Improve government efficiency and employee engagement
“We will give front line employees a voice to challenge the old ways of doing things, improve state services, and use data to make smarter decisions.”-Governor Tom Wolf
Why is this goal important?
State government has a responsibility to the residents of Pennsylvania to run efficiently, effectively, and transparently. Engaging the state government workforce in modernizing operations and improving services is key to fulfilling this responsibility. The commonwealth's employees perform the work of state government firsthand, and are in the best position to recommend ways to streamline processes and deliver better services.
What are we working on to reach this goal?
Governor
Wolf has made government more efficient and responsive, while saving hundreds
of millions in taxpayer dollars. He refuses a pension and donates his salary to
charity. He banned administration officials and state employees from accepting gifts.
Working across the aisle, he signed comprehensive pension reform,
which reduces risk to Pennsylvania taxpayers, continues to pay down our debt,
and slashes Wall Street fees while still offering state employees fair
benefits. Governor Wolf eliminated $2 billion from the state budget by
streamlining government and consolidating state agencies, turning a $2.5-billion deficit into a surplus. The governor made the first Rainy Day Fund deposit in
nearly 10 years, followed by the largest deposit in nearly two decades. He established the Office of Performance Through Excellence, an office dedicated to improving customer service,
empowering commonwealth employees, removing inefficiencies, and achieving
measurable results for Pennsylvanians. Governor
Wolf signed Act 2 of 2018, strengthening restrictions
for lobbyists and special interests and renewing his commitment to change
the culture of Harrisburg and make state government more efficient and
transparent. Governor Tom Wolf solidified his administration’s commitment to improving the participation of small and diverse businesses – minority-, women-, LGBT-, veteran- and disabled-owned business – in state government contracting and the commonwealth’s overall economy by signing Executive Order 2015-11.
How are we doing?
Reserve Fund Balance
The graphic shows the balance of the commonwealth's Reserve Fund, or "Rainy Day" Fund, over time. During economic downturns, Pennsylvania funds schools, human services, and public safety with these reserves. Since 1985, the Rainy Day Fund has been drained three times. In 2019, Governor Wolf made the largest-ever deposit into the fund, helping protect Pennsylvanians from future recessions.
Related Measures
Lean Awareness
The chart below tracks the number of commonwealth employees who have completed a "Lean Awareness" course. Public- and private-sector organizations use Lean to empower employees at every level to become problem solvers and to find ways to make their work easier, better, faster, and less costly. The Wolf Administration is currently using Lean practices to bolster continuous improvement and improve customer service.
Related Content
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