Delaware County commissioners on Oct. 28 described near‑term initiatives intended to reduce recurring costs and discussed a proposal to move the county to a 24‑pay (semi‑monthly) payroll schedule.

Payroll frequency: Commissioners and county payroll staff described the administrative advantages of a 24‑pay schedule (two pays per month) versus the current biweekly pattern that produces 26 or 27 pays in some years. Auditor and payroll staff said benefits are billed monthly and therefore typically handled as 24 deductions; shifting to 24 pays would align deductions with billing and reduce payroll processing events. Several commissioners said department heads have discussed the change and that department‑head meetings could be used to gather feedback before any formal change.

Cost‑savings targets: Commissioner Brand outlined three principal cost‑savings areas: (1) liability insurance (review broker fee structure and per‑$100 rate), (2) telephone contracts (audit and remove underused desk phones, with an initial target to eliminate roughly 130 low‑usage lines and a longer‑term goal of moving away from desk phones), and (3) paper and HVAC filter suppliers (identify overcharges and rebid). Brand said an initial audit of county phone usage found nearly 500 phones on the current contract, with about 130 logging under 10 minutes a month and about 50 never used — changes that could save tens of thousands of dollars per year. He also said the county is pursuing alternative liability proposals and an energy assessment offering from American Electric Power/ CLEAResult to identify efficiency grants and capital projects.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the actions are intended to reduce recurring costs and limit the need for mid‑year appropriations. Council members signaled support for studying the 24‑pay option and asked staff to present analyses and to discuss the proposal with department heads and elected officials.

Next steps: Commissioners asked staff to continue vendor audits, solicit bids where appropriate and present a concrete proposal on payroll frequency and phone consolidation for council review.