First DHS Joint Citizens Advisory Panel Meeting Scheduled Today

OKLAHOMA CITY --The Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) Joint Citizens Advisory Panel will hold its first meeting Wednesday, August 14, at the Credit Union House, 631 East Hill Street in Oklahoma City, beginning at 10 a.m.

House Bill 3137 from 2012 established four citizen advisory panels in the areas of administration, aging issues, children and family issues, and disability issues.

They will serve to provide advice, information, findings and analysis to the Director regarding policies and practices of DHS and their impact on outcomes. The panels will study and make recommendations to the Director regarding the management and operation of DHS, and will also offer recommendations for the implementation of the Pinnacle Plan.

Each advisory panel will meet at least four times a year; the entire Joint Citizens Advisory Panel will meet at least once a year.

The Human Services Commission for the DHS was abolished by the voters of Oklahoma on Nov. 6, 2012 with the passage of State Question State Question 765.

Previously, the Commission had oversight of DHS, but the passage of SQ 765 means that the Director of DHS makes all decisions for the agency and reports directly to the Governor.

The four citizen advisory panels will report to the Director and provide advice and recommendations on Administration issues, Aging issues, Children and Family issues, and Disability issues. Each advisory panel has five members, with one member on each panel appointed by the Governor, the Speaker of the House, the Senate Pro Tempore, the Minority House Leader and the Minority Senate Leader.

Agenda:

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
JOINT CITIZENS ADVISORY PANEL MEETING
Aug. 14, 2013 10 a.m.
CREDIT UNION HOUSE
631 EAST HILL STREET
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA

AGENDA
Call to Order and Roll Call

Welcome and Opening Comments – Ed Lake, Director

10:15 a.m. Legislative Intent of House Bill 3137 –Senator Greg Treat and Representative Jason Nelson

10:30 a.m. Co-Neutrals –Eileen Crummy, Kathleen Noonan, and Kevin Ryan

10:45 a.m. Open Meeting Act and Open Records Act – Jan Preslar, Attorney General’s Office

11:15 a.m. Finance and Administrative Services –Melissa Lange, Finance Division

11:45 a.m. - Lunch

12:15 p.m. Media Relations – Sheree Powell, Director, Communications and Community Relations

12:30 p.m. Services under the oversight and direction of Chief of Staff:
12:30 Diane Haser-Bennett, Director, Human Resource Management
12:40 Connie Schlittler, Director, Planning/Research/Statistics
12:50 Samantha Galloway, Coordinator, Intergovernmental Relations/Policy

1:00 p.m. Legal Services – Richard Freeman, Legal Services Division

1:15 p.m. Community Living and Support Services - Mark Jones, Chief Coordinating Officer, Community Living and Support Services

1:45 p.m. Adult and Family Services – Jim Struby, Director, Adult and Family Services

2:15 p.m. Child Welfare and the Oklahoma Pinnacle Plan – Deborah Smith, Director, Child Welfare Services

Adjournment

Go to http://www.okdhs.org/divisionsoffices/panel/default.htm for additional information and a complete list of scheduled meetings.

House Studies State Employee Compensation

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Leslie Osborn said conservative policy should include fair compensation for a quality state employee workforce.

“A well-compensated workforce that is efficient is a reasonable idea for a fiscal conservative to look at,” said Osborn, R-Mustang. “As lawmakers, we are responsible for the recruitment and retention of the highest performing members of the workforce to deliver core state services.”

The Oklahoma Public Employees Association (OPEA) worked with Rep. Osborn in requesting yesterday’s study. According to the OPEA website, “House and Senate leadership as well as the governor’s office all voiced support for this study.”

Oklahoma Secretary of Finance and Revenue Preston Doerflinger said he opposes across-the-board pay increases and longevity-based pay, but supports an appropriate level of compensation based on performance appraisals, and believes it is necessary to recruit high performers.

Doerflinger said lawmakers should strive to pay state employees 75-85 percent of the private sector market value of their position to be competitive.

The State has consistently lost ground on competitive compensation, according to Lucinda Meltabarger, state administrator of human capital management. As of fiscal year 2011, classified state employees are paid about 19.17 percent below market value.

Meltabarger said not all positions are paid equally in relation to the market. For example, IT professionals are paid about $20,000 more at certain local oil companies than at the state, she said.

An ideal turnover rate might be about 5 percent, Meltabarger said. According to Ron Wilson, state director of talent management, the fiscal year 2011 voluntary turnover rate for classified state employees was approximately 10 percent. The state loses $68 million annually due to turnover, he said.

Meltabarger recommended a more thorough study of state benefits to get a sense of their true value to potential employees rather than their cost to the state.

Oklahoma Department of Transportation Deputy Director and Chief Financial Officer Mike Patterson said it is difficult to recruit for the agency’s positions requiring the highest level of training or education. Highly trained agency employees are generally paid between 25-40 percent below the market value of their positions.

Oklahoma Treasurer Ken Miller said his office has trouble recruiting employees. He said as conservative lawmakers continue to reduce the size of state government, some of the savings should be used to recruit quality employees.

Jonathan Small, policy analyst for the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, said the state’s retirement system is outdated and encourages early retirement. Small recommended that the state move to a defined contribution plan for all new state employees. Another factor that affects turnover is employment security, especially with unclassified positions.

“I definitely agree that there are a number of jobs and classifications that need pay raises,” said Small. “However, we need to understand that we will never be able to match private sector pay. I think we should try to get close as we restructure our benefit design.”

Small recommended statutory changes that would increase the flexibility agency heads have to provide compensation on a per job, per employee basis; allow for one-time bonuses; modernize the state benefit structure; and remove onerous barriers to compensation systems based on performance.

Small specifically highlighted the need for competitive pay and benefits for corrections employees.

OPEA Executive Director Sterling Zearley noted that entry-level child welfare specialists are paid on average at 23 percent below the market and that corrections officers begin at $11.83 per hour while an oil field worker is generally paid $25 per hour.

Zearley said he believes state employee pay should be 90 percent of market value, partially because benefits have been gradually reduced. He said he agrees with proposals to modernize benefits and move towards a performance-based system.