Hogan for Assembly

BUDGET-SAVING IDEAS FROM CONSTITUENTS

As my wife and I have been walking Assembly District 10, we are asking constituents to send us any budget-saving ideas they have. It's working!! Just recently, a constituent talked about "Barbie-sized" elementary schools and the costs to the State for these tiny boutique schools. After checking out all the information, we sent the following letter:

September 15, 2008

Mr. John Barlow

Executive Director, Government Affairs

Clark County School District

5100 W. Sahara Ave.

Las Vegas, NV 89146

Dear Mr. Barlow:

It was a pleasure meeting you recently, and, as often happens, I have some questions that may fall within your area of expertise. My wife and I have been walking precincts and talking with constituents. One of the questions we have been posing is about any budget-saving ideas constituents may have. One of my constituents is concerned about the small size of many elementary schools in her neighborhood which almost inevitably have required temporary buildings to be erected even before the school’s construction is completed.

Within my constituent’s area, there are six elementary schools. According to Mapquest, the farthest distance between any of these schools is 4.71 miles and two of the schools are within .38 miles of each other. With the current budget crisis, it would appear that building larger schools of two or three stories would be much more efficient in terms of acreage and staffing personnel. This does not mean that classes have to, or should be, larger, just more classrooms in a building. It would seem that the cost savings could well be enormous when one considers using the same acreage to house a three story school as compared to a single story structure. Also, one would only need one principal, one head librarian, etc. Hiring additional assistants is much more cost effective than hiring numerous top officials.

My question is whether this kind of approach has been considered and, if so, were there any reasons why it has not been adopted? With the number of schools being built in the state, particularly here in Clark County, if there is a way to realize substantial savings while still providing quality education, we should adopt it.

I look forward to your ideas on this concern.

Sincerely,

Joseph M. Hogan

This issue has been resolved.

In a conversation with Mr. Barlow, I learned that the school district will be building larger schools, including some two and three story schools. One of the most recent schools was built downtown and is three stories.

The criteria for schools has been changed. The targeted number of students has been increased, as follows:

Elementary From 300 to 700

Middle From 600 to 1,700

High School From 1,200 to 2,700

****************

On another subject, we received information that we are renting orange traffic cones at a very high cost instead of owning them and asked for information on this issue. Unfortunately, the information provided was nonresponsive. The issue has been forwarded to the bi-partisan SAGE Commission for action.

September 22, 2008

Mr. Bruce R. James

Chairman

Nevada SAGE Commission

P.O. Box 2700

Reno, NV 89505

Dear Mr. James:

One of my constituents, who is in a position to know, advised that the State of Nevada rents traffic cones at a very high cost. These cones are often put up weeks before any activity takes place. Additionally, I personally have seen them lining areas where no construction of any kind is taking place, nor even planned in the distant future and we are paying for them.

With the current budget crisis and also because even without a crisis we should not be wasting money, I asked the Legislative Counsel Bureau’s Research Division to find out from NDOT what we are paying per year for these cones and what it would cost to buy them. To say that the response was less than complete is a huge understatement. (See enclosure.) Either NDOT doesn’t even bother to cost out this factor, or they are unwilling to reveal it.

My wife and I have been walking precincts and encouraging constituents to give us ideas where we might save money in the budget. This process has been very successful and most issues we can handle. However, it appears that to get NDOT to reveal the cost of renting these cones may require an incredible amount of time, and still may not be successful. I believe that as part of the SAGE Commission’s mission you are entitled to this information and may be more successful in compelling a response that answers the question.

If other issues are raised by my constituents that I believe could be more efficiently and effectively handled by the SAGE Commission, I will send them to you.

Sincerely,

Joseph M. Hogan

*************

Another issue was about the Millennium Scholarship program, and again information was requested. We found that Millennium students have higher retention rates than non-Millennium students. The program is working well for Nevadans.

Additonally, there are several other areas where we are gathering information preparatory to asking questions of various State agencies.

WE CAN USE YOUR HELP AND YOUR IDEAS. PLEASE DROP ME AN E-MAIL (sanjoe@embarqmail.com) WITH YOUR IDEAS ON BUDGET-CUTTING OPPORTUNITIES. PARTICIPATION IN THE PROCESS IS THE BEST WAY OF ADVANCING CHANGE AND MAKING GOVERNMENT MORE RESPONSIVE AND RESPONSIBLE.

Private vs. Public Foolishness

When you represent our state government as I do, lots of folks want to tell you about its faults and inefficiences. It’s good for my morale to notice, once in a while that our private sector does some dumb things too.

A very recent ad for Dillards store in Las Vegas featured some expensive shoes they had on sale.

The manufacturer, probably working in a non-English speaking foreign counry, called it the Cole Haan “Pinch” shoe. The local Dillards’ marketing genius dutifully designed the ad to shout, “Last Days to Save

Cole Haan “Pinch” Shoe

for only

$99.99”

OUCH!!!!

OLD GUV - NEW GUV

&#160;&#160;&#160; The 12-hour special session on Friday, June 27, did more than reduce an already tight state budget by another quarter billion dollars.&#160; It provided a very clear view of the confusion in the state’s Executive Branch.&#160; The Governor, after failing to consult with legislative leadership to work out the required additional cuts, called an unnecessary special session of the legislature.

&#160;&#160;&#160; He announced the day before that session that he had a secret, 21-point plan.&#160; No one got to see it until his dinner time speech/photo opportunity the night before the session was to begin.

&#160;&#160;&#160; This presentation infuriated both Republican and Democratic legislators as he attempted to shift the blame for budget deficits to the legislative branch which had been meeting across party lines for many weeks to resolve the problem without much help from the Governor.

&#160;&#160;&#160; Following a halting and confusing speech by Governor Gibbons (who promptly left for the Reno Rodeo with his current playmate (a former Playboy playmate)), there was a brief and clear presentation by Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley that simply made the point that it was unnecessary for Nevada to be slashing important programs at a time when we rank among the worst states for delivering such vital services as healthcare, public safety, education, corrections and parole functions.

&#160;&#160;&#160; The contrast between our present Governor and a likely future Governor was inescapable.&#160; While Gibbons promised only more draconian cuts designed to speed the state’s descent into a condition of an uneducated, unhealthy population unable to attract new investment, innovation or energy, it was Speaker Buckley who made clear that she would not tolerate the systematic destruction of the functions of our state.&#160; She described a vision and commitment to reforming the financial structure of Nevada so that everyone shares fairly in both the responsibilities of citizenship and the benefits of an effective and efficient state government.

&#160;&#160;&#160; Most people I know, Republicans and Democrats alike, can hardly wait for Carson City to get new leaders who will change the atmosphere from glum, pessimistic negativism to a fresh resolve to find creative solutions to problems and an optimistic “yes we can” approach to building a better Nevada.&#160;

Rank Important Issues

Health Care --cost, availability, quality

Education--K-12, higher education, funding

Public Safety--violent crime, drugs, gangs, school safety

Affordable housing and the foreclosure crisis

Ethics reform--lobbyists, campaign funding, disclosure

Protecting the environment--air, water and growth

Developing renewable energy--solar, geothermal, bio-diesel, etc.

Also, you can add any item you feel is important.