During his stint as budget director in Kansas, OCPA research fellow Steve Anderson found a creative way to save the Sunflower State money while improving efficiency.

So what did he do?

“When you look at public employees, realize they are your greatest resource,” Anderson said in a recent interview with Oklahoma Horizon.

As his employees retired or left for other positions, he didn’t rehire for the vacant positions. Instead, he offered to spread 50 percent of the leaving employee’s salary among remaining staff who would take over responsibilities and/or find a way to get done what they needed to with greater efficiency.

Not only was taxpayer money saved but employee satisfaction—and salaries—went up because they were the ones designing the solutions.