Harford County Government Adopts Paperless Direct Deposit System; Part of Green Star Program

From Harford County Government:

(Bel Air, MD.) – In 2008, County Executive David R. Craig formed the Energy Management Steering Committee, otherwise known as the Green Team, as one of his Environmental Initiatives. The goal of the Green Team is to guide energy and resource efficiency practices within the County. To foster a culture of sustainability, in June 2010 the Green Team created the Green Star Program to recognize actions by county employees that demonstrate a commitment to environmental stewardship, promote energy efficiency and resource management. At the end of each fiscal year the Green Stars are reviewed and one is selected as the Green Star of the Year.

The Green Star of the Year (July 2011 – June 2012) was awarded to Laura Dahl of the Office of Economic Development, Kathryn Hewitt and Barbara Brown of the Department of Treasury for developing a new paperless direct deposit system.

Prior to March 23, 2012, Harford County Government printed out approximately 50,000 paystubs and checks annually. The payroll process included the printing of the direct deposit paystubs and checks but also included having a member of the Department of Treasury making the biweekly visit to print and seal them with a member of the Department of Information and Communication Technology. Not only did this process utilize the paper to print and the energy to operate the printer, but also involved staff time to create the pay stubs and the timekeeper’s time and fuel to pick-up and distribute paystubs and checks.

In December 2010 employee Laura Dahl posted the idea to discontinue printing pay stubs on Spigit. Spigit is an on-line idea management software allowing citizens and employees to openly share ideas and innovations they feel could benefit both government and community. The feedback provided on Spigit gave momentum to this idea and assisted the Department of Treasury in implementing the paperless direct deposit system.

The process was led by Kathryn Hewitt, Treasurer and Barbara Brown, Accountant; together they worked to turn this idea into action. They made the transition easy for employees by assuring that all information would be available on Interactive Workforce where employees can access their pay information anytime, anywhere. The new paperless direct deposit process will amount to an estimated annual savings of $31,000.

The selection process involved the Facility Energy Coordinators and the Green Team. Initially, the Facility Energy Coordinators identified the top Green Stars that best showcased a commitment to environmental stewardship from the Green Stars awarded during the 2011-2012 year. From the narrowed list of Green Stars, the Green Team selected the Green Star that best exemplified efficiently using and reusing the resources of Harford County.

To learn more about the Green Star Program and to see all of our Green Stars, you can visit the Sustainability Office webpage at http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/Green/.