Managing in times of fiscal stress can be a challenge. Revenues are down. Some of our expenses have gone up considerably such as fuel. Competition is fierce which provides some relief. Reconsidering most things becomes the norm. More needs become wants as our viewpoints change.
Every chance we get we’re looking at cutting costs. We search for the best prices in purchasing products. We look towards more efficient ways of doing things. Service levels are scrutinized. Overtime is avoided. We have been selling surplus property on eBay. Contracts are being renegotiated. Spending occurs only where the need exists.
This really is paying off. The lighting at City Hall has been changed to a more efficient standard. Cell phones have been changed to reduce our costs. Programmable thermostats have been installed in city hall. In the recent remodeling we reused cabinets. No new furnishings were bought. A new score board will appear in city park with a change in vending machines at no cost.
Another recent success is that of a new copier. You may think that getting a new copier would cost more but this wasn’t the case. With the price of copy machines going down and competition improving we were able to reduce costs for a copier at the Public Safety Building last year. This saved a good deal of money. We attempted to address the copier at city hall at that time, but given the lease terms we were unable to do it then.
This year we took another look and found that we could buy out the lease and replace the machine we have with a smaller and more inexpensive machine that meets our needs at a significantly lower cost. Without getting into the specifics of brands and detailed expenses our cost was reduced from approximately $715 per month, which included maintenance and some supplies. We reduced our costs to approximately $450 per month with similar arrangements. The annual savings amounts to about $3,400.
Some may say in the grand scheme of things perhaps that isn’t significant. I’d say it is. Nickels and dimes add up. Shopping around for the best deal is important. Working competition has its advantages and recognizing our needs can save dollars.
Every little bit helps.
