York County officials announced Tuesday a personnel reorganization that should end up saving the county a few thousand dollars and a new program they hope will lead to a more efficient government.
The reorganization will help establish the “Managing Performance for a Lean Government” program. The program, which is in the early planning stages and will be implemented over time, is based on principles developed in the private sector to maximize value.
The reorganization and Lean Program won’t increase the county’s budget, said County Administrator James McReynolds, who added it should save the county a few thousand dollars but did not yet have an exact estimate.
McReynolds said the intent of the program is to look at everything in the county from the top to the bottom to try to figure out how to generate the most value from the county’s operations. To achieve this end, the county will conduct ongoing sessions with its employees, where a facilitator oversees conversations between employees who identify ways the county can improve efficiency. The county will also survey and interview customers and citizens to gather outside input on its operations.
“If we were looking at the business license issuance process, we’d ask the people who came in for permits for feedback,” McReynolds said.
The director of financial and management services position, the public information officer position and the information and publications coordinator position were eliminated to make room for a deputy county administrator, a public information coordinator and a controller position that will oversee much of the county’s financial operations.
A news release from the county said Human Resources Manager Laurie Blanton-Coleman will be transferred to the director of community services position, which is currently vacant. Gail Whittaker, currently a county spokesperson, will become the public information coordinator. Vivian Calkins-McGettigan, an outside hire from the Prince William County Public School System, will become deputy county administrator. Chief of Budget and Financial Reporting Sharon Day will fill the controller position.
“It was a good time to make these moves,” McReynolds said. He said the number of open positions in the county and the hiring freeze that’s currently in place made it possible to shuffle jobs and responsibilities in a way that that helps the county conduct its operations.
McReynolds said once the Lean Program is off the ground, it will become an ongoing component of the county’s processes. The program will be executed and analyzed by county officials, meaning it won’t rely on outside consultants for any stage of the work.
“One of the big reasons a consultant isn’t the way to go is because this is an ongoing process,” McReynolds said. “We don’t see this as a flash in the pan. We strive to be efficient, so I think this will help us to be more efficient.”
He said enough accountability and internal controls are built into county operations that objectivity won’t be an issue in the county’s examination of its processes.
The exact parameters of the program have yet to be released. McReynolds said reports will eventually be posted on the county’s website. These reports will outline how the county is trying to become more efficient, citing performance measurements in a dashboard that looks at service level and efficiency measures.
The news release said the Board of Supervisors had an interest in establishing a performance management system and wanted to devote more time to mid- to long-range strategic planning. The hope is that the Lean Program will help achieve these ends.
“I applaud the performance measures,” District 4 supervisor George Hrichak said of the Lean Program at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. “I think that will help us tremendously as we go through the budgets in future years.”
The deputy county administrator position is not to be confused with the assistant county administrator, a position currently held by J. Mark Carter. Carter oversees zoning and planning, while Calkins-McGettigan will oversee the Lean Program and will also oversee human resources, community services, computer support services and emergency communication.
Blanton-Coleman will oversee the divisions of Children and Family Services, Video Services, Juvenile Services, Parkes and Recreation, Tourism and Events, Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization, and Special Programs. Day will oversee Fiscal Accounting Services, Budget and Financial Reporting, Central Purchasing. Whittaker, the new Public Information Coordinator, will now report to Carter.
Calkins-McGettigan previously served as the chief internal auditor of the Prince William County Public School System. There she created the first office of internal audit, the news release said. She has also served as Hanover County’s director of finance, Fauquier County’s government and schools finance director, an adjunct professor for the University of Richmond and as a president of the Virginia Government Finance Officers’ Association.
Blanton-Coleman has been a county employee since July 1994. For 18 years, she has served as the human resources manager for the county, according to the news release. Before that, she worked for the Hampton Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Contel Telephone Operations and Canon Virginia. She currently serves on the York/Poquoson Social Services Board and on the United Way of Greater Williamsburg Board.
Day became the county’s chief of budget and financial reporting in July 2003, according to the news release. She has also worked for public accounting firms Goodman & Company, KPMG and Eason, Lawson & Westphal. In addition, she has worked for the accounting department of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.
Whittaker joined the York County Public Information Office in September 1992. In 1997 she became the information and publications coordinator. During her time working for the county, she has done public information work for the Emergency Operations Center during hurricanes, severe storm events and emergency exercises, according to the news release. She is a member of Poquoson’s School Board.
