12 minute read
From the Director’s Desk: By Eddie Jones
County Lines is the official publication of the
Association of Arkansas Counties. It is published quarterly. For advertising inquiries, subscriptions or other information relating to the magazine, please contact Randy M. Kemp at 501.372.7550.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Eddie A. Jones ejones@arcounties.org
MANAGING EDITOR Randy M. Kemp
Association of Arkansas Counties
www.arcounties.org EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Eddie A. Jones
David Morris, Assistant to the Director Jeanne Hunt, Executive Assistant Mark Whitmore, Chief Legal Counsel Jeff Sikes, Legislative Director Randy Kemp, Communications Director Cindy Posey, Accountant Brenda Hildebrandt, Accountant Brenda Emerson, Receptionist / Special Projects Coordinator AAC E-mail addresses:
(initial of first name)(last name)@arcounties.org
Debbie Norman, Manager, Risk Mgmt Services Freda Taylor, Administrative Assistant Debbie Lakey, Workers’ Comp Claims Manager Cathy Perry, Administrative Assistant Kim Nash, Workers Comp Claims Examiner Cindy Calvert, Claims Examiner Becky Burnett, Administrative Assistant/Receptionist Barry Burkett, Loss Control Specialist RMS E-mail addresses:
(initial of first name)(last name)@aacrms.com
If you want to write, call, or visit your AAC headquarters, here is the information you need: Association of Arkansas Counties 1415 West Third Street Little Rock, AR 72201 (501) 372-7550 phone (501) 372-0611 fax
Will retiring Baby Boomers leave counties bust?
Eddie A. Jones
AAC Executive Director
Remember the beginning of your county government career? I was elected to county office in 1980. I must have been oblivious to all the problems – because as I look back... It was a wonderful time; I was surrounded by people my age or slightly older (some quite a bit older... but we seemed close in age). We worked hard together, had county fish fries, county picnics, played co-ed basketball, and started our families. OK – just let me reminisce and wallow for a minute.
But you can do the math – we’re closing in on the 30 year mark! Tere are thousands of county workers and officials (and workers in other sectors as well) around my age who are becoming eligible for retirement. When I do my “informal survey” of the attendees at our affiliate association meetings and at AAC conferences, I see mostly Baby Boomers.
Just who are the Boomers? Tey are those of us born between 1946 and 1964, and we are 77 million strong. Te so-called leading-edge Boomers were born between 1946 and 1955 (that’s me), while those born between 1956 and 1964 are referred to as late Boomers. Te two groups differ in some very fundamental ways. Leading-edge Boomers, for instance, were eligible for the draft, but the draft lottery had ended by the time the late Boomers came of age. Leading-edge Boomers remember the family’s first black-and-white TV, while late Boomers grew up with a houseful of appliances. Leading-edge Boomers fought for a woman’s right to work, while late Boomers coped with working mothers.
Te cultural revolution of the late ’50s and the 1960s – with its emphasis on rebellion, romanticism, novelty, experimentation, and distrust of the “system” – had a huge influence on today’s Boomers. Tis is a source of great amusement to the generation that produced the Boomers – our parents – who have watched their children embrace every stage of life as if we were the first Americans to experience adolescent angst, fall in love, get a job, give birth, raise children, have a mid-life crisis, and reflect on the meaning of life. Let’s face it – Shakespeare wrote about all this stuff centuries ago.
Te Boomers do, however, share some interesting traits. We are individualists; we are nostalgic; we are young at heart; we are altruistic and spiritual; and we continue to pursue self-discovery, and self-improvement. But we ARE going to retire… even though many of us will continue to work at something… albeit not for a living but because we want to be useful.
Te reason for this article is not to figure out what makes the Boomers tick – but to simply look at what impact the retirement of the Boomers may have on the county work force in Arkansas, if any.
Although some may view impending retirements as a blessing because of fewer high-end salaries to pay (although high-end in Arkansas county government is not that high), our counterparts in the private sector are learning that it is becoming increasingly difficult to replace the skills, knowledge and expertise Boomers take with them when they retire. It is the Boomers that have made the conversion in county government from a manual system to a computerized or an electronic system. It is the Boomers that have the laws, the regulations, the intrinsic formulas, the revenue and expenditure codes and all the other things that make county government work ingrained into their minds. Tey have more than a “software program” – they have knowledge. So, it is incumbent upon those Baby Boomers that are still serving in county government to teach the younger generations the “ins and outs” of county government. Don’t just leave them a package of software!
Te Labor Department has been saying for years that there simply are not enough Generation X-ers (those born from 1965 through 1978) to replace Boomers and that those available from younger generations might not be as enthusiastic about making public service their careers. Is that the case? What’s happening right now and what can we expect to happen during the next few years?
County government in Arkansas has seen an increase in the number of retirements in the last few years – and the pace will increase over the next few years as the remaining Baby Boomers head for the “pasture”... or at least sharply curtail their work activity. Having a “defined benefits retirement plan” in Arkansas government allows for fairly early retirement if you get started in the arena of public service soon enough. Tat is accelerating the Baby Boomer retirement saga to some extent – allowing for retirement even before reaching the age of 62 when a person can first qualify for reduced Social Security benefits.
So far counties have handled the situation in stride. Most Arkansas counties are small and rural. In the smaller counties in particular, county government employment is perceived as being desirable; jobs are stable and the jobs come with a retirement plan – something that is not a benefit of many jobs in today’s market. County government should use the “retirement benefit card” to attract quality employees. Pay is not usually the “drawing card” for a county government job – but job stability and a retirement benefit are good draws.
Some counties do have trouble recruiting and retaining employees for certain positions – mainly because of pay… or the lack thereof. Arkansas counties have traditionally had trouble keeping law enforcement employees due to the fact that law enforcement jobs with many cities and the state pay more. We have become the “training ground” for law enforcement personnel – but we need to retain those trained officers. Counties have always had difficulty recruiting IT workers for the same reason – pay scale. But it is becoming increasingly more important for counties to have IT personnel on staff with the deluge of technology and technology-delivered services in the county courthouses.
Having made mention of the “pay problem” in many counties – it reminds me of a discussion I had many years ago with the former President of the Association of Arkansas Counties – Judge Roy “Red” Bearden. At that time (probably 15 years ago or more), Judge Bearden said, “for Arkansas counties to ever pay good salaries we are going to have to learn how to accomplish the job with fewer people so that we will be in a fiscal position to pay more per employee.”
As more and more Baby Boomers retire it may be the time for your county to take a look at increased efficiencies – if you haven’t already. Lean Training initiatives are used in the private sector to reduce wasteful processes, particularly in manufacturing, but “lean” is becoming more widely accepted in government operations. I do caution any county that looks at increasing efficiencies to remember there are certain law requirements that a county must adhere to in order to maintain the system of “check and balance”. It is wise, however, to periodically review processes. You may come up with new procedures, equipment and/or resources to accomplish county activities more efficiently, perhaps eliminating unnecessary steps or automating in order to focus on being able to complete essential services to your constituents.
Is Arkansas county government going to be in a lurch because of the mass exodus of Baby Boomers? I don’t think we have to be! Yes, we are losing a lot of institutional knowledge and a lot of “on the ground – roll up your sleeve” experience. Tat’s where a little succession planning comes into play.
Arkansas county officials need to hire wisely and then mentor a quality staff member to run for that position when you decide to retire. It is true that the electorate will have the final say on who fills an elected official position of trust – but it is also true that a large percentage of the electorate have come to realize that “county constitutional officers” are “working officers” and they understand the need to elect someone who knows and understands the intricate operation of any particular office.
Counties should increase their investment in staff development to create more of a “career ladder” for their county workers. Te strategy being that by promoting from within they will be in a better position to replace experienced supervisors that retire.
traditional types of workers, like retirees (retired Baby Boomers). By doing this you reduce benefit costs but you get a good work ethic. A fairly recent AARP poll shows that about 80% of Baby-Boomer retirees do not want a traditional retirement because of a strong interest in public service. Tey want to work part-time in places where they can make a difference.
One of the most important things that a soon-to-be-retired Baby Boomer in county government needs to be doing is “mentoring”. Pass along the vast volumes of county government knowledge tucked away in the crevices of your mind. Pass it forward for smooth county government operations for years to come.
Te effect of Baby-Boomer retirements was expected to be most dramatic in the decade we are in. By 2018 nearly all Baby Boomers are expected to be out of the full-time work force, for the most part. Aggravating the situation is a much smaller pool of workers immediately following the Baby-Boomers – the Generation X-ers (those born between 1965 and 1978). Nevertheless, there are encouraging signs that the labor force will not collapse. Changes to Social Security will probably cause some to delay retirement. A healthier older population and one that sees work as beneficial may also keep people working longer. Finally, the supply of workers may be on the upswing. Current high unemployment has increased the pool of workers to choose from; immigration is projected to continue increasing in the coming years; and the birth rate increased over the 1979-1994 period, the socalled “baby-boom echo” or Generation Y-ers – many who are now in the work force. Tese phenomena will help provide more workers for a dwindling labor force.
In drawing my conclusions, I would say that statistics don’t lie. Baby Boomers, who have dominated the labor market for many years, are not getting any younger. We will eventually retire – many of us in the near future. I conclude that the “changing of the guard” may be coming at the most opportune time and here are the reasons on which I have made my conclusion.
Baby-Boomers have worked hard for many years. We have seen and made a lot of good changes. County government in Arkansas has evolved and progressed under the leadership of the Baby-Boomer Generation. However, Baby-Boomers are “very opinionated” (that may be one of our worst attributes) and we have trouble letting go of the past as we move into the future – and we’re opinionated about that. Yes, it was the Baby-Boomers that made the conversion from manual systems to electronic systems in county government. But, we want it both ways. We like to run dual systems – manual and computerized. It is simply the nature of many Baby-Boomers. We have lived in both worlds and we like to keep a foot in both worlds. But it cannot always be that way.
As we prepare to turn the reins over to the Generation X-ers during the next few years I believe the timing is perfect. Generation X-ers are seeking stability and there’s nothing more stable than county government. Tey are looking for balance and perspective – and they are extremely independent. I believe those common traits will serve them well in county government and will serve county government well. Maybe most important – members of Generation X grew up with Pac Man, Atari, and cable television. Generation Xers are media and technology-savvy – the first generation to grow up computer literate. Te transition is coming at the perfect time as county government moves toward high-tech delivery of services, complete computerization and a near-paperless operation.
At the same time Generation X-ers are nostalgic for yesteryear. Tis generation is motivated to learn, work at a fast pace, and hold on to traditions. Tat means they will be able to modernize while holding true to county government principles.
I believe most of us would like to think we can’t be replaced. But the truth is, there is not a one of us that cannot be replaced. I believe county government will be in good hands as Generation X moves to the helm.
County government employment, by nature, is more stable than the private sector. Te impact of an aging workforce will evolve over the next few years. Above all, we know that county governments are resilient; they will strategically deal with any future worker shortages so that essential services to their constituents are not compromised.
As a Baby-Boomer that has been in county government for nearly 30 years, I am looking forward with aroused anticipation – and with some trepidation of the unknown – to the next phase of my life. Please keep us old Baby-Boomers in mind when you have one of those part-time job openings at the courthouse – because we do want to remain useful. And besides, there are only so many of those WalMart greeter jobs available – and some of us are too opinionated for one of those jobs anyway!
“The best time to start thinking about your retirement is before the boss does.” – Anonymous
EDDIE A. JONES AAC Executive Director
