Milwaukee County Supervisor Coggs: Preserving county resources at a reasonable cost
In some cases, County workers are more cost-effective than contract staff
Milwaukee, WI – Preserving Milwaukee County resources in a cost-effective manner is a priority in the 2009 County Budget adopted by Supervisors this week. During budget deliberations, a majority of Supervisors resisted attempts to outsource numerous County services, including skilled trades, fleet management, and Behavioral Health Division workers. The Board did, however, agree to contract out the remaining dietary positions at the Behavioral Health Division.
“I was particularly skeptical of contracting out the skilled trades positions,” said Supervisor Elizabeth M. Coggs, Chair of the County Board’s Finance and Audit Committee. “Bringing in private electricians, plumbers and other workers would be an expensive proposition. I believe that it’s more cost-effective to keep these kinds of functions in house.”
County fringe benefit costs include pension and health care liabilities for retirees. A significant portion of these costs budgeted for 2009 would not decrease if services were outsourced.
“It was a priority for us to restore as many positions as possible. If we would have contracted out extensively, we would have had no idea what it would cost, because no bids or requests for proposals were issued on which to base cost savings estimates,” Coggs added. “The savings projected by the County Executive could be overstated.” |
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Sometimes the government agency may provide services for a lesser cost. Especially with professionals. However, most lower level jobs can be outsources, which is what the board did. Good for them.
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