Management and Performance Review of County Government ...

Executive Summary
from generating economies of scale. Centralizing the county’s Road and Bridge
Department and eliminating 13 excess positions would eliminate duplicated efforts, allow
for more efficient usage of equipment and save the county about $5.6 million over five
years.
The current road and bridge maintenance program, moreover, is based only on
historical knowledge and complaints reported by the public. The county should institute a
program involving routine inspections of road, mowing and drainage conditions;
identification of work needs; and the development of a proactive maintenance plan.
The Building Maintenance Department is responsible for maintaining all county
public buildings, properties and landscaping. Its record keeping is manual, making it
difficult to track costs and organize work efforts efficiently. An automated tracking system
would allow the department to manage its workload more efficiently, balance its resource
requirements and prepare a variety of useful management reports. The department also
lacks written performance measures. It should establish such measures and create
recording and reporting procedures to track them.
Jefferson County’s Vehicle Service Center, staffed by a director and three
mechanics, maintains a fleet of about 190 vehicles. The center appears to be
overstaffed. Industry standards call for a ratio of about one mechanic per 90 vehicles;
the center’s ratio is about 1:48. Eliminating one mechanic’s position would save the
county $46,000 annually. The department, moreover, processes all work orders
manually. Commonly available, automated fleet management systems offer features that
could greatly increase its productivity.
Judicial and Public Safety Functions
MGT compared Jefferson County’s County Correctional Facility with similar
facilities in a series of “peer” counties. Jefferson County’s per-capita cost of jail
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