Gov. Ducey’s Arizona Management System sees reduction in government waste

Every December, people head into the New Year with the goal of slimming down and being more efficient. Then reality kicks in and 80 percent of those resolution planners ultimately give up by February, according to U.S. News. While it’s easy to throw in the towel and give in to home cooked meals and shirking that new gym membership, one entity that won’t be dismissing the time-honored new year’s goal of trimming the fat is Arizona government.

Governor Doug Ducey introduced the new Arizona Management System (AMS), an accountability resource that has one major goal in mind: slimming down. AMS was implemented to “eliminate government waste, reduce costs, identify areas for improvement and enhance customer service for Arizonans.”

“Our citizens invest $42.5 billion dollars a year in state government; they deserve value for their dollar. As we continue to make these reforms all across the board, with the help of our talented state employees and agency heads, the savings will result in lower taxes for hard-working Arizonans,” stated Gov. Ducey in his last state of the state address.

Gov. Ducey worked alongside state employees and agency directors to create an effective outline. With AMS, Ducey honed in on the goal of creating a more efficient government that puts wastefulness in the headlights. This is a system to boost transparency and accountability on the government level.

Here are some ways in which AMS will cut down on wastefulness:

Processing Licenses

One major hold up for bars and restaurants is waiting for a liquor license. Whether it’s having to wait to open the doors, pushing back opening dates, or already kicking things off but not being able to serve cocktails just yet, not having a liquor license can put a kink in the system for bar or restaurant owners looking to get things rolling. Part of AMS’ duties is to streamline the application and review process.

In fact, the time it takes to issue a license has gone down from 104 days to 47 days, saving Arizona businesses valuable time and resources in the interim.

Record Responsiveness

Workers’ compensation records haven’t always been the easiest things to obtain; definitely not in terms of timeliness. But Arizonans can now conveniently access workers’ comp documents in a much faster time period through the Arizona Industrial Commission’s online community portals. Records can be obtained electronically and people can gain access to records in about two days, compared to the days of yore when it would take up to 10 days.

Customer Satisfaction

AMS has supplied the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) the tools needed to improve customer satisfaction and responsiveness. The ROC cut down the time it takes to issue a license from 90 days or more to less than 19 days. That’s a huge drop and has improved customer engagement by issuing licenses faster. In fact, the ROC has seen a skyrocketing satisfaction rate, from 60 percent to 98 percent.

Cutting Down on Workplace Injuries

The Governor’s Office took into account that in 2016, the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC) recorded more than 45 workplace injuries. Altogether, those 45 injuries cost the state more than 1,900 days of lost productivity. One simple solution was to post more signage and increase staff communication. While those measures may not seem too extensive, ADJC saw a 43 percent reduction in workplace injuries and a 54 percent drop in lost days in 2017.