Getting It Right-A Challenge Is Issued To All Bureaucratic Managers!

June 6, 2007

By: Sid Riley

This column presents a non-partisan, conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items that are impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope that you will read the column regularly and that it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"This Week’s Column Presents a Direct Challenge To All Managers of City, County, or State Bureaucratic Functions and County Constitutional Officers!"
To me, one of the worse and most costly characteristics of bureaucratic management is the wholesale adoption of the concept of "zero based budgeting". All elements of the bureaucracy function under the management philosophy that all funds that are budgeted and approved at the beginning of a physical year MUST be spent by the end of that year. To not spend all available money is an unpardonable bureaucratic sin. This is an action almost as bad as is the act of not always asking for more funding each successive year. A good bureaucratic manager MUST always spend all budgeted monies, and MUST ask for more next year! Otherwise, the budget for the department will be cut when the next budget is prepared.
BOLDERDASH!!! BULLMALARKEY!! HOGWASH!!! CRAPOLA!!!
This erred philosophy is a core fault that causes the bureaucracy to always be wasteful, mismanaged, and to be constantly in a state of unnecessary growth. It can be changed!
In industry just the reverse is true. If a manager is able to operate his/her department so efficiently that it comes in with a cost level at the end of the year that is UNDER BUDGET, the manager is considered to have performed excellently, and is worthy of bonus rewards and possible promotion.
This same approach to management can be made to work in government. However, we must first find bureaucratic managers that are willing to break from the fold and be willing to do what is right for the taxpayer and is right for good, professional behavior. They must have the courage to break from this costly, foolish tradition, and be willing to manage the function in a manner as frugally as they would if each dollar they spent was coming from their personal bank account.
They must be willing to make existing equipment last another year or two before replacement, even though money for new equipment is available. They must be willing to not hire new staff members when the existing staff can really handle the workload. They must be willing to travel second class instead of first class, and to stay in a $80.00 per night room instead of a $150.00 per night room when they travel. They must be willing to put off buying the new government vehicle for another year, even though they could get a new one.
Then, at the end of the year, when they have reduced their annual cost of operations and have saved significant funds, they should take 50% of the amount gained and distribute among their staff along with praise and thanks for their hard work during the year. Then the other 50% of the saved funds should be turned back into the central fund.
Any existing bureaucratic manager that is willing to perform in this manner will gain my utmost support and the support of the conservative readers of this column. If their overseeing body subsequently attempts to punish this department by reducing their subsequent budgets, I will engage in a holy war against this action.
Managers of the bureaucracy – be brave! Be Professional! Be true to what you know is really right! Break away from this unworthy tradition of mismanagement and begin to be a real manager! Do this, and you will really be "Getting It Right!"
RUDAMENTS – ODDS AND ENDS WORTHY OF NOTE:
- The bridge over Spring Creek at the Mill Pond is finally finished! I really think it looks so much better and is so much safer now that it is a footwider. Well worth the time and money, don’t you agree? HAH!
- We can now see why they had to cut down that majestic old oak tree in the "Y" where the new CVS pharmacy is being built…..they replaced the tree with an ugly, bunker type mosquito retention pond ! Our code-a-crats were ultimately responsible for the cutting of the beautiful tree!
- Congratulations to all of the sports teams at Chipola! What a year of accomplishment for you all! Our community is proud of you.