Rendell Administration Issues 2008 State Government Performance Report

With the weak economy putting increased pressure on state revenues, Gov. Rendell this week released the latest Governor's Report on State Performance.

 

The report — the second of its kind from Rendell Administration — promotes government transparency by providing details on the accomplishments of 34 state agencies in the 2007-08 fiscal year.

 

"In these times of economic hardship, Pennsylvania's citizens deserve assurances that we are making the best use of the taxes they pay to provide government services," the Governor said. "They want to know that their investment in the commonwealth is being spent wisely.

 

"The report helps communicate the real impact of government on people's lives by describing — without bureaucratic language — crucial services in education, economic development, health and human services, the environment, public safety, consumer protection and government efficiency.

 

"This report, however, is more than a mere list of accomplishments," the Governor said. "It is one result of the lengthy process of constantly measuring and improving the services state agencies provide. By focusing on goals that improve the lives of residents, we ensure that tax dollars are invested in areas that provide the greatest benefit now and in the future."

 

"As we continue with the difficult and painstaking work of bringing the state budget in line with revenues, we need to know which initiatives are showing results," the Governor said. "We need to concentrate our resources on programs and services that have proven to be successful. The wealth of information in the new performance report demonstrates our ongoing efforts to measure and improve government efficiency. These efforts are especially important as we make the hard decisions about the coming year's budget."

 

The report is broken into several major sections on education, economic development, health and human services, environment, public safety, consumer protection and government efficiency.

Under environmental accomplishments, the Governor highlighted stepssupporting clean air and waterways, increasing development of alternative energy and providing new opportunities for residents to connect to the outdoors, Pennsylvania leads the nation in the number of acres (400,000) of farmland preserved.

 

"Even in the best of economic times, citizens must hold government accountable for its use of their tax dollars," the Governor said. "When the economy falters, that accountability becomes even more critical. The 2007-08 Governor's Report on State Performance gives citizens a clear picture of effective government at work. I hope readers will use the report to learn more about the work that we do and to raise questions about areas where we can do things even better."

 

A full copy of the report is available online. A copy of last year's report is also available.