More Budget Plays

The common stereotype of slow, ineffective government bureaucracies is so ingrained in the American psyche that it is a part of our common narrative. While the slow-motion stereotype is certainly not the case for all public agencies, there is no question that government entities are in need of constant reform and reinvention. Governments need to rid themselves of the unnecessary and duplicative rules, regulations, and protocols that make them less effective and drain the ingenuity and energy out of hard-working public employees. Managers complain that they lack the authority to actually manage and ground level workers must wade through a maze of regulations to solve a simple problem. These hurdles have caused many citizens to lose faith in our government systems.

To end status quo governing and better serve the citizens of Iowa, state legislators -- led by former Gov. Tom Vilsack, developed a "new bureaucracy-busting deal" called charter agencies that affords participating departments the freedom to innovate and deliver timely results. In exchange for greater flexibility, charter agencies must commit to producing measurable benefits and creating cost savings for the entire state. Specifically, the charter agencies must pledge to collectively save $15 million each year.

The gained flexibility allows these agencies to bypass many bureaucratic procedures and rules, retain proceeds from cost saving techniques, and receive exemptions from employee caps and across-the-board budget cuts.

Since 2002, six (the maximum number allowed by the Iowa law) Iowa departments have volunteered to participate in the charter agencies and accept the call for greater accountability and savings for the freedom to make better decisions. Despite critics' fears of waste, fraud, and abuse, Iowa's charter agencies have produced promising results. For example: