WHEREAS, the State of Delaware and the general public rely upon the Delaware Department of Transportation to plan and deliver modem, safe and efficient roads and to. lead Delaware's transportation-related public safety needs; and
WHEREAS, the ongoing demand for transportation services has resulted in DeIDOT growing in size and function where today the organization has a payroll of more than 1,400 and utilizes the services of many outside consultants and private contractors; and
WHEREAS, over the years, DeIDOT has attempted various organizational and management changes aimed at maintaining and improving work processes and outcomes; and
WHEREAS, some of the organizational changes instituted by DeIDOT have worked well while others have left problem areas un-addressed or have produced only mixed results; and
WHEREAS, recognizing the public's abiding interest in the effective and efficient use of the tax dollars which they have provided to DelDOT, the Delaware House of Representatives and the Delaware State Senate intend to take a pro-active approach in helping DeIDOT to expeditiously identify and correct its organizational and operational deficiencies; and
WHEREAS, one area that needs to be addressed is in the review of Maintenance Operations relating to roadway, bridge, pavement management, traffic and right-of-way, in terms of the establishment of standards for maintenance, the adoption of performance measures for the accomplishment of those standards, the process of tracking of requests for maintenance and the scheduling of such work, and the determination of the appropriateness and adequacy of equipment used in these operations; and
WHEREAS, the review will also include a review of the procedures and policies DeIDOT uses for the acquisition and disposition of rights-of-way; and
WHEREAS, the review will also include a review of the processes involving change orders for construction projects, identifying accountability measures and examining the coordination and communication between Preconstruction and Highway Operations regarding project management from the planning phase through final construction; and
WHEREAS, the DeIDOT Organizational Review Task Force reserves the right to expand the scope of its work to investigate related areas of concern that may arise during the course of this review.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the membership of the Task Force be comprised of three members of the House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House, 'three members of the State Senate to be appointed by the President Pro-Tempore, and four members of the public and/or private sector, two to be appointed by the Speaker of the House and two to be appointed by the Senate Pro-Tempore in recognition of their familiarity with DelDOT and the afore-mentioned processes.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the DeIDOT Organizational Review Task Force present its findings to the Speaker of the House and to the Senate President Pro-Tempore by January 31, 1998 including any specific recommendations and a forward path of action.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitably prepared copy of this Resolution be forwarded to DeIDOT Secretary Anne P. Canby.