County announces cost cutting measures

Chief Administrator Keith Lee outlined the cost saving measures implemented to date at the Tuesday night meeting of the Barrow County Board of Commissioners.

In addition to eliminating all salary increases for county employees, overtime has also been prohibited unless prior approval is obtained.

The county has also instituted an informal hiring freeze. Only jobs critical to public safety or those requiring licensed personnel will be filled if needed.

Any department requesting additional personnel will be required to justify the request.

County officials will decide if the position is needed and then determine if sufficient funding exists to fill the position.

“We’re going to expect that department to be under budget in both salary and expenses,” Lee said.

If the department is under budget, administrators will then assess revenues. The request will be approved only if revenues are at or above projected revenues.

“If there is an absolute need, where the department will not function or staffing levels will cause a detriment to the service, then we will post the position,” Lee said.

Employees may also be shifted between departments to handle the workload without hiring additional personnel, Lee said.

The county has eliminated funding for all dues, fees and subscriptions that are not required to perform specified job or county functions. Lee estimates this measure will save the county approximately $15,000 to $20,000 each year.

Travel expenses have also been cut except for mandatory education and training.

Other policy changes involve purchasing procedures. Lee said no blanket purchase orders will be issued. The county’s purchasing department will evaluate each purchasing request and attempt to negotiate the best price for each order instead of placing a longer term order with a vendor for items needed on a recurring basis.

No items will be ordered without prior approval, Lee said. According to the new policy, the county will not be responsible for payment of any order made without prior approval.

While the county expects to save money through these measures, officials continue to explore other ways to reduce expenses.

Lee said the county may create an energy and cost savings team to assess other money-saving ideas.

One item under consideration is implementing a four-day work week. Several other counties are experimenting with four ten-hour days each week as a way to reduce energy and fuel costs.

Preliminary estimates indicate the cost savings could exceed $100,000.

The county has also considered the possibility of adding unpaid county holidays in which county offices would be closed and employees not paid. Employee furloughs are another possibility.

“We have done some initial evaluations of furloughs for if and when we go into that need,” Lee said.

How much belt tightening is required will depend on income over the next year, Lee explained.

“These are options we will consider as we move forward with the budget and if revenues decline further,” Lee said.

In other business, the board:

• approved an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Winder and the City of Auburn to provide election services at the cost of $1 per year for each voter registered within the city limits. According to county election supervisor Kristi Royston, the agreement will benefit the citizens by eliminating the need to vote at separate locations for city and county elections. City voters will also be able to use the electronic voting machines currently used by the county.

• approved the reappointment of Chris Sullivan to the Leisure Service Board.

• approved the purchase of a right-of-way from Zarin Enterprises Inc. for $175,000. The right-of-way will provide the county with the last parcel of land needed to make improvements to the intersection of Hoyt-King and Hwy. 81. The existing house on the property will be removed.

The next meeting of the Board of Commissioners will be held Tuesday, October 21 at 7 p.m. The Barrow County Board of Commissioners meets at the Barrow County Administration building, located at 233 East Broad Street in Winder.