When money’s tight, people cut out eating in restaurants, going on vacation or stopping for a latte.

It’s not much different for El Paso County – travel, bottled water and service awards have been whacked.

It’s penny pinching for a government that spends a few hundred million dollars each year, but it does show residents the county knows how to tighten its belt.

Having eliminated 200 jobs and delayed replacing vehicles in trimming $2.5 million from this year’s budget, county officials are scrounging for nickels and dimes.

Commissioner Amy Lathen recently asked how much the county spends on bottled water in county buildings. Answer: $7,171.

Having slashed utility costs by closing county offices one day a week since last year, the county recently installed sensors on stairwell lights that flip on only when someone uses the stairs.

“These are the kinds of things you look to cut,” she said. “That’s where we are.”

While commissioners are willing to eat beans for the rest of the year by slicing their travel budget, Commissioner Sallie Clark splurged on a final steak dinner recently by attending a National Association of Counties meeting in Florida about reducing jail populations.

“I don’t think there’s many places to scrape from,” Clark said. If tax revenue doesn’t rise soon, she said, commissioners might axe $35,000 for employee service awards or reduce $70,000 it gives to Colorado State University’s cooperative extension program, which supports 4-H programs.

Penny pinching serves a dual purpose, said Joshua Dunn, a political science professor at UCCS.

“One, if there’s enough of the small stuff, it could actually help,” he said. “It also serves a public relations purpose. It does show they’re working really hard to save wherever they can.”

Lathen said such cuts aren’t just for show.

“When we find things where we can pinch pennies, we’re going to do it,” she said. “Does it add up to building a new coroner’s facility? Probably not. But is it the right thing to do? Of course.”

–

Contact the writer: 636-0238 or pam.zubeck@gazettedev.gazette.com  

Maurine King, 87, undergoes dialysis Friday, Jan. 30, 2009, at DaVita. King goes for three to four hours a day, three days a week. Photo by KEVIN KRECK, THE GAZETTE