Looking to make Independence Township function a little smoother, the Township Board voted unanimously to create an Operations Task Force.
‘Surveys that have been conducted in the past have generally indicated that residents are satisfied with the nature and extent of services as provided by the township,? said Richard Carlisle, township planning consultant. ‘However, there has never been an evaluation of the cost efficiency in the delivery of the services/operations nor if the township is operating in the most effective manner.?
The board expressed to Carlisle back at the Feb 17 meeting that the board would like the study group to be comprised of ‘resident experts,? within the community, which the township has done in previous cases such as the township’s Vision 20/20 plan, Parks and Recreation, as well as the Senior Center.
However, Carlisle cautioned the board about being ‘overly ambitious and doing nothing more than presenting a wish list of what would be desired without presenting a clear path for implementation.? He also said there was a danger in asking too much from citizen volunteers.
The focus of the group should be to answer key questions, which includes: What is the current situation and how is that situation likely to change in the foreseeable future? How can it be improved? How will these changes be implemented?
‘Each of these questions must be answered in sequence. An assessment of the current and likely future situation will determine how improvements can be made,? he said. ‘Once that direction has been established, specific strategies for implementation can be formulated.?
For the study to be the most effective Carlisle says there needs to be a clear distinction between the two primary functions of township government, which is ‘governance and service delivery.?
Governance responsibilities are essential responsibilities that are often mandated by state or federal government, which the township is required to perform. Service delivery is the township’s approach to delivering services to the residents and business owners.
Carlisle also suggested the group be comprised of three to five members who have experience in government, finance, human resources and organizational management.
Clerk Shelagh VanderVeen said she likes the idea of a small group and thought they should start off with three people.
‘If you get more than that it becomes unyielding,? she said. ‘I think at some point we might decide we need somebody to come in with that HR function or accounting skills, but we can do that later. Just to get us off and running I would suggest the three member board.?
Trustee David Lohmeier agreed ‘small is good.?
‘I think maybe we might want to push it to five, given the nature of the economy and the pulse on people’s time,? he said. Our objective is to make it a working group and where they’re really going to be productive. Three is a little hard to distribute the responsibilities.?
Trustee Neil Wallace said he liked both numbers.
‘What I would suggest is we leave that determination open and let Mr. Carlisle guide us as we get the resumes and see what the abilities are of the people we are able to draw in,? Wallace said. ‘It may be that we can get away with three and it may be where we see that we need more than that.?
Since the primary focus of the committee is assess the delivery of services and daily operations, including their cost. Carlisle said it would be more useful for the committee to look at services from a ‘functional standpoint,? opposed to a strict ‘delivery standpoint.? The first area of study is the township’s facilities and maintenance, which includes such things as safety paths, township buildings and properties, cemeteries, parks, and sewer and water facilities.
Other areas of study the board could direct the group to look at could also include Leisure services: Parks and Recreation, library, and Senior Center. Financial Administration/Assessment: Finance, treasury, and assessing, Public safety: Fire, police, and EMS, and Miscellaneous Management: Human resources, IT, and purchasing.
Carlisle suggested studying each functional area of the township with a three step process, which includes fact finding, deliberation, and recommendations.
‘We would suggest that the committee report to the board after completion and review of each functional area,? Carlisle said. ‘This would give the Board an opportunity for timely feedback as well as early opportunities for implementation.?
Carlisle noted, a six-month study duration is expected for the first area of the study, which is Facilities and Maintenance and it is also likely the committee will need to meet twice a month.
VanderVeen noted after reading Carlisle’s memo she thought board members should all suggest a person they feel might fulfill those obligations and as a board all sitting down and looking at all the resumes and coming up with three key people to start out with.
Lohmeier said he liked the idea.
Trustee Mark Petterson asked if the township had bothered locking all the department heads into a room until they figured things out amongst themselves.
‘Here we go again with another study,? Petterson said. ‘I’m just getting a little whacked out on these studies we’re dumping $10,000 out for.?
Supervisor Dave Wagner said this study was ‘completely different.”
‘We’re trying to change the makeup of the township and how things are handled entirely and it’s an opportune time to look at it,? he said. “You’ve got so much redundancy that’s out there and that it really needs to be looked at, at this point.?
VanderVeen said some outside perspective is important.
‘It tends to occur that people get firmly entrenched in protecting their own territory,? she said. ‘And so for that not to happen we want someone outside giving us a fresh appraisal.?