MONTICELLO – Sullivan County legislators, Thursday, approved County Manager Josh Potosek’s proposed restructuring of county government, which is expected to save taxpayers more than $1.2 million every year.
“I worked very hard to avoid deep program and personnel cuts in this proposal, and I’m grateful the legislature recognized that through its approval,” he said. “We have to seek operational efficiencies like never before, providing services with far less resources.”
Under the plan, the Real Property Tax Services Department will fall under the Office of the County Treasurer and the GIS coordinator will fall under the Division of Information Technology Services. That will save close to $313,000.
The Risk Management Department and Human Rights Commission executive director would be placed under the Division of Human Resources. The Human Rights Commission is being reorganized under a separate local law next month and until its structure is settled, the executive director post will remain vacant. That consolidation will save close to $426,000.
The Division of Management and Budget will be abolished with the payroll coordinator/software support tech transferred to the Division of ITS as client support tech II. Payroll clerks will be shifted to a newly formed Office of Budget and the purchasing department will be shifted to the county manager’s office. That will save $172,000.
The full-time deputy county manager position will be abolished. That position will become statutorily required social services commissioner. The deputy manager position will be active only when the county manager is unable or unavailable to serve. That will save nearly $122,000.
The county has also identified some $400,000 in savings unrelated to the restructuring. Travel for trainings and conferences are cancelled with some training to be done online. Contracts for psychological services, resident assistant services, summer camp transportation, afterschool programs have been reduced.
The Center for Workforce Development is realigning its funding to maximize state and federal reimbursements.
The Department of Family Services has realigned certain funding streams, and veterans outreach has been reduced, along with mileage, uniforms, training and supplies to the Bureau of EMS.
