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Ms. Stremski asked about having a staggered start and finish time, and Mr. Sumada said <br />they could do that, too. It would have to go through the union. No one has entertained <br />the idea of a Saturday operation, but it could be considered. <br />Ms. Nicholson asked if the main barrier to accomplishing this would be union <br />negotiations, and Mr. Sumada said no, it would be dealing with the staff. They are very <br />accustomed to the Monday through Friday operation. In introducing a Saturday, or a <br />Tuesday to Saturday schedule, several employees would be needed to receive customers <br />and process their permits. He felt if they could have three or four, or the minimum <br />number of employees needed to be open, and they were agreeable to trying it, he believed <br />the union would be supportive. However, it would still need to be negotiated. <br />Ms. Cushnie said that Mr. Sumada's proposals are very well thought out and that she <br />hoped he would have the ability to poll the workers. They could do it as an experiment <br />for six months and take a survey on its effectiveness. The proposal is receptive to the <br />public's needs. <br />Ms. Cushnie said she had a question on section b of the handout, whether the County had <br />any grant writers and who gets them. Mr. Sumada said the County does have grant <br />writers in the Research and Development Department —but it's who knows about them <br />and chases after them. He is not sure how it works and has not actively pursued that. He <br />said there is a mindset barrier on this, as certain staff equates more money with more <br />work. They try to take advantage of federal and state programs to augment their funding <br />resources, but having a grant writer on their staff would be very valuable. It would, <br />however, be a gamble to see if enough grants could be found to justify the position of <br />grant writer. <br />Ms. Cushnie commented that he was the third or fourth person who wanted a grant <br />writer. <br />Mr. Sumada said he is not sure how many grants are related to buildings or roads, that <br />most are related to parks and recreation activities. <br />Ms. Cushnie asked if the DPW could bring people into the government on a short-term <br />basis via grant- funded positions, and Mr. Sumada said sure. <br />Mr. Sakaguchi asked if a hui of consultants came to the DPW with a data base of all <br />funding sources for roads, transportation, etc., and asked to do business with the County <br />(which would come up with the ideas, and the consultants would prepare the proposals <br />and get a percentage), would the County be interested. Mr. Sumada said he would be <br />very open to that. <br />Mr. Sakaguchi said that project management would still be an issue, and Mr. Sumada <br />said it could be woven into the grant. <br />Mr. Sakaguchi said that in talking with the various departments, he got a clear sense that <br />the County departments are like separate kingdoms. He is not sure what the managing <br />director and Mayor do, because everybody wants a grant writer, everybody has a problem <br />with computerization, and some departments even have their own payroll system. He <br />12 <br />