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	Franklin County, Kansas, USA

2009-11-07

2009-11-04

2009-11-05

Agriculture

Lifestyles

Thursday, July 02, 2009 12:30 PM

Budget makers must get creative to survive economy

Creativity is the name of the game for many businesses during tough economic times.

Entrepeneurs seek more efficient processes. Doing more with less becomes the theme each day. Private businesses have become adept at hunkering down and still moving forward with creative management.

Can the same be said for government entities?

As government entities prepare their budgets for the coming year, taxpayers — many of whom are struggling to survive — will demand that public bodies make the same attempts at doing more with less.

No government entity should be exempt from belt-tightening and seeking creative ways to accomplish the usual tasks and responsibilities.

Can some offices be combined to share clerical staff? How about reducing hours of operation? What about accepting and sending documents electronically rather than using paper and postage? Is it really necessary to the usual number of vehicles? Does each position need to be full-time rather than part-time? How about re-evaluating the benefits package? Can some maintenance projects be moved to an every other year rather than annual basis? Is it really necessary to replace technology items because the newest version of software is available or can those purchases be postponed until the equipment breaks down? Can staffing be altered to reduce overtime payments?

During these times, nothing is a given.

The school districts have sucked it up and made cuts. Some cities have been strategically reducing expenses the way a butcher carefully carves off the fat. Hopefully, the county, hospital and other municipalities are being equally creative at crafting their budgets. The public will stand for nothing less.

The Ottawa City Commissioners, Franklin County Commissioners and USD 290/Ottawa School board will talk about how they are handling financially challenging times and their coming budgets during a forum with elected officials 10 a.m. July 11 at the Franklin County Annex.

Questions may be emailed in advance to chambersl@ottawakansas.org.

This event is a great way to learn more about how your tax dollars are being spent for the community’s benefit. It could serve as a useful lesson on creativity.

— Jeanny Sharp, editor and publisher

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Budget makers must get creative to survive economy

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article | Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article |
Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.