Trimming the fat

Friday, Nov. 12, 1999 | 11:20 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- While committees are often jokingly maligned as sources of inefficiency, it's a committee that Gov. Kenny Guinn is turning to as he begins an overhaul of state government.

The Committee to Conduct a Fundamental Review of State Government met Thursday and tossed around several preliminary suggestions for increasing the value of taxpayers' dollars.

Guinn's motivation in appointing the committee was the scare he received upon taking office, when analysts compared anticipated revenues with expenses and determined there likely would be a $15 million shortfall. Later, when the economy improved, analysts revised the shortfall to only $4 million, but Guinn nevertheless determined that the state should do whatever it could to trim costs.

The review committee hopes to eventually narrow its focus to a dozen or so areas and have a report ready for study by the 2001 Legislature.

Denice Miller, Guinn's senior policy advisor and co-chairwoman of the committee, promised the group would not produce a report simply suggesting more "cooperation" or "communication" among state agencies. She said the areas looked at would result, if not in a reduction of the state's work force, at least a slowdown in the increase of employees.

Her remarks were in response to member Marvin Leavitt, who cautioned against moving programs and divisions just for the sake of reorganization.

"I'm afraid that if we rearrange the chairs, we will still have the same number of chairs," Leavitt said. He added that then, in a couple of years, "We add a new chair," meaning new employees.

Guinn's newly created internal audit division has already targeted eight areas where it hopes to find ways to increase efficiency. The audit team will look at the state's method of supplying money to public schools, the class-size reduction project and student testing. It will examine programs at the state prisons, the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety, Child and Family Services, the Health Division and fire protection.

Most recommendations for the committee's study have come from the state Budget Division and the audit group. But the state is going to start to accept ideas from state workers on the Internet. In many cases, an employee is afraid to go to his boss with a proposal to eliminate or change a certain service.

Here are some of the suggestions considered Thursday: