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County auditor lists cost savings and process changes; outlines options for a DOGE liaison
Summary
Commission auditor Heather Roushier reported roughly $2 million of increased ambulance‑billing revenue after bringing billing in‑house and identified multiple project savings and process efficiencies. She also summarized options other Florida counties have used to respond to the state EOG DOGE requests.
Heather Roushier, Clay County commission auditor, presented a quarterly audit and efficiency update on Aug. 12 outlining recent cost savings, process changes and the county’s interactions with the Florida Office of the Governor (EOG) DOGE team.
Why it matters: several items Roushier described reduce recurring operating costs or improve revenue collection; county leaders said the report will guide next steps for targeted internal reviews and possible citizen liaison structures.
Key savings and revenue items - Ambulance billing: the county recently moved ambulance billing in‑house after using a vendor that collected roughly $407 per transport; Roushier reported collections have risen to about $528 per transport and estimated an approximately $2,000,000 increase in revenue for the year so far. "That doesn't mean that fees increased, it's just simply our collection of those fees increased," Roushier said. - Project-level savings: staff reported about $65,000 in savings from Moody Park design completed in-house; roughly $200,000 in savings on animal-services building materials and scope changes; and more than $500,000 across several fire‑station projects through design scope choices and bundled procurement. - Sales‑tax and direct‑purchase savings: on a current county construction project Roushier said sales‑tax savings were roughly $370,000 to date and direct purchases had produced material‑purchase savings the team continues to quantify.
Process efficiencies Roushier described changes that reduce staff time and post‑event administrative effort: an updated approach to estimating firefighter costs for events and a remotely programmable school‑beacon system that saves engineering staff weeks each year.
DOGE liaison models Roushier summarized approaches used by other Florida counties in responding to EOG DOGE requests. Examples included: - Nassau County: staff-led approach and a public DOGE webpage. - Hillsborough County: a five‑member citizen liaison committee appointed to review material and interact with the EOG DOGE team. - Hernando County: a nine‑member citizen committee selected by lottery with unrestricted document access and published reports; Hernando's model includes frequent meetings and public posting of requested materials.
Board response and next steps Commissioners asked Roushier and staff to continue quarterly reporting and to consider a tailored model for Clay County rather than adopting any single outside example wholesale. Roushier said staff recommends focused internal reviews and centralized purchasing for high‑volume items as short‑term steps. The board asked staff to return with a final recommendation for the structure of any county DOGE engagement at a future meeting.
Ending County officials said the combined revenue and cost‑saving steps shown in the audit will be included in ongoing efficiency reporting and that staff will continue to coordinate any DOGE‑related outreach with the clerk and other constitutional offices.
