Preparing community and government leaders to deal with budget cuts
As the country emerges from a recession and budget blueprints are being submitted, community and government leaders are bracing for budget cuts in everything from complete elimination of programs like the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s light research project to Education and Job Training for states. In turn, states are also proposing budget cuts to cities and counties. This means all community and government leaders are dealing with the financial impact of budget cuts. There are numerous strategies for preparing community and government leaders to deal with these budget cuts.
Proponents, opponents and critics are constantly debating reduced spending and cutting taxes for the wealthy and corporations, but ultimately, governors, commissioners, directors, mayors and other leaders are preparing for budget cuts across all programs. Rather than slash jobs or raise taxes in response to budget cuts states, cities, counties and townships are finding innovative methods, including public administration programs, for reducing spending.
Examination of the workforce
As states and communities face reductions in programs and grants, these limitations offer the opportunity to examine the available workforce. When corporations scrutinize budgets and spending, one of the necessities of maintaining a profitable organization is a strong employee base. With impending spending cuts, government and community leaders can take a closer look at those employees who might be at the age of retirement or those who are not meeting performance standards. Upon examination, leaders might find employees are willing to participate in work-share programs or early retirement.
Furloughs
In 2010, the majority of States in the U.S. passed furlough legislation, requiring state employees to take days without pay. In many states, this reduced the necessity for eliminating jobs. As employees staggered their furlough days throughout the year, it prevented a reduction in services.
Innovation
Budget cuts oblige government or community leaders to investigate new methods of working. Government entities, often associated with endless processes plus piles of paper, have been implementing new processes and programs that reduce overhead without requiring layoffs.
For example, with nationwide accessibility to Internet connectivity, leaders are taking advantage of technology to reduce overhead. Large, physical office space is being deserted in favor of smaller workspaces and telecommuting. In Nebraska, rather than hiring additional staff institutions such as county jails or prisons, options such as book and release programs, home detention and diversion programs are under consideration.
Electronic versus paper
States are also implementing electronic document management programs to limit the excessive amount of paper forms and to reduce postage. For example, Excise Tax Affidavits in Washington state are completed at the county level, but many counties received a grant from the state government to submit these large, multi-page documents electronically through a secured server. This reduced the large amount of paper being stored at the state offices, which required storage space. This method also reduced the amount of postage being spent monthly for counties to mail the forms.
Nebraska is also implementing electronic documentation storage as a better method for managing files and forms and to reduce printing and copying costs. States like Nebraska, Rhode Island, Idaho and others now utilize online labor market services for job seekers and employers. With this new technology, everything from job postings to resumes to hiring can be managed online. Additionally, some states that case manage Unemployment Insurance claimants or clients in special programs, such as Workforce Investment or Trade, use online systems for logging all case management materials that once took large file binders and hundreds of forms.
In the 1970s and 1980s, when budget cuts were looming over government and community leaders, innovative solutions were not available. With the steady expansion of technology, leaders can address looming budget cuts in a variety of ways, whether through furloughs, reduction in physical locations, or even reducing the amount of paper and postage. Ultimately, budget cuts may result in job and program loss and higher taxes, but there are a number of other practices that can be considered before reacting with forced spending reductions.
