Iowa Auditor Rob Sand announces cost-cutting competition winners – Iowa Capital Dispatch

Extra metropolis and county governments are taking part within the state auditor’s cost-cutting competitors this 12 months, Iowa Auditor Rob Sand stated in a information convention Monday.

Sand introduced the winners of this 12 months’s Public Improvements and Efficiencies (PIE) program, which was created in 2019 to assist public entities discover new methods to save cash. To take part, native leaders submit a “PIE Chart” and measure what steps they’ve taken to cut back waste and save vitality and cash. Strategies in this system vary from beginning a compost system, to protecting electronics unplugged in a single day, to sending digital paperwork as an alternative of printing papers when potential.

The auditor’s workplace measured how most of the suggestions outlined in this system have been carried out. The auditor’s workplace named 5 “greatest performing” metropolis and county winners based mostly on measurement, in addition to a “most improved” winner in every class. Total, the very best performing county was Johnson County, and the very best performing metropolis Des Moines. For “most improved,” Jackson County and the town of Gilbertville received.

Winners like Gilbertville took steps to save lots of taxpayer {dollars} that included including fuel-efficient automobiles to their workforces’ fleets, putting in LED lightbulbs and repairing plumbing issues in public buildings. Every contestant was requested what they’d accomplished to save cash and the way they did it. The auditor’s web site affords a “PIE recipes” web page, the place authorities employees can share their ideas and techniques with others throughout Iowa.

“By making that comparability, (we) foster a bit little bit of sense of competitors, a bit bit of accomplishment for folks actually working to preserve tax {dollars},” Sand stated.

Participation within the PIE program grew greater than 55% this previous 12 months, Sand stated, with 84 counties and 310 cities getting into the competitors. He additionally pointed to Mississippi, the place Republican State Auditor Shad White adopted in Iowa’s footsteps and began an analogous competitors, to point out its effectiveness.

This 12 months was additionally the primary time that faculty districts participated, with 121 districts submitting entries. Iowa faculties have seen a “pinch” up to now few years, Sand stated, and have been able to tackle cost-saving measures. Hamburg Neighborhood College District was the “greatest performing” district within the competitors total. Winners and runners-up have been additionally named in 4 classes based mostly on district measurement.

“I believe faculty districts are notably eager to see methods they will get monetary savings,” Sand stated. “As a result of they perceive they will make these pitches and possibly save sufficient cash to assist a trainer in a classroom.”

Sand plans to hand-deliver a pie to public officers in every profitable group, based on a information launch.

2022 PIE program winners

Counties:

• Finest Performing County: Johnson
• Finest Performing Largest Fifth County: Johnson
• Finest Performing Second Fifth County: Clayton
• Finest Performing Center Fifth County: Kossuth
• Finest Performing Fourth Fifth County: Louisa
• Finest Performing Smallest Fifth County: Ringgold
• Most Improved County: Jackson

Cities:

• Finest Performing Metropolis: Des Moines
• Finest Performing Largest Fifth Metropolis: Des Moines
• Finest Performing Second Fifth Metropolis: Guttenberg
• Finest Performing Center Fifth Metropolis: Milo
• Finest Performing Fourth Fifth Metropolis: Plainfield
• Finest Performing Smallest Fifth Metropolis: Fostoria
• Most Improved Metropolis: Gilbertville

Neighborhood faculty districts:

• Finest Performing Neighborhood College District: Hamburg
• Finest Performing 4A Neighborhood College District: School
• Finest Performing 4A Runner Up Neighborhood College District: Bettendorf
• Finest Performing 3A Neighborhood College District: Howard-Winneshiek
• Finest Performing 3A Runner Up Neighborhood College District: Sioux Central
• Finest Performing 2A Neighborhood College District: MFL MarMac
• Finest Performing 2A Runner Up Neighborhood College District: Missouri Valley
• Finest Performing 1A Neighborhood College District: Hamburg
• Finest Performing 1A Runner Up Neighborhood College District: Belle Plaine