Office of Policy and
Management
Established - 1977
Statutory authority – CGS Sec. 4-65a
Central Office -
Average number of full-time
employees - 131
Recurring operating expenses –
General Fund - $135,484,709 (Includes
$108,323,172 Grants-In-Aid)
Private/Federal Funds - $24,785,513
Capital outlay - $65,416,787
The
Office of Policy and Management (OPM) reports directly to the Governor and
provides information and analysis that the Governor uses to formulate public
policy goals for the state. OPM also
assists state agencies and municipalities in implementing policy decisions on
behalf of the people of
Improvements/Achievements 2005-06
·
Provided on-going
support, evaluation and analysis to the Secretary and the Governor in relation
to the passage of Public Act 06-186, An Act Making Adjustments to State
Expenditures and Revenues for the Biennium Ending June 30, 2007. Key components of the fiscal year 2007
midterm budget included appropriations which maintained the integrity of the
constitutional spending cap; urban violence prevention initiatives; tax
reductions totaling $251 million; $8 million in training/jobs programs provided
as part of the response to the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
reauthorization; over $50 million in increased support for educational
enhancements; full funding of all collective bargaining contracts; expansion of
the Governor’s Transportation initiative; and utilization of the fiscal year 2006
surplus to enhance the fiscal stability of the state by providing $245.6
million for the Teachers’ Retirement Fund raising the contribution to 100
percent of the actuarial contribution levels in both fiscal years 2006 and
2007, and $85.5 million to fully extinguish the debt from the Economic Recovery
Notes for fiscal years 2008 and 2009.
·
Monitored
implementation of the fiscal year 2006 budget to ensure the fiscal year ended
with a surplus. The
fiscal year 2006 surplus is projected to be $455 million and will be the third
straight year of deposits to the Budget Reserve Fund, bringing the “Rainy Day
Fund” balance to over $1.1 billion.
·
Produced the
first Fiscal Accountability Report. In
accordance with Public Act 05-252, the Report included multi-year estimates of
state revenues, expenditures and ending balances of all appropriated funds;
projected tax credits; a summary of estimated fiscal year 2006 deficiencies;
projected balances of the Budget Reserve Fund; projected bond authorizations,
allocations, and issuances; revenue and expenditure trends, as well as
identifying major cost drivers impacting those trends; and an analysis of
possible uses of surplus funds.
·
Expanded the
ability of state facilities to participate in energy demand response
programs. ISO-New England, the operators
of the electric system, developed a variety of programs to help alleviate or
mitigate any electrical supply crises that may occur as a result of high demand
for electricity. Initially these
programs were focused on the southwestern part of
·
Hosted three
“Energy Roundtables”. The focus of the first workshop was to bring together the
key stakeholders in state facilities/agencies to discuss energy issues. A key feature of this effort was the ability
of facility managers and operators to come together to share their concerns,
expectations, and successes in improving the energy efficiency in their
buildings. During the fiscal year, two
additional Roundtables were held, one focusing on demand response programs and
one on energy conservation and efficiency incentives and programs available to
state government. The Energy Roundtable forums are designed to be an ongoing,
regular effort to facilitate communication among the facility planners and
operators. Each Roundtable has been
widely viewed as being an important part of the overall effort to improve
energy efficiency and achieve cost savings in the operations of state
facilities.
·
Continued
successful implementation of the Connecticut Partnership for Long-Term Care,
the state’s public/private partnership with private insurers that educates
·
Continued
development and implementation of numerous initiatives to provide alternatives
to nursing home care through a multi-agency effort coordinated by OPM. Assisted living services have been made
available in state-funded congregate housing, federally-funded HUD housing
facilities, private pay assisted living facilities and subsidized assisted living
communities in Glastonbury, Hartford and Middletown as part of the Assisted
Living Demonstration project with over 500 residents enrolled in the programs
as of June 30, 2006 and over 1,000 residents served since the programs
began.
·
Developed
an Internet enabled application for executive branch agencies to electronically
submit requests to OPM to enter into Personal Service Agreements and for OPM
staff members to review and act on such requests. In accordance with C.G.S. Chapter 55a,
requests to enter into Personal Service Agreements need to be approved by
OPM. Previously, this application was a
paper-based system. OPM also designed
and provided training on use of the new Internet enabled application to over 180
state employees from various state agencies.
·
Developed cost
standards for Purchase of Service contracts, which are agreements between a
state agency and an organization for the purchase of direct health or human
services for state agency clients. The
development of the cost standards was a collaborative effort between OPM, six
(6) state agencies (the Departments of Children and Families, Correction,
Mental Health and Addiction Services, Mental Retardation, Public Health and
Social Services) and the Connecticut Nonprofit Human Services Cabinet and the
Connecticut Community Providers Association.
·
Designed and
developed a Catalog of Online Financial Reports for Core-CT, the state’s
financial system. The Core-CT project
replaced the state’s existing financial and human resource systems. The general ledger, purchasing, accounts receivable,
procurement, payroll, time and labor, and human resource modules were
implemented in fiscal year 2004. The
billing and asset management modules were implemented in fiscal year 2005 and
2006, respectively.
·
Devised strategy
and negotiated collective bargaining agreements with the following unions: NP-3
AFSCME Clerical and P-2 AFSCME Social and Human Services.
·
Negotiated and
concluded Interest Arbitration for the following contracts with the following
unions: Connecticut State Employees
Association (NP-8), (P-3A), (P-3B), (P-4) and Connecticut Employees Union
Independent (NP-2). These awards were
submitted to the legislature and approved.
·
Provided twenty
six (26) statewide labor relations training sessions for human resource
professionals. In addition, developed a
labor relation’s presentation to be used by the Department of Administrative
Services in a new statewide certificate-training program for human resource
professionals.
· Coordinated the federal, state and local response to clean up the InterRoyal Factory fire site in Plainfield. $750,000 of state funds was leveraged with over $1.2 million of funds from the Federal Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, the Regional Health District provided public information on public health issues, the Town of Plainfield provided in-kind services and labor, and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation provided clean fill.
·
Chaired the
Governor’s Commission on Unfunded Mandates.
The Commission will issue a report in November 2006, which will include
legislative recommendations to provide relief to municipalities from unfunded
mandates.
·
Continued work to
bring long-term stability to the finances of the City of Waterbury. Under the authority of the Waterbury
Financial Planning and Assistance Board, which was created by the state
legislature in March 2001 in response to Waterbury’s fiscal crisis and is
located administratively within OPM, fiscal year 2005 marked the fourth
consecutive year that the City had a budget surplus. At this time, it is projected that the City
will have another operating surplus for fiscal year 2006. In addition, the Board and the City have
taken the steps necessary to strengthen the City’s financial management
practices and systems, and to address the structural issues confronting the
City’s finances and budget. The Board
and the City are now preparing for the Board’s dissolution in December 2006, by
which date it is anticipated that the criteria established by the state
legislature will have been fully met in bringing fiscal stability to the City.
·
Continued lead
role in the development of Adriaen’s Landing, a mixed-use economic development
project in Hartford. The Connecticut
Convention Center has been open to the public for a full year of operations,
along with the adjacent Hartford Downtown Marriott. Additional infrastructure has been
constructed and negotiations are ongoing to finalize a development agreement
for a retail/residential component. OPM
is leading the development and construction of the Connecticut Science Center,
which is currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2008. OPM also oversees operations of the football
stadium at Rentschler Field through a management agreement with Madison Square
Garden.
· Implemented a plan to provide personnel, payroll, and business office functions to the State Board of Accountancy (SBOA), which in accordance with Section 5 of Public Act 05-287, is within OPM for administrative purposes only effective July 1, 2005. In addition, initiated and implemented a plan to migrate SBOA to the Department of Information Technology for information technology services.
· Designed and started implementation of a management development program for new OPM managers. Three courses were offered during the year addressing management styles, labor relations and progressive discipline, and performance appraisals. In addition, OPM held its first agency wide staff development day entitled “Being Effective in a Constantly Changing Workplace”, which included a luncheon address by Governor Rell.
·
Other
Information: OPM is committed to
complying with statutory requirements related to affirmative action and equal
opportunity in employment and in the services OPM provides to the State of
Connecticut. OPM’s Affirmative Action
Plan for the period ending June 30, 2005 was approved by the Commission on
Human Rights and Opportunities at its December 7, 2005 meeting. Regarding its Affirmative Action Plan for the
period ending June 30, 2006, OPM met 50 percent of its short-term hiring goals
and substantially exceeded its Small Business Enterprise and Minority Business
Enterprise goals. In addition, OPM
provided sexual harassment and diversity training to its new employees and also
coordinated and conducted civil rights training for 80 recipients who receive
federal funding from OPM, the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland
Security, and the Judicial Branch. Such
training is required by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Civil
Rights.
For further information on OPM
activities, visit the OPM website at http://www.opm.state.ct.us.