CARE Report

C.A.R.E.
“Consolidation and Regionalization for Greater Efficiency”
Final Report of the

Orange County Taxpayer Budget Review Board
April 15th, 2009

INTRODUCTION
The Orange County Taxpayer Budget Review Board was formed out of concern that the cost of local government
has caused harm to our economy and standard of living. Our citizens have seen modest increases in salary, job
losses, and income degradation, while experiencing tax increases up to 200% and increases in government
franchised utility charges. Our group seeks to find ways to reduce the cost of government while at the same time
delivering better customer service. The customer is the taxpayer, and that is who we conducted this study for.
At some point the level of taxation reaches a point of diminishing returns. That is where Florida is at now. There
are very few businesses in Florida making a profit today. Additional taxes will only mean additional layoffs. The
debate in Tallahassee now is between service cuts or higher taxes, but there is a third option. And that is to get more
efficiency out of the revenue we now collect. In the past our inefficiencies in government have were covered by
borrowing, raising taxes, or by short term surges in the economy. But the time has come where we need to accept
the fact that our governments, like our automotive industry, need drastic change.
Local governments are not unlike General Motors in that we have the same union salary and benefit problems
with the same bureaucracy and inefficiency. Our government must not expect the taxpayers to shoulder an increasing
tax burden. In an internet economy business cannot pass on the additional cost of government. At some point
business becomes unprofitable and they close like thousands of small businesses have already done in Florida.
Our term, CARE, stands for Consolidation and Regionalization for Greater Efficiency. We use the term CARE
because we care about education, we care about public safety, and we care about our economy. The simple truth is
we cannot have a healthy economy and quality government services with the level of waste and inefficiency we have
in local government. Our litmus test for review is any idea or innovation that will improve the lives of the taxpayer
should be public policy.
Cities in California are declaring bankruptcy because they face a choice between laying off police or paying
lofty police pensions. The economies of entire regions are permanently damaged by high taxes. We have the power
now to alter our future, but we must take bold action to save our way of life.
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SIGNATURE PAGE
Matthew Falconer Mark Fisher, esq.
Richard Lee Martin Forester, CRE
Margie Patchett Chuck Newman, CPA
Leon D Mausser Tom Pastore
Phil Cowherd Nicholoas Egeroff
Clay Cowherd Sally Baptiste
Doud Doudney Pat Baird
JoAnne Berens Kim Antonetti
John Kern Johnathon Moore
Jeff Secrease Dave Eller
Ed Dedelow, CPA John Vick, CPA
Roy Tanner Shawn Barrow
Jon Hall Jessica Diehl
Larry Ingle David Mack
Jesse WoodingJohn Hussey
Michael Reale
Michael Patterson
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION ONE
WHY REFORMS ARE NEEDED AND HOW TO ACHIEVE REAL REFORMS
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
STRUCTURAL DEFICITS
GOVERNMENT WAGES
ELECTED OFFICES
ETHICS
TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT REFORM
SECTION TWO
TYPES OF REFORMS IN USE ELSEWHERE
MANAGED COMPETITION
OUTSOURCING
PRIVATIZATION
CONSOLIDATION
THE CASE FOR REGIONALIZATION
SECTION THREE
DEPARTMENT REPORTS
ADMINISTRATION REPORT
ANIMAL SERVICES REPORT
BUDGET AND FINANCE REPORT
BUILDING DEPARTMENT REPORT
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT REPORT
CODE ENFORCEMENT REPORT
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CONVENTION CENTER REPORT
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REPORT
ENGINEERING REPORT
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES REPORT
FACILITIES MAINTENANCE REPORT
FLEET MAINTENANCE REPORT
HEALTH BENEFITS FINAL REPORT
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES REPORT
HUMAN RECOURSES REPORT
IMPACT FEES
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY REPORT
PARKS AND RECREATION REPORT
PENSION REPORT
PLANNING and ZONING REPORT
PROPERTY APPRAISER/TAX COLLECTOR REPORT
PUBLIC EDUCATION REPORT
PUBLIC LIBRARY REPORT
PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
9-1-1 COMMUNICATIONS REPORT
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT REPORT
TRANSPORTATION REPORT
GOVERNMENT SALARY REPORT
VACATION/SICK DAYS BENEFITS REPORT
SECTION FOUR
NOTES AND RESOURCES
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
POTENTIAL COSTS SAVINGS
SUMMARY OF MAJOR INITIATIVES
ANSWERS TO POTENTIAL QUESTIONS

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PETITION FOR GREATER EFFICIENCY
FRONT COVER-SERVICE MATRIX
BACK COVER-ORANGE COUNTY ZONE MAP WHERE
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SECTION ONE
WHY REFORMS ARE NEEDED AND HOW TO ACHIEVE THEM
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SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Before we detail how to achieve greater government efficiency we need to explain why this subject is so
important. Quite frankly, we believe as evidenced by our conversations with dozens of small business owners that
without substantial reforms the average small business will fail. Some 70% of private sector workers in Florida are
employed by small businesses, and the wholesale failure of small business will have a devastating effect on our
economy.
A recent advertisement in the Orlando Sentinel carried the plea; “Stop the Extermination of Small
Business.” This might seem very dramatic to some, but many in the business community share this concern. The
reason a business fails and lays off its employees is because the cost of staying in business exceeds revenues. The
average business makes a 5% net profit on sales, so when their expenses go up by 20% it shuts down. A business
cannot raise prices to offset cost increases, especially in an internet age. Prices are set by competition on the internet,
and items that cannot be sold on the internet are extremely price sensitive.
Many people do not realize most of the cost of government is passed onto small business. Commercial properties
pay school taxes, even though they send no children to school. The “Save our Homes” amendment has shifted tens of
billions in real estate taxes onto small business. These taxes are paid by our small business employers, not by some
rich guy with bags of money.
The recent debate on impact fees missed the point. No, reducing impact fees will not stimulate the economy right
away, but rolling back impact fees to previous levels will help sustain a healthy economy. Government officials must
understand these fees are passed on to small business via higher rents. Impact fees may increase the tenant’s base
rent by as much as 20%.
In addition to the real estate taxes and impact fees, small businesses pay sales tax on rent. They even pay sales
tax on real estate taxes. Other costs of small business that are increasing include; government supplied or franchised
garbage services and utilities. The bottom line is we are increasing the cost of doing business in Florida beyond
what the average business can afford. Here are some sobering facts from the U.S. Census Bureau on state and local
government spending in Florida;
YEAR (ending) STATE SPENDING LOCAL GOVERNMENT TOTAL
2000 51,621,214,000 55,504,603,000 92,402,130,000
2002 48,489,136,000 60,073,293,000 93,374,596,000
2004 74,691,770,000 71,787,996,000 129,013,687,000
2006 83,574,273,000 86,832,855,000 151,623,707,000
In just four years state and local government spending increased by nearly $60 billion. A 64% increase.
Our government will point to the growth that has occurred, which is a false argument. Almost eighty percent of
government spending is salaries and benefits, and the primary reason spending has increased is because salaries
and benefits have increased. We will show government workers in Orlando make twice the annual salary and have
double the benefits of the taxpayers who support them. Advances in technology have not translated into greater
efficiency. More importantly, our growth has stopped and reversed. The most accurate way to measure growth locally
is school population. In 1998 Orange County had 144,573 students, a figure that increased to 168,207 in 2008.
Student population increased just 15% in a decade. The school population peaked in 2006 and estimates are that
school populations statewide are down by as much as 5%. This is evidence that the population in Florida has been
declining the last three years as the workers left the state after the construction boom subsidized in 2006.
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The State of Florida has reduced its budget considerably for the third year in a row. Local governments, including
Orlando and Orange County, have increased their budgets in the last few years (if you remove capital spending
from the equation). Without structurally reforming the way we provide local government services the small business
environment is not sustainable. And because of Save Our Homes small business will continue to see increases
in taxes and fees above the rate of inflation. This will result in an increasing rate of business failure and higher
unemployment in the private sector.
Who pays for our $7 billion local government?
On the inside cover and on our web site we have our “Orange County Service Matrix” spreadsheet. The
purpose of the spreadsheet is to illustrate the duplication of services across political boundaries and just how much
we spend on local government. Including public schools, we in Orange County spent $7,042,220,000 on our
local governments. That figure has doubled in less than ten years while many in central Florida are making less than
they did ten years ago today.
The reason we believe so many people are apathetic about government spending is because they think someone
else is paying the taxes. The truth is every penny of the seven billion in local government spending in Orange
County comes out of the wages and income of our workers and taxpayers. Milton Friedman, the Nobel Prize
winner and most quoted economist of the 20th Century said; “the total tax on a society is the sum of all
government spending.” Let us explain.
The waitress at Chili’s may not think government spending on items like commuter rail affects her, but it does.
Government spending is why she struggles financially more every year. Real estate taxes on her restaurant have
doubled in the past six years. The increased cost of occupancy for her employer puts downward pressure on
her wages. The business cannot double the price of a hamburger because no one will buy them anymore. As
government spending increases the economy contracts as a result of higher taxes and fees. This means fewer
customers and less tips at her restaurant.
Government spending also increases her cost of living. Everything she spends her money on from food to housing
to cosmetics goes up in price because government spending increases much faster than the rate of inflation. Her
apartment rent goes up $100 a month and her utility bill goes up $50 a month.
So on the income side government spending decreases her wages and on the expense side government
spending increases her costs. The gap between income and expenses is how we define the “standard of living.” As
government spending increases faster than inflation (and in Florida it has increased faster than a speeding bullet) the
standard of living declines.
In 1998, Orange County had a budget of $1,379,869,000. In 2001 it skyrocketed to $2,243,000,000,

and in 2007 jumped again to $3,503,000,000. In a decade government spending in Orange County nearly
tripled. And every penny came from the wages of the private sector workers either directly or indirectly. The problem
is that people both inside and outside of government think that taxes are paid primarily by rich people, but the reason
hard working taxpayers struggle from paycheck to paycheck is because they support the full weight of government.
Economics 101 - You can’t push a string
Local, State and Federal governments are promoting economic recovery plans that include more government
spending. The fact is the private sector and small business drives our economy. There are 1.5 million small businesses
in Florida. If each business lays off just one person each we are in a depression. If they add just one employee each
we have zero unemployment. Government spending does nothing to help small business, and efforts to revive the
economy with government spending are like trying to push a string.
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The best way to stimulate the economy is to encourage small business to stay in business and expand. One
method used to stimulate the economy is to lower the cost of capital with lower interest rates. Another method rarely
used is to lower the cost of doing business. That can be accomplished by lowering real estate taxes and fees paid by
small business.
In a saying, “we have killed the golden goose.” Our once vibrant economy has been destroyed by
the ever rising cost of doing business in Florida. The reason the Florida economy fell from number 1 in the nation
to number 47 is because the cost of doing business has risen sharply. Government spending has increased nearly
64% in the last four years, and the $50 billion in extra taxes and fees are drowning small businesses like florists, nail
salons, and sub shops. Only if we reduce the cost of doing business will the economy of Florida return to health.
The way to accomplish this is to get greater efficiency out of our government services and return government
to its core functions. That is the goal of our study group. Our mission is to fundamentally change the way
government services are delivered. From the current duplication and waste to a model of efficiency. We plan to
reduce the cost of government by 20% and increase customer service by 20%.
If we are able to reduce government spending in Orange County by $1 billion that money will flow into our
small businesses. Taxpayers will spend that money in restaurants, nail salons, and other places of business. These
businesses will in turn hire more employees and our economy will come back to life. The one thing we cannot do
is nothing. We need reform before our economy will be healthy again because our local economy has a “structural
deficit.”
STRUCTURAL DEFICITS
In June of 2007 the Township of Sudbury Massachusetts voted to establish a Budget Review Task Force. The
study, which is available on our web site (www.TaxpayerBudgetReviewBoard.org) stated that “structural
deficits occur when systemic spending rises faster than sustainable revenues.” It further goes on to say reducing
headcounts or other budget cutting measures do not solve the problem of structural deficits. It says “increasing the
budget of a flawed model will not solve the problem.” It concluded “structurally altering the model is the only way to
reduce deficits while at the same time maintaining levels of service.”
It is interesting to note we found this report at the conclusion of our study but our independent study group came
to the same conclusion. We simply cannot continue to provide government services in the same fashion we have
in the past. If we do two things will happen: first, our quality of services will steadily erode as more money goes
towards pensions and benefits while less goes to the performance of the actual service; second, our economy will
continually contract as the weight of government forces our small business community to dedicate more resources
towards taxes and fees.
The reason 30 people spent six months volunteering their time is because each one of us has great concerns for
the future of central Florida. Each one of us believes if we do not structurally change the way we provide government
services our quality of life will erode. Our report will address important issues ignored for a long time.
GOVERNMENT WAGES
The media has done a great job as portraying civil servants and government employees as noble, brave, and
underpaid. The truth is they are neither underpaid nor at greater risk then the private sector workers who pay their
salaries.
The truth is that the average public servant in Florida makes more salary than their private sector counterparts.
And the pension and other benefits are double the private sector workers. The average annual wage in the State
of Florida is $37,260 and $36,323 in the City of Orlando. The public servants who work at the expense of the
Orlando taxpayers make an average of $64,231 in the City of Orlando, some more than $200,000 a year in
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Orange County. The benefits to government workers add 35% to 50% to the cost of each salary.
The twenty-seven year old Chief of Staff to Orlando Mayor Dyer makes $130,811.20 annually in base salary.
The Special Assistant to the Mayor makes $118,456 a year while collecting another $81,383.40 from his police
pension. With benefits from his new job he is pulling in $225,000 a year. Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty
makes $143,717 a year plus benefits while Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer rakes in $156,205.66. The salaries were
called “obscene” by a former Orlando City Clerk.
And the huge salaries are not confined to elected officials and their friends. In Orange County and Orlando,
there are 100 firemen that make over $100,000 plus pension and benefits. We have dozens of building officials
that rake in more than $100,000 a year while permits are down more than 80%. People in the private sector who
produce jobs and are the backbone of our economy are suffering mightily but the pay in government keeps
increasing. There are problems with government workers making double what the taxpayers make (aside from the
moral inequity in the situation).
First, we cannot afford to provide basic public services if the wages of the workers are too high.
Imagine a Subway restaurant run by our government. The director of subs would make $125,000 a year plus
$30,000 in benefits. The Director of Neighborhood and Community Affairs would make $117,748 (a real salary
and office in Orlando) and each sub maker will make $64,231 plus benefits. Instead of a $5 foot long we will
have a $50 foot long. No one can afford them and right now the taxpayer cannot afford the services provided
by our government. If you need a real example take Leu Gardens run by the City of Orlando. The director makes
$110,000 a year (plus benefits) and the irrigation technician (full time) makes $42,000 a year. The Orlando
taxpayer loses $1 million a year when the Leu Gardens facility can be leased for a $200,000 a year “profit”.
The second and long term problem is that we corrupt our political process as more money goes through
the system. As elected officials also receive substantial income and benefits from their service, there is a potential they
will no longer represent the taxpayers working at Home Depot and Subway.
It is our firm belief that public servants should not make more than the taxpayers that support them. Firemen
work no harder and are at no more risk than roofers and carpenters. Public service should be just that. The taxpayer
should not work solely to support their government.
ELECTED OFFICIALS
In Florida elected officials include the Board of County Commissioners, the Judiciary, the State Attorney, the Public
Defender, the Clerk of the Court, the Property Appraiser, the Sheriff, the Supervisor of Elections and the Tax Collector.
Budgets have become bloated, agencies are not performing to the best of their ability, and county commissioners are
powerless to make reforms within other departments.
Using the Orange County Tax Collector Earl K. Wood as an example, the public is clearly not receiving the
maximum benefit from the office. The 91 year old Mr. Wood is entering his fourth decade of employment with the
County, and he works an admitted 25 hours a week. He makes $150,861 a year and has done very little to reform
his department. Clearly the system of individual government fiefdoms run by separate elected officials is not working
to the best interest of the taxpayer.
We recommend ending the elections for Clerk of the Court, the Property Appraiser, the Sheriff, the Supervisor
of Elections and the Tax Collector and making them serve at the direction of the County Commission. We also
recommend that these executive positions be for two year terms with executive style contracts. The department heads
will be paid performance bonuses for improved productivity of the departments.
By putting new people into the job every two years and focusing on results the taxpayer will be better served.
The department heads will not be afraid to reform and innovate and the winner will be the taxpayer. We need
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to realize that our system of government was designed before the computer and before the internet. We need to
structurally reform our government to achieve optimal efficiency.
ETHICS
As this report is being prepared an Orange County Commissioner has asked the Orange County Mayor
to resign from the Expressway Authority because of a grand jury report that cited a “culture of corruption” at the
Authority the Mayor is chairman of. Those claims stem from a virtual shakedown of Expressway contractors by
Authority Board Members seeking campaign contributions for Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty and Orange County
Commissioner Bill Segal. It is our conclusion that a culture of corruption exists in other agencies as well and within the
overall community of government. We feel there should be reforms to the way we allow our elected officials to be
influenced.
As it related to the Expressway Authority, GOAA, and the Convention Bureau, we suggest one of two solutions;
first, that no elected official sit on these boards. Miami-Dade County is an example of that policy. Alternatively, we
believe county commissioners should serve one year terms and only be on one board at a time. Rotating the terms
of commissioners will reduce the potential for corruption and bring fresh ideas to the agencies. To further reduce the
possibility of corruption we suggest commissioners running for reelection should not be allowed to sit on an agency
board.
We also suggest that elected official should not be able to work for any company or agency that receives
public money or grants for a period of two years after the end of their service. This rule will reduce the influence that
agencies have on government by eliminating the personal gain by an elected official. As seen in State government
where Ray Sansom received a six figure job from a university after approving millions in funds to the university, the
public does not want such influence to effect how the taxpayer monies are spent. Closer to home we have seen
Orange County Commissioners accept jobs from public entities like and universities after approving funding of their
programs.
While the program may be worthwhile and the funding appropriate, the acceptance of personal benefit by
elected officials from those benefitting from their decisions is inappropriate. The only criteria that should be used to set
policy is how that policy affects the greater good. The taxpayer believes that our government is greatly influenced by
special interests.
The Orange County Taxpayer Budget Review Board, on behalf of all taxpayers in Orange County, calls on our
County Commission to adopt these two changes to improve ethics in government.
Transformational Government Reform
In our study of government looking for greater efficiency we have found that everyone agrees that something
needs to be done but most people are apathetic that change is possible. To those doubters we suggest they ignore
the bureaucratic and wasteful local government we have now and allow us to design the perfect local government.
Instead of fixing what we have our plan is to design a better local government then insert our existing government into
our new model. We call that “Transformational Government Reform.”
The problems with local government are so widespread and so ingrained that we believe incremental changes
will not materially benefit the taxpayers. Our local government has grown in size and complexity to the point where it
has become a hazard to our economy and has lowered the quality of life of its citizens. The purpose of government
is to serve its citizens and improve the quality of life, yet our own government is the source of many of our problems
and anxieties.
The goal of transformational government reform is to design the perfect government on paper and conform
our local government to that design. The reforms will include how we provide government services, how we use
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technology to provide those services, and how we pay our public servants. We believe our current local government
model is not sustainable. The level of government spending is forcing small business to fail at a rapid rate causing
higher unemployment and an increased need for social services. Only through transformative change can central
Florida return to economic prosperity.
What if we closed the Division of Motor Vehicles and put those services online. You can renew your tag from
the comfort of your own home. The same can be said of building permits and anything else that our government
regulates; the end of red tape. Let’s do live interactive commission meetings broadcast on the Internet so that
people can engage their elected officials from the comfort of their own home. Let’s put all proposed budgets on line
and allow the public to comment on them before being approved.
Sound radical? All of these ideas are in place somewhere else in our world. The technology and ability to make
your lives better is available but the political will is absent in local government. Quite frankly a lot of people make
a lot of money the way things are. But at some point we need to stand up and state that government exists
to serve the taxpayer. And so it should be designed to make the lives of the taxpayer easier with the least
economic burden to the public.
We have a long way to go from the way our government is run to a better government. But the ways and the
means are there. Our six month study of our 14 local governments has concluded that the ideas and innovations to
improve government efficiency are plentiful. Our study will show how to improve the lives of the taxpayers.
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SECTION TWO
Types of reforms in use elsewhere
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MANAGED COMPETITION
Managed Competition enables government to test the market for improved service delivery and pricing
options by allowing both public and private entities to compete for a contract through an RFP (Request for Proposal)
process. Managed Competition does not promote the wholesale transition of all public services to the private
sector — it is not a goal in itself, but a means to an end. Managed Competition encourages healthy market-based
competition in certain commercial services: those that, in the words of former Indianapolis Mayor and Managed
Competition advocate Stephen Goldsmith, pass the “Yellow Pages” test:
“If the phone book lists three companies that provide a certain service, the government should not be in that
business, at least not exclusively. The best candidates for marketization are those for which a bustling competitive
market already exists. Using the yellow pages test, we can take advantage of markets that have been operating for
years.“
If properly implemented, Managed Competition, or competitive sourcing, as it is also known, can invigorate
service delivery, enhance the general perception of public service, and translate into annual savings in the range of
10-30 per cent. Managed Competition has been successfully implemented in the UK and across the US at the state
level (where jurisdictions including Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, Utah and Massachusetts have
comprehensive regulations setting standards for competitive contracting), and in cities like Indianapolis, Phoenix,
and Charlotte, where ambitious programs have been in existence for years. Services where Managed Competition
has proven successful include: public transportation, document management, human resource management, fines/
accounts collections, refuse collection, park management maintenance, and catering.
While low cost is the primary goal, we found a number of additional reasons to bring outside competition and
resources to local government. Here are just a few;
Access to Outside Expertise. Contracting out allows governments to obtain staff expertise that they do not
have in-house on an as needed basis.
Innovation. The need to provide low cost, high quality services under competition encourages providers to cre-
ate new cutting edge solutions to help win and retail government contracts.
Flexibility to Accommodate Peak Demand. Changes in season and economic conditions may cause
staffing needs to fluctuate significantly. Contracting out allows governments to obtain additional help when it is most
needed so that services are uninterrupted for residents. In Florida today there are tens of thousands of government
workers in building departments with very little to do.
Quality and Service Improvements. Competition encourages bidders to offer the highest quality and
best service to win over their rivals. Compare the Division of Motor Vehicles with Starbucks.
OUTSOURCING
Outsourcing is contracting with another company or person to do a particular function. Almost every organization
outsources in some way. Typically, the function being outsourced is considered non-core to the business. An insurance
company, for example, might outsource its janitorial and landscaping operations to firms that specialize in those types
of work since they are not related to insurance or strategic to the business. The outside firms that are providing the
outsourcing services are third-party providers, or as they are more commonly called, service providers.
Although outsourcing has been around as long as work specialization has existed, in recent history, companies
and governments have started employing the outsourcing model to carry out narrow functions, such as payroll,
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billing and data entry. Those processes could be done more efficiently, and therefore more cost-effectively, by other
companies with specialized tools and facilities and specially trained personnel.
Currently, outsourcing takes many forms. Organizations still hire service providers to handle distinct business
processes, such as benefits management. But some organizations outsource whole operations. The most common
forms are information technology outsourcing (ITO) and human resources outsourcing (HR).
PRIVATIZATION
Privatization is the transfer of assets or service delivery from the government to the private sector. Privatization
runs a very broad range, sometimes leaving very little government involvement, and other times creating partnerships
between government and private service providers.
Most definitions of privatization, though, are more expansive, covering virtually any action that involves exposing
the operations of government to the pressures of the commercial marketplace. That would include everything from
contracting out janitorial services to selling public golf courses.
CONSOLIDATION
Consolidation or amalgamation is the act of merging several many things into one. Consolidating
governmental units and/or functions and services can reduce the cost of government by capitalizing on economies
of scale. Fiscal and operational pressure on local governments has created a renewed interest in consolidation of
governments and governmental services.
Short of full governmental consolidation, consolidation of governmental functions and services through
intergovernmental collaboration allows local government officials to avoid duplication, benefit from economies
of scale and economies of skill, and increase the level of services above that which is possible if the services are
provided independently. Our recommendation is not to consolidate governments but rather the services they provide.
We suggest consolidating services regionally, or what we call “regionalization.”
THE CASE FOR REGIONALIZATION
Before we embarked on our study of local government we read several books on the consolidation of
governments. In “City-County Consolidation and Its Alternatives” author Jered Carr notes there have only been 33
successful consolidations of governments in the United States. He points out the consolidation attempts are successful
in only 15% of the time they are attempted. At first we rejected the idea of consolidation of local governments
because the success rate was so low. But then we looked into why the success rate was so low. As it turns out
there are reasons why local governments do not consolidate beyond politics and power. One of those reasons is
economies of scale.
ECONOMIES OF SCALE
To illustrate economies of scale we tell the story that government is a restaurant with fourteen tables. Each table
(each government) has its own hostess, cashier, manager, cook and waitress. The graph below shows that as small
governments get larger the production costs decrease because of “economies of scale.” In our restaurant analogy
we need only one hostess, one cashier and one manager, and few cooks and a few waitresses. It is therefore more
efficient to have one medium city than three small cities.
But as the size of the government grows the economies of scale start to produce smaller increases in efficiency.
At some point the size of the government grows to the point where it stops becoming more efficient and the larger it
gets the less efficient it gets. This is known as “diseconomies of scale.” The classic example of this is New York City
where government services cost several times what smaller communities are able to provide them for. In our restaurant
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analogy we begin to need HR departments for hostesses.
In our graph Cost is on the vertical line while Size is the horizontal line. The optimum size of government is one
that can deliver core services at the peak of efficiency, in our graph Q1. Not too small, not too big. The key is to
realize that you can gain economies of scale by consolidating services but be wary that at some point the efficiency
peaks, and begins to decline.
OTHER REASONS WHY CONSOLIDATIONS OF GOVERNMENTS HAS NOT WORKED
There are many other reasons why consolidations of local governments have not worked. The primary reason
must be that the larger the government, the less control an individual citizen has over its local government. If your
small town enacts an ordinance banning green cars, you can march into city hall and protest the ordinance. You can
usually meet with elected officials even on short notice. The larger the government the less accessible elected officials
are and the harder it is to fight your own government. Voters and taxpayers understand this and they are reluctant to
give up what little power they now have to a larger central government.
When governments consolidate regionally small towns lose their character and culture to the larger communities.
Small towns in Florida like Windermere take pride in their community and have more social functions than people
just blocks away in Orange County. There is a sense of community that exists in Windermere that does not exist in
Orange County. We do not want to lose that sense of community, but we do need to deliver government services
more efficiently.
There are some examples where consolidation of government’s makes great sense. Some towns in New Jersey
have sister cities like Princeton Borough and Princeton Township. One consolidated city called Princeton makes all
the sense in the world (and they are trying to do just that). Because of these obstacles and drawbacks to government
consolidation our approach is to consolidate services, not governments.
APPROACHES TO CONSOLIDATING LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES
There are several ways to consolidate services.
Horizontal collaboration or consolidation is when two or more similar units of local government agree to
work together. In central Florida that may be Ocoee and Apopka.
Vertical collaboration or consolidation is when two or more dissimilar units of government agree to work
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together, such as Orange County and Ocoee, or the State of Florida and Orange County.
Neither of these methods will be optimal for Orange County, Florida because of the checkerboard nature of
the geographical boundaries of the cities and Orange County. We will need a combination of the two with the
cooperation of other governments to create the optimal delivery of local government services. We have termed this
approach “Regionalization,” which is simply the delivery of government services without regard to
political boundaries.
REGIONALIZATION
After concluding that consolidating services into one central bureaucracy was not optimal or politically feasible
we searched for a logical way to improve the efficiency of government services. Looking at the map of Orange
County (appendix A), we saw that the service boundaries were drawn on old political boundaries and are wildly
inefficient. Service providers drive millions of miles a year and waste thousands of hours simply driving past other
government’s service areas. The waste is most prevalent for Orange County, who must service islands of the county
that exist within the cities.
The first step we took was to assume there are no separate governments and no service boundaries. Logically
we assumed that the service areas will be geographic areas likely bordered by major roadways. Next we looked at
the cities in the region and the nature of the area. In northwest Orange County there are four cities that are similar;
Apopka, Ocoee, Oakland and Winter Garden. Those four cities and the surrounding portions of Orange County
became Zone 1. In southwest Orange County there are three cities; Lake Buena Vista, Bay Lake and Windermere.
We made that area Zone 2.
In central Orange County lie the City of Orlando, Maitland, Eatonville, Winter Park, Edgewood and Belle Isle.
This “urban core” was made Zone 3. And lastly we made eastern Orange County Zone 4 which is rural in character.
We created the Orange County Zone Map (Appendix B, inside back cover) to illustrate our proposed service
boundaries. The service boundaries are logical, efficient from a service delivery standpoint, and group communities
into zones that share their cultural identity. It is worth noting that our plan does not call for the elimination of those
communities, simply a regionalization of government services. The taxpayer will not even know there has been any
change other than news reports and the fact that his or her tax bill will not increase every year.
OTHER CITIES AND STATES ARE COMING TO THE SAME CONCLUSION
We concluded that regionalization of government services is the best way to improve government efficiency and
lower the tax burden on citizens. Many other communities and states have come to the same conclusion. In New
Jersey the state legislature passed a law requiring local governments to consolidate and regionalize services. Based
on the 2006 “Government Consolidation and Shared Services” report, it is now law in New Jersey to consolidate
services when it will provide services more efficiently.
The Massachusetts Municipal Association is exploring ways to achieve greater regionalization. One member of
the Association stated the current way of provided services is “unsustainable” because of an ever increasing cost that
taxpayers cannot support. The aforementioned Town Of Sudbury Budget Review Task Force came to the exact same
conclusion; that regionalizing services is the best way to ensure quality government services.
Our study will demonstrate the cost benefit and savings by regionalizing government services and implementing
other reforms.
17
SECTION THREE
DEPARTMENT REPORTS
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ADMINISTRATION REPORT
Our study found three major areas of waste in Administration in Orange County and the thirteen cities
within it; duplication of services across municipal boundaries; waste and inefficiency, and a failure to
use private sector resources. The following report outlines the inefficiencies and recommends reforms for
improved services to our citizens.
DUPLICATION OF SERVICES
The most obvious waste found throughout Orange County is the duplication of services. Administration function is
repeated in every municipality. The following are the annual Administration budgets of our local governments;
Orange County: $78,774,846, Orlando: $28,442,698, Apopka: $1,400,000, Maitland: $1,387,353,

Ocoee: $7,616,090, Winter Garden: $887,445, Winter Park: $2,033,154, Belle Isle: $388,480, Eatonville:
$507,912, Edgewood: $211,423, Oakland: $698,150, Lake Buena Vista: $2,398,844. (NOTE: all data
is taken from public records and is available at www.TaxpayerBudgetReviewBoard.org) The actual cost of
Administration is actually considerable higher because these figures do not take into account facility cost and
information technology.
We estimate the cost of Administration in Orange County to exceed $116 million.
REGIONALIZATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES IN ORANGE COUNTY
It is our recommendation that Administration be regionalized. Individual communities no longer need a separate
Administration department when most of the services provided by the individual government are regionalized. The
regionalization of Administration will generally follow our Orange County Zone Map with a few distinctions. Because
of the size and complexity of Orange County and Orlando it is likely they will maintain their own departments.
Because of the Lake Buena Vista charter it is likely they will maintain their own department. But the administration
costs in those three areas will be greatly reduced because regionalization will reduce the complexity of their mission.
The regional departments will be under the direction of a Director of Administration. Similar to the executives of
the reformed New Zealand government, these directors will be paid a modest salary with bonuses for efficiency and
customer service. It is our suggestion that new salaries be limited to $99,000 plus bonuses. The director is not a
permanent employee and is contracted for two year terms.
The services that are regionalized will be housed in a regional facility. This facility may be an existing facility
or a separate facility for this purpose. We do not recommend the construction of any new buildings as the supply
of existing buildings is more than adequate today. Part of the high cost of government services are the expensive
facilities that have sprouted in nearly every community. Regionalization of Administration along with the services
provided by government will ensure that services are provided as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Other states have already come to the conclusion that merging agencies and consolidating services makes sense.
Maine’s Governor John Baldacci said at Maine’s Grow Smart Summit in 2007; “there’s too much administration
at all levels and in all areas. Why are we wasting money?” he asked. The governor vowed that he would push
consolidation “every single day for the next three years.” Greater government efficiency is a movement growing
across America.
WASTE and INEFFICIENCY
By regionalizing Administration we can streamline employee functions and at the same time implement new
technologies to better improve services. Customer friendly and personalized web sites will answer most questions
the taxpayer has and can custom deliver bills for utilities and taxes on the internet. Taxpayers will be less likely to ask
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questions about their bills when they are going down.
By implementing innovations and regionalizing Administration at the same time we will take government from the
Industrial Age to the Information Age in one step. While it is difficult to calculate the exact savings in regionalization
and efficiency measures other studies have shown cost savings from 20% to 50%.
FAILURE TO USE THE PRIVATE SECTOR
The other method to achieve better taxpayer service and lower government overhead is to outsource or
privatize certain government function. The Administration department has peak periods of demand. The staff should
accommodate average demand periods and additional staff should be taken on as needed to accommodate peak
demand periods.
We believe that temporary staff should be hired during peak volume periods and spikes in demand. Every effort
should be made to avoid overstaffing and the need to carry surplus personnel during slow periods.
POTENTIAL COST SAVINGS
By eliminated overhead and duplication of services, we believe that regionalization of Administration can reduce
costs by 30%. Savings in communities without regionalization can be 10-20% if waste is reduced and innovations
are introduced. The savings to the taxpayer in this area can exceed $30 million.
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ANIMAL SERVICES REPORT
Our study found one main area of waste in Animal Services in Orange County; failure to use private
sector resources. The following are our recommendations for improved services to our citizens.
Before we talk about efficiency in Animal Services, we must first address the controversy of killing stray pets. One
of our board members was a board member for Orange County Animal Shelter. Her experience was that stray pets
lived unhealthy lives and then were put to sleep. There are millions of Americans who oppose killing stray pets. For
many, a “no-kill” policy is the only humane solution. We cannot make an opinion on this issue in this report, but we
do believe that no-kill options should be the first choice.
Pet lovers have dozens of volunteer organizations to assist in finding homes for stray pets. We believe these
resources should be utilized better. See www.MaddiesFund.org. We also suggest better utilization of spay/
neuter clinics to avoid extermination of stray pets (www.humanealliance.org).
The best method to achieve better taxpayer service and lower government overhead is to outsource or privatize
certain government enterprises. Agencies like the Humane Society of Central Florida have provided a service to the
public since 1937. These non-profit organizations operate with less overhead and cost to the public.
We recommend that Animal Services be submitted for managed competition between the government service
providers and the private sector. This competition will ensure the taxpayer is getting the best value. We also believe
that the private sector veterinarians have an unfair disadvantage in competing against taxpayer subsidized services.
If it is determined taxpayer subsidies should be used for animal services, we believe vouchers should be given and
private veterinarians should be allowed to play on a level playing field.
Kansas City has privatized its animal shelter to not only save $175,000 per year but also to improve
service delivery and reduce euthanasia rates. The Kansas City Council voted to transfer management of the
city’s animal shelter to a private veterinary corporation. The council endorsed the plan to contract with Veterinary
Management Corp. to run its shelter. “There are a lot of pluses,” said Councilwoman Cindy Circo, who spearheaded
the effort to have the city partner with a private company to run the shelter. She predicted better animal control
services in the neighborhoods and better care for animals in the shelter.
Mike Schumacher, the city’s public safety liaison, said the city expects to save about $175,000 annually
from what it was spending to run the shelter. Schumacher said the goal is to reduce the euthanasia rate, increase
adoptions from the shelter and improve investigation of dangerous animal cases.
Reason.org asked the question: “why on Earth would any government hire public employees with public pensions
and benefits to operate animal shelters when private companies and nonprofits do this sort of thing all the time for (at
least) equivalent quality and lower cost?” We agree.
At the writing of this report Brevard County has formed an “animal welfare working group” that will consider
privatizing Animal Services in Brevard County.
We feel that the overall savings for animal services can be 20-30% of the current cost. A combination of
managed competition and greater utilization of the private sector will lead to the most efficient way to provide animal
services in Orange County. The savings to the taxpayer will exceed $1 million.
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BUDGET AND FINANCE REPORT
Our study found three areas of waste in Budget and Finance in Orange County and the thirteen cities
within it; duplication of services across municipal boundaries; waste and inefficiency, and a failure
to use private sector resources. The following report outlines the inefficiencies and recommends reforms for
improved services to our citizens.
Budget and Finance function is repeated in every municipality. The following are the Budget and Finance annual
budgets; Orange County: $17,698,331, Orlando: $28,442,698, Apopka: $505,400, Maitland: $4,419,000,
Ocoee: $794,120, Winter Garden: $1,735,392, Winter Park: $1,688,429, Belle Isle: $388,480, Eatonville:
$335,550, Edgewood: $86,000, Oakland: $327,333, Lake Buena Vista: $637,222. The actual cost of
budget and finance is actually considerable higher because these figures do not take into account facility cost and
information technology.
We estimate the cost of Budget and Finance in Orange County to exceed $60 million.
REGIONALIZATION OF BUDGET AND FINANCE SERVICES IN ORANGE COUNTY
It is our recommendation that Budget and Finance services be regionalized. Individual communities no longer
need a separate department when most of the services provided by the individual government are regionalized. The
regionalization of Budget and Finance will generally follow our Orange County Zone Map with a few distinctions.
Because of the size and complexity of Orange County and Orlando it is likely the will maintain their own budget
departments. Because of the Lake Buena Vista charter it is likely they will maintain their own department.
All other Budget and Finance departments are prime candidates for regionalization. Regionalization of Budget
and Finance along with the services provided will ensure that revenue collection and spending is synchronized with
the other services provided. Regionalization will also reduce the cost of Budget and Finance by approximately 30%.
Our recommendation is to consolidate the Budget and Finance for smaller communities into a regional service.
However within the larger governments consolidation of Budget and Finance can occur as well. In Fauqier County
Virginia the Finance Department services both the county government and public schools. All Budget or Finance
departments should be reviewed for potential savings through consolidation with other agencies.
WASTE and INEFFICIENCY
Anyone who has ever entered a government facility has seen many government workers mulling about doing
very little. The fact is that the private sector is 10-30% more efficient mainly because the taxpayer is not supervising
the government workers. The Budget and Finance departments of all governments should be a model of efficiency.
We recommend that a “Government Efficiency Committee” be established to permanently perform regular
reviews of all departments including Budget and Finance departments. Allowing experts in all fields from the private
sector will ensure innovations and best practices are adopted and utilized.
The other method to achieve better taxpayer service and lower government overhead is to outsource or privatize
certain government functions. The Budget and Finance department has peak periods of demand. The staff should
accommodate average demand periods and additional staff should be hired as independent contractors as needed
to accommodate peak demand periods.
22
By eliminated overhead and duplication of services we believe that regionalization of Budget and Finance
can reduce costs by 30%. Savings in communities without regionalization can be 10-20% if waste is reduced and
innovations are introduced. The savings to the taxpayer in this area can exceed $10 million.
23
BUILDING DEPARTMENT REPORT
Our study found three major areas of waste in Building Departments in Orange County and the thirteen
cities within it; duplication of services across municipal boundaries, failure to use private sector
resources, and a failure to use technology to improve customer service and response times.
The following report outlines the inefficiencies and recommends reforms for improved services to our citizens.
Building Departments are found in most municipalities, even when the resources are not needed on a full time
basis in many cases. Here is our analysis.
The following are the governments with city run Building Departments and their annual budgets; Orange County:
$26,000,000, Orlando: $7,953,623, Apopka: $515,250, Maitland: $1,630,973, Ocoee: $1,165,000,
Winter Garden: $1,234,197, Winter Park: $1,532,386, Lake Buena Vista/Bay Lake: $1,914,156 (includes
planning). The communities without a specific department are Belle Isle, Oakland, Edgewood, Windermere and
Eatonville.
We estimate the cost for Building Departments across Orange County to exceed $40 million. This is a low
estimate because much of the supervisory and facility costs are not included in these budgets.
The same basic function performed by building departments is performed in most Orange County governments.
The highly paid staff process submissions in an archaic fashion that wastes valuable resources and does not best
serve the community. Our recent staffing levels accommodate one of the largest real estate booms in Florida history
and our capacity is now several times what the demand for the services are.
REGIONALIZATION OF BUILDING DEPARTMENTS IN ORANGE COUNTY
It is our recommendation that we regionalize most government services throughout Orange County, including
Building Departments. Regionalization will eliminate much of the waste and duplication of services without creating a
massive central bureaucracy. Our proposal to regionalize Building Departments will enable local governments, such
as Ocoee, Apopka, and Winter Garden to consolidate their departments into one. This will not only save money but
improve the level of service to the community. It will create a uniform county wide system that will be consistent in its
processes and procedures which will lead to greater efficiency and better service to the community.
In an average year a regional department for building and permitting can serve the public adequately. In boom
times, which we do not expect any time soon, the additional capacity can be outsourced to private sector plan
review and building inspecting services to avoid carrying additional overhead during low and moderate periods of
activity.
Along with many other government services, the regional Building Department will be under the direction of a
civilian regional administrator whose sole function shall be to increase efficiency and improve customer service.
Another method to achieve better taxpayer service and lower government overhead is to outsource or privatize
certain government enterprises. In Bushnell, Florida, the city outsources the building inspection and plan review to a
private contractor, Nova Engineering. The City of Windermere uses Nova as well. They provide the same service
and are often more available and less expensive to the taxpayer because these services are a direct cost that can be
billed to the builder/developer.
A private service provider such as Nova or T.R. Arnold and Associates provides various levels of support services
to meet the fluctuating demands of any municipal building department. Whether augmenting existing municipal staff
24
or providing a full team of qualified personnel needed to run an entire building department, they are equipped and
able to take on either short or long-term assignments.
Private providers use Certified Building Officials/Code Administrators, Plans Examiners and Inspectors which are
focused on providing a consistent high level of service whether the municipality is small or large. As a result of work-
ing within the private sector, private providers’ utilize professional and licensed staff maintaining in-depth knowledge
of the latest codes and code developments.
Their staff often includes:
s"UILDING#ODE!DMINISTRATORS
s#ERTIlED0LANS%XAMINERS
s-ULTI DISCIPLINED,ICENSED)NSPECTORS
s$ISASTER$AMAGE!SSESSMENT0ROFESSIONALS
Government should staff its building departments with the minimum staff for the average volume year. When
demand increases the excess demand should be outsourced to the private sector to avoid carrying additional
personnel during slow periods.
ELECTRONIC PLAN REVIEW

Currently almost all governments require multiple sets of building plans printed on paper. These plans are marked
up by hand by up to a dozen reviewers and then returned to the design professional for revisions, more printing,
then followed by a resubmission. The process can repeat itself for months. In the future the plans will be submitted
electronically, where the reviewer can markup the electronic version and add comments electronically. The plans will
be electronically transferred from department to department and then back to the design professional for response.
The technology already exists for this type of service.
Electronic plan review is reducing the amount of time it takes to review plans by as much as 50% and increasing
code compliance within communities. The City of Atlanta was one of the first to adopt end-to-end digital plan
submission process for construction and land-use approval. Atlanta reports the following estimated savings;
sMILESDRIVENANDGALLONSOFGAS
sLBSOFPAPERUSEDTREES
sHOURSOFDRIVINGTIME
sTONSOFPAPERREQUIRINGSTORAGE
Electronic plan review is the future of permitting, and the sooner our community adapts to this technology the
greater our savings will be. E-Plan Review now being conducted in Atlanta, Georgia, Bend, Oregon, Maricopa
County, Arizona and Osceola County, Florida. It has reduced the amount of time it takes to review plans by 40%,
eliminates lost plans, and reduced by 80% the number of trips to these jurisdictions by out of state owners/architects.
Lastly, streamlined processes are getting buildings up and open faster, putting both people to work and revenues
into the jurisdiction’s coffers sooner; for example a 200 room hotel open just 3 months earlier using streamlined
processes with an 80% occupancy = $144,000 in added tax revenues to a jurisdiction just from the 10%
occupancy tax on $100/night rooms.
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FAILURE TO USE TECHNOLOGY
Anyone who has applied for a building permit in Florida understands that technology has not improved service
levels. Applicants can check on the status of their permit on-line, but the technology does nothing to reduce the time it
takes to acquire a permit. A simple permit can take six months and complex approvals can take years. In the building
permit process, we can learn from the Veterans Administration’s switch to a digital application process and gear the
service towards the consumer, not the government.
William Eggers, author of Government 2.0, asks the question; “Why can’t government be more like
Amazon”. Why can’t our government customize the information in a way that is most useful to an individual
taxpayer? A citizen should be able to log onto a government web site that recognizes the citizen and provides a
custom portal based on their past experience and needs. In the case of the architect the status of his review should
pop up the moment he logs on. The architect should receive email alerts every time his file is updated. In the private
sector they call this “customer relationship management” (CRM).
The use of existing technology should package government information in a user-friendly fashion. The key is to
reorganize service delivery around the customer instead of the existing internal structure. This will result in a better
quality of life for taxpayers, a better economy, and lower the cost of government services. The tools exist for this
change but the will needs to be installed in government by taxpayers.
Our Building Department’s are very expensive. The City of Orlando has half-dozen employees that make over
$100,000 a year plus benefits in the division. The building inspectors and official in Winter Garden cost the
taxpayer an average of $80,222 annually with benefits, while the number of permits processed has dropped by
as much as 80%. These are very expensive salaries to carry when the demand is not there.
We believe the regionalization of building departments along with the new technologies can reduce the cost of
this public service by 30% or well over $10 million annually. And the savings to the private sector in time and
interest will be in the tens of millions of dollars annually.
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CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT REPORT
Our study found three areas of waste in Capital Improvement programs in Orange County and the
thirteen cities within it; a duplication of administration, the replacement of assets before the end
of their useful life, and a failure to use private sector resources. The following report outlines the
inefficiencies and recommends reforms for improved services to our citizens.
The following are the annual budgets of Capital Improvements in each community; Orange County: $
382,166,185, Orlando: $94,473,358, Apopka: $2,926,000, Maitland: $4,200,000, Ocoee: $23,626,199,
Winter Garden: $14,117,398, Winter Park: $6,986,999, Windermere: $97,000, Belle Isle: $1,492,656,
Eatonville: $26,000, Edgewood: $30,000.
The capital improvements for Orange County range from renovation of court house facilities to upgraded
computers and telecommunications equipment. The bulk of the capital improvement funds are attributable to sewer
and storm water capital improvements and roadway improvements.
We estimate the cost for Capital Improvements in Orange County to exceed $530 million, not including
Lake Buena Vista/Bay Lake. This is a low estimate because much of the supervisory costs are not included in
these budgets nor are the facility costs. Due to the current economic conditions fewer capital projects are being
planned for the near term. Currently, central Florida is experiencing a population decline so our growth forecasts are
overestimated.
REGIONALIZATION OF CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLANNING IN ORANGE COUNTY
Capital Improvement programs. This will reduce administration costs and allow more resources to go toward the
physical improvements.
Along with many other government services, the regional Capital Improvement management department will be
under the direction of a civilian regional administrator whose sole function shall be to increase efficiency and improve
customer service. Miami-Dade has implemented a consolidated department for the planning and oversight of capital
improvement projects.
We need to point out that by regionalizing government services and reducing waste and duplication of services
there will be a reduced demand for facilities and equipment in the future. Capital improvement costs will be reduced
by having less staff to house and fewer equipment needs.
REPLACEMENT OF ASSETS BEFORE THEIR USEFUL LIFE
Anyone familiar with central Florida has seen this before. A two lane road will be made four lanes, and a few
years later it becomes a six lane road. The four lane road has a useful life of 20 years but the road is expanded
in less than five. This wastes billions of dollars in Florida each decade. We recommend a county wide “Capital
Improvement Committee” consisting of taxpayers with expertise in all areas of construction and engineering to
assist government in making quality decisions in spending capital improvement money.
This is especially important moving forward as regionalization results in less duplication and equipment
requirements. The Capital Improvement Committee will assist staff in determining the useful life of assets and
establishing a rating system for the priority of replacements of assets.
27
Based on average demand, we estimate the savings for Capital Improvements services to range between 20-
30%. Reducing the number of departments will reduce the need for capital spending on facilities and equipment.
Proper timing for replacement of capital items will also reduce capital improvement budgets. This reform can save the
taxpayer as much as $100 million annually.
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CODE ENFORCEMENT REPORT
Our study found four major areas of waste in Code Enforcement in Orange County and the thirteen cities
within it; archaic enforcement procedures, a duplication of services across municipal boundaries, a
failure to focus on compliance not penalties, and poor service to the taxpayer. The following
report outlines the inefficiencies and recommends reforms for improved services to our citizens.
ARCHAIC ENFOCEMMENT PROCEEDURES
It is necessary that a community have regulations and they are complied with. Most communities have code en-
forcement departments or officers. The process is the same as it was 60 years ago. The typical situation starts with an
infraction and the code enforcement officer visiting the property. The code enforcement officers returns to the office,
writes up a report, and a certified letter is sent to the property owner. The property owner is summoned to municipal
court to answer the charges or prove they are in compliance. In most cases this involves a small business owner
taking an entire day off of work and the total annual loss of revenue for small business is in the millions even in small
communities.
We need to modernize code enforcement to take advantage of existing technology and make the system more
convenient for the taxpayer.
Code Enforcement function is repeated in most municipalities, even when the resources are not needed on a full
time basis in many cases.
The following are the governments with Code Enforcement departments and their annual budgets; Orange
County: $5,078,187, Orlando: $3,144,212, Apopka: (part of building), Ocoee: $200,000, Oakland:
(combined with planner), Winter Garden: $369,429, Winter Park: $300,000 (estimated, combined with building),
Maitland: $34,209. The communities without a specific code enforcement department are Belle Isle, Edgewood,
Windermere and Eatonville. Because of the nature of the Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake charter (Disney), we have
left them out of the discussion in this section.
We estimate the cost for Code Enforcement across Orange County (excluding the two communities of Lake
Buena Vista and Bay Lake) to exceed $10 million.
REGIONALIZATION OF CODE ENFORCEMENT IN ORANGE COUNTY
Code Enforcement. Our suggestion is to have one code enforcement department in each new region of Orange
County.
The innovations we suggest will require less manpower to achieve the same results. Having a regional Code
Enforcement department will apply codes consistently and fairly and reduce the potential for abuse by code
enforcement of the business community. Other counties have already consolidated code enforcement departments
including Broome County, New York and the cities within it.
FAILURE TO FOCUS ON COMPLAINCE NOT PENALTIES
Since government does not have its own source of income it is natural for government employees to focus
on revenue. But code enforcement‘s mission is to protect the public and our quality of life. Our code enforcement
personnel should solely be interested in helping taxpayers comply with our code.
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By using technology and “smart systems,” code enforcement can become part of a solution instead of a
regulatory bureaucracy. Our code officials can create a list of vendors to help taxpayers meet compliance standards
and turn the agency into a service instead of a police agency.
POOR SERVICE TO THE TAXPAYER
Let’s compare our current archaic system to an improved method. We propose the government maintain a list
of email addresses for all property owners along with their property tax records. When visiting the property with an
infraction, the code enforcement officer takes a digital picture of the infraction and emails the photo to the property
owner along with the description of the code infraction. The code officer will supply a link to the section of the code
that has been violated along with information to help the taxpayer come into compliance with the code. The property
owner must within 30 days send a return email to the code enforcement officer with a photo of the property being in
compliance. The code officer’s calendar will automatically resend another email to the property owner if the property
is not in compliance within the 30 days.
The taxpayer no longer needs to spend a day in a code hearing and the compliance results are the same. In the
past the convenience to the taxpayer has been secondary to the way government operates. The future of government
will revolve around the taxpayer, even when it comes to code infractions.
By consolidating code enforcement on a regional basis and implementing innovations we can reduce costs by
20% and increase customer service at the same time. We estimate the savings from code enforcement reforms to be
approximately $2.5 million per year off of the existing budgets across Orange County. We estimate the time sav-
ings to small business and homeowners to be in the tens of millions of dollars annually.
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CONVENTION CENTER AND VISITORS BUREAU REPORT
Our study found four areas of concern with the Convention Center and Bureau in Orange County;
duplication of efforts and research among like agencies, a lack of transparency in the use
of public funds, a failure to use best practices for optimal efficiency and a failure to consider
alternate uses of tourist tax funds. The following is an impartial and critical analysis of the Orange County
Convention Center.
The Orange County Convention Center is arguably the public enterprise with the best return on the taxpayer’s
investment. Each year hundreds of thousands of people come from other states to attend conventions and stay in our
hotels, eat in our restaurants and enjoy our recreational facilities. While the enterprise is worthy, every public asset
should be critically examined to ensure maximum efficiency and achieve the lowest possible burden on the taxpayer.
While “all funding for operational and expansion costs are generated by a tourism and resort tax, not local tax
dollars” according to the County, those funds are still public assets and must be used with discretion and efficiency.
The Orange County Convention Center has a budget for 2009 of $366,844,866. Of that $127 million went
to reserves and $76 million was for debt service. Operations personal costs are $25.25 million, Information Services
cost $1.699 million, while transportation and security costs are $5.1 million. The question the taxpayer wants to ask
is; is our current way of managing the Convention Center the most cost effective and are they producing the highest
benefit to our community? Given our experience with all departments we feel that every department can benefit from
greater efficiency and competition.
DUPLICATION OF EFFORTS AND RESEARCH AMONG LIKE AGENCIES
The Orlando-Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau is set to receive about $30 million in taxpayer
subsidies this year. President and CEO Gary Sain makes a $307,000 base salary. The functions of the Metro
Orlando Economic Development Commission, the Convention Center and Visitors Bureau, and Florida Citrus Sports
are similar and often overlap. Florida Citrus Sports is the athletic equivalent of the Convention Bureau. Many people
in central Florida are not aware these are full time organizations funded by the taxpayer.
It is our recommendation that all regional economic development departments, athletic boards and the
convention center and visitor bureaus be consolidated into one agency. By consolidating these agencies we will
eliminate duplicate services and research and allow more funds to be spent on advertising and media. The goal of
the “Economic Development and Tourism Council” as we call it will be to spend our promotion funds most
effectively. Currently most of our funds go to administration and not to advertising and promotions.
We also recommend that this agency serve under the direction of a non-profit board of directors comprised of
private sector citizens with experience in all areas of business. The board will require complete transparency and
ensure the allocated taxpayer funds are used efficiency and to the maximum benefit of the community.
INABILITY TO ATTRACT AND MAINTAIN CONVENTION BUSINESS
The mission of the convention center is to attract conventions and to bring people to Orlando and stimulate our
economy. For many years they were highly successful but recently the Orange County Convention Center has begun
to lose business to other cities. In part this is because of the increased supply in convention center space but some of
the blame has to be on policy decisions.
One of our board members commented that the “Builders Show” moved to Las Vegas because of the inefficient
layout in Orlando and the logistics of getting people to the show. While Las Vegas did invest hundreds of millions on
a rail system, our members have attended conventions in Las Vegas and logistics are equally as bad. Crime is worse.
Our assessment of why Orlando is losing business to Las Vegas and other cities are the entertainment options Las
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Vegas offers and pricing. Orlando will never compete with Las Vegas in terms of nighttime entertainment, but we can
compete with pricing. Real estate taxes have more than doubled on our hoteliers and restaurants making Orlando an
expensive place to do business. Lower taxes will result in more tourism.
If the Convention Center followed the example of Harris Rosen, who lowered the price of his class “A” hotel
rooms to $49, the Convention Center can be full each week. Aggressive pricing sells in every market. In order to
accomplish aggressive pricing two things need to happen. First, the Convention Center needs to be operating as
efficiently as possible to keep costs down. No more $100,000 parties and golden parachutes. Follow best practices
from around the globe to find the peak level of efficiency. Second, hoteliers need to aggressively package rooms at
a discount to offer to the conference attendees.
Probably more than any specific entity outside of Disney the occupancy level of the Convention Center drives our
local economy. A more aggressive approach to fill the center will help everyone in central Florida.
LACK OF TRANSPARENCY IN THE USE OF PUBLIC FUNDS
As with every taxpayer funded agency, we believe that all information should be posted on line and readily
available for the public to review. That includes budgets, the salaries and benefits of all employees, and the contracts
for all vendors. Maximum disclosure ensures minimal corruption. This was recently made public by Orange County
Commissioner Mildred Fernandez who stated; “Is it too much to ask that when someone gets tax dollars that its
business be conducted openly?”
We have recommended that a “Transparency Committee” be formed by the Orange County Commission and all
departments shall be subject to the recommendations of that committee.
FAILURE TO USE BEST PRACTICES FOR OPTIMAL EFFICIENCY
Many communities are getting greater efficiency from tax dollars by using competitive forces to bring the cost of
government down. These include “managed competitions” where the existing government staff bid against the private
sector for the management of assets and departments. Some governments have even completely privatized enterprise
functions of government.
According to the Houston Chronicle, officials in Houston are considering the possibility of consolidating and
privatizing the city’s marketing functions. A committee set up by Mayor Bill White is strongly considering a move that
would partially privatize the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, a city department with a $60 million
budget.
Orange County has a variety of economic development agencies, convention and tourism bureaus and we
recommend the committee on government efficiency look at how to consolidate these separate agencies.
FAILURE TO CONSIDER ALTERNATE USES OF TOURIST TAX REVENUE
While county statue limits the use of tourist tax revenue to certain items, it is possible to amend the law to
allow tourist tax to be used for public safety and transportation. We do not proposed eliminating or hampering
the marketing effort of central Florida, but we believe that public safety and transportation goes hand in hand with
tourism.
The business community should have a say in how the tourist tax is used as well. They know how to attract
customers. Diverting tourist taxes to venues that are not proven to attract tourist may result in a weaker economy.
We believe the potential cost savings by managed competition and merging duplicative agencies can save the
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taxpayer at least $5 million on the Convention Center budget. More importantly, a revised approach and lower
cost structure can add tens of millions of dollars into our local economy.
33
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REPORT
Our study found three areas of waste in Economic Development in Orange County and the thirteen cities
within it; duplication of services across municipal boundaries, waste, inefficiency, and poor rate of
return on taxpayer funds, and a failure to use private sector resources. The following report outlines the
The most obvious waste found throughout Orange County is the duplication of services. This waste is found in all
government departments, and in Economic Development function is repeated in many municipalities.
The following are the governments with Economic Development departments and their annual budgets;
Orange County: $14,000,000, Orlando: $32,211,000, Ocoee: part of CRA, Winter Garden: $269,506,
and Winter Park: $428,000. The communities without a specific department are Apopka, Maitland, Oakland,
Belle Isle, Edgewood, Eatonville and Windermere. Because of the nature of the Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake
charter (Disney), we have left them out of the discussion in this section. Local governments also support the regional
Orlando Economic Development Commission that promotes the four counties in Central Florida and Orlando. Local
governments also support the Chamber of Commerce.
We estimate the cost of Economic Development in Orange County (excluding the two communities of Lake Buena
Vista and Bay Lake) to exceed $50 million.
The benefits of Economic Development have come under question in an information age. Promoting a region has
become popular for governments across the nation, but there is little evidence Economic Development departments
spur economic activity. Economic activity generally surges during strong economies and falls in periods of weak
economic growth. It is likely that as of the writing of this report our return on Economic Development is zero, because
our economy is contracting. In fact, the Florida economy has been contracting since 2006, in part due to higher tax
burdens.
We also must remember that one man’s tax break is another man’s tax increase. While
it is noble to encourage high paying jobs to our area we do not want to bring them at the expense of existing
jobs. Before any tax breaks are given we recommend the Government Efficiency Commission perform a review to
determine if the breaks will add to the tax burden of existing employers. If that is the case we should reject the tax
breaks because it will result in job losses to our existing employers.
REGIONALIZATION OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN ORANGE COUNTY
It is our recommendation that Economic Development be regionalized. Individual communities no longer need a
separate department because of information widely available on the internet and our regional Economic Commission
promoting central Florida. Each community should rely on their own Chamber of Commerce and business community
to answer questions to potential employers.
We suggest the elimination of Economic Development departments in small communities and transferring the
management of information to a regional authority. Specific promotion of a region should be done by non-profits
and other community groups. The State of Connecticut is considering a bill that will consolidate all of the state’s
economic development agencies into one. “The best way to recover from this national recession is to literally work
our way out,” Governor Rell said. “Creating well-paid and stable jobs by supporting new industry will position our
state for enduring economic growth, while at the same time making state government smaller and more efficient and
more affordable for taxpayers. My proposal will give businesses a single point of contact for assistance and continue
incentives for job creation.” We agree and think this should be done on a county level even more so.
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WASTE, INEFFICIENCY, AND POOR RATE OF RETURN ON TAXPAYER FUNDS
It must first be understood that higher tax burdens weaken our economy and impose a barrier to economic
development. It is therefore critical to keep spending on Economic Development to a minimum and to ensure a good
return on taxpayer funds. At this time almost all of the money spent on economic development goes to government
salaries and benefits. We propose that a greater percentage of economic development funds are used in the
community.
The City of Orlando has a budget of roughly $32 million for Economic Development. Of that, $468,000 is paid
to the Orlando Metro Economic Development Commission. The Director of Economic Development makes $143,145
in salary plus another 30% in benefits. There are 160 government employees under his direction (which includes
permitting) and the average salary with benefits is near $100,000. None of this overhead actually makes it into the
community.
If our communities desire to help development in low income areas, we suggest a more efficient method.
Currently we have a dozen programs that give grants to various minority groups. We feel employment in low income
areas should be color-blind. It is our recommendation that the real estate taxes in low income areas should be
reduced in exchange for improvements to commercial facilities and tenant improvements. Instead of $16 million in
overhead we should invest $16 million in our community to increase employment.
PROPERTY IMPROVEMENT CREDITS
One way to provide incentive to employ people in low income areas is to reduce taxes in those areas. Another
way is to give a property improvement credit in certain circumstances. An example might be a new restaurant
wants to open in a low income area. The property owner often gives the new tenant an “improvement allowance.”
Let’s assume this allowance is $25,000. The local government should provide a tax credit of half of this amount to
encourage jobs in low income areas. The money goes into the building which means if the tenant should fail another
tenant can use those improvements in the future.
The same credit can be made available to property owners for exterior improvements. A property owner who
renovates the exterior of a property in an Enterprise Zone should be entitled to a tax credit, or reduction in property
taxes, as a reward for investing in these low income areas. This will encourage new business and jobs in those
areas.
A property tax credit is one of the most efficient ways to encourage jobs in low income areas. Right now most
of the taxpayer money for economic development, especially in low income areas, is spent on administration, not
incentives. A broad based tax credit policy also eliminates favoritism and corruption in the allocation of taxpayer
funds.
We also suggest the implementation of street fairs in low income areas. Our plan is to have a non-profit agency
assist minority entrepreneurs by purchasing surplus merchandise in bulk and making the products available to the
merchants on credit. These entrepreneurs will be given tables and booths at the street fairs where they will sell their
goods to the public. Our “Minority Entrepreneur Program” should be run by volunteers with funding from our
economic development agencies.
Our economic development program should be geared towards teaching minorities how to open a small
business starting with a simple booth at a street fair and hopefully growing that business to a retail store.
certain government enterprises. Chambers of Commerce can service web sites and provide details on investment
35
opportunities. Other non-profits like the Florida Association of Realtors actively promote our region so economic
development in the internet age is a duplication of effort in many cases.
We believe that be eliminating small economic development departments, and by utilizing non-profits for area
promotion, we can save 25% of the current spending on economic development. That translates into a savings by the
taxpayer of $12.5 million.
*Note. While our report shows the City Of Orlando has double the spending of Orange County in economic development, the variations in budgets
often vary because of how different governments define Economic Development. In Orlando, the Building Department is under economic Development.
We deducted that department from this total but there are still differences in the definition and budgets of departments within each community.
36
ENGINEERING REPORT
Our study found two areas of waste in Engineering in Orange County and the thirteen cities within it;
duplication of services across municipal boundaries, and a failure to use private sector resources.
Engineering is a function that is repeated in most municipalities, even when the resources are not needed on a full
time basis in many cases. The following are the governments with city run Engineering Departments and their annual
budgets; Orange County: $ 10,981,469, Orlando: $ 1,790,614, Apopka: $ 439,900, Ocoee: $ 757,690,
Winter Garden: $ 753,760, Winter Park: $845,280 (Maitland has a combined agency). The communities without
a specific department are Belle Isle, Edgewood, Oakland, Windermere and Eatonville.
We estimate the cost for Engineering Departments County to exceed $17 million, not including the millions
paid to outside vendors. This is a low estimate because much of the supervisory costs are not included in these
budgets nor are the facility costs. Due to the current economic conditions hardly any capital projects are being
planned for the near term. Currently, central Florida is experiencing a population decline so our growth forecasts and
road networks are overestimated.
REGIONALIZATION OF PLANNING AND ZONING IN ORANGE COUNTY
Engineering. Regionalization will eliminate much of the waste and duplication of services. Our proposal to
regionalize Engineering will enable local governments, such as Ocoee, Apopka, and Winter Garden to consolidate
their Engineering departments into one.
In an average year a regional department for Engineering can serve the public adequately. In boom times,
which we do not expect for quite some time, the additional capacity can be outsourced to the private sector to avoid
carrying surplus overhead during low and moderate periods of activity.
Along with many other government services, the regional Engineering Department will be under the direction of
a civilian regional administrator whose sole function shall be to increase efficiency and improve customer service.
Other communities have begun to consolidate engineering departments. Some in Maryland have consolidated
the department into Community Development, while others have regionalized engineering services and merged
departments. Memphis Tennessee and Shelby County are planning to merge their Engineering Departments to save
the taxpayer money.
certain government enterprises. With the exception of a small staff to coordinate project requests and implementation
all engineering services can be performed by the private sector more efficiently.
Private firms like PBSJ already perform engineering services for communities and the State of Florida. By
outsourcing engineering, communities do not need to carry the overhead when projects are put on hold and during
downturns in the economy.
PBS&J’s resources can provide engineering staff outsourcing to assist local agencies with increasing workload.
Their staff can provide capital improvement program management, contract city engineering services, project
management, plan checking services, and municipal engineering design.
It is our recommendation that each zone has a small staff to coordinate engineering services and projects that are
outsourced to the private sector on a contract basis. There is no need to carry overhead during slow times and even
37
in good times the private sector is more cost effective as shown in the following report.
Report: Private design saves millions
According to the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, using private-sector engineers
on public projects could save state taxpayers millions of dollars each year.
A report released by the Polytechnic Institute of New York University states that New York State can save money
by using private sector engineers for the design of public projects. Compared to in-house design costs, outsourced
design costs were found to be at least 14% lower. The results were formulated using comparative data for in-house
engineers versus private sector engineers on: direct salaries adjusted for hours of work per week; fringe benefits
including medical insurance, pension plans, survivor’s benefits, workers compensation, unemployment, and social
security insurance; and overhead.

Based on average demand, we estimate the saving for engineering services to range between 20-40%.
Outsourcing alone is half of that savings, but the real savings comes in not carrying the overhead when the demand
for services is low like it is right now. This reform can save the taxpayer as much as $4.1 million
annually and actually increase the speed at which projects are designed and built through incentive and penalties
the private sector faces.
38
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES (Solid Waste) REPORT
Our study found two major areas of waste in Environmental Services in Orange County and the thirteen
cities within it; duplication of services across municipal boundaries, and a failure to use private sector
resources. The following report outlines the inefficiencies and recommends reforms for improved services to our
citizens.
The following are the governments with city owned solid waste departments and their annual budgets; Orlando:
$25,240,705, and Apopka: $4,289,350. All other communities outsource garbage collection to a private
contractor.
Many communities charge a franchise fee or tax on garbage service that is a significant source of revenue for
government. As property tax collections decrease, government has a tendency to increase these fees as a form of
hidden tax.
We estimate the cost for Environmental Services across Orange County to exceed $100 million. It is our
recommendation that waste services and garbage collection be provided on a county wide basis to avoid the need
for separate departments.
According to Reason.org, private garbage service costs 29 to 37 percent less than publically run garbage
service. Our experience with garbage service shows the City of Orlando charges $589.59 a month for an 8
yard dumpster picked up three times a week while a private vendor charges $331.76. In addition to lower cost
to the consumer, private vendors have better access to innovation and technology and the private sector assumes
environmental liability.
We do not think the government should charge a tax or franchisee fee for garbage collection. It is a significant
cost to small business and detrimental to our economy.
Currently there are 14 garbage service areas in Orange County. Several are publically operated, but all service
a fragmented service area. Regardless of whom picks up the garbage, fragmented service areas are inefficient and
increase costs. They require more miles by collection vehicles, increase pollution, and increase costs.
Our recommendation is to bid separate contracts for each of the four Orange County zones we have suggested
for other services. A vendor can then ensure greater efficiency in service, the contracts will be larger and thus attract
more bids, and the cost to the taxpayer will be significantly less.
Many municipalities across the country already operate on a regional basis and more are converting to a
regional service delivery method. From New Jersey to Connecticut to Pittsburg cities and counties are exploring ways
to gain better economies of scale in garbage collection.
We estimate that by regionalizing service areas and bidding out all solid waste services we can save the
taxpayer 20% of garbage collection costs. If we remove the franchisee fees and taxes we can save another 10%, for
a total savings of $30 million per year.
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FACILITIIES MAINTENANCE REPORT
Our study found two areas of waste in Facilities Maintenance in Orange County and the thirteen cities within it;
The following are the governments with city run Facilities Maintenance departments and their annual budgets;
Orange County: $44,186,855, Orlando: $7,433,420, Apopka: $599,700, Ocoee: (budgeted within each
department), Winter Garden: $398,167, Winter Park: $1,918,915, Maitland: $1,194,115, Windermere:
$125,757.
We estimate the cost for Facilities Maintenance across Orange County to exceed $56 million. This is a low
estimate because much of the supervisory costs are not included in these budgets nor are the facility costs. The same
basic function performed by Facilities Maintenance is performed in most Orange County governments
REGIONALIZATION OF FACILITIES MAINTENENCE IN ORANGE COUNTY
Facilities Maintenance. We anticipate regionalization to result in the need for fewer facilities, which will significantly
reduce the budget for Facilities Maintenance.
The Town of Sudbury Massachusetts prepared a 102 page report with suggestions to save money on the
delivery of government services. Regionalizing services, including facilities maintenance, was listed as one of the
ways to ensure quality services into the future.
certain government enterprises. For most Facilities Maintenance work the contracts can be bid out and completed
more cost effectively. Most small communities already outsource facilities maintenance.
By using the private sector, government managers can focus their attention off the maintenance of facilities and
onto the core missions of government.
With the reduction in the number of facilities and the regionalization of facility management and maintenance,
we believe the cost savings will be between 20-30%. This will save the taxpayer $10 million annually.
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FLEET MAINTENANCE REPORT
Our study found two areas of waste in Fleet Maintenance in Orange County and the thirteen cities within
it; duplication of services across municipal boundaries, and a failure to use private sector resources.
The following are the governments with city run Fleet Maintenance departments and their annual budgets;
Orange County: $22,997,697 (a 26% increase from last year), Orlando: $28,818,582, Apopka: $768,450,
Ocoee: $1,212,155, Winter Garden: $429,530, Winter Park: $1, 491, 458. The communities without a specific
department are Belle Isle, Edgewood, Windermere and Eatonville. With the exception of Windermere, who spends
$75,300 on fleet maintenance, those other communities spend $11,000 or less on fleet maintenance.
We estimate the cost for Fleet Maintenance across Orange County to exceed $60 million. This is a low
estimate because much of the supervisory costs are not included in these budgets nor are the facility costs.
REGIONALIZATION OF FLEET MAINTENENCE IN ORANGE COUNTY
It is our recommendation that we regionalize most government services throughout Orange County including
Fleet Maintenance. Our proposal to regionalize Fleet Maintenance will enable local governments, such as Ocoee,
Apopka, and Winter Garden to consolidate their Fleet Maintenance departments into one.
Along with many other government services, the regional Fleet Maintenance department will be under the
direction of a civilian regional administrator whose sole function shall be to increase efficiency and improve customer
service. By regionalizing services we will eliminate the need to buy expensive equipment for each small community.
We believe that regionalization will greatly reduce costs including those in Fleet Maintenance.
After two years of preparation, the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County will be consolidating their fleet
maintenance operations under the City’s management. The fleet consolidation project is a cost-effective collaboration
between the City and County that will save the County more than $700,000 over the first three years.
certain government enterprises. In the private sector a new study indicates that trucking companies are increasingly
outsourcing equipment maintenance work to third parties. Justin Zohn, senior consultant for transportation research
and consulting firm Havill & Company, noted that a boom in maintenance service providers over the past five years
has shifted the focus of many trucking companies back to their core business.
We recommend that fleet maintenance be submitted for managed competition between the regionalized
government service providers and the private sector. This competition will ensure the taxpayer is getting the best
value.
If you combine the other recommendation in our report that will reduce the number of vehicles in the government
fleet, we feel that the overall savings for fleet maintenance can be 20-30% of the current cost. A combination of
regionalization of services, managed competition and a reduced fleet will ensure the greatest efficiency. The
savings to the taxpayer will exceed $12 million.
41
HEALTH BENEFITS REPORT
Our study found five areas of concern and waste in Healthcare Benefit’s in Orange County and the
thirteen cities within it; government workers have better Health Benefits than the taxpayers that
support them, uneven Health Benefits across municipal boundaries, widespread Health Benefits
abuse, the taxpayer liability for Health Benefits after retirement, and an unrealistic Health
Benefits plan given the rising cost of medical insurance.
GOVERNMENT WORKERS HAVE BETTER HEALTH BENEFITSS THAT TAXPAYERS
One in four Florida residents under the age of 65 lacked health insurance coverage in 2006, according to an
estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau. The report also said that number of uninsured Floridians of all ages has ris-
en from 2.779 million in 1999 to 3.828 million in 2006, an increase of 37.7 percent over the seven-year period.
And since one out of every five workers in Florida is employed by the government, and almost every one of those is
covered by insurance, the percentage of non-government workers without health insurance is greater than 30%.
Given the fact that one out of three taxpayers do not have health insurance it is fair to say that government work-
ers have better health benefits than taxpayers on average. The cost to the taxpayer for Health Benefits for government
workers in Orange County ranges from $7,000 per employee to over $12,000 per employee. The high range of
cost approaches the annual salary of millions of minimum wages Florida workers.
In the sake of fairness to taxpayers, we recommend that the Health Benefits for government workers be compa-
rable to the private sector. Not comparable to a private sector company with great benefits, but to the private sector
as a whole. They should also be strictly defined contribution plans that are consistent across all of Orange County.
UNEVEN HEALTH BENEFITS AND SERVICES ACROSS THE COUNTY
A study of the health insurance provided to government employees across Orange County can be the subject
of an entire report. We asked for copies of each health plan from each government and virtually every health plan
is unique across municipal boundaries. Some are self-insured or self-funded, meaning the taxpayer takes the risk of
losses, and others are pure insurance policies where the risk of loss is borne by the insurance company.
Some plans pay for the employee only and others ask the employee to pay a portion of the cost. Almost all plans
allow the employee to add family members to the policy. The city of Ocoee even has their own on site clinic costing
the taxpayer $312,000 a year not including the cost of health insurance. Ocoee also has an HRA (health resource
account), and puts $1,250 in cash ($2500 for families) into the account to pay for deductibles. When government
staffers select the plan and elected officials are included there is little incentive to economize on health benefits.
The Orange County medical plan is currently self-funded. They have an Administrative Services Only
contract with United Healthcare, and a pharmacy plan with Express Scripts. Other companies that provide healthcare
insurance are Blue Cross, and Aetna.
Having more than a dozen health plans in Orange County creates higher administration costs. Not only for
the health provider but for our government as well. An oft-cited study by Harvard Medical School determined that
some 31% of U.S. health care dollars go towards administration. We believe there should be one health plan for all
government workers within Orange County with a variety of options within that plan.
WIDESPREAD HEALTH BENEFITS ABUSE
Jeffrey Barber, a medical claims auditor with Accu-Rate in El Paso, Tex. (which gets paid for finding overcharges),
42
states that excessive and unjustified costs consume as much as 20% of health care spending. Among the excessive
and bogus bills Accu-Rate has uncovered: an $89,000 night in a hospital for a patient who wasn’t even admitted;
a hip replacement expensed to the wrong person; and bills for workers in Iowa charged to a firm whose employees
are all in New England. When Accu-Rate audited the plan of Springfield, Mass., it found the city severely lacking in
spending controls and paying bills for 250 ineligible people.
AutoNation filed a lawsuit against United Healthcare in a Florida federal court last August. The nation’s top car
retailer charged UHC with paying for services not covered, failing to collect copayments, miscalculating benefits and
paying claims for thousands of ineligible people. All told, AutoNation claims the overpayments cost it in excess of
$10 million over 18 months. UHC settled the suit late last year for undisclosed terms.
For all plans, especially self-insured plans, accuracy needs to be greatly improved. This can be accomplished
through standardized invoices, standardized forms, and simpler audit procedures. Controlling the cost of healthcare
must address mistakes, fraud, and other abuses of the system.
TAXPAYER LIABILITY FOR HEALTH BENEFITS AFTER RETIREMENT
The State of Florida has not funded any of the post-retirement healthcare benefits for state employees, and several
communities in Orange County are liable for post-retirement health benefits. With the tremendous increase in state
and local government staff, Florida is headed down the same path that California is on. California paid $4 billion
in retiree health care costs in 2006 and is projected to pay $27 billion in 2019. Almost all of these benefits are not
funded and will come from a tax increase (or increase in fees).
It is vitally important that health benefits cease once employment ends or the cost comes out of the retirement pen-
sion payments for the employees. With the rising cost of healthcare, post-retirement healthcare benefits can bankrupt
our communities.
UNREALISTIC HEALTH BENEFITS PLAN GIVEN RISING MEDICAL COSTS
The cost for employer-paid health insurance is rising rapidly: since 2001, premiums for family coverage have
increased 78%, while wages have risen 19% and inflation has risen 17%, according to a 2007 study by the Kaiser
Family Foundation. It is unrealistic to believe that taxpayers can support rapidly increasing health benefits without
lowering their quality of life.
A limit must be placed on the annual contribution for healthcare benefits to each employee in Orange County.
Without such a limit health care benefits will continue to rise faster than personal incomes of the taxpayer and the
quality of life in our county will continue to erode. The Healthcare Benefits to our public servants should not be greater
than our citizens enjoy nor should they lower the quality of life of taxpayers.
The current government Health Benefits plans are unrealistic and unsustainable. We recommend major changes
as follows;
1. The government will contribute into a defined contribution health plan with a maximum of $7,200 per year
per employee.
2. Once the contribution to the account is made the Health Benefits obligation for the worker is severed for that
time period.
3. Post retirement health benefits shall be eliminated.
4. Health plans should provide for standardized billing and unlimited audit ability for services provided.
5. We suggest a single county wide health program administered by a private agency. Communities will have
the right to audit bills and services to ensure fraud is not prevalent within the system.
These changes will also make our system more efficient. Employees will shop around for services and maintain a
43
healthier lifestyle.
The total cost of government employee healthcare in Orange County is approaching $150 million annually. It
costs $107 million in Orange County alone. We believe that with a defined contribution plan as outlined above, the
overall savings to the taxpayer will be 20% within three years as health costs escalate. The savings will be approxi-
mately $30 million per year and $300 million over a ten year period.
44
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES REPORT
Our study found two areas of waste in Health and Human Services in Orange County and the thirteen
cities within it; a failure to use non-profit resources, and a failure to utilize the private sector. The
following report outlines the inefficiencies and recommends reforms for improved services to our citizens.
Orange County spends roughly $118,541,000 on Health and Human Services. The vast majority of those costs
are payroll and benefits.
FAILURE TO USE NON-PROFITS
There are many communities that run Health and Human Services partially or wholly through the efforts
of volunteer and civic organizations. National non-profits in the health and human services field comprise the
membership of the National Assembly. Those organizations and their constituent services networks collectively
touch or are touched by nearly every household in America – as consumers of services, donors or volunteers. We
recommend wherever and whenever possible to shift the management of Health and Human Services to non-profits.
In addition to lowering the cost to the taxpayer, these groups have a passion for helping and access to managerial
talent the public sector cannot afford.
There are dozens of non-profits and civic groups that can and are willing to help our community by volunteering
to run portions of our Health and Human Services. We recommend a Health and Human Services
Committee be established to determine which functions of Health and Human Services can be run by non-profits at
a lower cost without lowering the level of service.
A prime department that can be run by non-profits and volunteers is the Regional History center, but virtually every
department can be run by non-profits to some extent.

certain government enterprises. It has been proven time and again that the private sector can provide services for 10-
40% less than the public sector. Departments like Mosquito Control can be bid out and those services can be secured
for less.
Entire programs can be bid in “managed competitions” where the public agency bids against the private sector
for that service. This ensures optimal efficiency from our public services. Many communities across the nation are
finding ways to deliver Health and Human Services more efficiently. In Oregon, Josephine County will no longer
administer various mental and health service programs. But officials say the general public shouldn’t notice much of
a change. That’s because Josephine County will contract those services to private, non-profit agencies. Options for
Southern Oregon will oversee about two-thirds of the government programs that become private.
Commissioner Jim Riddle explains. “We will still provide mental health authority in the county. We’ll have a
mental health director, and funds will come through Josephine County. But the services themselves will be on contract
through Options of Southern Oregon.” Riddle says Josephine County is one of the last counties in Oregon to privatize
its mental health and human services programs.

We believe that through managed competition and using non-profits to assist in the running of Health and Human
Services we can save 20% of the total cost of Health and Human Services. This will save the taxpayer $23
million annually and engage the public in their community.
45
HUMAN RECOURSES REPORT
Our study found two areas of waste in Human Recourses in Orange County and the thirteen cities within it;
duplication of services across municipal boundaries, and an overcapacity given the current economy. The
The Human Resources function is repeated in most municipalities, even at a time when those services are
barely needed. The following are the governments with Human Resources departments and their annual budgets;
Orange County: $4,823,260, Orlando: $2,927,071, Apopka: $250,020, Ocoee: $450,670, Windermere:
$438,000, Oakland: $252,000, Winter Garden: $311,537, Winter Park: $400,529, and Maitland:
$451,000. The communities without a specific HR department are Belle Isle, Edgewood, and Eatonville. Because
of the nature of the Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake charter (Disney), we have left them out of the discussion in this
section.
The budget for Orange County does not represent the true cost of Human Resources because the Orange County
HR department does not perform the service for each department in the County. Each Department within Orange
County has an HR/Employee Services Division. The following departments have their own HR department in Orange
County;
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We estimate the cost for Human Resources across Orange County (excluding the two communities of Lake Buena
Vista and Bay Lake) to exceed $15 million. This comes at a time with a hiring freeze and layoffs. There may be
valid reasons to keep personal at this time, such as the filing of accident reports, but the truth is that the function of
Human Resources across all Orange County governments is duplicated and a waste of taxpayer recourses.
REGIONALIZATION OF HUMAN RESOURCES IN ORANGE COUNTY
Human Resources. Regionalization will eliminate much of the waste and duplication of services without creating a
massive central bureaucracy. Our proposal to regionalize human resources will enable local governments, such as
Ocoee, Apopka, and Winter Garden to consolidate their Human Resources departments into one single department.
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We also propose a regional Human Resources cooperative where specialty services, like public safety, can be
addressed on a county wide level. The same service provided to the Orange County sheriff can be given to the small
communities in Orange County.
We recommend that both the City of Orlando and Orange County consolidate their separate HR departments
into one single department in each community. The demand for HR services is down dramatically and a centralized
unit will be more efficient and cost effective.
The State of Florida has begun to consolidate separate HR departments as has Los Angeles County and the State
of Texas. Texas expects to save $1 billion in just two years from consolidation of services.
OVERCAPACITY
The current Human Resources departments were staffed to handle the largest expansion of local government in
Florida history. Now with a hiring freeze in effect in many places and layoffs looming, our Human Resource staff
is way over capacity. As with any government service, the staffing and capacity should be geared to the average
volume, not peak capacity. Any additional capacity needs can be outsourced to the private sector to avoid excess
capacity and unnecessary staffing levels.
Our Human Resources personnel are also very expensive. The HR Director in Winter Park makes $71,491,
plus pension, health, and other benefits (bring the total cost of that employee to around $100,000). In Maitland
the director makes $79,000, in Ocoee he makes $99,674, and the City of Orlando $95,000. These are very
expensive salaries to carry when the demand is not there. The goal of an efficient government should be to staff for
the average demand period and outsource demand for peak periods.
We believe that by regionalizing HR departments and consolidating the Human Resources function within Or-
lando and Orange County the savings will be approximately 30% or $4.5 million annually.
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IMPACT FEES
The concept of an “impact fee” started in the 1970’s when general tax revenue could not support the need
for new roads and public improvements (this timing coincided with the increase in government programs from “The
Great Society”). An impact fee is defined by the State of Florida as “a charge on new development to pay for off-site
capital improvements that the development benefits from.” Many people consider an impact fee a tax on land paid
at the time of permitting. Impact fees are, in reality, a tax on small business that rent and own
space in commercial projects. Here is why.
Commercial real estate projects are financed with almost entirely borrowed money. Additional costs in the form
of impact fees (taxes) raise the total cost and the amount borrowed. The example I use is a $2 million project with
4 tenants. Without impact fees, the rents needed to pay the debt service (interest) are set at $50,000 per tenant
annually. By adding the new impact fee (tax),which currently in Central Florida for a project this size is now an
astounding $500,000, the cost of the project increases by 25%. The debt service increases accordingly, and the
rents needed from each tenant to make the project feasible are increased to $62,500 annually per tenant. Each
tenant pays an annual “tax” of $12,500 per year to pay for the $500,000 impact “fee”.
The additional cost never goes away since the cost was capitalized at the beginning of the
project. The $500,000 is just for fees paid by the property owner. The tenants themselves often pay “impact fees”
for road, water, sewer and building permit fees. In one 1,500 square foot space for a taco shop, the government
assessed $100,000 in fees when the total cost to build the store was only $150,000. The taco shop makes a profit
of $.33 per taco and therefore needs to sell 300,000 tacos to pay for just that one fee!
Impact fees are not magically passed on to new residents of our state or to consumers. Occupants of these new
projects cannot charge more for their product, because their (existing) competition sets the prices for what the market
will pay. Subway sandwich shops cannot double the price of a sub, just because impact fees double. Prices for
many items are set by the Internet. Stores like Best Buy cannot charge more than the prices that are widely available
on the Internet. We are punishing and pummeling new small business and employers with fees and costs that should
be borne by the public at large. Ten years ago retail rents were under $2,000 a month. Today, rents for the same
space in central Florida are $5,000 a month, and with the new impact fees rents will go above $6,000 a month
for the average store. The small business will need to work harder, pay employees less, and will fail at a higher rate.
One third to one half of all small businesses fail and it is not because they do not try. The failure rate is high because
the cost of doing business is rising too quickly.
Because of high impact fees (and high real estate taxes), the cost of commercial development now exceeds the
ability of the average tenant to afford. Because of high impact fees the cost of new homes now exceeds the ability of
the average taxpayer to afford a new home. Because of the wide variety fees and taxes, employment and economic
growth in Florida is at a standstill. A board member just had a prospective tenant, a sub shop, tell us his impact fees
to go into an existing building are over $100,000. He decided not to invest his time and money in the community
because of the impact fee. This type of chilling effect on our economy happens hundreds of times a day in Florida.
The following is an analysis of the increases for impact fees on a small commercial building in Orlando.
The tenants themselves also pay impact fees if they are not a standard mercantile use, sometimes hundreds of
thousands of dollars. Impact fees are harmful to affordable housing as well. Below is a graph of impact fees for
apartments in Orange County. It is nearly impossible to build new apartments at rents the average tenant can afford
with the new fees.
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The same problem exists with new single family homes Below is the graph of impact fees which do not include the
so called “Martinez tax” that has a virtually unlimited ability to tax new residential projects.
While the debate rages over whether to reduce impact fees, both sides of the argument have completely missed
the point. Yes, impact fees are an obstacle to our commercial tax base and employment. And yes, they should be
lowered. But they will not jump start our economy and they should be lowered permanently. Here is why.
Impact fees are not paid by rich developers. These fees, like real estate taxes, are passed on to the small
businesses that occupy commercial buildings. These fees also become part of the taxable value and forever inflate
the assessed value and therefore real estate taxes on small business. In residential homes they are passed on to
new home buyers. Across Florida impact fees have tripled in the past five years. This helped push our economy into
recession and will hamper our economy for years to come.
We should roll back impact fees to 2002 levels and lower the cost of doing business in Florida and while
helping our economy for the long term. It may be popular to blast developers, but the reality is these costs are passed
on to the small business community and homeowners. We need to create smart policy based on reason and logic,
not emotion and jealousy.
49
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY REPORT
Our study found two areas of waste in Information Technology in Orange County and the thirteen cities
within it; duplication of services across municipal boundaries, and a failure to use private sector.
Information Technology function is repeated in most municipalities, even when the resources are not needed on
a full time basis in many cases. The following are the governments with Information Technology departments and
their annual budgets; Orange County: $39,243,578, Orlando: $11,026,000, Apopka: $1,226,950, Ocoee:
$339,335, Winter Garden: $852,232, Winter Park: $1,438,287, Maitland: $596,036. The communities
without a specific IT department are Belle Isle, Edgewood, Oakland, Windermere and Eatonville. Because of the
nature of the Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake charter (Disney), we have left them out of the discussion in this section.
We estimate the cost for Information Technology across Orange County (excluding the two communities of Lake
Buena Vista and Bay Lake) to exceed $13 million. Information Technology is vital to every organization however
the duplication of this service does not benefit the taxpayer.
REGIONALIZATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN ORANGE COUNTY
Information Technology. Our proposal to regionalize Information Technology will enable local governments, such as
Ocoee, Apopka, and Winter Garden to consolidate their Information Technology departments into one. We also
propose a regional Information Technology cooperative where departments can share resources, ideas, and improve
compatibility.
Other communities and states have consolidated IT services. The State of Missouri consolidated its Information
Technology departments. The state of Missouri IT infrastructure supports the systems that serve the state’s 5.8 million
citizens and approximately 60,000 government employees. To drive efficiency, the state has centralized IT personnel
and functions for 14 of 16 state departments within the Information Technology Services Division (ITSD) of the Office
of Administration.
“Consolidating IT resources has enabled us to effectively manage IT budget decreases of up to 25 percent during
the last three years—without sacrificing our ability to keep pace with the increasing demand for new IT services
and upgrades,” says Dan Ross, chief information officer, Missouri Information Technology Services Division. “By
eliminating the duplication of government services and centralizing IT administration, the state of Missouri is saving
millions of dollars and precious staff resources.”
FAILURE TO USE PRIVATE SECTOR
certain government enterprises. Information Technology does not need to be provided by government employees.
A small group of government employees can decide which functions are done in-house and which functions are
contracted out.
Entire programs can be bid in “managed competitions” where the public agency bids against the private sector
for that service. This ensures optimal efficiency from our public services.
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We believe that by regionalizing IT departments and outsourcing specific jobs the annual savings will be
approximately 25% or $3.25 million.
51
PARKS AND RECREATION REPORT
Our study found three areas of waste in Parks and Recreation in Orange County and the thirteen cities
within it; duplication of services across municipal boundaries, a failure to engage the non-profit
community, and a failure to use private sector resources. The following report outlines the inefficiencies
and recommends reforms for improved services to our citizens.
Parks and Recreation function is repeated in most municipalities, even when the resources are not needed on
a full time basis in many cases. The following are the governments with Parks and Recreation departments and
their annual budgets; Orange County: $31,842,916, Orlando: $27,883,636, Apopka: $1,931,000, Ocoee:
$1,194,270, Windermere: $32,500, Winter Garden: $4,800,000, Winter Park: $6,551,777, Maitland:
$1,691,084. The communities without a specific department are Belle Isle, Edgewood, Oakland and Eatonville.
Because of the nature of the Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake charter (Disney), we have left them out of the discussion
in this report.
We estimate the cost for Parks and Recreation across Orange County (excluding the two communities of Lake
Buena Vista and Bay Lake) to exceed $76 million.
REGIONALIZATION OF PARKS AND RECREATION IN ORANGE COUNTY
Parks and Recreation. Our proposal to regionalize Parks and Recreation will enable local governments, such as
Ocoee, Apopka, and Winter Garden to consolidate their Parks and Recreation departments into one.
There are many communities that run Parks and Recreation through the efforts of volunteer and civic
organizations. The most visible and successful example is New York’s Central Park. With 843 acres and 25 million
visitors a year, the Central Park Conservancy is a private, not-for-profit organization founded in 1980 that manages
Central Park under a contract with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. The group has turned what
was once a crime ridden jungle into the model for urban parks worldwide.
There are dozens of non-profits and civic groups that can and are willing to help our community by volunteering
to run our parks and recreation services. In central Florida alone, there are dozens of Rotary clubs. Each club can
take on the management of one park or program. In moving the management of parks to volunteers, we accomplish
two important tasks. First, we reduce the overhead and are able to divert resources to core missions of government.
And more importantly we are engaging the community who take pride in civic services. It amazing how much
experience and ability that volunteers can bring to public service. Right now we use volunteers to do the minor tasks,
but properly organized the non-profits can run Parks and Recreation better than it currently is and at a much lower
cost.
certain government enterprises. Three prime examples of this are the Orlando and Winter Park municipal golf
courses, and the Leu Gardens banquet facility in the City of Orlando. Both are run at a loss to the taxpayer. Both can
be leased to a private operator for a profit. This has been done in many cases throughout the United States, with the
end result being income to the taxpayer instead of a loss.
Despite being extremely popular and benefitting from 9100 hours of volunteer service annually, Leu Gardens lost
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the taxpayer $1,020,543 in the last year. The facility can be rented to a private vendor for as much as $25,000 a
month, making the benefit to the taxpayer $1,320,543 annually. The City can still own the facility and the taxpayers
benefit from it without having to subsidize it. This type of lease is helping taxpayers save money all over the country.
The Winter Park golf course took in $407,622 in 2007, but lost over $100,000 not including the overhead
from the Parks and Recreation department. If the facility was leased to a private operator the taxpayer can expect
a profit of at least $100,000 a year. The City of Orlando spent $9,828,700 renovating the Dubsdread Golf
Course in 2007 and the facility still needs annual taxpayer subsidies. That means the $10 million investment by the
taxpayers is lost unless the facility is sold.
The taxpayer should not have to subsidize these government enterprises continuously. By getting government
out of these enterprises we better perform our core missions of government. Clint Bolick at the Goldwater Institute
(Arizona’s free market think-tank) says “at a time when state and local budget shortfalls are mounting and public
officials are facing inevitable and politically painful cuts in areas like education, safety and health care spending,
how policymakers could possibly continue to justify governments being in the golf business (or any other type
of commercial activity, for that matter) is beyond me. Since when is cheap golf a public good that should
be subsidized by taxpayers at large? Since when is operating a golf course considered a core competency of
government or an inherently governmental function? There’s no nuance needed here—government-run golf courses are
unjustifiable under any stretch of the imagination and should be sold, spun off, or turned over to private operation,
plain and simple.” We agree.
Our Parks and Recreation personnel are also very expensive. The Parks and Recreation Director in the City of
Orlando makes $131,518.40. In Winter Park he makes $71,491, plus pension, health, and other benefits (bring
the total cost of that employee to around $100,000). In Ocoee he makes $99,674. And these supervisors are
essentially performing the same function, management of fixed assets.
We estimate that by consolidating or regionalizing the management of this service, and by outsourcing certain
facilities to non-profit or profit groups, we can save 25% of the cost of Parks and Recreation in Orange County. The
savings to the taxpayer are estimated at $19 million per year.
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PENSION REPORT
Our study found five areas of concern in our Pension’s in Orange County and the thirteen cities within it;
government workers receive better pensions than the taxpayers that support them, unfair and uneven pensions
depending on the job description, widespread pension abuse, the taxpayer liability for pension fund losses, and an
unrealistic pension plan given the life expectancy of workers.
GOVERNMENT WORKERS RECEIVE BETTER PENSIONS THAN TAXPAYERS
The media has done a good job of highlighting the many examples of pension abuse in state and local govern-
ment. Our goal is not to highlight each abuse. We aim to point out that government pensions should not exceed
pensions given to the taxpayers that support them.
More than half of Floridians do not have a pension plan and must rely on their own savings and Social Security.
Even those taxpayers fortunate to have a pension plan at work receive a defined benefit contribution with no lifetime
guarantee of payments. The public sector must not pay greater pensions than the private sector for the sake of fairness
and to enable our government to provide services without the cost of government exceeding a sustainable level.
For many government employees, the lifetime pension is equal to half their pay at retirement. For some, it ap-
proaches full pay. That is in stark contrast to the situation faced by private-sector workers. The Employee Benefit
Research Institute estimates that about half of U.S. workers have less than $25,000 in retirement savings, and 36
percent of workers 55 and older have that much or less.
In the sake of fairness to taxpayers, we recommend that the pension for government workers be comparable to
the private sector. Not comparable to a private sector company with great benefits, but to the private sector as a
whole. They should also be strictly defined contribution and matching by the employee.
UNFAIR AND UNEVEN PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS
Currently the pension contribution ranges from 8.39% for government workers, 15.37% for elected officials, and
over 20% for what is considered “high risk” government occupations.
FY 06-07
Regular 10.22%
Elected Officials 18.19%
Special Risk 22.52%
Special Risk Administration 13.48%
Senior Management 14.46%
DROP 12.93%
Since none of these supposedly high risk government jobs are in the top ten most dangerous occupations, we
believe all pension contributions to all government workers should be the same percentage. We also believe the
annual contribution to the employee 401K type account should be capped, as it often is in the private sector.
The government pension plans are regulated by the state but there are differences among the county and cities.
The following is a direct quote from a public information request to the city of Orlando on their pension plans;
Police Plan - City contributes 26.63%; Employees contribute 8.47%
Fire Plan - City contributes 26.82%; Employees contribute 7.49%
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General Employee Defined Benefit Plan - City contributes 21.74%; Employees contribute 4.88%
General Employee Defined Contribution Plan - City contributes 7%/Employee contributes 0%
These percentages are based on actual salary. So for example, if a member of the police plan earns $100,000
of pensionable wages in a year, the City will put $26,630 in the pension plan and the employee will have $8,470
deducted from their paycheck and that amount will be deposited in the pension plan (total of $35,100 will be put in
the pension plan).
So if you earn $10 per hour in Orange County the police and firefighters you support get more taxpayer money
into their annual pension accounts than you earn in a year. This is both unfair and unsustainable.
The revised formula should look something like this; the government will contribute into a defined contribution
401K type account a maximum of $8,000 per year per employee. The amount will be 8.39% of the employee’s
base salary without overtime or bonuses. Once the contribution to the employees 401K account is made the pension
obligation for the worker is severed for that time period.
WIDESPREAD PENSION ABUSE
The golden parachutes and pension abuses decried on Wall Street are common in Florida government. State
and local government workers can retire, collect a pension, and go back to work the next day. Some workers collect
not one, but two pensions, plus a paycheck at the same time. This is known as the DROP program and participants in
DROP should be dropped from the government payroll.
Other pension abuses are allowing overtime in the calculation of retirement pay. It is common for government
workers to receive hundreds of hours of overtime in their final year to boost their retirement pay. This practice is a
fraud committed against the taxpayer and must stop. By capping the pension contribution and utilizing a 401K type
account these abuses will be eliminated.
When city managers or other government officials do not get along with their city council they are paid large
severance packages to go quietly. In addition, retiring government workers are often paid bonuses of as much as a
year’s salary. It is unfair to the taxpayer to pay a government employee anything above and beyond what is clearly
stated in the employment contract. Employment contracts should not allow for golden parachutes or severance
payments because the average taxpayer does not have those benefits.
TAXPAYER LIABILITY FOR PENSION FUND LOSSES
The Florida Retirement System (FRS) had $137 billion invested in about 14,000 securities. Florida’s state pension
plan was fully funded a year ago. Now it’s at least $28 billion, or 22%, in the hole. “Taxpayers are on the hook,”
says Susan Mangiero, who maintains Pensionriskmatters.com. Retirees getting their monthly pension checks don’t
need to worry because their benefits, along with a cost-of-living raise each year, are guaranteed. Any gap between
the promise and the financial reality is covered by taxpayers.
During a long period of slow economic growth, Florida will have to increase the burden on taxpayers to make
good its generous promises to government retirees. The slower these investments grow, the more taxpayers must kick
in. Florida guarantees its public workers a lifetime pension benefit that is unaffected by gains or losses in pension-fund
investments. Taxpayers have an open-ended responsibility to cover any future shortfall.
Millions of American workers lost an average of 27% of their 401(k) retirement savings in 2008 due to dramatic
market declines. That same taxpayer will be forced to make up the losses for government employees. In addition, the
number of retirees is growing faster than the number of workers.
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UNREALISTIC PENSION PLAN GIVIN LIFE EXPECTANCY
The government pension was established when the average person lived into their 60’s. Given the recent
technological and medical advances, future generations will live into their 90’s. A government worker can work for
25 years to the age of 47, and get paid for 75 years (to age 97). The methods to calculate pension contributions do
not take into account medical advances that will allow people to live longer. The plan also is changing from mostly
contributors to mostly beneficiaries.
In 1995, the plan paid retirement checks to 25 people for every 100 active workers. By the end of 2006, the
ratio was 47 to 100. At some point the payments from the fund will exceed the contributions to the fund especially
as the average age lifespan increases as medical advances allow people to live longer. That means workers in the
private sector, most of who don’t have pensions, will probably be paying more to guarantee comfortable retirements
for an increasing number of government retirees.
The current government pension plans are unrealistic and unsustainable. We recommend major changes
as follows;
1. The government will contribute into a defined contribution 401K type account a maximum of $8,000 per
year per employee.
2. The amount will be 8.39% of the employee’s base salary without overtime or bonuses.
3. Once the contribution to the employees 401K account is made the pension obligation for the worker is
severed for that time period.
4. Existing employees will start 401K accounts under the same formula.
5. DROP programs participants will retire under the same formula.
The annual pension contributions in Orange County are approximately $140 million. We estimate the savings
from pension reforms to be 20% annually, or $28 million a year.
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PLANNING and ZONING REPORT
Our study found three areas of waste in Planning and Zoning in Orange County and the thirteen
cities within it; duplication of services across municipal boundaries, a failure to use private sector
resources, and a failure to use technology to improve customer service and response times.
Planning and Zoning function is repeated in most municipalities, even when the resources are not needed on
a full time basis in many cases. The following are the governments with city run Planning Departments and their
annual budgets; Orange County: $6,000,000, Orlando: $2,559,468, Apopka: $951,500, Ocoee: $660,000,
Maitland: $1,799,973, Winter Garden: $559,964, Winter Park: $1,531,948, Lake Buena Vista: $1,914,156.
The communities without a specific department are Belle Isle, Edgewood, Windermere, Oakland and Eatonville.
We estimate the cost for Planning and Zoning across Orange County to exceed $15 million. This is a low
estimate because much of the supervisory costs are not included in these budgets nor are the facility costs.
REGIONALIZATION OF PLANNING AND ZONING IN ORANGE COUNTY
Planning and Zoning. Our proposal to regionalize Planning and Zoning will enable local governments, such as
Ocoee, Apopka, and Winter Garden to consolidate their Planning and Zoning departments into one. A regional
agency will provide consistent and equitable zoning analysis across jagged municipal up borders. There are
numerous properties that are adjacent to one another in different municipalities, each having different regulations.
As an example, the McDonald’s on Sand Lake Road near Turkey Lake road barely falls within the city limits. Initially
McDonald’s attempted to build on a site in Orange County. The county rejected McDonald’s development request
due to traffic concerns. McDonald’s then purchased property within the city along the same road within a mile
of the previous site. The City allowed McDonalds to build for tax base reasons. A regional Planning and Zoning
department will provide fair and consistent regional development, removing political boundaries and agendas. This
will provide the tax payer, at a lower cost, better regional development strategies that result in a better place to work
and live.
In an average year a regional department for Planning and Zoning can serve the public adequately. In boom
times, which we do not expect in anytime soon, the additional capacity can be outsourced to the private sector to
avoid carrying additional overhead during low and moderate periods of activity.
Along with many other government services, the regional Planning and Zoning department will be under the
direction of a civilian regional administrator whose sole function shall be to increase efficiency and improve customer
service. Other Planning Departments have consolidated and many more are considering consolidation. The Rochester
(MN)-Olmsted Planning Department was formed in 1975 through the merger of the Olmsted County Department
of Development and the Rochester Planning Department. The combined department provides planning and related
services under the administrative direction of the Planning Administrative Services Committee (PASC), which has
charge of setting the department’s budget and work program within the constraints established by the County’s levy
for the department. The PASC is made up of representatives from the City of Rochester, Olmsted County, the smaller
cities in Olmsted County, and the townships.
By forming a joint planning agency, the community created a geographically integrated planning system with a
comprehensive approach to all phases of the planning and community development process. Planning can be carried
out on a community-wide basis without regard to jurisdictional boundaries. Particularly in planning for the overall
settlement pattern of the County, the cities, townships, and County have the potential to work with one planning
57
system to create the growth management system necessary for orderly development. Not only is consolidation more
cost effective it results in better planning.
FAILURE TO USE TECHNOLOGY

Anyone who has applied for a permit in Florida understands that technology has not improved service levels.
Applicants can check on the status of their permit on-line, but the technology does nothing to reduce the time it takes
to acquire a permit. A simple permit can take six months and complex approvals can take years.
The use of available technology can package government information in a user-friendly fashion. The key is to
reorganize service delivery around the customer instead of the existing internal structure. This will result in a better
quality of life for taxpayers, a better economy, and lower the cost of government services. The tools exist for this
change but the will needs to be installed in government by taxpayers.
ELECTRONIC PLAN REVIEW
Currently almost all governments require multiple sets of building plans on 24 inch by 36 inch paper. These plans
are marked up by hand by up to a dozen reviewers and then returned to the architect for revisions. In the future the
plans will be submitted electronically, where the reviewer can markup the electronic version and add comments in
writing. The plans will be emailed back to the architect for immediate response. The technology already exists for this
type of service. Electronic plan review is reducing the amount of time it takes to review plans by as much as 50% and
increasing code compliance within communities.
Electronic plan review is the future of permitting, and the sooner our community adapts to this technology the
greater our savings will be. E-Plan Review now being conducted in Atlanta, Georgia, Bend, Oregon, Maricopa
County, Arizona and Osceola County, Florida. It has reduced the amount of time it takes to review plans by 40%,
eliminates lost plans, and reduced by 80% the number of trips to these jurisdictions by out of state owners/architects.
Lastly, streamlined processes are getting buildings up and open faster, putting both people to work and revenues
into the jurisdiction’s coffers sooner; for example a 200 room hotel open just 3 months earlier using streamlined
processes with an 80% occupancy = $144,000 in added tax revenues to a jurisdiction just from the 10% occupancy
tax on $100/night rooms.

Our Planning and Zoning personnel are also very expensive. The Director in Winter Park makes $115,560, plus
pension, health, and other benefits (bring the total cost of that employee to around $140,000). In Winter Garden the
director receives $122,977 in total compensation. In Ocoee the director receives $157,337 in total compensation.
These are very expensive salaries to carry when the demand is not there.
Since many planning budgets are combined with building departments in Orange County it is difficult to forecast
an exact savings. But overall we believe the regionalization of planning and zoning along with the new technologies
can reduce the cost of this public service by 30%. The total savings to the taxpayer may be $4.5 million
annually. And the savings to the private sector in time and interest will be in the tens of millions of dollars annually.
58
PROPERTY APPRAISER/TAX COLLECTOR REPORT
Our study found three areas of inefficiency in the Property Appraiser and Tax Collector’s offices
within Orange County; duplicate and inefficient delivery of services, inaccurate and unfair
assessments, “commission” payments motivates tax collector to yield maximum revenue,
and a failure to use private sector resources. The following report outlines the inefficiencies and
recommends reforms for improved services to our citizens.
Most people do not realize the property appraiser and the tax collector are separate departments headed by
separate elected officials. The Orange County Property Appraiser has a budget of $12,366,000 and the Orange
County Tax Collector has a budget of $27,208,000. It is important that we economize on a service that is meant to
collect revenue.
We suggest combining these two agencies for greater efficiency. We also recommend that the department heads
be appointed instead of elected, because the public needs the most qualified and innovative candidate. The Tax
Collector works an admitted 25 hours a week and has failed to implement significant reforms to increase efficiency.
INNACURATE AND UNFAIR ASSESSMENTS
Like a broken clock that is only right twice a day, assessments are only accurate once during a good economy
and once on the way down. The multitude of variables and constant changes in market conditions create an unfair
assessment on virtually every property owner. Some property owners pay too little while others pay more than their
fair share. We recommend converting the assessment to a formula based on the land and building area multiplied by
a neighborhood component. This will create a mathematically sound and simple valuation formula.
The Florida statutes allow for and even call for “mass appraisals.” As such, we believe the records of each home
and property should be simple. The total square footage of the property along with the total square footage of the
structure can be used to determine property value.
With those two variables we can create a mathematical model that guides us to assessments that are consistent
for all property owners. The two variables will be multiplied by a neighborhood factor. The overall system will be
much fairer since all property is judged on the same basis.
In order to remove the incentive for the property appraiser to inflate the value of property to generate more
revenue (a pressure that is continually increasing), we recommend the assessment function be outsourced to a private
vendor. Tyler Technologies and other similar companies already perform similar functions for Lee County and hundreds
of other cities across America. With these changes we can reduce costs, improve fairness, and serve the taxpayer
more effectively.
COMMISSION PAYMENTS MOTIVATE TAX COLLECTOR TO YIELD MAXIMUM REVENUE
Florida Statute 192.091 allows the Tax Collector in our County to retain a percentage of revenues collected.
This gives staff an incentive to procure the most revenue possible and results in a bloated budget. Every government
department should be operated as efficiently as possible without regard to revenue produced. We believe the Tax
Collector should be funded like any agency and the commission payments should cease.
We already mentioned Tyler Technologies as a private vendor that can increase fairness in property assessment.
What is equally important is that specialty companies can bring thousands of examples of innovation to our County.
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Think about this; we have a single property appraiser with his experience. Tyler Technologies has hundreds of cities
and counties as clients with thousands of employees. Each one of them is focused on delivering services more
efficiently every day to gain a competitive advantage. Only through outsourcing do we gain all of this knowledge.
The Property Appraiser should select the best service provider and monitor their performance. The tax collector is
a difference function, but most of the services they provide can now be done on the internet. Things like hunting and
fishing licenses should be free of charge when processed on the internet. This rough spot in the economy is a great
time to completely reinvent government services. We should use all available technology to design the system around
the taxpayer.
It is our estimate that by combining property assessment and tax collection along with outsourcing certain
functions we can reduce the cost of this public service by 30%. The savings to the taxpayer can be $12 million
annually.
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PUBLIC EDUCATION REPORT
Our study found four problem areas in Public Education in Orange County; a failure to innovate,
a failure to use private sector resources, too many resources spent on administration and
benefits, and too much money spent on bricks and mortar. The following report recommends reforms
for improved services to our citizens.
In 1998 Orange County had 144,573 students, a figure that increased to 171,412 in 2008. Student
population increased just over 15%. The number of employees rose from 16,633 in 1998 to 23,228 in that same
time period, an increase of 40%. The cost per student went from $5,045 per year to $8,528 per year while the
overall budget went from $729,424,000 to $1,461,000,000. This does not include the $375,000,000 in capital
projects in 2008, which will jump to $488,387,000 in 2009. It is estimated school population is down by 5%
statewide from its peak in 2008 (2008 Total Enrollment: 168,207. 2006 Total Enrollment: 176,990).
FAILURE TO INNOVATE
The most obvious problem in Orange County education is a failure to innovate. Our educational system is still
based primarily on an industrial model that was originally designed to teach plant workers. There are dozens of
innovations in use today that can be adopted in Orange County. Our suggestion is an “all of the above approach.”
We recommend Orange County test all innovations on a small scale and phase in the innovations that work best.
CYBER SCHOOLS
Orange County public students are able to attend class on-line with the Florida Virtual School. The program is
gaining acceptance, especially for people in remote areas and people with disabilities. While the FVS is a good
option for students, we believe that all options for eLearning should be available to students. We recommend
allowing any certified on-line service to substitute for FVS.
The Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School is integrated with private services such as K12, Inc. The PVVCS was
named “Parent’s Choice” as the best public school in Pennsylvania for 2008. Instead of our public education system
trying to develop an on-line system for everyone, we believe our County should allow all services to give the best
possible education for our children.
SMALL SCHOOLS
Research has shown that small schools offer many advantages to students, teachers, parents, community
members, partners and administrators. A national study by Bank Street College of Education, released in 2000,
found that small schools in the Chicago Public Schools have higher attendance, fewer dropouts, fewer course
failures, fewer incidents of discipline and violence and higher teacher, student and parent and community member
satisfaction than large schools.
Imagine if instead of a school with 1500 students, we instead had schools of 50-100 children. Every adult
knows the name of every child. Schools can be located in closed Winn Dixie’s and Walgreens just blocks from
student’s homes. Construction and transportation costs decrease dramatically, and small schools have higher test
scores and student achievement than industrial sized schools.
They are distinctive and focused rather than comprehensive. They do not try to be all things to all people
(www.smallschoolsproject.org). The key to the success of small schools is to give autonomy to the teachers
and eliminate the bureaucracy and administration that comes with most public schools.
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Another method to achieve better taxpayer service and lower government overhead is to outsource or privatize
certain government enterprises. We believe that all functions outside of classroom teaching should be made part of
a “managed competition.” There is no reason why the Teamsters need to serve food to our children, especially when
the cost of that service interferes with the mission of education.
If our school administration is forced to compete against the private sector they will almost certainly find ways to
reduce overhead and cut administrative costs. The idea of unions collectively bargaining against the best interests of
our children is un-American. It is time to change the way we provide Public Education in Florida.
The first step is to look at competitive bidding for all non-instructional services. In Michigan, Michelle Shepherd
is president of the Rochester Community Schools Board of Education. She notes that approximately 85% of Rochester
Community Schools’ $155 million in annual expenses are tied to employee compensation and benefits and,
therefore, are governed by collective bargaining. “Privatization of non-instructional services is a growing trend, and
has been successfully implemented in many districts around the state” says Shepherd. We completely agree. Any
proven method to reduce costs and put more money into the classrooms should be considered.
Two recent studies call for reforms in teacher negotiations and contracts. “Teacher Contracts: Restoring the
Balance,” by the Education Partnership, was released in March and is the second in a series detailing how
“teachers’ union contracts shape public education in Rhode Island.” The study points out, “unions are focused on their
own economic interests, on membership and membership outcomes – not students.” The study recommends collective
bargaining be limited to those subjects that substantially relate to meeting student needs. All other subjects, such as
professional requirements, should be outside the scope of collective bargaining. We agree.
ADMINISTRATION AND BENEFITS
Despite the fact that school enrollment has declined three years in a row the operational school budget went
from $1.164 billion in 2006 to $1.4 billion in 2008-2009. An increase of $234 million dollars and we have
700 less teachers this year. The reason for this is quite simple; public schools have five times the administration as
private schools and those administrators make double the private sector wages. Of the $729 million in salaries
paid to OCPS employees in 2009, only $489 million will go to classroom teachers. A third of the salaries go to
administration.
Of the 13,000 teachers listed as employed by OCPS, as many as 20% of those are not active in classroom
education. The administration costs are higher than most believe from a review of the OCPS budget. We suggest an
“Education Commission” be appointed by the Orange County Commission with the full powers to audit and
investigate Orange County Public Schools. While OCPS just completed a budget study, the study members from
outside OCPS were limited in the questions they could ask.
SPENDING ON BRICKS AND MORTAR
It is estimated school population is down by 5% statewide. In fact, school population has decreased in each of
the last three years in Orange County. That begs the question; why are we spending $488 million on
new schools this year?
We recommend postponing all new construction of classrooms until the education budget is stabilized.
It is difficult to estimate the savings in Public Education. In other studies we use as a guide we believe that
a savings of 15% is possible. We also believe that $100 million per year can be saved by postponing capital
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improvements. The savings can be as much as $150 million per year.
Our recommendations are not to further cut the Public Education budget, but rather to use the savings from reform
to make Public Education better.
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PUBLIC LIBRARY REPORT
Our study found two areas of waste in Public Libraries in Orange County; a failure to engage the
non-profit community, and a failure to use private sector resources. The following report outlines the
The Orange County Library System has 15 branches throughout Orange County with 421 employees and
a budget of over $41 million. Taxpayers were shocked to learn that the director of the library received a salary
increase to $192,000 a year in 2009. As budgets of every government come under continuing pressure,
communities across the country are looking for ways to provide services at lower costs. Public libraries are one area
where many communities have changed their way of providing services.
There are many communities that run public services through the efforts of volunteer and civic organizations. There
are dozens of non-profits and civic groups that can and are willing to help our community by volunteering to run our
Public Library services. In central Florida alone, there are dozens of Rotary and Lions clubs. Each club can take on
the management of one library or program. In moving the management of libraries to volunteers, we accomplish two
important tasks. First, we reduce the overhead and are able to divert resources to core missions of government. And
more importantly we are engaging the community who take pride in civic services. Right now we use volunteers to
do the minor tasks, but properly organized the non-profits can run libraries better at a much lower cost.
certain government enterprises. For example, since Riverside County California contracted its library operations in
1997, libraries are open 34 percent longer, book purchases have doubled, and the number of library staff members
has increased. All while costing the taxpayer less.
Since 1981, Library Systems & Services, LLC (LSSI) has partnered with communities throughout the US to provide
library outsourcing for new and existing libraries, as well as contract library services for Federal agencies. LSSI
currently provides library management services across 14 public library systems and 64 branch operations in the US.
We suggest a combination of “managed competition,” where existing staff bid against the private sector for
services, along with an increased use of volunteers to run our library system. “Taxpayers win whenever there is
competition, even when the competition is won by public sector providers” said Adam B. Summers, policy analyst at
Reason Foundation. “They get more accountability, better results, and lower costs.”
We estimate that by managed competition and use of volunteers and other non-profit or profit groups, we can
save 20% of the cost of Public Libraries in Orange County. That means $8 million back to the taxpayer or towards
essential government services.
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PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
Public safety is one of the “core functions of government.” Public safety budgets have increased across central
Florida by over $100 million in the past five years yet crime has risen dramatically. The 2006 F.B.I. Annual Crime
Report has shown crime in Orlando increased more than any other major city in the United States. Our report will
provide recommendations on how to reduce wasteful spending and better protect the lives and property of citizens
of Orange County and the communities therein.
Our study found five major areas of waste in public safety in Orange County and the thirteen cities within
it; duplication of services, jagged jurisdictional boundaries of services, inefficient methods of
protecting the public, an overemphasis on fire suppression throughout the county, and a failure to
innovate. The following report outlines the inefficiencies and recommends reforms for improved services to our
citizens.
The most obvious waste found throughout Orange County is the duplication of services. This waste is found in
all government departments, but nowhere is the waste more costly than public safety. Throughout Orange County we
spend $700 million a year on public safety.
There are obvious areas where duplication is unnecessary, Orange County has eight 9-1-1 call centers. Orlando
and Orange County both have individual SWAT teams, mounted horse patrols, marine patrols, and canine units.
Each of the 22 public safety agencies in Orange County has some duplication of services and administrative
functions that can be shared effectively. Departments like Crime Scene Investigations can benefit greatly by shared
resources for equipment and specialized personnel. Gangs and crime know no jurisdictional boundary and are best
fought on a regional basis.
Our goal is to eliminate the duplication of resources and allocate those resources towards better protecting the
public.
GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES
If we started Orange County today we certainly would not draw the jurisdictional boundaries with uneven and
jagged boundaries that make our services inefficient to deliver. The current boundaries are a result of annexations of
individual properties over decades, but our government services do not need to follow those jagged boundaries.
To eliminate the inefficiencies inherent with jagged boundaries and the duplication of services from neighboring
communities we have divided Orange County into four separate service zones. Each zone is bordered by a major
roadway for easy distinction and each zone attempts to contain within it the major cities and maintain the cultural
identity of the area.
In our Orange County Zone Map there are four zones; three suburban zones and one urban core. It is our
recommendation that government services for public safety be regionalized along those new zone boundaries.
REGIONALIZATION OF PUBLIC SAFETY IN ORANGE COUNTY
Regionalization will eliminate much of the waste and duplication of services without creating a massive central
bureaucracy. Each zone will have one public safety command center. The command center will house one 9-1-
1 communications center and dispatching along with the director of public safety in each region. The director of
public safety is a non-union civilian employee who will be responsible to ensure that services are provided effectively
and efficiently. The command center will likely be housed in an existing facility in one of the communities within the
region.
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The regional director of public safety will allocate the patrol areas for each department. The patrol areas will
increase for municipalities who will now cover the entire zone while the role of Orange County will be reduced.
Orange County will increase its role in supplying specialty services like SWAT, CSI, and regional investigations
units. The regional police forces will patrol and respond to 911 calls while the County will provide more advanced
services.
Beyond the regionalization of service areas, all governments in Orange County will share services that are
duplicative or specialties that are not needed on a daily basis. It is likely that Orange County only needs one SWAT
team. Departments like Crime Scene Investigation benefit from the sharing of expensive equipment and expertise.
Investigative services are better regionally as are most police specialty agencies. By regionalizing public safety we
will reduce costs and increase the safety of the public at the same time.
Consolidation and regionalization of public safety is being considered all across America. In Massachusetts,
Hamilton and Wenham -- which already share school, library, recreation, and emergency dispatch services -- are
exploring whether to extend their regionalization in the area of public safety. The neighboring towns have agreed to
take a fresh look at merging their police departments and/or combining their fire departments.
“If we can do certain things that give us efficiencies in public safety, we owe it to the taxpayers in this fiscal time”
to look at them, said Wenham selectmen chairman Peter Hersee. The League of Women Voters recommended that
the two towns study the costs of merging the two police departments, and to go further with that merger if it is shown
to be “the most cost-effective way to deliver high quality service.” We agree.
GREATER EFFICIENCY IN LAW ENFORCEMENT

We also looked at the functional consolidation of law enforcement in Orange County. Below is a study on the
consolidation of services between Memphis and Shelby County Tennessee that incorporates many of the suggestions
we have for greater efficiency in law enforcement in Orange County.
Proposal for Local Law Enforcement Consolidation in Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee
The arguments for consolidation of law enforcement services seem to focus primarily in several areas:
a. Economies of Scale
b. Duplication of Efforts or Services
c. Effectiveness
d. Efficiency
Functions to be consolidated
1. BASIC TRAINING ACADEMIES
Consolidate the majority of the training between the existing police training academies. The Shelby County
Sheriff’s Office Academy should serve as the site for all in service training, correctional training and other identified
and specialized training.
2. COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
Create a Consolidated Communications Center for Shelby County by joining forces with the regional 911 effort
to construct a public safety communications center. Appoint a communications director that is separate from either the
Shelby County Sheriff’s Office or the Memphis Police Department and civilianize the leadership position.
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Include the Emergency Management function in this building and designate it as the primary Emergency Operations
Center. Insure the facility is large enough to house the emergency operations of the entire county in the event of
emergency management activation. The facility constructed would be large enough to conduct all communications
training on site with classroom space and on-the-job training space. The facility would allow CAD to CAD (Computer
Aided Dispatch) communication yet separate and secure dispatching location for each entity.
3. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS
Criminals do not respect boundaries of different jurisdictions and often commit similar crimes in adjacent areas.
Intelligence sharing contributes to the process of criminal investigation and solving crime. A standardized crime
investigations unit, along with metropolitan mobile crime units, will enhance criminal investigation in Shelby County.
Collection of evidence and chain of custody should be handled in a standardized manner throughout the county.
Combine the equipment needed for processing crime scenes in Crime Response Units. Consideration should be given
to the civilianizing of the crime response unit position due to the specialization of this role. Metropolitan burglary
investigation is an area that demands consolidation.
4. TRAFFIC
A better and more efficient utilization of the traffic divisions would be to combine resources for blanket traffic
enforcement and investigation.
5. TACTICAL RESPONSE
Combine the functions of the tactical response units from each agency to create a Metropolitan Tactical Response
Unit. Differentiate the responses by identifying offensive and defensive teams and specially trained riot response for
detention facilities. Consolidation of the Bomb Response Units is included in this recommendation.
6. CANINE UNIT
Create a Consolidated Canine Unit, and combine the functions of the separate canine units into one that includes
training and response.
7. WATER PATROL/SEARCH & RESCUE
Consolidate the function of search, rescue and recovery to create a Metropolitan Search, Rescue and Recovery
Unit that provides both land and water search and rescues. Combine the training and resources for paid and
volunteer personnel.
8. PUBLIC INTEGRITY UNIT
Create a Metropolitan Public Integrity Unit that is autonomous of both the Memphis Police Department and the
Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. Select and appoint an independent executive that has support from the Director of
the Memphis Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff. Oversight to this unit will be from an executive board
comprises of the Memphis Police Director, the Shelby County Sheriff, the City of Memphis Mayor and the Shelby
County Mayor (or their Chief Administrative Officers) and the District Attorney General. This unit should include
individuals from both the Memphis Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office who would investigate
all police personnel complaints in a standardized manner.
Conclusion
This examination concludes that there are a number of tasks and responsibilities that are being performed by both
the Memphis Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in which a merging of resources should occur.
Unification of individual tasks and public safety functions makes good business sense.
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Therefore this report has concluded that Functional Consolidation of selected tasks identified in this report should
occur between the City of Memphis Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in accordance with the
implementation process as outlined.
REGIONALIZATION OF FIRE SUPPRESSION

Our study included a fire recourse allocation study for Orange County. We acquired lists of fire responses for
various communities that were classified by EMS, structural fires, vehicle fires and other response classifications. We
found that 95% of responses did not involve an actual fire, despite the fact that 70% of fire rescue budgets go toward
fire suppression. The dispatch of fire suppression equipment, costing as much as $1 million per vehicle, to fender
benders because one paramedic is on the truck is extremely wasteful and disingenuous.
Here is an example of one fire station in Orlando for the month of September 2008. Station 2 (there are 19
stations in Orlando) had 502 EMS responses, 130 investigations/enforcement, 56 standbys, and 5 extinguish and
control of fires. Of the actual fires four were vehicle or grass fires and one was structural. Vehicle fires can be put out
with a fire extinguisher by police or other public safety personnel (like Nascar does), and “most of the vehicle fires
are burned out by the time the fire truck gets there” according to our research.
.
On the following page, Appendix A-3 is our fire station service map. We plotted all 69 fire stations in Orange
County and drew a 5 mile circle around each station. Where the circles intersect duplicate fire suppression resources
exist primarily due to jurisdictional issues. In regionalizing fire suppression and EMS, we can reduce the number of
fire stations in half without reducing public safety. Our plan is to use existing fire stations to house the new regional
fire suppression stations and close the remaining units or convert them to EMS stations. This will reduce the number of
expensive fire trucks needed in Orange County by approximately half.
This same effort has been done in other states. In Cherry Hill, New Jersey, the fire department was regionalized
and the fire chief testified that the region is now better served. Chief Giorgio testified that Cherry Hill achieved
savings through such measures as a reduction in the fleet from 24 engine companies to 10, from five ladder
companies to three, and from five rescue companies to three. They have also achieved a 43 percent reduction in
heavy apparatus, such as ladders, engines, and rescue vehicles. Asked why “less is more” when it comes to fire
equipment and personnel, Chief Giorgio explained that “there is a base requirement that will meet the service needs
of each community. Once that requirement is satisfied, any additional equipment and personnel are superfluous and
an unnecessary expense.”
We also recommend separating fire suppression from EMS. By separating fire suppression and EMS, we can
allocate the proper amount of resources to fire suppression. Given the fire allocation study we conducted, we believe
we can reduce the number of manned fire suppression stations in Orange County to five or six per zone (roughly in
half). Further, we believe we can close at least one station per zone at night when the number of fires drops and road
traffic allows for quicker response times.
Fire suppression personal will convert to 12 hour shifts to avoid the taxpayer paying personnel to sleep at night.
Our fire suppression format is a throwback to fire stations of the late 1800’s. In the past few decades we have
invested billions o f dollars in fire sprinklers and fire resistant structures. Our fire suppression effort needs to adapt to
these changes and recognize the dramatic reduction in fires.
EMS services will be provided through an enhanced network of on demand personnel. Rather than stationing
EMS personnel in firehouses, they should be stationed in the road network available for immediate service. The
public safety director will move the EMS personnel around to cover areas when calls remove a unit from a service
area. EMS units will have GPS tracking devices to ensure adequate coverage of the entire county.
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In addition to on demand EMS, each zone will have 2-4 road rangers available to respond to accidents to clear
roadways immediately. These road rangers will also respond to fire alarms that are suspected of being false alarms.
Road rangers will be able to extinguish most car fires. Union officials will try to claim these changes will result in
higher insurance rates, but with road rangers and mobile EMS units response times will decrease because the units
are already position in the road network.
POTENTIAL COST SAVINGS FROM FIRE RESCUE
Here are the budgets for fire rescue in Orange County; Orange County: $188,000,000; Orlando:
$73,000,000; Winter Park: $9,147,000; Winter Garden: $9,147,000; Ocoee: $4,960,000; Maitland:
$4,266,196; Lake Buena Vista: $12,000,000. We are spending $300,000,000 a year in Orange County
for fire rescue services and our estimate is that half of that money is wasted because of duplicative services and
overspending on fire suppression. That equals $150,000,000 a year of hard earned taxpayer money that is wasted
by the current system of public safety.
CORRECTIONS
The corrections department in Orange County Florida cost taxpayers $175 million in 2008. While corrections is
a core function of government, it is an area where reforms can reduce costs considerable and improve services to the
taxpayers. According to Reason.org studies, private corrections facilities can save at least 10-15% on the total cost
of correctional budgets. In Australia the savings was 23%, and the Sellers Study in 1989 showed possible savings
of 63%. Assuming a 20% savings, that will save the Orange County taxpayer $35 million a year or
more. Enough to fund most of the cuts in education over the next five years.
There are two types of methods used outsource operations of prisons. The first is for a private company to operate
an existing government owned facility. The second is for a private firm to build a new facility and operate that facility.
Either way the key to privatizing the service is to control variable costs of labor. Union salaries and benefits escalate
much faster than the private sector, and overtime in union prison systems is unbelievably high. During my research
of public safety, I found dozens of Orange County corrections employees making more than $10,000 a year in
overtime, one made $46,050 of overtime pay in a single year. This does not happen in the private sector.
In the case of Orange County, the choice of managed competition seems to be most feasible. Managed
competition allows the government employees to bid for services against private contractors. A request for bid is
prepared that outlines the scope of work and the contract. The government union and the private contractors prepare
bids for services and the entity that offers the best service and price wins the contract. The taxpayer wins either way
because the cost is reduced and efficiency is maximized.
INNOVATION
Albert Einstein was famous for saying “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting
different results.’ Orange County needs to change the way we protect the public if we are to achieve better results.
The following are just a few ideas on how to improve public safety without raising taxes.
Citizen Observer Program (COPS)
Most cities and counties already have a citizen observer program. The citizens are volunteers and work in
areas designated by the government. Some drive in specially marked cars, but most volunteers perform back office
functions and clerical duty. The difference between existing COPs programs and what we propose is full time pay
for Citizen Observers. The current volunteer program has schedules that are inconsistent and turnover is such that the
required training actually reduces productivity. With full time paid Citizen Observers, the benefits will be seen by the
community. The following is how the program will work and why it will help solve our current crime crisis.
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OUTLINING THE NEED
Currently police officers go from one 911 call to another. There are almost no routine police patrols to deter
crime. Metro West spends nearly $500,000 per year to pay off-duty police officers to patrol their streets. In order
to be safe our community needs eyes on the street watching our neighborhoods and preventing crime before it
happens. Even when a police car is on patrol it does very little to deter crime. The police officer is behind glass with
the air conditioning on. Our COPs program will have individuals on bicycles going places where patrol cars cannot
and they will be able to hear what is going on.
THE PLAN
The plan is for both the City of Orlando and Orange County to dedicate $1 million annually to the COPs
program. The candidates will be full time employees at a rate of $10 per hour. They will receive health insurance but
no pension because their job is not permanent. Each candidate can serve for only two years to make room for a new
candidate to gain job experience.
Each new region in Orange County will have 50 full time observers on the streets of our communities. The
observers will be given bicycles and radios and patrol communities in the 4 p.m. to 12 p.m. shift and the 8 p.m.
to 4 a.m. shift when most community crimes are committed. The observers will ride through specific areas, seek out
criminal behavior, and report events to a uniformed supervisor. They will also talk with residents to find out who is
committing the crimes in the area and attempt to gather information to solve existing crimes.
THE BENEFITS
The benefits of the program far outweigh the costs. Having paid citizen observers on the streets of central Florida
will make our communities safer. The observers will be young people in good physical condition, many of who have
not held a full time job before. It is good for the community and good for the workforce. The COPs program will work
because it is low cost and puts observers where the crimes are being committed. Instead of writing police reports we
will start to catch criminals and prevent crime. The observers will also have the ability to interact with the public in
ways that uniformed police officers cannot.
THE ECONOMIC REALITY
The average police officer in central Florida costs the public $100,000 a year with pay, benefits, pension,
and training. Adding the cost of vehicles, supervisors, and other overhead it costs nearly $150,000 a year to put a
police officer on our streets (calculated by the budget divided by the sworn police officers on patrol). Our economy
simply cannot afford to acquire the manpower to make our streets safer, especially in this time of economic hardship.
The Citizen Observer Program will put eyes on the street and allow the uniformed police officers to make the arrests
and respond to 911 calls.
The City of Orlando recently approved $1 million to buy Segway scooters and pay for staff to ride around
Orlando telling people about the City. The reality is that taxpayers need safer communities more than they need
downtown promotional ambassadors. The salaried COPs program is a time that has come and is desperately
needed in central Florida.
LOCAL ROAD RANGER PROGRAM
Most people in Florida are familiar with the Road Rangers that serve the Florida turnpike and other toll roads in
Florida. These private sector service vehicles assist motorists by coming to their aid when they have car problems
or are involved in an accident. Since 2000, when the program began, state transportation managers estimate that
rangers have made close to 2 million assists.
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They respond to typical road maladies: flat tires, abandoned cars, empty fuel tanks. They clear debris and get
broken-down cars out of traffic. ‘’The Road Ranger is the biggest bang for the buck that a taxpayer could have when
it comes to getting from point A to point B,’’ said Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Pat Santangelo. The following is how the
program will work and why it increases rescue response times, reduces waste, and will help solve our current crime
crisis.
OUTLINING THE NEED
The public needs uniformed officers to apprehend criminals, not to respond to fender benders. It can take police
and FHP over one hour to arrive at an accident scene. All the while the taxpayer is at risk on the side of the road
and additional accidents occur from rubbernecking. In order to better serve the taxpayer and keep our uniformed law
enforcement members focused on more important duties we need to have Road Rangers take care of the mundane
tasks of responding to fender benders, broken down cars, and non-life threatening situations.
The road rangers can also put out most vehicle fires and respond to fire alarms that are suspected false alarms.
By responding to vehicle accidents the road rangers can quickly determine if medical assistance is needed. In many
cases 9-1-1 calls are reports of abandoned vehicles or simple accidents that are reported as injuries. The road
rangers will reduce waste and increase public safety by clearing accidents off our streets more quickly.
THE PLAN
Each region of Orange County will get two to four road rangers who work 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. shifts Monday
through Friday. On weekends one road ranger from each region will be working the same shift. After three months an
analysis will be done of the need for additional road rangers. As the number of fire suppression stations is reduced
those personnel that are surplus will be added to the road ranger program and other public safety areas.
THE BENEFITS
The benefits of the program far outweigh the costs. Having road rangers respond to fender benders will reduce
response time and clear accidents quicker. Our uniformed law enforcement officers will dedicate the additional time
to quicker 9-1-1 response and community patrols.
NOW IS THE TIME
The general public wants two things from government; public safety and a lower tax burden. The only way
to provide both is to get more from the tax resources we currently have. Increasing taxes will further damage the
economy and the current level of crime is unacceptable to central Floridians.
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9-1-1 COMMUNICATIONS REPORT
Our study found two major areas of waste in 9-1-1 Communications in Orange County and the thirteen
cities within it; duplication of services across municipal boundaries, and a failure to use advanced
technologies. The following report outlines the inefficiencies and recommends reforms for improved services to our
citizens.
Orange County has eight 9-1-1 Communications centers. We met with the Orange County 9-1-1 department
and asked how many 9-1-1 call centers are necessary. The answer was two. One is needed in case the other center
goes down.
The following are the 9-1-1 Communications annual budgets; Orange County: $13,949,170, Orlando:
$5,376,257, Apopka: $1,463,350, Maitland: $456,922, Ocoee: $724,720, Winter Garden: $597,897,
Winter Park: $1,119,798 Belle Isle: $12,500, Eatonville: $10,000, Edgewood: $22,500, Oakland: $19,500.
The actual cost of 9-1-1 Communications is actually considerable higher because these figures do not take into
account facility cost and information technology.
We estimate the cost of 9-1-1 Communications in Orange County to exceed $25 million.
It is our recommendation that 9-1-1 Communications be regionalized. The regionalization of 9-1-1

Communications will follow our Orange County Zone Map. We recommend the reduction in 9-1-1 call centers and
dispatch centers from eight to four. The new regions will be more clearly identifiable and reduce errors in dispatch
due to jagged jurisdictional boundaries.
Regionalization of 9-1-1 Communications along with public safety will ensure that services are provided as
effectively and efficiently as possible. Regionalization will also reduce the cost of 9-1-1 Communications by 30% or
more. Many other communities across America are coming to the same conclusion.
Lee County, Connecticut is taking steps to consolidate 9-1-1 and dispatch services. Jackson County Tennessee
is planning to consolidate its four 9-1-1 public service answering points (PSAPs). The City of Ashland Oregon
determined they can save $400,000 a year by using Southern Oregon regional Communications for 9-1-1
answering and dispatch. None of these communities are willing to sacrifice public safety but they all recognize the
duplication of services exists.
FAILURE TO USE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES
The other method to achieve better taxpayer service is to broadly implement advanced 911 communications
technology. This will be less costly and easier to implement with fewer 911 call centers. Next Gen or Enhanced 911
has the ability to locate callers who do not call on land lines. With the emergence of cell phones as the primary
source of calls, and other call devices like Voice over Internet (VoIP), better technology will increase response times
and reduce errors. This technology is expensive and by reducing the number of call centers in half it will foster quicker
implementation.
By eliminated overhead and duplication of services, we believe that regionalization of 9-1-1 Communications
can reduce costs by 30%. The savings to the taxpayer in this area can be $7.5 million.
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PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT REPORT
Our study found two areas of waste in Public Works in Orange County and the thirteen cities within it;
The following are the governments with city run Public Works and their annual budgets; Orange County:
$169,000,000, Orlando: $10,140,876, Apopka: $2,243,960, Maitland: $11,100,000, Ocoee:
$3,200,000, Winter Garden: $1,100,000, Winter Park: $6,973,000. The communities without a specific
department are Belle Isle, Oakland, Edgewood, and Windermere.
We estimate the cost for Public Works across Orange County to exceed $204 million. This is a low estimate
because much of the supervisory costs are not included in these budgets nor are the facility costs.
REGIONALIZATION OF PUBLIC WORKS IN ORANGE COUNTY
Public Works. Our proposal to regionalize Public Works will enable local governments, such as Ocoee, Apopka,
and Winter Garden to consolidate their departments into one.
Each zone in Orange County will have a single Public Works department shrinking the number of Public Works
departments from nine to four. The departments will work for the regional administrator who will focus on customer
service, efficiency, and innovation. The department will consist of managers and construction managers, who will
take in requests for improvements, prioritize based on community input, and bid out those projects. As seen below,
our government should bid out and supervise Public Works projects and leave the field work to the private sector.
Towns small and large are looking to consolidate Public Works across America. The cities of Howard Lake,
Annandale, and Maple Lake, Montana determined they can save 25% by consolidating their services together.
Bemus Point, New York residents may soon see a change in their public works service, as the village seeks to
consolidate its services with the Town of Ellery. According to Mayor Bryan Dahlberg, the public works consolidation
is a sensible way for the village to take advantage of the benefits shared services can have for local governments.
We agree. Our government should take whatever steps it can to economize on public services.
certain government enterprises. In many communities the governments do not own service vehicles and equipment.
They simply bid out all work to the private sector. This eliminates the need to buy and maintain equipment, to
supervise the construction workers, and allows management to focus on the product not the process.
We recommend bidding out public services wherever possible. Except for routine maintenance work all projects
should be competitively bid out.
Our Public Works Department’s are very expensive. We believe the regionalization of Public Works along with
outsourcing the work can reduce the cost of this public service by 20% or as much as $40 million annually.
And it will stimulate our economy and help contractors during lean times.
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TRANSPORTATION REPORT
Our study found two areas of waste in Transportation in Orange County and the thirteen cities within it;
excessive spending on ineffective transportation options, and too much administration. The
EXCESSIVE SPENDING ON INEFFECTIVE TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS
Our first topic of discussion is our most expensive transportation option; commuter rail. Different than light rail
or high speed rail, commuter rail is designed to take workers from outside an urban core to the urban core. Our
research from similar projects all over the country show commuter rail is not a viable solution to our transportation
problems. It is important to note that not all board members agree with our analysis. Several board members
felt rail transit is an important component in our transportation solution, but about 90% of
our board agreed with the following analysis.
In practical terms, it is not likely that a resident of Winter Park will drive 20 minutes to a train station, park, wait
20 minutes for a train, and then take a 20 minute train ride when his commute is 30 minutes. In certain densely
populated areas with physical barriers this may be a solution, but in the 360 degree market of Orlando taking
someone from point A to point B does not help you if you do not live at point A or work at point B. To correct this
problem rail advocates have proposed the following rail systems in addition to commuter rail; I-Drive circulator; East-
West circulator; UCF circulator; Innovation Way circulator; Airport-Convention Center circulator; South Orange-North
Osceola Circulator, US 192 Circulator and the Light Rail Transit North Expansion Area. Our rough estimate of the
cost of these additional rail lines is $10 billion.
Even the federal government does not think commuter rail is an effective solution. A November 2007 report by
the Federal Transportation Agency, who must approve the funding for commuter rail, gave our plan a “LOW” rating,
because “the project shows no justification why a significant investment in rail is necessary
in a corridor when existing bus service is “limited.” What the federal government is telling us is that
ridership will be low otherwise bus service would already be at capacity. They are telling us the $1.5 billion we are
considering spending on commuter rail is not a good investment.
The number one reason people support commuter rail is they believe it will reduce traffic congestion. But not even
the proponents of commuter rail will suggest congestion on I-4 will be reduced. And the traffic in small cities along the
route will be forever snarled because of train crossing and stops. In busy Winter Park a train will stop traffic every 30
minutes in rush hour. In Minneapolis rail was added parallel to Hiawatha Avenue and rail supporters said it “reduce
traffic a significant degree.” Yet when the line opened in 2004 drivers noticed a huge increase in traffic congestion.
Traffic flows were interrupted and all attempts to mitigate congestion failed. Officials admitted traffic in Hiawatha will
forever be impaired.
Quite simply our local economy cannot support the $92 million operating loss of Lynx, much less the $50 to
$100 million operating loss of Commuter Rail each year. Already south Florida’s Tri-Rail is facing service cutbacks
because of its $87 million annual operating deficit. We need to take into account the economic consequences for
these transit plans. Because of Save Our Homes, all of the unfunded expenses will fall on the shoulders of small busi-
ness. Additional taxes in the form of a Transit District Tax are sure to come and small business is already at the point
of breaking.
Our solution to mass transit is to continue to develop the Lynx system and to build a western spur to the Florida
Turnpike. By connecting 417 to I-75 via Bartow and Sarasota, traffic to western Florida will by-pass downtown
Orlando and reduce congestion on I-4. This is a win-win for Orange County residents and travelers going to western
and south western Florida.
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In November 2002, Cincinnati voters rejected commuter rail. The “Metro Moves” campaign was defeated
nearly 2-1 in a county-wide vote. In fact the vast majority of rail transit votes are rejected by the taxpayers. We feel
the people paying for the service, the taxpayer, should be able to decide whether to spend their money on commuter
rail.
FAR TOO MUCH ADMINISTRATION
The most obvious waste found throughout Orange County is excess administration. It should be noted that while
Orange County alone will spend $310 million on transportation this year alone, the number of miles of new high-
ways built will be zero. There will be approximately $149 million in capital improvements to roads and storm
water projects, but the bulk of the balance goes to salary and “operating expenses” (i.e. benefits).
All transportation administration should be streamlined and right sized. All engineering and public works
throughout the county should be regionalized and centralized. A Capital Improvement Committee of taxpayers needs
to be formed to ensure that road projects are necessary and done in the correct priority.
Other states are coming to the same conclusion. In Massachusetts, Gov. Deval Patrick has implemented a plan to
cut the state transportation budget by more than $1 billion and is trying to merge the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority
with other transportation agencies into one transportation department.
REGIONALIZATION OF TRANSPORTATION IN ORANGE COUNTY
Transportation. Road maintenance can be managed in each of the four zones. Planning and engineering should
be done on a county wide level. With the slowdown in growth we anticipate a much lower demand for road
improvement projects in Orange County over the next five years. Staffing should reflect this lower demand.
We estimate the savings from regionalizing transportation management and engineering will exceed 20% of the
fixed costs. The annual savings to the taxpayer will be approximately $60 million per year.
By eliminating costly rail programs, we project a savings to the taxpayer of $50 to $100 million per year
in Orange County each year for the next 99 years. That in addition to the $160,400,000 in capital
and interest costs for the development of commuter rail.
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GOVERNMENT SALARY REPORT
As our economy continues to contract more attention is being given to the wages paid to public employees.
Some 80% of government spending is salary plus benefits. Taxpayers were horrified to see the Expressway Authority
director makes $246,000 plus benefits. But the six figure salaries are commonplace in government. We have 100
firemen in Orange County making six figures. The following is a list of high salaries in Orange County govern-
ment;
Ajit Lalchandani - County Administrator -$211,660.80

Michael McCoy - Director of Public Safety -$153,004.80
Sharon Donoghue - Deputy County Administrator -$146,640.00
Linda Weinberg - Deputy County Administrator -$146,619.20
David Heath - Deputy County Administrator -$159,536.00
Carl Plaugher - Fire Rescue -$146,619.20
James Fitzgerald - Fire Rescue -$119,308.80
David Hepker - Fire Administration -$90,001.60
Mark Rhame - Fire Operations -$106,080.00
Preston Cook - Office of Emergency Mgmt.-$79,934.40
John Hightower - Logistics -$110,323.20
William Sturgeon - Training -$103,001.60
Michael Tidwell - Corrections -$146,619.20
Scott Bradstreet - Corrections -$115,169.60
Cornita Riley - Corrections -$115,169.60
Richard Anderson - In-Custody Support Services -$100,484.80
Sherry Johnson - In-Custody Security Mgmt -$90,001.60
Don Bjoring - Professional Services -$108,118.40
Lee Isbell - Inmate Programing Support -$90,209.60
Dr. Gillian Hobbs - Community Corrections -$97,136.00
William Rivera - Human Relations -$86,715.20
Frank Priola - Fiscal Services -$86,715.20
Bryan Rintoul - Public Safety Communications -$107,120.00
Carol Burkett - Drug Free Community Office -$81,036.80
Mike Chandler - Utilities -$143,873.60
Teresa Remudo-Fries - Utilities -$132,537.60
Ray Hanson - Utilities -$127,316.80
Ron Nielsen - Fiscal & Admin. Support -$112,840.00
Solid Waste - Jim Becker -$108,617.60
Jason Herrick - Engineering -$107,681.60
William Hurley - Water Reclamation -$104,041.60
Jacqueline Torbert - Water $112,216.00
Timothy Armstrong - Customer Service -$90,168.00
Troy Layton - Construction -$104,603.20
Andres Salcedo - Development Engineering -$105,580.80
Joe Kunkel - Public Works -$126,484.80
Mark Massaro - Public Works -$142,708.80
Ruby Rozier - Traffic Engineering -$109,179.20
Diana Almodovar - Development Engineering -$107,140.80
Rodney Lynn - Stormwater Management -$103,251.20
Deodat Budhu - Roads & Drainage -$114,628.80
Ralphetta Aker - Fiscal & Administrative -$90,833.60
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Renzo Nastasi - Transportation Planning -$100,464.00
Robin Hammel - Public Works Engineering -$105,019.20
Julie Naditz - Highway Construction -$107,952.00
James E. Harrison - Growth Management -$138,632.00
Bob Olin - Building Safety -$105,414.40
Susan Caswell - Planning -$100,276.80
Mitch Gordon - Zoning -$105,227.20
Mitchell Glasser - Housing & Community Development -$108,118.40
Dean Stites - Fiscal & Administrative Services -$94,390.40
Melvin Pittman - Community & Environmental Services -$131,643.20
Matt Suedmeyer - Parks & Recreation -$95,388.80
Bob Spivey - Code Enforcement -$100,776.00
Lori Cunniff - Environmental Protection -$118,352.00
Katherine Lockett - Animal Services -$88,046.40
Lavon Williams - Neighborhood Services -$80,579.20
Pat Bythwood - Fiscal & Human Resources -$94,328.00
John Terwilliger - Administrative Services -$137,716.80
Venetta Valdengo-Blevins - Facilities Mgmt -$124,009.60
Tarzan Frazier - Energy Management -$84,926.40
Anne Kulikowski - Fiscal & Human Resources -$90,812.80
Joel Baugh - Capital Projects -$95,513.60
David Roussel - Fleet Management -$88,275.20
Larry Jones - Health & Family Services -$146,619.20
Pete Clarke - Health & Family Services -$124,009.60
Ella Gi lmore - Health & Family Services -$124,009.60
Tyra Witsell - Citizens’ Comm. for Children -$92,144.00
Syd McCallister - Youth & Family Services -$91,582.40
Tom Breaud - Mosquito Control -$87,027.20
Karl Anderson - Community Action -$100,484.80
Donna Wyche - Mental Health & Homeless Issues -$90,792.00
Dr. Jan Garavaglia - Medical Examiner -$207,833.60
MaryAnn Rosenbauer - Head Start -$80,017.60
Donna Loyko - Corrections Health Services -$99,340.80
Yolanda Brown - Fiscal -$76,377.60
Dr. George Ralls - Office of the Medical Director -$211,224.00
Sara Van Arsdel - Regional History Center -$88,337.60
Margaret Brennan - Medical Clinic -$80,600.00
Ricardo Daye - Human Resources -$106,350.40
Steve Triggs - Communications -$102,689.60
Warren Geltch - Assistant County Administrator -$148,054.40
Rafael Mena - Information Systems & Services (ISS)-$122,345.60
Johnny Richardson - Purchasing & Contracts -$104,208.00
Lonnie Bell - Business Development -$86,715.20
Kevin Gibson - Office of Professional Stds -$70,012.80
Eric Gassman - Assistant County Administrator -$137,737.60
Randy Singh - Office of Mgmt. & Budget -$103,542.40
Fred Winterkamp - Fiscal & Business Svcs.-$112,923.20
John Petrelli - Risk Management -$103,147.20
Tom Ackert - Convention Center -$180,315.20
Jessie Allen - Convention Center -$139,360.00
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Kathie Canning - Convention Center -$132,308.80
Jan Addison - Business -$114,628.80
Yulita Osuba - Sales & Event Management -$114,628.80
Greg Forehand - Security & Transportation -$92,622.40
Michaal Rossi - Event Operations -$100,152.00
Lex Veech - Guest & Community Relations -$83,657.60
Betty Meeks - Human Resources -$92,622.40
Fred Baker - Facility Operations -$102,502.40
Mike Walker - Information Systems -$108,118.40
Jan Trauger - Mayor’s assistant -$78,020.80
George Rodon - Chief of Staff -$146,619.20
Mark Jeffries - Government Affairs -$82,222.40
Here are the high salaries in the City of Orlando, a city with 200,000 residents;
Mayor - Buddy Dyer -$156,205.66

Chief of Staff - Brie Turek -$127,004.80
Special Assistant to the Mayor - Joe Robinson -$115,003.20
Executive Assistant to the Mayor - Kathy Scanlon -$79,123.20
Hispanic Affairs Advisor - Orlando Rolón -$94,099.20
Press Secretary - Carson Chandler -$87,568.00
Director of Audit Services and Management Support - Beryl H. Davis -$121,284.80
City Clerk - Alana Brenner -$97,364.80
Director of Communications - Michele Brennan -$85,987.20
Director of Constituent Services - Reggie McGill -$92,393.60
Director of Human Relations - Shirley James -$95,492.80
Director of Intergovernmental Relations - Kathleen Russell -$107,744.00
Director of Neighborhood and Community Affairs - Marcia H. Goodwin -$117,748.80
Chief Administrative Officer - Byron Brooks -$174,012.80
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer - Kevin Edmonds -$148,116.80
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer - Deborah D. Girard -$148,116.80
Chief Financial Officer - Rebecca W. Sutton -$169,790.40
Deputy Chief Financial Officer - Ray Elwell -$122,012.80
We calculated that the average government worker in the City of Orlando makes exactly double ($64,000)
the amount the average taxpayer makes ($32,000). At the time of this report Orange County mayor Richard Crotty
is proposing pay cuts to the Expressway Authority staff. We recommend those pay cuts extend to all government
workers within Orange County that make over $60,000 per year.
Our recommendations are as follows;
Salaries under $60,000 no adjustment.
Salaries from $60,000 to $80,000 pay freeze until the media wage in Orange County equals $60,000.
Salaries from $80,000 to $100,000 implement a 10% pay cut (to a minimum of $80,000).
Salaries above $100,000 implement a 20% pay cut.
The average taxpayer makes $38,000 a year in Orange County. Why should the public “servants” make
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double?
We estimate the total salaries of all public employees in Orange County to be approximately $3 billion.
Without reducing the quality of government services, we believe these salary adjustments will save the taxpayer 5%
annually within three years, and 10% annually before ten years. An immediate savings of $150 million to the
taxpayer.
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VACATION/SICK DAYS BENEFITS REPORT
Our study found three areas of waste in Vacation and Sick Days Benefits in Orange County and the thirteen
cities within it; government workers have better benefits than the taxpayers that support them,
public servants have more paid vacation time than the taxpayer and receive more paid vacation
days than the taxpayer, and getting paid twice for sick days is unrealistic and unfair.
GOVERNMENT WORKERS HAVE BETTER BENEFITS THAN TAXPAYERS
While all government workers have great benefits, none are greater than our firemen. The following is an
example of the benefits for a Lieutenant with the Orlando Fire Department. To start with, most of the firemen work 24
hours shifts, basically two days a week (in another section of this report we call for the end of 24 hour shifts). The
firemen gets 250 hours of vacation pay per year, or six and a quarters weeks of vacation per year. They
get eleven paid holidays, including their birthday. Since they work 24 hour shifts they get paid 12 hours for each
holiday, 50% more than your average taxpayer (who do not get their birthdays off).
If the firemen must attend court on a non-work related matter they get time off with pay. They accumulate sick
leave at 2.31 hours per week. This amounts to 120 hours per year or three weeks of sick leave. If they are not sick
they can get paid to work and if they die their estate gets paid for their unused sick leave. It is a strange twist to pay
someone twice for the 120 hours he is working because of a clause in the contract, but that is how it works out.
They get “bereavement leave” if someone in their family dies of eight calendar days off in a row. This does not
count against their vacation time, sick leave or holidays. If they are on the Executive Board they can get two shifts
(48 hours) off to attend the union convention (as does the fire chief). They also get one and half days off for passing
a physical fitness test, which is ironic because they lift weights and workout during work hours in the firehouse gym.
So let’s look at an Orlando fire lieutenant that has 18 years of service and a 2,080 hour work year. Deduct
his 250 hours of vacation, 120 hours for sick leave, 132 hours for paid holidays, 48 hours for court proceedings,
12 hours for voting, 72 hours for bereavement leave, 48 hours for union conventions, and 12 hours for passing a
physical fitness test. That amounts to 694 hours off in this hypothetical year, meaning he works only 1,386 hours a
year. Looking at it another way he can get paid for 33% of the year without working.
And given the fact that he works 24 hours shifts, guess how many days this fireman must show up for work a
year? The answer: 58. One of our Board members lives near a fire lieutenant says “his truck is always in the
driveway, day and night.’ The entire system of employment has been corrupted to the maximum benefit of the union
members. Below is a list of possible benefits to public servants;
Medical Benefits
Prescription Drug Benefits
Vision Coverage
Dental Coverage
Life Insurance
Long-term Disability Insurance
Voluntary Accidental Death & Dismemberment
Cafeteria Plan (Pre-tax for medical premiums)
Retirement
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Deferred Compensation
Employee Assistance Program
Discounted Child Care Center
Longevity Pay
Learning Quest - College savings program
Tuition Reimbursement
Paid Holidays
Vacation
Sick Leave & Well Day
Training reimbursement
In the sake of fairness to taxpayers, we recommend that the vacation and sick pay for government workers be
comparable to the private sector. Not comparable to a private sector company with great benefits, but to the private
sector as a whole. And remember all of our small business owners do not get paid holidays or vacation pay. When
they stop working they stop making money.
MORE VACATION TIME THAN THE PRIVATE SECTOR
Most local government contracts allow for up to five weeks of paid vacation for government workers. It is rare in
the private sector for workers to get five paid weeks of vacation. As mentioned previously, small business owners do
not get paid vacations and most would never take off that much time. And those small business owners employ 70%
of our private sector workforce.
Workers in the private sector receive an average of 14.2 days off with pay including both holidays and vacation
time. Giving government workers five weeks of vacation pay while the taxpayer is hard at work is unfair and
unreasonable. We believe that government workers should work as hard as the taxpayer that supports them.
Our study group recommends a maximum of three weeks of vacation for government workers. For the first three
years of service one week of paid vacation, then two weeks for the next three years, and three weeks of vacation
thereafter.
MORE HOLIDAYS THAN THE PRIVATE SECTOR
There is a Federal law that requires paid time off for Federal employees. There is no such law for private sector
workers. Private sector employers have established paid holidays that are similar to public-sector legal holidays, but
they have done so voluntarily. Many private companies have gone to personal time off, or PTO. Employees are given
a certain number of days and they can take off whatever days they choose.
It is important to remember once again that small business owners do not get paid holidays. When then stop
working they stop getting paid. Many private sector workers are required to work on holidays because their business
is geared for when people are on vacation.
GETTING PAID TWICE FOR SICK DAYS
For the vast majority of taxpayers in Orange County, workers that do not use their sick days are not compensated
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for showing up to work. That makes sense because they are already paid to come to work and paying them for not
using sick days is paying them twice for the same day of work. Somewhere in the union negotiation process sick
days have turned into vacation pay and that process must be eliminated.
The idea that a government employee who is not sick can come to work and get paid twice for the same day
is disturbing to taxpayers. This practice needs to stop not only for the sake of fairness but for economic reality.
Guaranteed sick leave costs Florida taxpayers billions of dollars per year.
The PTO program combines paid holidays and sick leave into one formula. On average, PTO starts at 14 days
and generally increases with the length of time on the job. We recommend eliminating vacation and sick leave for a
PTO formula starting at 14 days a year. After three years the figure will increase to 16 days. After six years the PTO
will increase to 18, and after nine years the figure will max out at 20 days.
The Russellville, Arkansas City Council voted to reduce the sick leave firefighters earn. Other communities are
coming to realize that government cannot effectively provide services if the benefits of public servants are excessive.
The current government vacation and sick lease plans are unrealistic and unsustainable. We recommend major
changes as follows;
1. Limit all government workers to three weeks paid vacation maximum.
2. Eliminate paid sick leave.
3. Replace paid sick leave and vacation days with PTO.
The major cost of government is wages. By granting paid leave for up to one third of the year we increase the
cost of government to the taxpayer. By eliminating paid sick leave and aligning vacation policy to the private sector
the total savings to the taxpayer will be approximately 5% of all government payrolls.
We estimate the savings from these reforms to be in the billions over the next decade in Florida. In Orange
County, we estimate the savings to be $100 million per year or more.
GOVERNMENT LABOR UNIONS
Each member of our Orange County Taxpayer Budget Review Board knows someone working in our local
government. And each member respects those people as individuals but understands that the basic problem with
local government lies with government labor unions. Labor unions collectively bargain against the taxpayer and serve
the interests of the union members not the taxpayer. Over time, labor unions have obtained benefits beyond what the
taxpayers receive. It is the government labor unions, not the individual employee, that represent the largest obstacle to
an efficient government.
The reason public safety is not working in Florida is because of labor unions. They block reforms that will make
the public safer. The reason public education is failing our children is labor unions. They block reforms that will make
our students better prepared for life. The reason public servants earn twice the annual salaries and have twice the
benefits of the taxpayer in Orlando is because of government labor unions.
When labor unions originated in the United States they were needed. Now the United States has the minimum
wage, employee workplace safety rules and a thousand regulations protecting the employee. The primary purpose
of government labor unions in Florida today is to leverage their power for higher pay and greater benefits. And the
net result is the cost of government services has exceeded the ability of the community to pay for them. Crime has
increased, education quality has declined, and the standard of living of taxpayers is eroding. That was not the intent
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of labor unions, but it is the current reality.
We propose that state law be changed, and federal law be challenged, to allow the taxpayer to collectively
bargain against the employee. An end to our own government blocking reforms to make our community safer and
better educated. We propose a switch from a selfish government to a government that truly serves the people. The
taxpayer is truly disgusted with the state of government today. The taxpayer is the reason for government’s existence.
Government employees should not fear change, they should embrace it. Every teacher knows a teacher that
should be in another line of work. Every fireman knows the waste that exists in their industry. And every taxpayer
knows that our current way of providing government services is not sustainable. We call for the government to serve
the people instead of the taxpayer existing to serve our government.
In order to accomplish this change the taxpayer needs to treat employees as individuals not as a collective.
Employees should be paid on job productivity not job longevity. Cashiers at Subway do not make $75,000 a year
after 20 years on the job. Salaries and benefits need to be market driven, not forced by powerful special interest
groups.
In summary, we call for the laws of the State of Florida to benefit the citizens of the State of Florida. Currently our
system of government benefits special interest groups, government labor unions, and the taxpayer is not represented.
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SECTION FOUR
Notes and Resources
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
For over six months thirty volunteers studied our fourteen governments in Orange County to find waste, duplication
of services, and suggest reforms to allow for greater efficiency in government. The Orange County Service Matrix
spreadsheet on the inside front cover of our report shows each government, the departments each government
operates, and the cost of that service to each community. In general, we found that virtually every department can
achieve a savings of at least 20% and with some departments the potential savings exceeds 50%.
Our research determined the best way to eliminate the duplication of services is to regionalize (consolidate
geographically) services into four zones within Orange County. The Orange County Zone map on the inside back
cover shows our plan to consolidate the services without creating a massive central bureaucracy. Regionalization
will allow towns like Apopka, Ocoee and Winter Garden to have one building department instead of three. The
following departments are prime candidates for regionalization;
Administration Fleet Maintenance
Budget and Finance Human Resources
Building Departments Information Technology
Capital Improvement Programs Parks and Recreation
Code Enforcement Planning and Zoning
Economic Development Public Safety
Engineering 9-1-1 Communication
Environmental Services Public Works
Facility Maintenance Transportation
In additions to the regionalization of government services we determined that some government services should
be subject to a “managed competition.” Lower costs are available and services can improve if competition is
allowed to force greater efficiency. The following departments should be subject to managed competitions;
Animal Services
Engineering
Environmental Services
Facility Maintenance
Fleet Maintenance
Health and Human Services
Human Resources
Information Technology
All non-classroom activities of the Orange County Public Schools
Public Library
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Public Works
GOAA
Our report also recommends the consolidation of agencies. Included in that recommendation are;
The Convention Center with the Visitors Bureau
Property Appraiser with the Tax Collector
All regional economic development agencies
Florida Citrus Sports with the Visitors Bureau
Expressway Authority with Orange County DOT
The recommendations in our report included making the pay and benefits of government employees comparable
to the taxpayers that support them. We found that in many cases the government workers are paid twice what the
average taxpayer receives and the benefits are double as well. Our Board felt that the civil servant should not be
paid more that the taxpayers that support them. We recommended major changes to the following;
Public employee salaries
Public employee pensions
Public employee health care benefits
Public employee vacation and sick day benefits
In addition to being unfair to the taxpayers that support our government these salaries and benefits are not
sustainable. We determined that the sum total of government spending has an adverse effect on our economy and
our standard of living. Our research found that our local government has a “structural deficit.” A “structural deficits
occur when systemic spending rises faster than sustainable revenues.” We concluded that increasing the budget of
a flawed model will not solve the problem, and that “structurally altering the model is the only way to reduce deficits
while at the same time maintaining levels of service.”
In summary, we need to dramatically change the way we provide government services in Orange County to
ensure quality services and maintain a decent standard of living. Our local government spending has doubled within
a decade yet crime has increased. As a community we need to examine every aspect of our government services
and utilize the best innovations from around the world to make our residents safer, more satisfied, and to restore our
economy. Our report is the basis for fundamentally reforming our local governments.
POTENTIAL SAVINGS
ADMINISTRATION $30 million
ANIMAL SERVICES $1 million
BUDGET AND FINANCE $10 million
BUILDING DEPARTMENT $10 million
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT $100 million
CODE ENFORCEMENT $2.5 million
87
CONVENTION CENTER $5 million
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT $12.5 million
ENGINEERING $4.1 million
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES $30 million
FACILITIES MAINTENANCE $10 million
FLEET MAINTENANCE $12 million
HEALTH BENEFITS FINAL $30 million
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES $23 million
HUMAN RECOURSES $4.5 million
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY $3.25 million
PARKS AND RECREATION $19 million
PENSION $28 million
PLANNING and ZONING $4.5 million
PROPERTY APPRAISER/TAX COLLECTOR $12 million
PUBLIC EDUCATION $150 million
PUBLIC LIBRARY $8 million
PUBLIC SAFETY
FIRE RESCUE $150 million
CORRECTIONS $35 million
9-1-1- COMMUNICATIONS $7.5 million
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT $40 million
TRANSPORTATION $135 million
GOVERNMENT SALARIES $150 million
VACATION/SICK DAYS BENEFITS $100 million
TOTAL SAVINGS IDENTIFIED $1,126,850,000
It is important to note that our savings estimates are on the conservative side based on previous studies and the
consolidations proposed. For example we estimate a 30% savings by combining three agencies into one, when in
reality the savings may exceed 50% or more.
We fully expect that if our reforms are enacted the savings to the Orange County taxpayer will exceed $1 billion
a year.
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SUMMARY OF MAJOR INITIATIVES
Regionalization of Services
Our primary recommendation is to consolidation services on a regional basis to eliminate the duplication of
services and reduce administration.
Regional Administrator
We recommend the new administrative service areas be managed by a regional administrator whose primary
function is to improve service and increase efficiency. Similar to the executive style government managers in New
Zealand, the managers have short term contracts.
Government Efficiency Commission
Establish a permanent commission to achieve greater efficiency in government. The commission shall not include
elected officials but will be comprised of taxpayers from all 14 Orange County governments. Neighboring Polk
County already has such a commission.
Health and Human Services Committee
We recommend such a committee be established to determine which functions of Health and Human Services
can be run by non-profits at a lower cost without lowering the level of service.
Education Committee
We suggest an “Education Commission” be appointed by the Orange County Commission with the full powers
to audit and investigate Orange County Public Schools. While OCPS just completed a budget study, the study
members from outside OCPS were limited in the questions they could ask. This committee will critically analyze our
strengths and weaknesses and suggest reforms within our public education system.
Transparency Committee
We recommend this committee to implement the public access to government information on the internet.
Capital Improvement Committee
We recommend a county wide to review capital improvement requests and prioritize capital items.
Economic Development and Tourism Council
It is our recommendation that all regional economic development departments, athletic boards and visitor bureaus
be consolidated into one agency.
Minority Entrepreneur Program
We propose the county fund a program run by a non-profit that will help inner city minorities learn business skills
by operating booths at street fairs. These funds will come from existing economic development budgets.
ANSWERS TO POTENTIAL QUESTIONS
How did you estimate department savings?
Our savings estimates are just that, estimates. But we did not pull the numbers out of the air. We used a formula
89
to estimate savings based on previous savings from other reforms. Our Administration report estimated a savings of
$30 million. Our estimate came from the facts that smaller communities will merge administration and create one
department from three. The departments will be slightly large so we estimate a 50% reduction in cost.
The communities that cannot merge can adopt innovations that save 10-20% on costs. We multiplied the non-
merging communities by 15% and the merging communities by 30% and we came up with our answer and rounded
down.
How can these reforms become a reality?
There are two ways for these reforms to be enacted. First, our local elected officials can make these reforms
law. If our elected officials are reluctant, unwilling, or unable to make these reforms the taxpayer can petition our
government and require greater government efficiency. On the following page is a copy of a petition drafted for that
solution.
Where can I get the research and data used in this report?
Almost all of our research, including emails of public information requests and answers, will be available on our
web site; www.TaxpayerBudgetReviewBoard.org. We did not footnote our research in this report because of time
constraints, but an upcoming book “Building a Better Local Government” will have the same details with footnotes
added. All data on local governments was supplied through public information requests or acquired from the actual
budgets of each government.
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REFERENDUM PETITION
BALLOT TITLE:
REQUIRE COUNTY COMMISSION TO PROVIDE SERVICES EFFICIENTLY THROUGH REGIONALIZATION AND

ELIMINATION OF DUPLICATION.
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT:
This Amendment to the Orange County Charter requires the Orange County Commission to provide government
services as efficiently as possible where this can be done through regionalization and the elimination of duplicative
services. This Amendment also provides for the creation of a permanent commission to study regionalization and
consolidation of government services.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE CHARTER OF ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA.
FULL TEXT OF THE PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT:
Section 1. Section 214 of Article II (“Legislative Branch: Board of County Commissioners”) of the Charter of
Orange County, Florida is created to read:
Section 214. Eliminating Duplicative Services. The taxpayers of Orange County deserve to get the most
from their hard earned tax money. Orange County government should, therefore, provide government services as
efficiently as possible.
(a). To that end, if government services are duplicated by nearby governments, the County Commission shall
consolidate such services where savings to the taxpayer will result.
(b). To that end, if regionalization of government services will reduce costs and increase customer service, the County
Commission shall regionalize service units to increase efficiency and eliminate waste.
(c). To that end, if the County Commission refuses to enact efficiency recommendations consistent with the above, any
Orange County taxpayer shall have standing to sue to require the County Commission to enact such measures.
(d). The County Commission shall create a permanent Commission on Regionalization and Consolidation (“CRC”) of
local government services.
(1) The CRC shall consist of nine members. The County Commission shall appoint
two employees of Orange County and seven members from the public at large. Each
member shall serve two year terms and may seek additional terms.
(2) The CRC shall hold hearings monthly and interview representatives from each
department to determine where consolidation and regionalization is merited. The CRC
shall hold its hearings in the County Commission chambers.
91
Section 2. If any portion of this measure is held invalid for any reason, the remaining portion of this measure, to the
fullest extent possible, shall be severed from the invalid portion and given the fullest possible force and effect.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
I, the below-signed elector of Orange County, Florida, request a referendum election be held on whether to
amend the Charter of Orange County, Florida per the above, pursuant to Section 101.161, Florida Statutes, and
Sections 601 and 602 of Article VI of the Charter of Orange County, Florida:
/ / _____________________________________
Date Signature (in ink)
______/______/_______
Date of Birth
_____________________________________
Printed Name
_____________________________________
Voter ID Number
_______________________________________________________________
Residential Street Address, City, County, State and Zip Code
92
WITNESS OATH
Under penalties of perjury, the undersigned hereby verifies that (s)he saw the person whose signature appears on
the other side of this petition personally sign this petition, and that the signature of that person hereon is the genuine
signature of the person it purports to be and that this petition was signed by that person in the presence of the
undersigned witness on the date indicated above.
DATED _____________________ ________________________________________
Signature (in ink)
___________________________________
Printed Name
___________________________________
Residential Street Address
___________________________________
City, County, State, Zip Code
93
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“Consolidation and Regionalization for Greater Efﬁciency”

Final Report of the

April 15th, 2009

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT REFORM

THE CASE FOR REGIONALIZATION

ANIMAL SERVICES REPORT

BUDGET AND FINANCE REPORT

BUILDING DEPARTMENT REPORT

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT REPORT

CODE ENFORCEMENT REPORT

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REPORT

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES REPORT

FACILITIES MAINTENANCE REPORT

FLEET MAINTENANCE REPORT

HEALTH BENEFITS FINAL REPORT

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES REPORT

HUMAN RECOURSES REPORT

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY REPORT

PARKS AND RECREATION REPORT

PLANNING and ZONING REPORT

PROPERTY APPRAISER/TAX COLLECTOR REPORT

PUBLIC EDUCATION REPORT

PUBLIC LIBRARY REPORT

PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT

9-1-1 COMMUNICATIONS REPORT

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT REPORT

GOVERNMENT SALARY REPORT

VACATION/SICK DAYS BENEFITS REPORT

POTENTIAL COSTS SAVINGS

SUMMARY OF MAJOR INITIATIVES

ANSWERS TO POTENTIAL QUESTIONS

FRONT COVER-SERVICE MATRIX

BACK COVER-ORANGE COUNTY ZONE MAP WHERE

YEAR (ending) STATE SPENDING LOCAL GOVERNMENT TOTAL

2000 51,621,214,000 55,504,603,000 92,402,130,000

2002 48,489,136,000 60,073,293,000 93,374,596,000

2004 74,691,770,000 71,787,996,000 129,013,687,000

2006 83,574,273,000 86,832,855,000 151,623,707,000

Who pays for our $7 billion local government?

In 1998, Orange County had a budget of $1,379,869,000. In 2001 it skyrocketed to $2,243,000,000,

Economics 101 - You can’t push a string

Transformational Government Reform

THE CASE FOR REGIONALIZATION

OTHER REASONS WHY CONSOLIDATIONS OF GOVERNMENTS HAS NOT WORKED

APPROACHES TO CONSOLIDATING LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES

There are several ways to consolidate services.

OTHER CITIES AND STATES ARE COMING TO THE SAME CONCLUSION

Orange County: $78,774,846, Orlando: $28,442,698, Apopka: $1,400,000, Maitland: $1,387,353,

We estimate the cost of Administration in Orange County to exceed $116 million.

REGIONALIZATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES IN ORANGE COUNTY

WASTE and INEFFICIENCY

FAILURE TO USE THE PRIVATE SECTOR

POTENTIAL COST SAVINGS

FAILURE TO USE THE PRIVATE SECTOR

POTENTIAL COST SAVINGS

REGIONALIZATION OF BUDGET AND FINANCE SERVICES IN ORANGE COUNTY

WASTE and INEFFICIENCY

FAILURE TO USE THE PRIVATE SECTOR

REGIONALIZATION OF BUILDING DEPARTMENTS IN ORANGE COUNTY

FAILURE TO USE THE PRIVATE SECTOR

ELECTRONIC PLAN REVIEW

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