If a water line breaks in Howard County in the middle of the night, Steve Gerwin’s cell phone will still ring, as it always has.

But a recent change in the county’s cell phone policy means Gerwin, chief of the county’s utilities bureau, will now, with some help from the county, pay for the phone that keeps him connected in the off hours.

County Executive Kenneth Ulman announced March 3 the county would turn over cell phone plans to employees and provide a monthly allowance for cell phones, PDAs or other mobile devices, a move expected to save the county $350,000.

Previously, certain employees used cell phones provided by and paid for by the county.

To save money and avoid additional charges from data and airtime overages, the county will give employees stipends for use of personal devices.

“I wanted to find savings but I also wanted to make sure there is no break in service, especially in public safety,” Ulman said.

The new policy includes four tiers of service, providing employees with $15 to $150 monthly in reimbursement depending on the requirements of their job.

In the utilities business, it’s essential to be tethered to a cell phone, said Gerwin, who often responds to e-mails via his phone during the weekend.

“When I’m somewhere without a cell phone, I feel like I’m missing something,” Gerwin said. “If you’re in this business, you’ve always had a cell phone attached.”

Gerwin, who will receive a $75 pre-tax stipend, said he’s on board with the change.

“In these tough economic times, we need to step up and do the right things, people might not be comfortable with it, but we need to decrease the burden on Howard County’s financial revenue,” Gerwin said.

The new policy comes as the county prepares it’s fiscal 2011 budget, which faces a shortfall of almost $20 million  due to tax revenue declines and unexpected snow removal costs from a set of blizzards last month.

County officials took stock of which employees had cell phones, and who might not actually need them, removing 15 percent,  or roughly 150, of the county-owned devices, Ulman said.

“There (were) some questions early from employees wondering why the change, what it means,” Ulman said. “Many employees are realizing that it will benefit them.”

Employees were undergoing the transition to new devices and personal plans last week.

“It adds up, and these are important cultural shifts that we’re making to find savings,” Ulman said.

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user comments (1)

user observer says...

The County Council should look at the mileage/travel stipends awarded to senior staff by the school system. Rather than being based upon actual/estimated miles traveled for business, the stipends are, in effect, a salary supplement. They are given predominately to instructional administrators--those many coordinators, dept. heads, etc in the central office--and the award of the stipends has sometimes been used to increase compensation for select individuals.

Posted 8:22 PM, 03.09.10 | Permalink