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More Community Corner Fall River program to reward cost-saving ideas
Fall River has introduced a means by which city employees will receive cash awards for ideas judged capable of saving money or increasing productivity.
The Fall River program, proposed by Councillor Cathy Ann Viveiros, will award current city employees, as well as retirees, with up to $500 for innovative ideas. A committee consisting of Viveiros and several other city officials will review ideas on a monthly basis and confer with department heads about proposals that appear to have merit.
Proposals recommended by the committee are subject to final approval by Mayor Robert Correia and City Administrator Alan Silva.
According to Viveiros, who first proposed the idea in February, the original plan was to have the cash awards be funded through the city budget. But there was some concern, Viveiros said, that doling out bonuses to select employees could run afoul of collective-bargaining agreements. Fernando Garcia, the owner of a local Ford dealership, agreed to be the program’s sole financial sponsor.
“I think it’s probably beneficial that we did get the private sector involved,” Viveiros said. “The municipal budget is tight this year.”
The Fall River program is modeled on what was in place in Easton for several years early in this decade. Easton’s Smart Budget Dollars program, which received a 2001 Innovation Award from the MMA, was credited with generating more than $250,000 in savings during its first year. Among the money-saving ideas were a more efficient means of collecting on Medicare billings; the purchasing of office supplies through a regional consortium; and a new approach to mitigating the consequences of a spill from an underground gasoline storage tank.
More Community Corner Fall River program to reward cost-saving ideas
Fall River program to reward cost-saving ideas
Fall River has introduced a means by which city employees will receive cash awards for ideas judged capable of saving money or increasing productivity.
The Fall River program, proposed by Councillor Cathy Ann Viveiros, will award current city employees, as well as retirees, with up to $500 for innovative ideas. A committee consisting of Viveiros and several other city officials will review ideas on a monthly basis and confer with department heads about proposals that appear to have merit.
Proposals recommended by the committee are subject to final approval by Mayor Robert Correia and City Administrator Alan Silva.
According to Viveiros, who first proposed the idea in February, the original plan was to have the cash awards be funded through the city budget. But there was some concern, Viveiros said, that doling out bonuses to select employees could run afoul of collective-bargaining agreements. Fernando Garcia, the owner of a local Ford dealership, agreed to be the program’s sole financial sponsor.
“I think it’s probably beneficial that we did get the private sector involved,” Viveiros said. “The municipal budget is tight this year.”
The Fall River program is modeled on what was in place in Easton for several years early in this decade. Easton’s Smart Budget Dollars program, which received a 2001 Innovation Award from the MMA, was credited with generating more than $250,000 in savings during its first year. Among the money-saving ideas were a more efficient means of collecting on Medicare billings; the purchasing of office supplies through a regional consortium; and a new approach to mitigating the consequences of a spill from an underground gasoline storage tank.
Written by MMA Associate Editor Mitch Evich
