Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s Commission on Government Efficiency — the Elon Musk-inspired initiative she unveiled during her inaugural address and which has since operated largely outside of the public eye — has issued its final report.
The 77-page document authored by former-Gov. Craig Benson and Bedford businessman Andy Crews includes dozens of suggestions on how to make government more efficient and effective. The ideas range from ending remote work policies for state employees to the creation of an online state “customer relations” system.
“COGE dug into the day-to-day realities of how the government works, and their recommendations reflect that. These are practical improvements that will help us better serve Granite Staters,” Ayotte said in a statement.
Among other things, the report suggests New Hampshire should encourage the consolidation of local school districts, reevaluate the structure of the state Health and Human Services Department, review whether UNH has too many administrators, and consider creating “sponsorship and naming programs” to generate money from state-owned parks and recreational sites.
Ayotte’s office says the governor will work closely with the Legislature and state agency leaders to determine which recommendations should advance. But as she released the plan Thursday, Ayotte highlighted three ideas: that the state should rescind outdated state agency rules, build a “sustainable framework” for AI innovation, and adopt statewide Customer Relation Management systems to better track the public’s needs during government interactions.
Those suggestions, none of which came with a timetable, may be Ayotte’s priorities. But the volume of proposals in the report — and the fact that many would take legislative consent to happen — make it hard to know what to expect.
“A lot of it seems like ‘no duh’ stuff,” said House Majority Leader Jason Osborne. “But if I’m going to have the governor’s support to carve up Health and Human Services, we will be right on that.”
A call for scrutiny of higher education
The state university system is another area where the COGE report could prompt action from lawmakers. GOP budget writers cut University System funding this year, and the COGE’s call to reduce “administrative bloat” and “prioritize students" at the state’s colleges aligns with their arguments.
“Moderating executive pay and reinvesting in the classroom will ensure that higher education in New Hampshire remains accessible, affordable, and focused squarely on its mission of learning and opportunity,” the report said.
The COGE report cited increases in administration costs and declining student enrollment, but it didn’t mention the Legislature's recent $35 million cut over two years to the state’s universities and colleges, or a drop in federal support that USNH officials said have contributed to tuition increases and declining enrollment.
USNH announced in October that it would not immediately hire a new president at Keene State College to replace outgoing president Melinda Treadwell. It instead appointed Plymouth State College Donald Birx as interim president of the Keene campus through at least June.
In a statement Thursday, USNH Chancellor Catherine Provencher said the system has already begun reducing administrative costs and looking for efficiencies across its sites.
She said they have left several administrative leadership positions unfilled as they restructure operations, launched three-year degree programs as another option for students, and are collaborating with the private sector to prepare students for the workforce.
“These efforts, and more, will continue as we work to incorporate the $35 million funding reduction set by lawmakers in the most recently passed state budget,” Provencher said.
Limiting oversight at the Executive Council
An area where COGE’s findings may meet resistance from Republicans, at least some, are reforms targeting the Executive Council.
The report recommends lifting the dollar amount requirement for state contracts to go before the council. Right now that threshold stands at $10,000. The COGE report says keeping small-dollar contracts away from the council “would bring New Hampshire’s fiscal oversight process in line with both modern inflationary realities and best practices in other states.”
That proposal is already meeting resistance from some councilors, a group notorious for guarding its powers to check governors and scrutinize state agency spending.
“No one asked us our opinion,” said GOP Executive Councilor David Wheeler, who is adamant that vetting even small contracts is at the core of the Council’s constitutional duty. “We can’t be watchdogs if we’ve got nothing to watch.”
New Hampshire has a long history of government efficiency commissions. As governor more than 20 years ago, Benson had his own COGE-like commission. It generated plenty of ideas, and few tangible outcomes.
But this report does contain some recommendations Ayotte could implement unilaterally.
One would be a change in the state’s work-from-home policy.
Rich Gulla, who leads SEIU-1984, the state’s largest employee union, said he had what he considered to be a productive meeting with Benson during the early days of COGE, but said the possibility of ending remote work wasn’t discussed.
“Whether we agree or not about remote work, it's well within their rights to decide to have employees come back,” Gulla said.
