What Happened?
In what could be a sweeping overhaul, the mayor of Washington, D.C., said he wanted to eliminate more than 60 boards and commissions.
So What?
As cities look to increase efficiency, decrease costs, and eliminate regulatory hurdles to business growth, the Washington, D.C., initiative could be a major catalyst for change in other municipalities.
The Moves
In a report obtained by The Washington Examiner, Mayor Vincent Gray’s administration proposed to abolish 36 panels, and consolidate another 25. Among the latter are 17 medical boards that could be wrapped into a “medical practice regulation entity,” and eight occupational boards that oversee professions such as funeral directing.
“I think it will make the city more efficient,” Gray told The Examiner. “There’s been such a proliferation of boards and commissions.”
Streamlining Government
The move should streamline the process through which businesses are created and innovation is cultivated in the District.
Among the boards slated for elimination:
- Advisory Committee on Acupuncture
- Advisory Committee on Anesthesiologist Assistants
- Advisory Committee on Naturopathic Medicine
- Advisory Committee on Physician Assistants
In most cases, the boards were created to establish licensing guidelines, and to oversee the regulation of individuals employed in those fields.
The Office of Boards and Commission, however, notes that “there is no longer a need” for these boards, and the responsibility could be delegated to another official; in the case of the medical boards above, for example, the role would be delegated to the Director of the Health Department.
In fact, most of the boards slated for elimination are either inactive or are missing key staff members; according to the Examiner, the city has more than 700 vacancies, and some of the more than 200 city boards can’t even function. One of the boards—a D.C. “Resident Council Advisory Board"—hasn’t had appointments to its membership in nearly two decades.
A complete list of the boards under consideration is available, and the city is collecting public comments on the matter.
Streamlining Your City?
As is the case with most initiatives, it takes a champion to get this process started. In the case of D.C., it was the mayor who approached the Office of Boards and Commission, and charged them with reviewing the 200+ boards, commissions, committees, and task forces.
In your city, consider having the mayor ask your similar office to make recommendations on whether any boards may be abolished. Specifically, as was the case in D.C., the proper office should examine:
- The original intent behind creating the board
- Whether the board has completed its work
- Whether the board is fully staffed and functioning as commissioned
- Whether the board is inactive or was never formed
With that review in hand, and with the assistance of agencies that provide administrative support, preliminary conclusions can be drawn about whether the boards should be retained, abolished, altered, or merged with others.
A public comment process is a critical component of the process.
If you have experience with such a review process, please let us know.