information is to be submitted to the
commission by Friday, December 3.
MS. DEAL noted that commissioners' packets contained the
following: a commission schedule of department subcommittee
presentations for today's meeting and meetings on December 7 and
8; a memo from Janet Clarke pertaining to the Department of
Health and Social Services (DHSS) rather than the Department of
Education and Early Development; a diagram of the structure of
DHSS, prepared by DHSS Subcommittee member Sarah Short, which was
included at Co-Chair Ward's request; and a written response from
Randy Simmons regarding the November 30 presentation on the
Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) and
Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC).
NEW BUSINESS
CO-CHAIR WARD announced that today's agenda had consisted of
reports by the subcommittees on the Department of Education [and
Early Development], the Office of the Governor, the Department of
Administration, the Department of Environmental Conservation, the
Alaska Court System and the Alaska State Legislature. However,
those presentations would be set aside. He announced that the
commission had received all subcommittee reports at this time.
He thanked the more than 300 volunteers who had done a massive
amount of work.
Discussion of the procedure to be used to prepare the final
report
CO-CHAIR WARD invited commissioners to discuss how to proceed.
COMMISSIONER FINK referred to a 38-page master list of 245
recommendations prepared for commissioners the day before and
noted that more recommendations are forthcoming. He suggested
that the commission's report should consist of an executive
summary of five to six pages, with the subcommittee reports
attached as backup material. He indicated he had prepared a list
of 16 items that he would like the commission to discuss, and
that he would prefer that each commissioner specify which
recommendations they want the full commission to review, rather
than try to review all recommendations.
REPRESENTATIVE BRICE suggested that each commissioner take one
week to review the master list of recommendations and submit
ideas.
CO-CHAIR COWDERY pointed out that because legislators will be
moving their offices within the week, and because he would like
to see the commission stay on schedule, one week is too long. He
proposed one or two days instead. He said he would prefer to
look over Commissioner Fink's recommendations and determine which
ones commissioners collectively agree with, and then have the
full commission debate the others.
COMMISSIONER WUERCH concurred with first determining points of
agreement and striving to produce an executive summary containing
about six key issues. He indicated two levels of effort are
required by commissioners: screening subcommittee reports to
find recommendations that rise to the surface as short-list
items, and addressing matters not been included in subcommittee
reports, including overarching issues. He proposed that each
commissioner generate a short list of recommendations and
distribute those lists to other members.
CO-CHAIR WARD asked Mr. Pignalberi whether the commission's time
schedule to produce a final product will be impacted if
commissioners take one to two days to generate short lists of
recommendations. He pointed out that the deadline for the final
report was designed to give legislators 30 days for review prior
to the start of the legislative session. He reminded members
that Commissioner Thomas previously had raised another issue:
inclusion of the commission's philosophy in the executive
summary. In addition, she had expressed concern that the
validity of subcommittee recommendations not highlighted in the
executive summary should not be diminished in the final report.
COMMISSIONER WUERCH indicated he could submit his own short list
by Friday. He suggested the commission address the short lists
at the next meeting on December 7.
COMMISSIONER FINK said he hopes many duplicates appear in the
short lists and that if more information is needed about a
specific recommendation, the commission can request that a
department representative attend the next meeting. He would
prefer to run future agendas according to the short lists rather
than by departments.
CO-CHAIR WARD said that approach would allow time for all pending
information to be received and entered into the equation.
COMMISSIONER NOTTI said he had reviewed the master list the
previous night and was prepared to submit written recommendations
at any time.
MARCO PIGNALBERI, Commission Director and Legislative Assistant
to Representative John Cowdery, cautioned that department
representatives are very busy with other matters; therefore, it
will be difficult for them to attend future meetings. He advised
commissioners to be prepared to go forward without further input
from the departments.
COMMISSIONER FINK clarified that he is prepared to go forward
without more input but was suggesting a departmental contact in
case someone needs a question answered.
CO-CHAIR WARD said additional written information can be
submitted to the commission but, from this point on, the
commission will only hear from those who request and receive
permission to testify.
COMMISSIONER NOTTI agreed that Commissioner Fink's suggested
approach is good. He also agreed that commissioners should work
from short lists because reviewing each departmental report would
require reviewing items that are not going to be considered.
CO-CHAIR COWDERY commented that some departments have been
responsive while others have not, but the commission has all of
the information it needs. He felt the commission should be able
to put a recommendation aside for 24 hours if an issue were to
arise that required a departmental response.
COMMISSIONER HARPER suggested that each commissioner should
prioritize five of the 400 recommendations and move forward.
CO-CHAIR WARD proposed that commissioners submit to Mr.
Pignalberi their priority recommendations from subcommittee
reports and from those compiled by Ms. Higgins (staff to Senator
Ward). Mr. Pignalberi would then inform commissioners of
overlapping recommendations and list those for the December 7
meeting. Commissioners would analyze the efforts of all
subcommittees and make recommendations. Co-Chair Ward asked
whether any commissioners had concerns about that approach.
COMMISSIONER WUERCH asked whether commissioners should identify
the source of each recommendation on their short lists.
MR. PIGNALBERI said that would be helpful. He noted that the
revised master list currently being prepared cites page numbers
from subcommittee reports and department reference numbers.
COMMISSIONER WUERCH indicated the second part of each
commissioners' submittal should be to identify overarching issues
that are not tied to a specific recommendation.
MR. PIGNALBERI asked that commissioners send their lists to him
via e-mail.
CO-CHAIR WARD verified that commissioners should make
recommendations on the subcommittee reports and then address any
philosophical mission statements in a separate submittal.
COMMISSIONER FINK asked that he receive copies of each
commissioner's recommendations when Mr. Pignalberi receives them.
CO-CHAIR WARD asked Mr. Pignalberi to e-mail or fax
commissioners' recommendations to all members as they are
received.
MR. PIGNALBERI pointed out that one subcommittee's
recommendations have not yet been received. He suggested that he
prepare one revised master list rather than two so that
commissioners will receive it by the end of the day.
CO-CHAIR WARD agreed that the final subcommittee report will be
delivered to commissioners by the end of the day.
CO-CHAIR WARD thanked subcommittee members and department
representatives for attending and indicated that Mr. Pignalberi
would be requesting further written information of them if
needed.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS asked whether the commission would be hearing
from the Department of Natural Resources and the Alaska Railroad
Corporation. After Co-Chair Ward said she could make such a
request, Commissioner Thomas requested their written comments.
COMMISSIONER FINK suggested that the short lists prepared by
commissioners should be made available to anyone who wants them.
CO-CHAIR WARD noted that the short lists will be posted on the
commission's web site [www.privatizealaska.org]. He repeated
that anyone can submit written information to the commission
until its final report is approved.
COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
CO-CHAIR WARD asked if any commissioner wished to comment.
COMMISSIONER WUERCH commended Commissioner Fink on his list of 16
issues and asked him to comment on number 8, relating to
endangered species farms.
COMMISSIONER FINK said his thought is that with so many projects
blocked because of endangered species, he thinks endangered
species should be raised domestically and then released into the
wild. He suggested the state could raise a lot of money by doing
so. He said he is convinced that individuals and industrial
giants would put up money to start a farm for endangered species.
CO-CHAIR WARD commented that certain members of Congress have
attempted to establish such a program on a national level.
CO-CHAIR WARD announced that commissioners will put their
suggestions in writing, which will be faxed and e-mailed to other
commissioners and posted on the web site. In addition, a
complete master list will be distributed to commissioners this
afternoon. Staff will consolidate the recommendations received
from commissioners. Finally, as pending or other information is
received, staff will forward copies to all commissioners.
There being no further business to come before the Commission on
Privatization and Delivery of Government Services, Co-Chair Ward
adjourned the meeting at 9:55 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|