By Frank Williford - The budget is being impacted by a bloated county payroll and in some areas an inefficient workforce and work structure. One department head, when asked, did not even know how many employees their department had. It is long past time to start contracting out some of the mundane tasks presently handled by county employees. Doing this would increase the enthusiasm and job performance of the remaining employees who would then be performing more interesting work. The Sheriff’s department took steps in this direction a year or so ago. It is long past time for other departments to do likewise while consolidating overlapping activities. Continue reading →