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Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene |
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—Exclusive— With so much focus on tax reform, you'd think state and local governments would figure out how much money — in already enacted taxes — isn't being collected. Accountants call that figure the "tax gap." There's some bad news soon to come to light, thanks to the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. We haven't seen any press related to this one, but we think it's going to be a big deal pretty soon. The best laid schemes of mice and men rarely work well when they're understaffed. That may not be as memorable as the original Robert Burns verse, but it sure applies to government management. Consider Maryland's public ethics system. It's much broader than in many other states and yet, according to a December report from Maryland's Office of Legislative Audits, the state has "weak oversight." KEEP READING Do people really believe that pungently nasty comments made while considering managerial changes are actually helpful? And if not, why are they so frequently uttered? These questions were brought to mind in a piece by Michael R. Wickline in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. People are always looking for models. Or best practices. And as far as we're concerned, the very idea of a "best" practice denies the fact there is a menu of good practices from which a city can select. But if you're looking for a really, really good example of performance reporting, you needn't go any further than Portland, Oregon. We've believed Portland has been a leader in this field for years now. A look last week at its recently released 16th annual report on government performance confirms our thoughts. KEEP READING If you want more information about performance reporting and related topics, we recommend that you turn to the Association of Government Accountants. It awarded 12 Certificates of Achievement for Service Efforts and Accomplishments reporting for FY 2005, recognizing Portland and 11 other local governments or government agencies. Here's the list of recipients. Our candidate for spookiest legislative research report of the month: In a December 18 report, responding to questions posed by the legislature, Connecticut took on the burning issue of witches (or maybe it's the issue of witches burning). KEEP READING Kudos to Mike Dennison of the Billings Gazette in Montana for his mid-December article revealing that "state income tax cuts that took effect last year totaled four times more than originally predicted — and nearly half the total flowed to families earning $500,000 or more, according to a Revenue Department analysis." The analysis was done at the request of the Gazette's state bureau. KEEP READING As long as we're talking about funny figures and taxes, it's worthwhile introducing you to Holley Ulbrich, Alumni Professor of Economics Emerita at Clemson University in South Carolina. She's spent a lot of time piercing through the rhetoric, bad numbers and misinformed anecdotes that often are used to create policy. The full B&G Report | Who are Barrett and Greene? | |
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Retirees and RealitiesBy GIRARD MILLER For the Governing Management Letter As states' employee retirement liabilities countinue to outpace revenue, lawmakers find themselves wrestling with benefit issues. A Results Battle Royal By PENELOPE LEMOV For the Governing Management Letter The Governmental Accounting Standards Board considers urging states to report performance results — and kicks off a slugfest. ‘Stat’ Fever By ELLEN PERLMAN The practice of collecting data to monitor and improve government performance continues to gain momentum and evolve. Unloading Assets By CHRISTOPHER SWOPE Cities and states are selling off bits and pieces of infrastructure. Is it a sweet deal or a mistake?  Measuring Virginia By ELIZABETH DAIGNEAU The Old Dominion launches a site to allow citizens to see how their taxes are being spent — and to make sure agencies stay focused on measurable results. Insights for Policymakers By ELIZABETH DAIGNEAU A new book helps states tackle their toughest management challenges. 
 Full profiles of each of Governing's Public Officials of the Year are available online. Read them here.
Click here for video of the winners at Governing's awards gala.  Links to past editions of the Government Performance Project, including the most recent Grading the States issue. Click here  Excerpts from books published by Governing, including "We Don't Make Widgets," by management expert Ken Miller. Plus, order books from Governing online. Click here A series of Governing articles, researched and written with the financial support of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, examines performance measurement and management with a special emphasis on citizen involvement. Click herePLUS: Full content from Governing searchable and free You are receiving The Governing Management Letter because you requested it via either Governing.com or the online print subscription process. Have colleagues who would benefit? Forward this edition to them—they can subscribe by clicking here. To unsubscribe, click here. Governing Magazine/Governing.com |