Department of Natural Resources Efficiency Enhancements

Efficiency Enhancements

• Officially merged two support divisions under one deputy director.
• Merged administrative support functions (procurement and human resources) in Charleston with the same functions in the Columbia headquarters.
• Merged Supply/Equipment with Procurement Services, allowing the agency to provide these services under the direction of one mid-level manager instead of two.
• Eliminated the SCDNR supply room and moved purchases to procurement cards.
• Maintain minimal levels of supplies, uniforms and accessories in the Law Enforcement Supply Room. Consolidate purchases whenever possible to maximize savings from bulk purchases, utilize state contracts, GSA contracts and other bid processes to obtain the best prices possible for goods and services.
• Merged Marine Public Affairs Section with the Coastal Reserves Section, under one manager. Reduced the number of higher level managers by one position. The SCDNR number of full time employees for FY 2001 was 866 and for FY 2011 was 640. This represents a change of -266 or -31.6%. The SCDNR General Fund appropriations for FY 2001 were $31,159,196 and for FY 2011 were $14,814,081. This represents a change of -$16,345,115 or -52.6%. 21
• Began video conferencing between Columbia and Charleston offices to reduce travel.
• Made all mailer forms one standard size. Used a new bidding process (reversed auction) and reduced the cost of license mailers by $12,000.00.
• Working towards moving "draw hunts" to an all electronic process.
• Realignment of state lakes maintenance crews into one unit.
• Realignment of state fish hatchery operations, increasing federal funding and reducing line supervision.
• Consolidation of law enforcement and wildlife/fisheries storage facilities.
• Merged wildlife management and wildlife diversity sections.
• Merged Heritage Trust with habitat protection office.
• Merged Habitat Protection, Conservation Districts, Aquatic Nuisance Species, Environmental Programs, Flood Mitigation and Laboratory Services under one manager. Reduced the number of higher level managers by one position.
• Merged the Flood Mitigation program within the Hydrology Section to more effectively use technical and administrative staff expertise in both water related programs.
• Entered into a joint aircraft program with SLEDSCDNR operating fixed wing aircraft and SLED operating helicopter.
• Consolidated nine district offices into four regional hubs. Reduced the number of CPT's and LT's by 6 as a result of consolidation.
• Flood Mitigation, Conservation Districts and Climatology offices relocated and merged into existing office space.
• Consolidated hatchery production into major hatcheries with focus on limited number of priority species.
• Increased collaborative activities with universities, government agencies and public utilities.
• Increased partnership with Georgia DNR in trout production by providing surplus fish in return for manpower assistance during spawning season.
• As a customer service, the Columbia and Charleston offices accept credit cards for licensing and boating transactions.
• Created a "one stop shop" for all boating and licensing transactions in the Columbia office.
• Made purchasing licenses more convenient for customers by offering online sales and a direct mail license promotion.
• Restructured the Law Enforcement Division.
• Bid the hunting & fishing rules & regulations to vendors who sell ads to reduce the cost of printing.
• Less expensive paper used in the production of the rules & regulations, Wildlife Management (WMA) maps, turkey regulations and migratory bird regulations.
• Re-engineered primary electrical service to Fort Johnson, resulting in greater efficiency and lower electricity rates.
• Installed a water collection system at the Fort Johnson facility for landscape watering. Established ocean going research vessels as cost centers - no state appropriated dollars are used to support vessel operations.
• "Internalized" travel cost by charging uniform mileage rate to all federal projects.
• Identified source of federal funds to support all marine fuel costs.
• Began collaborating with USGS and DHEC in ground water monitoring statewide to provide cost savings in personnel, equipment and data management.
• Significantly reduced the use of fixed phone lines from Communications Center in Columbia to repeater sites located throughout the state with a combination of a micro-wave CANOPY system and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) system. The reduction in fixed phone lines will generate approximately $80,000 in savings annually.
• Updated High Band VHF communications system (technology in old system dated back 20 plus years) with new technology to improve signal clarity and security of communications. There are minimal monthly services fees associated with this system.
• By utilizing SCDNR personnel (one Motorola trained technician and one assistant) to install and program much of the updated system hardware and software improvements, the agency saved approximately $750,000 over the last two years as opposed to having this work completed by private contractors.
• In-service and other training has been moved from the SCCJA to the regions in an effort to reduce the amount of time officers are away from their assigned areas of work and reduce costs associated with travel to Columbia.
• In-line with manufacturers recommendations increased routine vehicle service from 3,000 to 5,000 mile intervals.
• Seek and utilize Law Enforcement Federal Grants, as available, to fund equipment purchases. Obtained a grant to purchase a Computer Aided Dispatch system for Communications Center that will help monitor officer activity to better serve the public in reduced response time to calls for service and enhance officer safety.