Ledger-DispatchVolunteers take high profile in county government
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
By Roger Phelps (rphelps@ledger-dispatch.com) 


As layoffs have threatened to chew away some of Amador County's ability to offer 
services, a legion of volunteers has stepped forward to soften the bite.

"We have 96 volunteers," county supervisors heard Tuesday from Melissa Byrd, 
administrative assistant in the Department of Human Resources. "Three of them 
have worked more than 500 hours. In total, volunteers have worked 8,718 hours. 
That's the equivalent of four full-time positions."

Benefiting hugely from volunteer effort, to the tune of more than 5,000 hours 
contributed, is the county's Animal Control department, said director John Vail.

"They make our animals more adoptable," Vail said.

Animal Control's front-desk services, 26 hours per week, are 100-percent 
volunteer-supplied, he said.

All told, volunteers have done some 5,000 hours of animal-control work this 
year.

"These are very committed people," Vail said.

Some smaller county divisions have seen their entire workloads taken on by 
volunteers, said LeAnne McIntyre, deputy general-services director?

"In museum archives, we have 10 volunteers -- no paid staff," McIntyre said.

Terri Daly, county administrator, reported recently to supervisors that with 
internal reorganizations, departments in general expected to maintain level of 
service.

To the extent services have been maintained, volunteers can take a sizable 
amount of the credit, said board Chairman Ted Novelli.

"We could not be where we're at without you," Novelli told the roughly 50 county 
volunteers who attended the session. "Our hats are off to you."

Connie Murdock, who coordinates volunteers at Amador County Library, said the 
library system draws on around 25 volunteers, most of them tutors. Others do 
work ranging from gardening to book repair.
















      Roger Phelps