Charlton supports outsourcing work
Published on 5/13/2008
By Scott Harper
sharper@gtowntimes.com
Georgetown County Administrator Sel Hemingway says he feels County Council will be able to pass a balanced 2008-09 budget that will not require a tax or fee increase but next year things may not be as good.
One word that was mentioned recently that may make county employees nervous was outsourcing.
Councilman Ron Charlton said he knows it's too late to consider any outsourcing of work for the upcoming budget which must be ratified by June 30, but it is something he feels needs to be studied.
"I would like to see us hold some workshops to talk about outsourcing some work. There may be some areas we can look at that will result in some cost savings," Charlton said at the meeting.
Charlton's opponent in this November's election is United Steelworkers of America Local 7898 President James Sanderson. He said there is no way he will ever be a proponent of outsourcing.
"It makes me want to believe he has no concern or compassion for people's jobs," Sanderson said. "The main reason you outsource jobs to contractors is to cut costs and cut people."
That, Charlton said, is not his plan. He said he envisions a method of cutting personnel through attrition -- not hiring anyone to replace people who retire or leave for other reasons in some areas.
He said something must be done because based on the current economic conditions, it will be very hard to balance the 2009-10 budget.
Charlton said several years ago the county decided to get rid of its vehicle maintenance department. That work is now contracted and saves the county about $300,000 annually.
He said, as another example, he feels Council should take a look at the Solid Waste Department and see if there could be cost savings by outsourcing some of those duties to a private company. He said county officials met with the private company Waste Management last year.
Charlton also said there may be some jobs being done by full-time workers that could be filled by part-timers. One such area, he said, is the Recycling Center attendants.
"I have always been an advocate for having retirees come in and work 29 hours a week. If we had that at the Recycling Centers then maybe they could stay open longer," Charlton said.
Sanderson said he feels instead of trying to find ways to cut jobs, the county should be talking to the workers.
"The way to address cost-cutting measures is to meet with workers and brainstorm with them. They may be very surprised at the feedback they get," Sanderson said. "When I am elected I will encourage department directors to form a partnership with workers."
Sanderson said there is another reason he is against outsourcing.
"When you contract out, in many cases illegal aliens do most of the work," he said.
2008-09 Budget first reading
The 2008-09 Georgetown County budget received first reading by County Council Tuesday night.
As is customary, the first reading of county ordinances are placed into the record by title only. Council will go into further discussions about the spending plan when it is up for second reading May 27.
On 5/18/2008, xuhong gaio said...· (Report Comment)
the county outsourced the vehicle maintenance division as stated in the article. the county saved money, and the vehicle shop employs LOCAL U.S. citizens. the county saved money and jobs are still to be had there. Andrews contemplated outsourcing their police dept to the sheriff. the town was to save money, and there would have been zero jobs lost from the move. also, no 'undocumented' workers would have been hired in the process. does james even know what he is talking about? does he know how to run a business or government (which is a business) cost effectively? does he even keep up to date with governmental moves to save money? if he had, he would know these things.
On 5/18/2008, xuhong gaio said...· (Report Comment)
how will james get rid of undocumented workers? is he going to unionize the entire county and force all 'labor' to join so he can perform background checks? seriously, what is james' plan to fulfill this promise? it sounds great to say that he's going to do this, but his tactics might not be that appealing. HOW???
On 5/15/2008, James Sanderson for County Council said...· (Report Comment)
James Sanderson is more concerned about the plight of working people than anyone I know. James has taken many hits from people who don't like James Standing up for working people. The issue Ron is JOBS! Georgetown wouldn't have to be concerned about this issue of a balanced budget if we had jobs. James Sanderson will get rid of these undocumented workers that suck the life out of Georgetown.
On 5/14/2008, Watchin' My Wallet said...· (Report Comment)
It's not surprising that Mr. Sanderson wants to continue spending somebody else's money for full-time jobs when part-time will do. It runs in his family. I'd rather have Mr. Charlton's hand on my wallet than Mr. Sanderson's.
On 5/14/2008, Saddend County Resident said...· (Report Comment)
You should be ashamed of yourself Mr. Charlton. Cutting county employees whom, by the way are underpaid as it is. Now you want to take their jobs altogether. I thought that you cared for our residents more than that. It may not mean much to you, but you just lost my vote.
On 5/13/2008, xuhong gaio said...· (Report Comment)
illegal aliens??! really? the only work that is done by illegal aliens is landscape and construction. both are performed now by $1/day prison labor. any chance sanderson can come up with some truthful statistics?
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