Efficiency panel created

CARSON CITY -- A new panel established Wednesday by Gov. Jim Gibbons will take a fresh look at state government operations to improve efficiency and save money.

And it could lead to lower taxes, Gibbons said.

From travel expenses to cell phone contracts, the Spending and Government Efficiency Commission created by Gibbons will work to find short-term efficiencies and to start fundamental long-term change.

Gibbons, in his Capitol office, signed the executive order creating the commission. He was accompanied by Bruce James, the former U.S. public printer and current Lake Tahoe resident who will serve as chairman of the 12-member panel.

James said Nevada's government structure was designed to operate in a different era. It has evolved in a patchwork fashion, he said.

"What we're looking to do here is just stop and look at this whole thing, what can we do today that will really create a positive impact for the next 20 years for the state," he said.

But the panel also will look for ways to start savings quickly, James said.

The near-term focus will be outside spending such as energy costs where savings could cut across all agencies and departments, he said.

The best ideas probably will come from agency workers themselves, James said.

The commission will seek private funding to operate a small staff at a cost of about $500,000 a year. The members -- some of whom will be from the private sector, recommended by legislative leaders -- will serve with no pay and will be expected to pay their own expenses.

The commission will meet in public, and James said he wants to get the panel going before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.

Gibbons said that if the commission can find ways to save money, his first choice would be to lower taxes.

"My first goal is if we can get government so efficient that it does not take as much revenue to run government, we are going to look at cutting taxes," he said.

He wants state workers to participate.

"They are going to be an integral part of how we re-engineer state government," Gibbons said. "There is nothing off the table."

Gibbons discussed the purpose of the SAGE Commission with his Cabinet before signing the executive order.

One agency, for example, has combined all of its cell phone usage into one contract, cutting costs in half, he said.

The commission will determine whether such efficiency can be applied to all agencies, Gibbons said.

Recommendations from the commission could help to head off any further revenue shortfalls. Gibbons and lawmakers recently reached an agreement on how to deal with a $913 million budget shortfall.

"Creating a streamlined, efficient government will ensure the state is getting the most out of taxes paid by hard-working Nevadans," he said. "While there are economic conditions we'll never control, maximizing our revenue will help soften the blow of such economic difficulty in the future."