GREEN COVE SPRINGS — County staff announced that they have saved over $900,000 worth of taxpayer dollars as a part of their efficiency efforts at Tuesday's Board of County Commissioners Meeting.

Back in April, the board passed a resolution supporting the Executive Office of the Governor Department of Governmental Efficiency Team (EOG DOGE), directing staff to  identify areas that create efficiencies within the county.

During the Fiscal Year 2024/2025, county staff said they identified and implemented the following cost-saving opportunities:

• Moody Park pavement design and permitting completed in house, saving $65,000.
•  Animal Services building, saving $200,000 by purchasing materials themselves and including scope changes.
• Fire stations, saving over $500,000 by rejecting designs for bathrooms, including scope changes, removing unnecessary signal work and bundling the building design.
• Suntrail, saving $20,000 by widening an existing sidewalk rather than constructing a new portion.
• The Clay County Sheriff's Building 500, saving $135,000 by removing redundant fire alarm systems.
• Personal device use policy, saving $4,000 by eliminating the usage of YubiKeys to authenticate staff. 
  
  
  

Commission Auditor Heather Boucher gave a presentation to the board.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CLAY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Additionally, the county moved the ambulance billing process in house,  increasing the revenue from $407.47 per transport to $528 per transport, an approximate increased revenue of $2 million so far this year.

Staff also discussed other process efficiencies, including:

• Updates to the firefighter rates charged for events, saving staff time and allowing transparency for event organizers.
• The installation of remote school beacons, saving staff time and travel, as well as accommodating changes in the School Board schedule.
• Changes to the library staffing model, allowing for a distinction between full-time and part-time employees.

Moving forward, county staff said they were focused on four targeted areas: Parks and Recreation reservation software, grounds maintenance, cell phone bills and the centralized purchasing of high volume items. 

District 1 Commissioner John Sgromolo applauded staff and urged them to keep going.

"I want to commend Howard [Wanamaker], as the county manager. Through my analysis of working with staff and being with the county staff the past nine months, he's creating a culture of efficiencies and a culture of DOGE'ing yourself. Like 'Hey, this is our goal of  how we're going to spend taxpayer money,'" he said. "So, I think Howard keep your foot on the gas with that. I think you've set a good course."