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NEWS RELEASE

March 3, 2010

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Howard County’s New Cost-Saving Policy on Mobile Devices Goes into Effect

ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Ken Ulman has released a new policy which changes the way the County government manages the work-related use of voice and/or data telephone devices for its employees.

“For the past three years we have worked incredibly hard to cut costs and find savings in government, and this new policy is a continuation of that work,” said Executive Ulman. “We spent a lot of time and effort in making sure that this policy does not hamper the level of service we provide the citizens of the County while still saving the County money.”

Under the new policy, the county would provide a monthly allowance to cover the cost currently incurred by employees whose jobs require that they stay in close contact with county staff and the public while they are away from County offices. These devices could include cellular voice telephones and other mobile data devices such as PDAs and Blackberry-style devices which can transmit and receive data wirelessly over the internet. This new policy will affect more than 500 County employees, many of whom maintain their own personal cell phones for private use, and save the County approximately $350,000.

The allowances will vary based on a tier system dependent on the amount of work-related use required by an employee’s job position. Employees eligible to receive an allowance must have work-related duties which:

1. Require immediate response and/or constant communication for public safety or government operations
2. Justify that commercial wireless services are a more effective means of communication than office devices

Other cost-cutting measures implemented by Howard County have included a one-week furlough for county employees; a reduction in the number of take-home cars for county employees, including public safety personnel; the elimination of the print shop and cable television studio; and a reduction in energy usage. In addition, several cooperative initiatives with the Howard County School System have resulted in savings on items like health insurance, fleet maintenance, and joint paving contracts.