County revises strategic plan

By Dan Hust
MONTICELLO — May 11, 2010 — The Legislature embarked on its strategic plan review during Thursday’s committee meetings.
Legislators heard from a variety of department heads about their and their staff’s roles and operations, with a focus on reducing costs.
The county currently has a hiring freeze in effect, with officials figuring out what is absolutely necessary to fill and what is not. County Manager David Fanslau said he’s asking department heads to think outside the box.
“Even the littlest thing shouldn’t be overlooked,” he remarked, stressing the significance of the state’s dire fiscal position. “You have declining revenues and increasing expenses, and you really have to prioritize.”
In fact, he’s even advocating switching the entire county payroll over to direct deposit, eliminating printed paychecks (pay stubs would be e-mailed).
“Every dollar is important,” Fanslau pointed out.
The county’s Strategic Plan, which will continue to be reviewed at this week’s committee meetings, will set the budget and programmatic priorities for 2011 and 2012. It must be adopted by June 30, according to county law.