Can we start the cuts with those that want to do this? Lead by example folks. Why also do you need spokesperson’s isn’t that a waste of money? In these economic times I’m not sure anyone would think it’s a good idea to have time off without pay. My house value went down 16K and my actual tax owed went down $50.00 pretty sure they aren’t hurting for money anyhow.

How about this idea before you offer a bailot plan (who would not want a few days off if the benefits still accumulate)…. be more efficient! How many useless programs does st charles have that cost time, money and resources and don’t provide any return for the taxpayers? How about being good Republicans before being good RINOs?

Maybe the feds should do the same as our County Executive - look for ways to cut expenses rather than expand government and spend, spend, spend. Thanks for your leadership in hard times Mr. Ehlmann.

Wonder how many paygrade 14 and over county employees, you know, the ones who snuck in 15-30% increases in their top-end earnings potentials during the last pay plan, are going to prove their leadership and cut their hours or give back some of their 6 figures?

First…Ehlmann gets hundreds of dollars every month since he uses his car. He also fills up his car with tax payer gasoline. Ever since the Joe Ortwerth admin, this guy spent hundreds if not thousands of hours writing his history of st. charles county book on tax payer time. He goes on tv and says county employees are not allowed to use computers for personal things. Maybe he should take a leave so he can write his book. No one is going to read it anyways.

previous posters have terrific suggestions e.g., cut county spokesman position(County Exec can speak for himself), institute a 5-10% cut in every county department, remove the director of administration position(Ehlmann ought to be able to perform both positions), offer early retirement incentives to senior employees, eliminate one county council position(maybe Brazil’s or the Colonel’s), reduce the number of newsletter publications and put it on-line, delay new vehicle and equiqment purchases, delay park and recreation capital improvements, reduce energy costs particularly during the summer months by leaving lights off until the beginning of business hours and turning them off at the end of the business day(5:00 p.m.)and the same with air-conditioning, be good republicans and cut the fat out of spending…

Other readers/commenters make some good points about reducing. The size of government (here and elsewhere) has gotten out of control. Rarely does any government entity look to reduce of become more efficient. For example, the number of employees in St. Charles County government is 1027(you can find that from the salary database article) and the population in 2008 was 349,407 - 1 employee for every 340 residents. The trend of government at all levels growing out of control (and to some degree providing a job safety net) started after WW2 and has outpaced the rate of population growth (492% to 115%). See these graphs for a great visual explanation: http://mwhodges.home.att.net/state_local.htm

Out elected leaders (and their appointed bureacrats) must be subject to the same type of belt tightening that is encumbent on all corporations and individuals. Next time there is a ballot issue for more money - just say “no”.

O’Fallon Reader, Although I understand your rationale, I question your source. Mr. Hodges makes reference to having attended graduate studies and being a former NASA physicist, but then launches into more hyperbole without further substantiating his expertise on the matter. In fact, Mr. Hodges, on his About the Grandfather Economic Report webpage makes a similar statement regarding credibility of the source, but does nothing to cite his sources, which may or may not be valid, and dilutes his message with clutter and clip art (if here are attributions, I certainly couldn’t find them in between the author’s noise). The danger in this is that people craving information, like yourself, take this to be an authoritative source. It’s the same reason why people should not to use Wikipedia as a reference when researching things - because they anyone can say anything with minimal attribution and claim it to be an authoritative source - and actually believe it because it’s in line with what they, themselves want to hear, and they get self-validation.
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As for St. Charles County Government, and Missouri in general, I do not consider either to be high service. In fact, the libertarian structure of Missouri local governments confuses this more as the schools, library, water, sewer, fire, ambulance, and community college are all independent taxing entities, each with its own board of directors who have no responsibility to the County Executive or County Council, or (except for the St. Charles Fire Department) to any municipal elected officials - and the County sends out the tax bills with their name on it for the benefit of each of these smaller districts. People have griped inappropriately about firefighter salaries in these forums in the context that their county or municipal elected leaders can do something about it. They can’t. It’s not their purview. For the services that are provided, from my view, there aren’t enough to be competitive with other metropolitan areas. Although this spartanism has brought in some Fortune 500s in the past, it’s not enough to retain them. The illusion of savings is wasted on contracting private services, such as sanitation, or dispersal over the number of independent taxing districts. Other services, like mass transit to commute to employment hubs are virtually zero in St. Charles County. When we are complaining of too many government employees, I posit there is too much fragmentation to actually determine who does what, and that many initiatives came up through the Ortwerth administration through independent taxing sources that cannot be reapportioned by law, and whose priorities should be reexamined today. I cannot blame Ortwerth for this, because Missouri law, particularly Hancock, promotes this budget compartmentalization through the requiring of referendum balloting on taxing initiatives. After that, there is no discretion afforded to elected leadership to reapportion the monies collected to critical needs, except for general revenue funds. Essential services should be retained or expanded (yes, you read it right, some services need to be expanded - ESPECIALLY BECAUSE of this economy), while the nice-to-haves need to be constricted and possibly divested. To the other readers, as a political independent, I must state this is not a Republican virtue. It is a good governance virtue.
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As for government employees, each is a taxpayer and most, if not all, are registered voters. They should not be treated as second-class to private sector employees. Public sector employees, particularly the ones who actually put shovel-to-dirt, are the only ones who are not allowed to do well and prosper - not even during the boom years. When they do, it’s a public outrage.

hhhhmmm

why is there a comment missing right after fedup2 yesterday it was there now gone.

who has right to pull public comment off? and why?

it was just informing us of lawsuit county has due to an employee they still have working there and how they want to cut the budget and keep this employee still

shame on this paper for pulling any public comment

if you can find it in public record then why hide it

i didnt know this paper pulls comments off now i do.

did anyone else notice this