Governor Douglas, who created the non-profit organization in 2003 by appointing seven private citizens to undertake an independent review of how well things are operating within Vermont state government, said his administration would use the report as the basis for a major transformation of the state's information technology systems.
Mary Powell, chair of the Institute and chief operating officer of Green Mountain Power, said their mission was to provide independent findings and support to improve government's effectiveness for the benefit of all Vermonters.
"As concerned taxpayers, we answered Governor Douglas' challenge to provide him with recommendations on how to spend tax dollars wisely and effectively," she added. "We believe these proposals create a historic opportunity to transform state government."
State government, a very complex organization with 62 principal business units with annual expenditures of state and federal money of over $3.6 billion and nearly 9,800 fulltime and temporary workers, is the state's largest employer. "Every unnecessary dollar spent by state government is a dollar that Vermonters can keep in their wallets and pocketbooks," Powell said.
Powell said the Institute did not conduct its work in a vacuum and that many of its recommendations came from frontline state employees themselves.
"We reached out to state employees working on the front lines to serve their fellow Vermonters, and we also talked with Vermonters who have had prior experience in state government and now are successful in other careers," Powell added. "In almost every instance these conversations provided key insights and actionable opportunities for improving state government. In fact, you will be pleased to learn that most Vermont state employees want to do their jobs more effectively and in a way that saves money. Therefore, many of the recommendations presented here came from the state workers themselves."
The Institute is recommending that this effort be financed by making strategic use of an upcoming retirement bubble in the state workforce. According to the Department of Human Resources, approximately 26 percent of current state employees will be eligible for retirement in five years, and 43 percent in ten years. Today's average state employee earns slightly over $60,000 in wages and benefits.
The report stresses that this once in a generation transformation can be done without out-sourcing work or imposing across-the-board reductions in the state workforce.
A Roadmap for the Douglas Administration
The Institute says their report provides Vermonters, legislators, state employees and the Douglas Administration with a roadmap to achieve these changes that will provide more efficient government service by better use of information technology.
"We are recommending nothing less than a total transformation of how state government works," Powell concluded. "We will do it by giving new technologies and new tools to state employees, by empowering them to better serve Vermonters."
Governor Douglas said he is very pleased with the report and that these recommendations are important steps toward making state government make better, faster and more effective for the people of Vermont.
"Right now our state is far behind our counter parts in the efficient use of technology, and this is unacceptable," the Governor said. "This report will form the basis of our new Information Technology Initiative, a plan that will allow us to prepare for, and investment in, more efficient technology systems and workforce training," the Governor added. "This initiative will transform our state government into a 21st Century operation, dramatically increase productivity and produce a more effective and less costly government."
