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As we scrutinize each line of the proposed 2006 county budget, one of the most important issues that County Legislators are faced with is the size of the county workforce. Much has been said in the past few weeks about the lay-offs that occurred two years ago, the number of county employees today, and where we are in comparison.

It is important to set the record straight: None of the jobs that the Legislature eliminated in 2003 and 2004 have been restored.

The bottom line is, that in less than three years, the county workforce has decreased from 1,362 at the end of 2002, to 1,116 at the end of October. The personal services budget, which covers wages but not fringe benefits, has decreased from $40,972,222 in 2002 to $37,368,342 budgeted for 2005.

In 2003, we went through two rounds of lay-offs and removed 305 jobs from the county budget. Some of them were vacant positions. Some of them were part-time positions. None of those positions have been filled. They were completely eliminated.

It is important to remember that there were 116 county employees affected by the job cuts. Every department in county government was affected, and they continue to be affected.

As people have retired and employees have resigned to work elsewhere, we have been able to hire some of those former employees back. Some were hired back to vacant positions at the same job title. Some were hired back to vacant positions at a different job title.

Some critics have stated that we are hiring too many people back. Let's look at the numbers:

Through employee turnover, including retirements, promotions and resignations, 145 positions have been vacated since the lay-offs. (These jobs are in addition to the 305 jobs that were completely eliminated.)

Is each vacant county job filled automatically? Of course not.

When a vacancy occurs, we ask each department head to decide if existing staff can do the work, if the service can be eliminated, or if the job must be filled to keep the department functioning effectively. If the department head decides that the position is vital to their department, he or she requests a meeting with the vacancy review committee. The department head must be able to justify their request for filling a vacancy.

We carefully examine each vacant position and options. Should the position be filled at the same job title? Can it be combined with another position or filled at a lower level? Should it remain vacant?

Over the past year and a half the county has refilled 92 positions that became vacant. Fortunately, we've been able to return 38 former employees to work. We also were able to hire eight seasonal workers to help with traffic control on construction projects this summer.

What have we gained through this process?

The county has saved more than $2.8 million in salaries and fringe benefits through positions that have remained vacant. We continue to be vigilant in evaluating each position. With the transition in ownership this week of the Andrew Michaud Nursing Home to St. Luke's Healthcare, the savings to the taxpayer will continue to increase.

The county has a tighter, more productive workforce. We asked our employees and department heads to do more with less. County workers have gone above and beyond in this respect, and I thank all employees, from frontline staff to department heads, for their efforts.

Where do we go from here?

Our responsibility to the citizens and taxpayers of Oswego County, and our goal as County Legislators, is to balance the minimum number of employees needed to provide adequate and respectable levels of service to our residents. As Chairman of the Legislature, this remains my priority as we work through the process of adopting a county budget for 2006.