GOOD BUSINESS PRACTICE APPLIED TO GOVERNMENT

The Cape Girardeau County government is finalizing its budget for the coming year; the $5.4 million package is due for approval later this month. Along the way, steps have been taken to give county government, already a well-run body, an even more professional demeanor. The new pay classification plan that took effect Tuesday is a positive organizational move, one that should provide a framework for more equitable compensation of public servants now and in the future.

The public's business should have the benefit of solid business practices. County government here has grown to meet the increasing demands of the times and the taxpayers. What was just a courthouse operation not many years ago has become an expanding public enterprise. Data processing, emergency operations and health services were not fleshed out as county agencies two decades, but are depended on today. The growth and development of the county have demanded increasing attention to facets of government such as law enforcement, road and bridge maintenance and the record keeping required for all varieties of transactions.

Arguments can be made about the distress promoted by growing government, and we would agree with most of those arguments. In the county's case, we are content that a tight ship is being run and that services being provided are necessary.

Still, it bears noting that the new pay classification plan, developed over the past year, covers about 120 county employees, which makes it a sizable undertaking.

The pay plan does not include elected officials or circuit court personnel, whose salaries are steered by state policies. In formulating the plan, a description was written for each job and 10 different salary grades were set up. The officials attempted to make the salaries and benefits fair with respect to other jobs in the county and with similar jobs in the private sector. The county also put this plan into place while complying with federal and state employment regulations and while not busting the county budget.

Much of what is included in the plan is standard procedure in well-run private businesses. As county government has grown, so has the need for that growth to be managed efficiently. Cape Girardeau County officials have a good track record for carefully managing the public's resources. The new pay plan is an application of good business practices to a governmental operation and an attempt to apply a greater degree of fairness to county employment. We view this as a step forward.