Facing a $7 million budget deficit, La Plata County departments set a financial goal for 2017: come up with $1 million in savings.
Last fall, county departments began brainstorming ways to operate more efficiently and cut costs – sometimes by creative means.
For example, every election season, administrative staff members estimated they spend two to three hours weekly directing voters to the ballot drop box on East Second Avenue, located somewhat inconspicuously on the building’s east side.
So staff members decorated the sidewalk near the ballot box with a barrage of balloons, streamers and chalk, so voters with any uncertainty could find their way.
It made a difference. During the most recent election season, county staff members said the bright decorations effectively advertised the drop-box location and the public didn’t have to go inside and interrupt workers.
“It’s easy to get in a rut and say, ‘We do things this way just because it’s the way we’ve always done it,’” county spokeswoman Megan Graham said.
The county finance department predicts a tight budget at least for the next two years as county property tax revenue from oil and gas production declines and the Gallagher Amendment, a 1982 statewide ballot initiative, reduces the percentage of taxable property value next year.
To offset the anticipated $7.2 million deficit, county staff members resolved to find ways to cut costs internally.
Last fall, the Denver Peak Academy visited Durango for employee training sessions with county and city of Durango officials. The consulting team specializes in training local government officials to improve efficiency, boost morale and cut government waste.
The county and city each spent about $13,000 for the training, which officials expect to recoup over time. This investment as well as smaller investments, such as the balloons to mark the ballot box, are expected to be recovered in the long term.
“We recognize some of these changes do require front-end investment, with the idea being that ultimately, it will save time or money or both,” Graham said.
County staff members subsequently came up with a list of 50 “innovations” designed to reduce hard and soft costs, and more are on the way.
Implementation and progress on the innovations are tracked on a “production board” in the county Administration Building. The county also will track savings and continually reassess which ideas are working with the intention of communicating results to taxpayers.
Graham could not provide a total in savings, as the numbers are being examined to ensure departments did not overestimate or underestimate expected savings.
A team of about 20 county employees with representation from each department continues to brainstorm cost-cutting ideas and exchange efficiency tactics across departments. Graham said the effort is not a top-down initiative, but one where the county’s 415 full-time employees share ideas and can execute innovations on their own. The innovation team is there for support.
Some changes are small, such as moving a filing cabinet at the motor vehicle department closer to an employee’s desk for more efficient workflow. The new arrangement is expected to save seven minutes daily for the worker and produce an average annual savings of $680.
Staff members removed the public printer from the county Administration Building, printing only on request to reduce wasted paper.
Other changes are expected to save thousands of dollars and hours in staff members’ time.
Before the November 2016 election, the county clerk and recorder’s office installed a 24-hour ballot drop-box at the Farmers Fresh Market in Ignacio. It eliminated the need for a staffed drop site, reduced employee training and management costs, and expanded voter access in Ignacio.
“The drop-box is an easy one to see the savings quickly,” Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Parker said. “Before, we had to have two election judges manning a ballot box if it’s not under video surveillance. It was housed at (Ignacio) Town Hall, and we would have people sit there to man that box.”
The drop-box and surveillance installation cost about $6,200, offset by a $4,000 state grant, and the county expects to see $1,800 in savings per election.
Return ballots in the most recent election cycle also were the highest ever at an Ignacio drop-box: 1,001 ballots were returned, compared with 238 ballots in 2014 (though voter turnout is traditionally lower in nonpresidential election years).
Larger savings are expected from the information technology and procurement departments, which modified the computer replacement program to use year-old, off-lease computers – meaning computers that were purchased on a lease and returned by the buyer at the end of the lease period – which will save $30,720 in hardware and 112 hours in staff time annually.
The La Plata County Sheriff’s Office also has begun hiring deputies that are not POST-certified to work in the county jail, which will save $10,000 per year per hire, as well as about 2,120 hours in staff time annually.
Among other money-saving strategies:
Vehicle and heavy equipment training for the county Road and Bridge Department is now conducted in-house, which will save an estimated $8,000 annually on traveling to training sessions in Denver. Bringing training to Durango also allows all technicians access.The La Plata County Sheriff’s Office reported the department will save about $2,000 annually after creating an inventory form for inmate property collected at intake. This consolidates paperwork and reduces redundancy.
The assessor’s office reduced paper costs as well as steps in the deed process by using Laserfiche, software that generates automated reports from entered data. The assessor’s office is expected to save 101 printed pages daily, save about $260 yearly and reduce software apps.
jpace@durangoherald.com
The assessor’s office reduced paper costs as well as steps in the deed process by using Laserfiche, software that generates automated reports from entered data. The assessor’s office is expected to save 101 printed pages daily, save about $260 yearly and reduce software apps.
