March 21, 2000 Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander Hears Competitive Government Concerns in Austin Government needs to follow the lead of the private sector by adopting a network business model and moving away from the traditional multi-layered organization, according to testimony at the e-Texas Competitive Government hearing at the Capitol.   More-->

Bill Hammond
Task Force Commissioner

Monopolies don't work very well. Lacking vigorous competition to spur innovation and productivity gains, monopolies often produce inefficiency and poor customer service. Fortunately, there are few monopolies in the private sector. Unfortunately, government monopolies are abundant. The challenge is to extend market forces into government.

If a private firm can do a public sector job better and at a lower cost than the state agency, that firm should be awarded the contract to provide that service. In the past, Texas government has operated on the assumption that there must be a compelling reason for the public sector not to provide a service. This attitude favors and encourages public monopolies without necessarily resulting in outstanding service at a reasonable cost. Certain roles may be unique to government, but jobs that can be performed best by the private sector are best assigned to private hands. Only through competition can public officials ensure that taxpayers receive the best value and highest-quality services for their money.