Chuck Wooten, interim manager for Jackson County, told department heads they would have to cut spending 3% for the remainder of the fiscal year. The skids had to be applied to compensate for slowed tax revenues. Wooten has also enacted the following policies:

  • Travel to conferences and for professional development will be approved only when it is necessary to maintain a license or certification. All travel must be approved in advance, and out-of-state travel is out, unless it involves licensing.
  • Equipment not yet purchased has to be approved by Wooten before being bought, and the purchase won’t be approved unless it is absolutely necessary.
  • Employees have been asked to avoid stockpiling supplies, and to buy only what is needed to get through the year.

It’s a start, but the winds of change seem to be asking more from government. Asheville’s city manager Gary Jackson has implemented under-reported structural changes to streamline municipal operations. Many governments are investing in greener technology to reduce costs in the future. Hopefully a point will be reached when local governments will start jettisoning massive quantities of code enforcement and planning exercises; selling off fun and games like specialty parks, civic centers, golf courses, etc.; and second guessing the relevance of jobs with titles like “assistant deputy coordinator for projects” (I made that one up.).