(3/2025) Following the election of Donald Trump the Department of Governmental Efficiency has been a part of discussions nearly every day. Since this new department has begun their review of governmental spending; wasteful, fraudulent, and abusive spending in astronomical amounts have been revealed. Most Americans praise these findings while some are highly critical for the ending of such spending. I will not get into this divide, but it reminds me that I am thankful that we as a county are governed by laws that require a balanced budge and that in the making of our budget it must be made public.

Also, as a county we have two watchdogs that monitor the legitimacy of expenses and approve the physical transfer of funds from our revenue accounts. Our two watchdogs are our County Controller and County Treasurer. Then there is another layer of financial review by auditors each year and additional internal audits within the audit year.

Operating alongside of this framework is our Purchasing Department ensuring that all purchases match the items and dollar amounts presented and approved in the county budget. Periodically a budget modification is needed because unplanned activity occurs withing a department and funds are transferred between or among budget line items. To approve any modification, it must pass through the commissioner’s office for review and approval. Within the Federal Government, I doubt if you will find a system as effective and responsible for monitoring spending as that utilized by Adams County.

During the course of the year, I periodically get the question, "What is new in Adams County"? The newest event is the Information Technology Department transitioning all county cell phones and MIFI internet devices to our newest provider, T-Mobile. A major portion of this transition requires converting the data contained in all the former county staff cell phones to the new T-Mobile cell phones. To accomplish this conversion of data from the old cell phone carrier to T-Mobile, we created a temporary workshop manned by the IT department and T-Mobile consultants and technicians.

Each county staff member that had the old version cell phone was given an appointed time to report to what I called the bullpen. The atmosphere in the bullpen reminded me of the stock exchange "pit" with one-on-one discussions for a full day. Thanks to this intense effort and change of wireless carriers the county was able to save at least $27,000. There is potential for future saving depending upon technology changes, which have been an unending reality.

Changes that take place in Information Technology generally occur due to upgrades in technology or the manufacturer will no longer be supporting the equipment in use. When equipment is no longer supported by the supplier/manufacturer then we as a county must decide how long it is feasible to stay with unsupported equipment before we purchase new.

There have been occasions when we have negotiated for an extension to delay an expensive purchase or we have even analyzed our ability to service the equipment to keep it operating into the next budget year. Fortunately, we have done both with success.

I often see IT equipment as a blessing and a curse. As a blessing it does amazing operations to handle the 100’s of thousands of pieces of information the county must manage. But it is a curse when the exclusive supplier notifies the county it will no longer service the equipment after as little as three years of use. When we get that kind of news, I dread the replacement expense that is coming. One consolation we have is that we did a number of expensive projects several years ago with favorable borrowing rates between 2.8% and 4%. Additionally, we refinanced higher interest debt at the same time with these lower rates that are now unavailable. It should be noted that the board of commissioners have not borrowed any funds since that time.

One change in Adams County that would be a pure blessing would be the end of drug overdose-deaths. To that end, each year on March 6th, families and loved ones across the United States remember the lives of those lost to a drug overdose. This day is known as Black Ballon Day that is designed to bring awareness to overdose and an opportunity to show support for those in recovery.

On March 6th trained individuals and volunteers from Adams County known as COAR (Coalition for Overdose Awareness and Recovery) will be celebrating Black Ballon Day on the square of Gettysburg from 4 to 6. These individuals will be offering free lifesaving resources to all coming to the event. Free Naloxone and training for its use will be available to anyone attending the event. COAR also invites the public to join them in showcasing Purple Lights in and around the county increasing the awareness of the tragedy of overdose deaths. In support, New Oxford will help showcase Purple Lights by hanging purple lights around its town square. Kudos to New Oxford and to those that join the Purple Lights initiative.

Adams County Collaborating for Youth (CFY) recognizes that families in our community struggle with much more than addictive drugs. To aid families to deal with issues they face, Collaborating for Youth offers a special six-week program known as Family Fun Night.

This program provides an opportunity for families to spend time together as a family, all while learning important tools for navigating the pre-teen and teen years. During the Family Fun Nights youth and caregivers have a chance to learn these tools in a safe and welcoming environment. Youth will have time to learn with their peers while their caregivers have a chance to discuss these strategies with other caregivers and trained facilitators.

Although the program is for youth between ages 10 and 14, and their caregivers, families with additional children are invited to attend. Free childcare is available during the time of the Family Fun Nights. In addition to the childcare, the program offers dinner for each family. Family Fun Nights take place on Mondays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:30 and begins on Monday March 3rd. If you are interested in participating in Family Fun Night, call Lyric Gallagher via phone at 717-752-2695.

Since we are looking into March, March 9th we will be changing our clocks to Day Light Saving Time; move your clock forward one hour. The Monday following this change has historically been a time of increased accidents. Resolve to give greater awareness to your surroundings on that Monday. Best regards for a Safe Spring.