Arkansas governor creates board to find cost savings

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has created a 15-member advisory board to identify efficiencies and cost savings in state government to better serve Arkansas taxpayers, he said Monday.

The Transformation Advisory Board will be led by Mike Carroll of Fort Smith and includes Republicans Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin of Little Rock, Sen. Eddie Joe Williams of Cabot and Reps. Andy Davis of Little Rock and Matthew Shepherd of El Dorado.

The Republican governor said the board will continue to examine the recommendations for "potential efficiencies and cost savings" from a report by the Arkansas Policy Foundation released in November, evaluate "additional efficiencies" within state government, and prioritize the state's "plan of action for transformation."

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No taxpayer money will be spent on the board, he said. The foundation's report said the state could save up to $50 million by recognizing that there is more room for efficiency, and that $43 million of the savings would come from recommendations targeting inefficiencies in revenue collection and education programs.

The advisory board will make recommendations to Chief Transformation Officer Amy Fecher, who will serve on the board as an ex officio member.

The other board members are Bell and Co. partner Jennifer Bell of North Little Rock; Arkansas Policy Foundation board Chairman George Dunklin of Humphrey; Alex Garcia of Rogers, who works for Wal-Mart Stores Inc.; Arkansas Department of Correction spokesman Solomon Graves; former Department of Finance and Administration deputy director Tim Leathers, who now works for the InVeritas public affairs firm; Department of Human Services Deputy Director Keesa Smith; William Tippin in Washington, D.C., who works for Webster University; University of Arkansas at Fayetteville business college Dean Matt Waller; and former Department of Human Services Deputy Director Mark White, who now works for the Arkansas Public School Resource Center.

A Section on 02/21/2017