AG 1992 03 16 - Laserfiche WebLink

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TO: John Witherspoon, County Manager FROM: Gerald A. Newton, Lewis Williams, and Jim Cook RE: Proposed Cost Containment Plan (# 4) DATE: February 3, 1992 At the November department head meeting you asked the three of us to work on a practical cost containment plan. We have revised the proposal which was submitted to you in December and that was reviewed in the January department head meeting. The attached sheets represent a proposed plan in %;hich both cost saving measures and ways to improve the quality of our service to the public can be developed, achieved, implemented, and rewarded. We would be more than happy to review this plan with you should you have any concerns or questions about the proposal. We would also like to send the proposal out to the department heads this afte~nog~ so ~at all of the intricacies can be understood przor to ~om~r~¥ g meeting. This draft incorporates most of the issues that were raised at the January 7, 1992 meeting and our meeting with John Day on January 31, 1992. We have changed the minimum savings in which an award will be guaranteed to $5,000 and inserted an annual recognition for all implemented concepts. In response to some points raised that dealt with the idea that inefficient departments would benefit the most, we propose that the program begin in July. This will allow the individual budgets to have first gone through the normal "savings" process known as the budget review. This not only allows department heads the opportunity to now make changes but it theoretically places all departments on the same level playing field. We have attempted to clarify the difference in a cost saving project and a reduction in force project which would be covered under the RIF policy of the County. Another change is that department heads are no longer eligible for any award as they are not to be a part of any cost containment team. We have also made a provision for individual ideas to be considered. We have changed to process of reviewing cross departmental concepts and have added a final section which deals with the reporting of the program. We trust this version of the cost containment policy for the county will meet with your approval, as well as other department heads and the County Commissioners.