Thrift officer for state named

Governor taps AEDC executive

Gov. Asa Hutchinson will add government transformation to the duties of one high-ranking official at the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, his office announced Thursday.

Amy Fecher, the commission’s executive vice president of operations, was announced as the head and sole staff member of the newly created Office of Transformation, which will develop the governor’s proposals for increasing efficiency in state government.

As a member of the gubernatorial team, Fecher also will assume the title of chief transformation officer.

Fecher will remain in her current role at the commission in addition to assuming new responsibilities — and a desk — within the governor’s offices at the state Capitol, a spokesman for the governor said. She will not get a raise. According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s database of state employee salaries, Fecher’s salary for fiscal 2017 is $121,037.

While the Office of Transformation will have no additional staff or a budget, J.R. Davis, the governor’s spokesman, said Fecher will have “the full resources of the governor’s staff.”

“It’s by no means a figurehead position. You’re going to see action out of this position,” Davis said.

Hutchinson has said he plans to release a package of efficiency legislation around the middle of December. The bill will propose moving the state’s energy office from under the economic development commission to the state Department of Environmental Quality, Hutchinson said at a news conference last month. The governor also proposed to cut by more

than two-thirds the number of committees tasked with inspecting county jails.

The governor also has proposed putting the state Department of Parks and Tourism in control of Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium as a cost-cutting move, but it’s unclear if the plan will be included in his legislative package.

A report released before Thanksgiving by the private Arkansas Policy Foundation also found that the state has nearly 200 cost-cutting programs, but could save an additional $50 million by recognizing more room for improvement.

Most of the estimated savings came from specific recommendations proposed within the Policy Foundation’s 70-page report.

Creating new initiatives based on the Policy Foundation’s

report, as well as spearheading the governor’s proposals, will be among Fecher’s duties, according to Monday’s news release.

Davis said the new position will be expected to pinpoint new strategies and streamline government operations, but there will not be a quota for how much savings it is expected to produce.

“I am honored to take on this challenge and continue serving the people of Arkansas in this new role. As

the Governor’s Chief Transformation Officer, I hope to continue working to deliver the best services for the people of Arkansas in the most cost-efficient and effective manner possible,” Fecher said in a statement included in the release.