January 11, 2006

RYAN’S FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS: STREAMLINE
BOARD’S COMMITTEE STRUCTURE

After re-establishing the Board of Legislators as a co-equal branch of government in his first term, newly re-elected Board Chair Bill Ryan (D-I-WF, White Plains) said he would immediately streamline the Board’s committee structure to make it more efficient and productive and less costly to taxpayers.

“Committees are the engine of the legislature,” said Ryan. “Like an engine, unless the committee system is properly tuned up periodically, it becomes less efficient and more costly.”

“This past term, we had 23 committees all handling important subjects,” continued Ryan. “Without sacrificing any of those subject areas, my intention is to slash the number of committees, increase productivity and cut costs.”

Noting that 23 committees could cost $144,000, Ryan said “that number is totally unacceptable and is going to be chopped way down.”

Ryan said his modifications “will enable the legislature to better perform its oversight responsibilities and become even more proactive in setting county policy.”

As Chair last term, Ryan said he had a unique opportunity to elevate important topics such as Families and Children, Parks, Senior Citizens, Health, Transportation and Technology to full committee status.

“However, I also had the opportunity to evaluate the efficiency of the overall structure and after consulting with colleagues and examining each committee’s accomplishments, it’s clear the current structure can be improved,” Ryan said.

“The committee system has become unwieldy,” Ryan continued. “Twenty-three committees overtax the board’s resources, create scheduling conflicts for members and impede the ability of legislators to find ample blocks of time to devote to the work at hand. Reforming the committee structure will improve our ability to respond to the increased demands of a larger county government.”

Ryan added that the modification was also about accountability to the taxpayers. “I can’t justify the continued existence of a committee that’s not producing at maximum capacity,” he said.

Committee restructuring is consistent with upgrading the operation of the Board of Legislators, which Ryan made a priority when he first became Chair. “We made changes to enhance the work flow and productivity of Board staff this past term,” said Ryan. “Those changes have taken firm root so we’re ready to take the next step in what will be an ongoing process of improvement.”

Ryan said the new system will continue to be bipartisan, “just more efficient and more productive.” By county charter, Ryan has ten days from last Monday’s reorganization to name committees. He said he will announce the new committee structure shortly.