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County departments are looking at the way they do business and are asking "Can we do this another way for less and still provide great customer service?" Innovative ideas were presented to the Board of Supervisors during the Midyear Budget Projections, which praised County staff for shrinking a projected budget shortfall in half. More new approaches are expected as County departments continue to close the budget gap and build next fiscal year's budget with the target of reducing General Fund contributions by 10 percent.

"Tight budgets have a way of focusing our perspectives, helping us to think differently about the way we do even day-to-day tasks," said County Administrator Michael D. Johnson. "I'm always impressed with how County employees step up to the challenge and make the impossible seem possible."

The employees in the Health and Social Services Mental Health Division pondered a variety of budget scenarios, balancing its services to the community with declining State funding. The solution was to combine the functions of the Mental Health Outpatient Clinics and Crisis Clinics in Vallejo and Fairfield while expanding the use of its Mobile Crisis Team for after hours care.

Since mid-February, the Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team no longer waits for clients to come to the clinic. The Mobile Crisis team triages clients in the field and directs clients to the most appropriate care. This has enabled Mental Health to be more responsive to the hospital emergency rooms and local law enforcement personnel.

"When we looked at the big picture of serving the needs of our clients, it became pretty clear that changing the way we did business could improve service, save more than $500,000, and prevent existing employees from getting laid off. That's an impressive solution," said Michael Oprendek, H&SS deputy director for mental health.

Child Support Services was already in the streamlining process, in conjunction with its counterparts across the state, with its conversion to the California Child Support Automated System in March 2008. Clients are now able to get the majority of the information and services they needed via a toll-free telephone center or from a secure website.

Actual in-person visits to both offices have dropped dramatically since the conversion, so the department consolidated its in-person operations to the Fairfield office. Six employees from the satellite Vallejo office moved on March 31 when the lease on that facility ended.

"The timing of the lease ending and all our other efforts to streamline services made it the right decision to consolidate operations," said Pam Posehn, Child Support Services director. "Our clients will still get the same great service, but we will be doing it more cost-effectively."

(From County Matters, Newsletter for County of Solano Employees)

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I encourage everyone to review the article below about the propositions that will be on the May 19 ballot.  One of those measures would pull funding from our local First 5 and return the funds to the state at great loss to the children in our county.  See below.

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