Research


Scope and Content Note

This series consists of files compiled by John C. McEvoy in his role as Executive Director of the Steering Committee for Departmental Reorganization. The files detail virtually every aspect of the development and implementation of plans for the reorganization of the Department of Mental Hygiene. Subjects range from broad, agency-level policy development to the specifics of day-to-day building management and accounting. The vast majority of records are in the form of inter-departmental memoranda, but meeting agendas and minutes, background and research materials, policy papers, organizational charts, worksheets, and sample office forms are also included.

The earliest records in the series pertain to the organization of task forces and committees to plan the reorganization. Numerous records are devoted to analysis of existing department functions and services and to determining which of these could be administered discretely and which needed to be administered cooperatively. A significant volume of documents used during this process detail the functions of various offices and divisions within the former department and the staffing levels at which these units operated. Additional documents describe anticipated staffing requirements and requests for new positions and civil service titles following the reorganization. Extensive research into the budgetary implications of the reorganization and its impact on the delivery of services to local governments and to multiply handicapped individuals is also included.

The series documents the work of various committees including the Steering Committee for Departmental Reorganization, Inter-Office Coordinating Council, Subcommittee on Administrative Logistics for the Regional Offices, and Subcommittee on Administrative Coordination. New upper level management appointments and the location of regional offices affiliated with each of the newly independent agencies are also documented. Additional records detail agency staffing assignments and transfers of employees in conjunction with the finalization of reorganization plans. Timelines, progress reports, texts of announcements by the department commissioner, and memoranda to department staff reveal the ongoing progress of the reorganization. The impact of the reorganization on day-to-day operations, including human resources management, fiscal operations, communications, office space allocation and rental fees, equipment distribution, and building maintenance is also shown in detail.