Sunday, April 14, 2013
Clatsop County To Reorganize/Streamline Administrative Operations
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
ADMINISTRATIVE REORGANIZATION SAVES MONEY, STREAMLINES OPERATIONS
A planned reorganization of some administrative offices proposed by Clatsop County Manager Scott Somers will save money while increasing efficiency, he said.
On Wednesday the county Board of Commissioners held the first reading of an ordinance enacting the plan. A final vote is scheduled for April 24.
The plan was prompted by the move in December of former Assistant County Manager Nicole Williams to the County Clerk position, and the departure of former Central Services Department Director Mike Robison in March.
With two positions vacant, Somers looked at ways to streamline the county’s administrative functions by “flattening out” the chain of command while trimming spending in the face of looming cost increases in retirement and benefits for county staff.
The plan is projected to save the county $265,704 in the 2013-14 fiscal year.
Under the new plan, the Assistant County Manager and Central Services Director positions are eliminated. Two of the functions currently under Central Services will moved – Information Systems to the County Manager’s Office, and Building and Grounds to the Public Works Department.
Central Services will be renamed the Budget and Finance Department and will focus on budget preparation and oversight, banking, payroll, revenue and expenditure monitoring and other fiscal duties. The County Manager’s Office, which currently oversees Emergency Management and Human Resources, will become the Administrative Services Department. The county Assessment and Taxation Department, which since 2010 was overseen by Robison, will again have its own director.
The county will seek applicants for both the Budget and Finance director and Assessment and Taxation director positions.
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Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 338-3622
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7 comments:
Is the county going to streamline the sheriff's of district attorney's offices? They use quite a bit of our taxes.
Great question to submit to County Manager or bring-up at the next CCBofC meeting....you think?
If you look at the county org chart you'll see the Sheriff and DA have one boss each - voters. In 20 years the DA has never requested a "budget adjustment," meaning asking for more money or more positions than budgeted....ever.
If you look at each department there aren't a lot of middle managers. With the Sheriff there is a Chief Deputy and two Lieutenants .....that's it! The DA's office management is even more "streamlined". (It's also smaller department) besides the elected DA there is just the Chief Deputy and the Office Manager and they all do the management. That's a LOT more "streamlined" than most departments and FAR more efficient than the City of Astoria. Compare the salaries at the top of these departments with top Astoria City officials. J.P. Moss was working PART TIME got $155,000 a year and City Manager (in 2012) made $128,000 plus benefits. Both those salaries are much more than the Sheriff OR D.A.
And consider the messes at the city.....
Both offices seem quite small, yet both have both a department head and an assistant, and the sheriffs office has two assistants.
Does an organization with about 30 people need three people at the top and five people in the middle to run it?
For example, why cannot the sheriff run the criminal division along with his four sergeants and the jail commander run the jail along with his three sergeants? Also, why does the DA need an Assistant DA to manage 16 people. Why can't the DA manage the lawyers and an office manager manage the office?
I know that unlike other county department heads neither the sheriff nor the DA had management experience before they took office, or were they elected because of their management experience. However, in their many terms in office I hope they have learned enough management skills to run their very small offices.
Just saying, if the county needs to save money, it seems there is money to be saved here.
Great question to submit to County Manager or bring-up at the next CCBofC meeting....you think
Patrick,
I think the county manager and commission are afraid of the sheriff and DA with good reason. They will never bring up cuts to those offices even if continuing the fat there bankrupts us.
They're going to "Save Money"...uh huh..right
Still, why don't the commissioners look toward the offices of elected officials?
Above all, these elected officers should be providing the least expensive, most effective administration of their offices, utilizing the amazing abilities of the incumbents to manage their personnel.
Just look at the Office of the District Attorney. He has so much extra time that he can take on all the Astoria Municipal Court cases without any need to add to his staff.
If we want to save money, or just improve efficiency, where we should look is clear.
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