Elected officials need to keep in mind that the hardest and most expensive asset to replace is a good employee. This recession will end and it will be hard to replace the good employees that were run off by poor knee jerk decisions.

I say this because the biggest cost in a governmental budget is salary and salary related expenses. So the easiest way to achieve a large chuck of saving is to cut here but this is not always the best place to start. 

Cuts should first be focused on expenses like travel, training, take home county owned vehicles, refinancing debt, hiring freezes etc..

An example to my point; why should the tax payer pay for county employees and deputies to drive their county owned vehicles to non county related business? County employees are currently allowed to transport their families in these vehicles to non county related events. Should the tax payer be liable for the damage and bodily injury sustained to family members and property when an accident occurs during this non county related travel?

Should these employees be allowed to drive counties away to their residence with these vehicles? They currently do. Who pays for the fuel and maintenance? Taxpayers.

A top to bottom needs assessment of each position in the general government and schools should be conducted. Those positions that are truly not needed should be eliminated. If the employee is a true asset than employment in an open position should be considered.

Employees that are not performing should be severed.

A suggestion box of possible ways to save should be offered to employees. Who knows best where to fat lies? Incentives like additional time off with pay, extended lunch, etc. (no additional cost to the tax payer; salaries are a fixed budget item) for the best ideas would bring fat to the table from those that truly know where savings could be achieved. 

The bottom line is if the elected officials have allowed the administrators to go this long without preparing for the short falls in the 2011 and 2012 budgets after all of the warning signs since 2007, then there is a serious problem. This ineptness should be addressed at the polls as soon as November.