PARRIS N. GLENDENING, Governor

J.R. 7

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be forwarded by the Department of
Legislative Reference to the Honorable Parris N. Glendening, Governor of Maryland; the
Honorable Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., President of the Senate of Maryland; and the
Honorable Casper R. Taylor, Jr., Speaker of the House of Delegates; and Brigadier
General William H. Neal, Commandant of the Maryland Defense Force, Pikesville
Military Reservation, 610 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, MD 21208-5197.

Signed May 23, 1996.

Joint Resolution No. 7
(House Joint Resolution No. 16)

A House Joint Resolution concerning

Governing Local Governments Into the 21st Century

FOR the purpose of informing county and municipal governments in Maryland about the
concept of performance-based governance with its reliance on performance
measuring for purposes of guiding their practices and policies through the fiscal
uncertainties of the 1990's and strengthening public accountability.

WHEREAS, Implications attendant to the economic uncertainty of tomorrow
necessitate a commitment of preparedness on the part of county and municipal
governments to successfully meet the challenges of the 21st Century; and

WHEREAS, Sluggish economic growth, reduced federal and State financial
assistance, increased demands for services and public intolerance for additional taxes and
fees underscore the importance and timeliness of further enhancing governmental
efficiency and effectiveness, responsiveness, and accountability in the eyes of the public;
and

WHEREAS, Emerging as a common denominator throughout the country is a shift
towards a new approach of governing — a functional transformation mirroring the private
sector — and it is called, performance-based governance with its reliance on performance
measuring; and

WHEREAS, Performance-based governance enlightens the public to what
government is doing with their tax dollars by (1) identifying a preferred vision for the
future; (2) formulating goals to achieve the vision which are accomplished via realization
of attendant objectives; (3) utilizing quantifiable performance measures (benchmarks) to
gauge, monitor and report progress through the year 2000 and beyond; and (4) structuring
policies and resource allocation decisions that are responsive to and consistent with the
vision, goals and objectives; and

WHEREAS, Performance-based governance represents a fundamental departure
from typical governance because it is predicated upon an outcome oriented management
strategy; that is, the articulation of quantifiable data useful in assessing not only how a
government entity utilized its resources, but also what its citizens are receiving for the use
of public funds and how efficiently and effectively those funds are being used; and

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