Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 1, 1999
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Washington state leads nation in managing its government

OLYMPIA — Washington is among four states receiving the highest grades in the nation for management of state government.

The performance evaluations by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University rated all state governments for overall financial management, as well as administration of state construction programs, personnel and information technology.

Washington earned the grade of A-minus, the highest ranking awarded by the Government Performance Project funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. The findings are reported in the February edition of Governing magazine. Results of the study were released today at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

"This is great news for the state of Washington," said Gov. Gary Locke. "This means we are spending the taxpayers' dollars wisely, and investing the maximum amount of government resources towards improving the lives of Washington citizens. To be one of only four states to get this highest grade in the Government Performance Project is something we all should be proud of. Now, our goal must be to score an A."

Facing the constraints of voter-approved spending limits, Washington "applies long-term thinking to almost every important decision it makes," the government-performance report said. It praised the state's revenue and expenditure forecasts, and budget policy proposals that consider long-term impacts.

"This is one of the few states that does its entire budget (and not just its financial statements) in accordance with the conservative restrictions of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles," the study noted.

As with finance, the state construction planning process emphasizes the long-term approach — a 10-year strategic plan that is perhaps the longest view taken by any state in the nation, the report observed.

"Not only is the plan good, but pre-design work on major projects is excellent," the study found. "Washington has stringent and consistent requirements for this process."

The study called Washington state government an innovator in the way it uses information technology to improve government efficiency. "Its new centralized Performance Measure Tracking System allows agencies to enter and monitor progress against their own standards, a relative rarity in the states," the report said.

The study found that Washington government is making "enormous progress" in its human-resources system — particularly in its management ranks — and is one of the few state governments making a genuine effort in workforce planning.

In terms of managing for results, the study noted that Locke arrived in office with a results-oriented management agenda, as well as a political agenda.

"Locke supports the idea that performance budgeting and strategic planning should be integrated into one common initiative inside every agency," the report said. "Reporting of results against targets is now required of all the agencies on a quarterly, not a biennial, basis."

Financial systems in Washington government that won praise were developed over several years, but efforts to improve them accelerated since Locke took office in 1997. The report credited Locke's Savings Incentive Plan with helping agencies build workforce skills. The Savings Incentive Plan allows agencies to retain half the savings they achieve by finding new efficiencies. The other half is directed to school construction.

Other states receiving an A-minus ranking by the Government Performance Project include Virginia, Missouri and Utah.

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