Saturday I discussed the recommendations of the Long Range Fiscal Management Plan (LRFMP) that have been accomplished in the past ten years. This column discusses those recommendations that have not been followed. If a reason for not following the recommendation is known, it is so noted.
Board of Selectmen
Eliminate the Personnel Review Board – This measure was defeated at the November 2, 2010 elections. It will probably be reintroduced if and when another Charter Revision Commission is formed.
Board of Finance/Representative Town Meeting
Representative Town Meeting (RTM) needs to adopt a policy statement resolution subscribing to the principles of formalized performance improvement - The RTM has not addressed this issue.
Financial Services
Employees in Assessor’s Office be cross trained to handle workload peaks in Tax Collector’s Office, especially in July and January - Since the promulgation of the LRFMP, the personnel in the Assessor’s office has been reduced. It turns out the Assessor’s Office is just a busy in July and January. There is also a possible Internal Control Issue if assessor personnel work in the collection side of the office.
Purchasing Agent serve both town and schools in a central services concept – The purchasing agent does handle some consumable purchases for the Board of Education (BOE) but most major purchases are handled by persons directly employed by the BOE.
Finance should charge costs back to individual departments for internal services- This has not proved to be cost effective. Centralized accounting has proven to be better controlled.
Internal service funds should be established for Insurance and risk management, building maintenance, information technology and fleet management. – Only the fleet management fund has been established. The other services have their own budget line but not their own fund.
Public Safety Central Dispatch should operate under an enterprise fund with revenues from internal and external sources – Waterford has not been successful in regionalizing the dispatch center although with the new communications system and the recent renovation of the dispatch center, it is capable of assuming such a role.
Personnel should be assigned to complete capital projects on a full time basis and subject to some performance management system. – This has never been attempted due to the attrition of personnel since 2001.
Delegate payroll and payables to the larger operating departments to eliminate duplicate work. These tasks are centralized in the Finance Department and only one computer entry is made. Using one purchasing agent has been very effective and all HR entries are done by the HR department.
Town Clerk
Town Clerks’ automated systems should be integrated into central computer network. – Town Clerk continues to be supported separately from the Town computer system.
Town Clerk should actively work with other municipal clerks to acquire a more efficient system for managing land records.
Land Use Related
The Name of the Department should be changed to Community Development to more accurately reflect the complex relationships and public private partnerships that are needed to carry out successful land and building development. – No direct benefit seen from this change.
A Chief Building Official should be appointed by the Town Planner. No change planned from current system.
Economic Development Commission should ensure that the development process is as expeditious and customer friendly as possible. – The Commission monitors the development process but the Town Planner is in charge of making the process as fair as possible but still complying with regulations.
Public Library
Waterford Public Schools should work with Library so users may communicate with each other irrespective of whether user is a student or a customer.
Public Schools and Library should coordinate their media center and library technology development plans.
Police Department
Reduce Staff and number of patrol zones – See comment below.
Negotiate with police union to develop more cost effective work schedules based upon service delivery and shift coverage requirements. – Subject to union negotiation, more negotiation is required to change patrol cycles.
Incorporate Central Dispatch as a separate public safety corporation to provide regional communication and dispatch services. – Town has not been successful in getting other towns to agree to a regional 911 dispatch center.
Fire Department
Change fire response to “the department as a whole rather than initially from within each fire district”- Standard response for the five departments is a response from the within district department and the nearest adjacent department so that two of the five respond to each call.
Respond to EMS calls “…by operating one or two ambulances assigned to cover the community.” Currently an ambulance is assigned to each fire house by the Waterford Ambulance Association, an independent company.
Change volunteer membership to a “Waterford Fire Department” rather than to an assigned Fire House. See comment below.
Consider closing one or more fire stations. This will not occur as long as there are sufficient volunteers to man each fire house district.
Insure all fire inspectors be certified EMTs and staff the second ambulance. The fire inspections would be performed on an in service basis.
Public Works
Use an internal service fund to charge operating departments for the repair services of Public Works. Departments do pay for the repairs to their equipment directly from the department budget on a cost center basis.
Utility Commission
Shift capital improvement costs to rate payers through higher water and sewer rates. Sewer rates have been increased to a level that rate payers are paying for the operation of the Sewer System and day to day maintenance. Capital improvements are still the responsibility of the Waterford tax payer by Town Ordinance.
Recreation and Parks
Reduce staff and increase fees to cover program all program costs. Fees have been increased but most do not cover all the program costs.
Make Recreation and Parks self supporting (see above) through a special revenue fund. See comment below
Develop a strategic plan to consider mission of department at lower funding levels and increase departmental efficiency. This recommendation may still have some merit with or without the special revenue fund.
Information Technology
Make public information more available in electronic format to help residents become more self sufficient in obtaining public information, making payments, obtaining licenses and permits, and communicating with schools about children’s education. Waterford web site is much improved but Town is still investigating how to make payments, and obtain licenses and permits on line.
Cross train school and town finance staff to perform multiple functions in either environment.
Use town GIS to plan school transportation and other planning needs.
Acquire a property management system to protect buildings and related infrastructure.
Town acquire and implement a network wide customer service application.
Board of Education
Reduce day student transportation costs by eliminating transportation to some students living closest to schools.
Reduce day student transportation costs by changing the daily school start/close times.
Eliminate funding for field trips.
Provide “In house” Special Education transportation services
Make summer school self supporting (charge fees).
Implement Athletic user fees.
Implement user fees for student activities
Obtain salary concessions.
Increase Pupil:Teacher ration to 23:1.
It would be useful to get some feedback from the readers if they think any of the recommendations above should be implemented in Waterford today. I look forward to hearing (reading) from you.
