Efficient Government

Vision

Legislative Building on Capitol Campus Washington citizens expect government to provide an array of services, such as clean water, safe streets, consumer protection, economic development and affordable health care. State employees teach school, inspect food-processing plants, issue licenses and assist families in need. They also rebuild roads, process unemployment claims and staff state parks. Our citizens have a right to expect a government to provide these vital services in a way that is as efficient and user-friendly as possible.

Accomplishments

Since taking office in 1997, Governor Gary Locke has charged agencies with continuously seeking ways to improve services and save tax dollars.

“State government can never again be a place where it is 'business as usual.' We must continue to deliver core services with fewer resources. We must constantly adjust to be smarter and more nimble.”
Governor Gary Locke

His Quality and Performance Improvement Program has saved taxpayers and businesses more than $187 million. He has eliminated several unnecessary boards and commissions, and agencies have repealed or amended more than 7,300 sections of administrative rules and red tape. Washington has received national recognition for harnessing the Internet to deliver state services on-line, saving customers and agencies both time and money. » Read more about Governor Locke's Major Government Efficiency Accomplishments

For information about the Governor's Quality and Performance Initiative, contact:

Mary Campbell
Special Assistant for Quality and Performance
Office of the Governor
[email protected]


Plans

State agencies will continue to seek out and adopt "best practices" to make government even more efficient and user-friendly. We will continue to solicit customer and stakeholder input as we design and improve the services we provide. We will seek partnerships among agencies, as well as with local governments, community groups and businesses to provide more seamless service delivery. And, we will continue to harness the Internet as a vehicle for making state government's services even more accessible.

Recently approved legislation to reform civil service laws and expand contracting out of state services offers an unprecedented opportunity to reform our civil service system as well.

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