Saturday Services • San Diego County, Calif.
Services provided by government agencies are usually provided between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday–Friday. Unfortunately, this time does not always accommodate busy work schedules. Therefore, the County Clerk’s Office “Saturday Services” program was started to enable customers to conduct business at a time more convenient to them.
A full array of services are offered on Saturdays from 9a.m.–3p.m. Birth and death certificates are issued; business name applications are filed, marriage licenses are issued; and marriages performed.
Most of the cost for staff and related expenses was absorbed by the existing operations. Added cost was limited to hiring a security guard for Saturdays and paying overtime to clerks who work 36 hours during the week. But the added convenience is credited with increasing the number of wedding ceremonies performed by the department.
An average of 18 ceremonies are performed in the six hours the office is open on Saturday, while the weekly average before Saturday Services was instituted was 11. The increase of seven ceremonies generates more than enough additional revenue to offset the cost.
While appearing simple, breaking with tradition by offering services on Saturdays was no easy task. In the early months of the program, when the number of visits were low, skeptics questioned the validity of Saturday Services. But over time and with some media advertising, the public soon discovered the convenience of taking care of business on Saturday.
Martin County Commissioner Orientation Program • Martin County, Fla.
Newly elected county commissioners often have little knowledge of the “mechanics” of how a county is managed or an awareness of the scope of their responsibility and roles.
Beginning in early summer 2000, the county administrator pulled together a team of staff members to develop an orientation program for newly elected commissioners. The goal was to have the program in place and ready to go immediately following the November 2000 general election. The program design was completed in late August. In November, the voters elected all new commissioners.
The orientation program was sorely needed. The first phase of the orientation consisted of two full days of in-depth classroom style training which presented overviews of the organization, major policy tools, including human resources policies and risk management. The second phase of the orientation consisted of three full-day trips touring county facilities including the emergency operations center, parks and recreation facilities, water plants and others.
All costs for the program, including staff and materials, were within existing departmental budgets. The only exception was food costs which equaled $200.
The orientation program was extremely successful, providing the opportunity for Martin County to experience a dynamic change in the direction of county government without a traumatic change in the organization. Since taking office, few changes in management or personnel have occurred as a result of board direction.
