THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 16, 1994 TAG: 9411160668
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
Gov. George Allen received his government strike-force report Tuesday and vowed to make the state bureaucracy more efficient for its customers - the taxpayers.
``My first official act after being sworn in was to create a commission to reform all aspects of Virginia government to make it more responsive to its owners - the people of Virginia,'' Allen said.
Otis L. Brown, chairman of the 60-member Governor's Commission on Government Reform, gave Allen a three-ring binder containing about 440 recommendations.
The commission's recommendations include eliminating 15 percent of the state work force, or about 16,000 jobs; speeding the process for granting air and water permits; giving the governor power to veto regulations that state agencies draft; and abolishing the Compensation Board, which determines salaries for local constitutional officers such as sheriffs and prosecutors.
The Republican governor said the state-job cut could exceed 15 percent.
``Maybe 15 percent is not enough,'' he said. ``The number is not important. What's important is not having any more than necessary to provide service.''
Commission members have said the cuts could be accomplished largely through attrition.
Allen sought to reassure patients and family members concerned about a recommendation to turn over state-operated mental health and mental retardation facilities to private companies.
``There's been a lot of concern about that. It's not that Virginia wants to eliminate services, but we want to examine where that's done currently in Virginia and outside Virginia,'' he said.
Brown estimated that a third of the commission's recommendations would require action by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly and a third could be enacted by the governor and Cabinet heads.
``The remaining one-third we won't see for a decade. An example: privatizing the ABC,'' he said of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. ``This recommendation will get that rolling, but it may take a decade to get done.''
Allen repeatedly compared the state to a business and citizens to customers who deserve good service.
``While the state is a monopoly, there's no reason why we can't have that same mentality,'' he said.
The commission held public hearings in Alexandria, Fairfax, Norfolk, Richmond and Staunton and received about 3,000 suggestions from state employees.
``We found a large number of state employees who said they had the knowledge to improve things, who said, `Turn us loose, make us accountable, and let us do it,' '' Brown said.
Allen said he wanted to hear from citizens about the proposals.
``I want to know hear from them if they like something, I want to hear from them if they like something a little bit and they want to change it. If they think something is a terrible idea, I want to hear that, too.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
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