Supervisor says county not always very efficient

By Kevin Jeffries
County Supervisor, First District

Kevin Jeffries

This month’s newsletter is heavy on “how the sausage is made” – so some of you may not fully appreciate getting into the weeds with me on how your local government works, or sometimes doesn’t.

Analysis Paralysis – First let me note that most counties and cities are enjoying an infusion of increased revenues from property and sales taxes (thank you fellow taxpayers), and very large amounts from the federal government (thank you federal printing presses).

These spikes or increases are generally considered to be one-time dollars, meaning that they won’t likely last more than a few years, so they should not be spent in a manner that creates ongoing revenue obligations or new programs that can’t be met when the one-time revenues dry up.

Generally speaking, my goal has been to reinvest these one-time dollars back into our communities with infrastructure improvements (paving streets, widening intersections, adding curbs and sidewalks, community centers, flood control, streetlights, etc.). Unfortunately, many of those infrastructure efforts are moving forward at a snail’s pace or worse.

First, we have had supply chain and material shortages, followed by contractors working at maximum capacity amid labor shortages, and then a self-inflicted internal government slowdown in reviewing, approving and constructing these needed projects.

Our office is finding that it takes several years just to get a new sidewalk or street paving project approved (not completed, just approved to start). We don’t even know yet how long it will take to get new streetlights installed in various communities.

It is incredibly frustrating to finally have some funding to actually help our communities, yet we can’t get the various bureaucracies to clear a path to success. In short, we need innovative “get it done” leaders who are willing to rip-up 1970s’ bureaucratic rule books and find a way to make a dent.

Forward-Facing – In county government (as with most government), you have various departments that directly serve the public. We call them forward-facing departments, such as Fire, Sheriff, Code, Parks, Transportation, Animal, Planning, Emergency Management, Flood Control, Social Services, Veterans Services, Behavioral Health, District Attorney, and Building & Safety – to name just a few.

Then you have the back-office departments of Human Resources, Legal Counsel, Purchasing, Facilities, and IT, again, to name just a few.