Quality Product, Reasonable Price

As Hernando County begins the 2006-07 budget cycle, more emphasis needs to be placed on a countywide Performance Measurement System. A limited program was initiated under the former administrator, Gary Adams with only a few departments. Performance Measurement needs to be applied to all departments to efficiently run them (departments) at a reasonable cost to the taxpayers. Performance Measurement systems are an indispensable part of the management process and will give Hernando County a way of determining whether it(county government) is providing a quality product, at a reasonable cost. A more in-depth look at a countywide Performance Measurement system could possibly aid the budget director, along with the county commissioners, to find a way to cut the Ad Valorem by at least 0.50 mil. As a management tool, more effective decision making could be based on performance appraisals of employees by management. The accountability of departments would also improve their public service performance by using comparable data as a way to improve their own performance. Most of all though, public participation is needed in this system so the citizens feel like they are a part of a solution, and not just considered a problem when issues arise. The marrying of all elements will improve civic discourse in our community. A Performance Measurement system can help identify target areas that need immediate attention, like backlogs in various departments and citizen complaints. A very important element to this system is evaluating progress based on timely data that reflects cost savings, services, evaluation of service levels, along with public satisfaction. To make a Performance Measurement System work, it must apply to all county governmental departments as a complete system. The development of Performance Measurement system for Hernando County will take time but the results will be well worth the effort to make our community prosper. " Look at it this way, a quality product, at a reasonable price, what more could the citizens of this county ask for in their government?"