DRAFT letter on Organizational Reform Commission Approved by Quality of Life Committee

DRAFT

Dear Mr. Leggett/President Ervin,

The Montgomery County Organizational Reform Commission (the Commission)
released its final report on January 31, 2011. The deliberations of the Commission have been
discussed at several meetings of the Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board (MCCAB).

Most recently the MCCAB reviewed the Commission’s final report at its February 15,
2011 meeting and passed motions in support of the following Commission recommendations:

I. Structural and Organizational Changes

Boards, Committees and Commissions
2. Increase use of the Regional Services Centers’ citizen advisory boards and the Office
of Community Partnerships, whenever possible, in lieu of creating new citizen boards or
committees.
4. Reorganize the Human Rights Commission, folding its functions into other entities, and
eliminate the HRC office.
6. Reorganize the Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission (CJCC) so that it is housed and
staffed within the County Police Department, and eliminate the executive director position.
Workforce Training
7. Enable the Montgomery County Workforce Investment Board, the Division of Workforce
Services (DWS), and its contractors to coordinate oversight of the workforce grants awarded by
the Executive and the Council.

Legal Services
8. Increase efforts to substitute costly contracted legal services with in-house expertise.
9. Form a Task Force to create a consolidated Montgomery County Law Office that would serve
multiple agencies.
Housing
10. Establish a Task Force on a Montgomery Housing and Redevelopment Department, to
begin the process of blending the Housing Opportunities Commission and the Department of
Housing and Community Affairs.

Parks and Recreation
11. Transfer all of the Parks Department’s “user services” to the Executive Branch of County
government, as part of the Department of Recreation. Retain responsibility for park planning,
environmental stewardship, and ownership of park property at the Maryland-National Capital
Park and Planning Commission.
Procurement
13. Create a Shared Service Center for purchasing goods and services that would serve all
County agencies with a centralized procurement schedule and catalogue.
Real Estate and Facilities
14. Centralize real estate and facilities functions that are now handled separately by each of the
County agencies.

The 311 System
15. Consolidate information distribution and call center activities by expanding the County
government’s 311 system so that it also serves the other agencies.

Information Technology
16. Consolidate the County’s information technology leadership into a single independent Chief
Information Officer (CIO).

II. Procedural and Operational Changes

Collective Bargaining
18. Make the collective bargaining process more transparent and increase opportunities for
public input.

School Funding
22. Seek changes in the State’s Maintenance of Effort (MOE) law.
23. Seek changes in the State Education Article to authorize the Council to approve or reject the
economic provisions of a collective bargaining agreement.

Information Technology
24. Embolden all County departments and agencies to move in the direction of converting to
Cloud and Thin Client computing.
25. Expand the outsourcing of “seat management” to MCPS and Montgomery College.
26. Consolidate major IT platforms and provide for a migration path.

Liquor Control
27. Expand contracting of warehouse night-loading operations at the Department of Liquor
Control to all warehouse operations and improve retail services.
28. Contract out for a financial and performance audit of the Department of Liquor Control.

I hope you find this information useful as you deliberate the Commission’s final report.