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2008-09 LGFCU Employee Productivity Awards winners
Thanks to the financial support of the Local Government Federal Credit Union, employees in 10 counties will be recognized and rewarded at the NCACC’s 102nd Annual Conference for their innovative initiatives.
The Association announced Aug. 10 the winning entries in the 2008-09 LGFCU Employee Productivity Awards Program. The LGFCU has assumed the sponsorship of NCACC’s employee productivity recognition program (formerly known as the Ralph Ketner Employee Productivity Program) and has begun donating $10,000 annually to reward outstanding county employees for their successful productivity initiatives. This year marks the Association’s 18th year in organizing the program, and the first year of LGFCU sponsorship. To date, the program has attracted 1,400 project applications representing more than $105 million in savings to North Carolina counties. NCACC President Elect Mary Accor appointed two review committees made up of commissioners, managers, county staff and School of Government representatives. One committee considered applications from managerial staff and one reviewed those submitted by line staff. The review committees met Aug. 7 to consider all eligible applications and select the entries representing the best productivity enhancements.
Food Assistance Customer Service Efficiencies Presented to Marty Phillips, Erin Henderlight, Rae Gibbens, Angie Jenkins, Karen Hart, Linda Rogers, Margie Allman and Dottie Medford To accommodate a 30 percent increase in food stamp caseloads and improve accuracy benchmarks, Buncombe County's Food Assistance team made a number of efficiency improvements. For example, the team altered scheduling from half-day intake to full-day intake to process additional applications, streamlined the training manual to have new staff on regular intake in three months instead of six months, implemented timed standards to decrease client wait time in the lobby, restructured staff meetings to ensure full-day intake, reworked forms to expedite case processing times, and started to request that clients complete much of the application in the lobby while waiting for a caseworker. This alone cut the actual interview time by 40 percent. The county found further staff efficiencies through specialized staff training to manage specific tasks or application groups. The team also focused efforts on streamlining and improving outreach efforts. They made on-site visits to industries that were cutting back on staff and expanded their partnership with MANNA FoodBank, a private, not-for-profit service operating in Western N.C. These efficiency improvements enabled the division to process higher caseloads with minimal staff increases, saving the county $171,000. In addition, the county was able to reduce lobby wait time from 57 to 14 minutes, process applications under time standards (staff average was nine days compared with the state standard of 30 days), and maintain a 100 percent accuracy rate. In Rem Foreclosures Presented to Linda Wiggins and Kimberly Mullinax
To aid in the collection of delinquent taxes by use of In Rem foreclosure, Linda Wiggins and Kimberly Mullinax created procedures to cover each step in the process. Procedures are established for sending an initial contact letter, visiting the property, sending the required legal notices, preparing publications, docketing judgments, working collaboratively with the Clerk and Sheriff's offices, and working with the new buyer to finalize the recording of transfer documents and application of funds to satisfy the outstanding tax lien. In the program's first five months, the team contacted and worked with 168 parcel owners to collect more than $156,000 in tax liens. With all owners satisfying their liens, they maintained ownership and no properties had to be sold at public auction. To date, fewer than 15 judgments have been docketed and 200 additional property owners have been contacted. Only one property was sold at public auction. Since implementation, $392,000 in back taxes has been collected. By using In Rem foreclosure, properties are processed and sold more quickly than those in mortgage-style foreclosures. In addition, In Rem allows for greater ease in the foreclosure of properties owned by heirs or unknown parties. The amount collected during a five-month period was five times greater than the amount collected during the entire year with mortgage-style foreclosure. In Rem foreclosures avoid attorney fees, and the county was able to cut publication costs in half by negotiating a favorable newspaper publication rate. Furthermore, the county has been able to sell 11 county properties acquired through earlier foreclosures, relieving the county of these properties and putting them back on the tax books as taxable property. Networking in the Community Presented to Deborah Hoyle The need to provide safety equipment for children in the county's Foster Care System turned into a way for the county to save thousands of dollars in expenses and staff time, thanks to the efforts of a dedicated employee. State law requires children 8 years or younger or who weigh less than 80 pounds to be restrained in a safety seat when riding in an automobile. Due to the large number of young children in county custody, the county needed a lot of booster seats, infant carriers, strollers and car seats. These items were needed to give to foster parents and also to be used in the social workers' automobiles when they were transporting a child. Deborah Hoyle, a processing assistant III in the Department of Social Services, began writing letters to area vendors requesting donation of safety equipment to the county. She discovered that the Wal-Mart Distribution Center has a Damaged Box Program through which it distributes damaged but usable goods to various charities and organizations. Hoyle applied on behalf of DSS. Since being approved to participate in the program, Hoyle said the county has received more than $8,000 worth of donated car and booster seats, strollers and infant carriers. In addition, Wal-Mart has donated more than $80,000 worth of clothing, formula, diapers, bottles, cups, lotions, soaps, shampoos and other goods to DSS. Comprehensive Department Safety Audit Program Presented to Deborah C. Hodges
Taking to heart the old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, the county's Safety Office and Safety/Risk Management Coordinator Deborah C. Hodges created a Comprehensive Department Safety Audit Program in 2008 to make county staff more aware of their responsibility to practice safety while at work. All departments go through an annual on-site safety audit. They are graded in such areas as fire drills, monthly safety training, percentage of employees without an injury, and complete/timely incident reporting. An overall safety score is calculated for each department to determine the winner of the Star Safety Department of the Year Award. In addition, individuals are nominated for recognition in the county's safety newsletter. Winners are recognized on a plaque outside of the safety office, and the employee receives a star-shaped candy jar. As a result of increased safety awareness, the county's workers' compensation payouts decreased by roughly $10,000 per month over the previous year, and days absent due to injuries decreased from 90 in 2007 to 54 in 2008. Remote Tax Payment Kiosk Presented to Kimberly Simpson and Tax Office employees
In today's world of instant information, taxpayers expect convenient ways to pay their taxes. With the development of the Remote Tax Payment Kiosk, the first of its kind in the state, Durham taxpayers can pay their real estate and automobile taxes without having to visit the downtown tax office – and all at the touch of a button. The customer-friendly kiosk, located a few feet from the DMV tag office at North Gate Mall, offers touch-screen technology featuring both English and Spanish responses. Users can pay with cash or a credit or debit card. Upon payment, the kiosk produces a receipt and interacts with an online system to immediately post the payment to the customer's account. On average the kiosk collects $50,000 monthly in tax payments. The kiosk is accessible seven days a week during mall hours and requires no staffing – saving the growing county money since additional employees needed to collect tax payments in person would cost salary and health care expenses. The kiosk has been such a success that the county has installed a second kiosk at the main tax office to allow walk-in taxpayers the same ease of use and reduction of wait time to pay taxes. The county plans to add other county applications to the kiosk as well. The mall kiosk is strategically located next to the tag office. If a taxpayer owes taxes, the county blocks the vehicle's tag number, forcing taxes to be paid before new tags can be issued. Taxpayers who encounter this issue at the mall tag office can walk outside to the kiosk, pay their taxes, receive a receipt and then have their automobile tags renewed, resulting in a significant time savings for the taxpayer. Previously the taxpayer would have had to drive to the downtown tax office, find parking, wait in line to pay, then drive back to the tag office. Register of Deeds Cross Training and Certification Program Presented to Jeff Thigpen, Debbie Johnson, Elaine Inman, Cindy Bennett, Wendy Neese, Deborah Citty, Helen Duncan
In a time when counties are required to do more with less, the Guilford County Register of Deeds Office is leading by example. In 2008, the office trained its employees to work in the four core areas of services offered by the Register of Deeds – Vault, Vitals, Indexing and Recording. A 90-day training program for each area was developed in-house. Employees were encouraged to participate in the cross-training initiative through salary incentives. Employees were eligible to receive a 0.5 percent salary increase for each area in which they completed training. An employee who successfully completed training in all areas could receive a 2 percent increase. In the past, employees were hired to work in only one of the areas. As such, customer service was affected when a vacancy occurred. The cross training program has made for a more flexible and responsive department. The Register of Deeds office was given $32,311 over two years to invest in the program. In return, Guilford County citizens saved $359,805 – more than 10 times the original investment. No Waiting in the Self-Checkout Line Presented to Simon Coultas, Mark Burdette, Kathy Kreutter, Myra Vagts, AnnMarie Rowe, Jennifer Deitz, Jennifer Brevard, Sandra Fairbanks, Candis Killam and Kate Whyte
As technology has developed through the years, more and more people have been displaced from their jobs by machines. Some staff at the Henderson County Public Library's main branch undoubtedly thought the same thing might be happening to them when the county installed two self-checkout systems in August 2008. While the self-service machines have proven to be fast, reliable, easy-to-use and favored by younger patrons, staff fears were unfounded. The machines, which account for roughly 10 percent of items checked out from circulation, have freed staff from some mundane circulation tasks. Staff, in turn, have been able to provide a greater level of customer service and special assistance to library patrons – particularly those 55 years and older – who both need and enjoy interaction with staff. The stations are located in the main circulation area and in the children's department. They are equipped with unlocking devices to release DVDs and CDs from security cases. And most importantly, for patrons who just want to check their materials out and go, it saves them from standing in a checkout line, which can get long during peak operating hours. The startup costs for the two machines was not cheap at $27,000, but with library traffic up about 30 percent this year, diverting staff resources to special services has been a welcome change for staff and patrons. Shingle Recycling Program Presented to John Demary and Paula Clark
A quintessential win-win scenario allowed Pitt County to become the first in the state to receive permission to collect tear-off shingles for recycling. The county transfer station set a goal of reducing construction and demolition waste. Recognizing that shingles made up roughly 16 percent of the C&D waste stream, the county targeted shingles for recycling. The county found a local taker for the shingles – Greenville Paving, Inc. – which incorporates the shingles into its hot mix. The trick for the county would be gaining permission from the State of North Carolina. Previously no county was allowed to recycle shingles due to the possibility of asbestos in the shingles. But due to the duration of time since asbestos was used to manufacture shingles, along with the availability of a local market for the shingles, Pitt was able to get the OK from the N.C. Division of Waste Management. The recycling program results in an estimated cost savings of $102,294 in disposal fees, based on the 4,175.251 tons of shingles disposed of at the transfer station during the 2007-08 fiscal year. During the first 180 days of implementation, the county saved $44,719 in disposal fees and recycled almost 1,600 tons of shingles. In addition, the paving company foots the bill for transporting the materials, as well as the 20-yard boxes used for collection and transportation. Transfer station employees worked closely with local roofing contractors to inform them of how the shingles needed to be brought into the facility. Since shingle loads would also on occasion come in with wood pallets and other scrap wood, the county began recovering these items for recycling. Also, separating the roofing contractors from other incoming C&D traffic resulted in less congestion in the bay area and improved drop-off efficiency and safety. The county hosted a workshop in March for surrounding counties to learn more about the program. Probable Cause Video Conferencing Presented to Bryan Steen, Mike Marshall and Dianna Fulp
Given the size and terrain of Stokes County, project team members implemented video conferencing to connect law enforcement and the magistrate to complete a probable cause hearing without a lengthy trip from the county jail to the magistrate's office. The county used fines and forfeitures to fund the purchase of video conferencing equipment and the installation of high-speed Internet hardware. This manner of contact between law enforcement officers and the magistrate in separate locations meets federal and state constitutional requirements to complete a probable cause hearing. This process has expedited arrest completion, reduced possible dangers to the arresting officer and reduced the likelihood of arrestee flight, reduced wear and tear on patrol cars, and accelerated the officer's availability to receive new service calls. This process has also expedited release of the defendant if magistrate requirements are met. To date, the probable cause video conferencing has prevented 476 unnecessary trips, saving $12,000 in staff and gas costs for the county alone. Other law enforcement agencies such as the Highway Patrol and city police departments are also realizing cost savings through the video conferencing system. 'Working for Benefits' – Pay After Performance Presented to Susan Parker, Barbara Massey, Terri Mitchell, Andrea O'Brian, Tammy Eason, Warren Bissette, Amy Latour, Arlisha Cooper, Tondra Talley, Faye Atkinson and Audrey Crisp
A team of employees in Wilson County's Department of Social Services wanted to increase participation by eligible citizens in the county's Work First Program. Knowing that substantial federal penalties could occur if the county did not increase the number of citizens participating in the program, the team strived to create a program that met the needs of citizens while also satisfying federal requirements. The county instituted a new program ("Working for Benefits" – Pay After Performance) that requires citizens to participate in training and education programs as well as returning to work. A family applying for assistance through the Work First County Electing Plan must have a combination of 35 hours per week in education, training or actual work experience before they can receive an assistance check. One of the program's goals is to instill a sense of responsibility for welfare beneficiaries. This is helping families take personal and financial responsibility for their future and thus ending the cycle of welfare. During the program's first year, the county estimated that participation increased from 34 percent to 52 percent, and that the county experienced cost savings of more than $600,000. The North Carolina Division of Social Services took note of the success in Wilson County, and as of Jan. 1, 2009, the division began implementing the program in all 100 counties. |
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