We made great progress this week in bringing everyone on board to deal with our worsening budget scenario. From the courthouse to the engineer's office, elected officials and department heads have almost unanimously come forward to work cooperatively on getting through these difficult times.
And we will keep looking for more savings. But most importantly, we need more input, and more ideas. Your ideas!
I'm calling on any citizens, and particularly any county employees, to give me suggestions here on how to save money in any County department out there. Citizens and employees know better than anyone else where some of the waste might be--where inefficiencies may still be occurring, where there may be some "fat" that can be trimmed. And any savings we find along these lines means we minimize cuts to more critical services that no one wants to have to make.
If you want to give me an idea anonymously, great. (And if you only want me to see it, and don't want it posted, let me know that as well).
But whatever you do, if you have ideas, please let me know ASAP.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
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5 comments:
The four-day work week, and the Friday power-down.
Many JFS programs are not required to be provided by the county, but the state instead. If the county refused to renew their contracts to provide these optional services, then the county would avoid the county matching funds requirements. The state would have to pay all costs of administering those programs locally.
Frankly, each county operating their own programs is a huge duplication of costs and creates a disparity in services from one county to the next in programs that are to be uniform statewide.
There are other programs also that are not the duty, but the option, of the county to provide and in the absense thereof - the state must do it. Like the county personnel dept.
Do a buyout. Even if the general fund doesn't have enough, Job and family Services could do it. Beats laying people off. Four day work week is good but your bureacrats aren't forward enough thinking to take a chance on that. Make sheriff pull in all county cars being awarded to fat cats for no reason and cut his cronies off the payroll. Trim the fat from the prosector's office. Cut out all Commissioner pet projects...only do the basics.
Fat at the prosecutor's office? Does Deters have paid bodyguards? If so, does the County pay them?
How about energy costs?
What percentage of the budget goes to electric in county buildings. One complaint that I have had for a long time is the number of lights that are on in county buildings. I understand that the light level must meet ADA requirements, however, it seems that most offices have light fixtures every few feet.
Also: computers, monitors, printers, coffee pots, HEATERS, FANS.
I'm going to make a proposal to my department head on how we can cut back.
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