Carroll County gets by just fine with fewer employees per population than almost all other counties, officials reported Tuesday.
There are only 5.37 Caroll employees, including police, per 1,000 citizens, but they usually stay for at least a decade, according to an annual personnel report. That rate is second lowest to Cecil County by only .01.
Officials said every new position is scrutinized to determine if it?s really needed, because Carroll salaries are also lower than in others.
“The criteria that we use for new positions is overwhelming,” said Carole Hammen, director of human resources.
“We?re so frugal when it comes to hiring new positions,” added Deputy Director Pamela Lindsay.
But the county makes it work, because it is less bureaucratic than others, Hammen said. Fewer levels of government mean officials are in more direct contact with the public.
And despite adding a pension plan only in recent years, nearly 60 percent of county employees have worked in the government for more than 10 years, the report says.
“Seeing how long some of the people have been here, it?s amazing,” Hammen said. “People who come here usually stay here.”
Officials believed employees stayed at local jobs longer in Carroll than in other counties, but could not say definitively.
The county hired 88 new employees, 33 for public safety, and lost 80 last fiscal year, according to the report.
More of this information is being posted on the county?s Web site, in another effort to maintain transparency with the public. Salary ranges, for example, are now posted on the county?s site.
“It?s just some stats that people like to know about,” Hammen said. “We get calls all the time, ?What?s the average age of employees?? We take calls every day saying, ?Can you send us your job description??”
And it?s another effort to keep employees within the county.
“The dream people have is to be able to live and work in your own town,” Hammen said. “We?re a small community.”
