Salt Lake County has already provided proof of this statement's truth. A citizen at the September 1 hearing raised concerns about the inefficiency of sending several emergency vehicles and their crews to deal with emergencies that only require one vehicle. In response to that concern, the commissioners assured her that in the face of this budget crisis, the sheriff and fire departments had redesigned their procedures to become more efficient. There is no reason to stop there. When Philadelphia faced a budget crisis in 1991-92, newly elected mayor Edward Rendell revamped the benefit programs received by city employees, which were very generous compared to the benefits earned by most of the city's residents.
Similar opportunities exist in Salt Lake County.
This budget crunch presents an opportunity to revise the benefits program, offering deputies the option of taking home more money rather than taking such a large benefit package, while at the same time cutting costs overall. Amazingly, a 60 percent increase does not exceed this rate. In the meantime, the commission should look at this problem as a gift, and use it to improve the efficiency of needed services and eliminating unneeded services, rather than passing additional costs on to the taxpayers. Permission to reprint this article in whole or in part is granted provided credit is given to the author and to the Sutherland Institute. Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Sutherland Institute, as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any legislation, or as an endorsement of any candidate or initiative.