The County began a Rewarding Excellence program to motivate employees to develop cost-saving proposals in the workplace.  The “Scrap Metal Optimization” team (from the Division of Traffic Engineering and Operations) recently received recognition after its money-saving idea had saved $16,000 in the first full year of operation.  Their initiative separates scrap metal from aluminum in MCDOT’s Sign Shop and sells the valuable aluminum to a salvage company.

The first year’s savings were shared between the 36 members of the implementation team and the County on a 50/50 basis.  County Executive Leggett personally congratulated team members and handed each of them a check for $229.

An article about gainsharing in the August edition of Governing magazine stated that many governments eliminate such programs in tight times when they need them the most. Instead, Montgomery County has made every effort to support the Rewarding Excellence program by collaborating with the employee’s Union and partnering with employees to identify ways to become more efficient.

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