A day after being sworn in as West Virginia’s 37th governor, Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed 10 executive orders, including one to allow religious exemptions for vaccinations. (West Virginia Office of the Gov. Patrick Morrisey | Courtesy photo)
At his first press conference as governor last week, Patrick Morrisey promised that under his watch state government will be “more efficient and effective than ever before.” He indeed has a powerful opportunity to increase government efficiency through comprehensive and thoughtful agency reviews, but he may find that process will take him on a different path than he envisioned.
To most of us, an efficient and effective government means that our state agencies and public services function well, enabling us the freedom and opportunity to live our lives without having to think too much about them.
An efficient and effective government means school buses arrive on time daily to take children to school. Highly qualified educators and support staff are in their classrooms when students arrive. Firefighters and first responders arrive swiftly in an emergency. A real person answers the phone quickly when you call the DMV or Medicaid agency with a question.
Former Gov. Jim Justice notoriously stayed out of the details of most policy decisions at agencies. Legislative committees learned in recent months that agencies’ real funding requests were suppressed by Justice’s administration and critical programs like PEIA received budget allocations that fell short of their operating costs. One commentator referred to Justice’s budget cuts via an across-the-board flat budget as a “hatchet” rather than a scalpel, ignoring agencies’ specific needs.
Morrisey has an opportunity to honor his promise to make government work well by listening to the public servants within the agencies themselves who, because of their interactions with West Virginians every day, have true insight into the needs of our state’s people. In some cases, that will mean allocating more resources so that programs can efficiently serve West Virginia families and small businesses after years of neglect and austerity.
West Virginia school bus drivers earn far less ($30,580 on average) than their peers in any neighboring state; for example, they make 35% less than their counterparts in Virginia ($46,800). For parents scrambling to get their kids to school amid canceled bus routes due to workforce shortages, the answer is clear: better pay to recruit bus drivers who safely transport our children.
Average teacher pay in West Virginia ranks 51st among all states and D.C. Morrisey has already rightly called for increased pay for public school teachers, as the same salary disparities exist where they can cross the border into a neighboring state and greatly increase their economic well-being. Again, the answer is simple for parents and people who care about the next generation’s workforce: better pay.
Similar examples exist across government programs and agencies. A recent funding request from the Department of Human Services revealed that due to staffing vacancies and a budget gap, Medicaid and SNAP case workers are carrying caseloads of over 900 clients when the manageable standard is 500. This impacts the timeliness and accuracy of responses, which can put federal funds at risk and negatively impact clients who rely on their services.
Division of Forestry officials noted in another budget request they are operating with significantly fewer staff than they did a decade ago amid rising fire threats, challenging their ability to adequately manage fire season emergencies and putting them at risk of losing federal matching funds. Recent reporting has highlighted funding shortages for fire departments and Emergency Medical Services (EMS), as well as offices that oversee abuse and safety investigations for vulnerable West Virginians.
These budget-driven inefficiencies don’t exist in a vacuum. Spending a bit more now generates considerable savings in the long run and better serves our people. Having more fire response staff in the Division of Forestry and in local fire departments will mean safer communities, less costly damage to clean up after fire emergencies, and more affordable homeowners’ insurance. Timely responses from caseworkers to approve SNAP for a family in need can prevent a child from being placed in state custody because their parents could not afford enough food. Paying state workers a more competitive wage can grow our labor supply and economy.
In contrast, starving public services in the name of rightsizing does not save money in the long-term or make our state a more appealing place for families and businesses.
Morrisey’s team has a fresh opportunity to work closely with the civil servants who serve our state’s people every day rather than taking a hatchet to programs like the previous administration did. After years of flat budgets, agencies have already reduced costs in ways that make life less efficient for West Virginians each day.
The governor’s team should go into this process with an open mind about what they might find will make government services work better for our state’s people.
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