Sandy Springs Model not Ideal for Every Municipality

After hiring Sandy Springs consultant Oliver Porter to provide a report on how Frederick County, Md., could privatize its services, county commissioners decided not consider Porter’s suggestions, according to Gazette.net, an online community newspaper.

Porter was a leader in Sandy Springs’ privatization and has received national attention for the city’s success over the past five years. In March, He was hired for $25,000 to bring his expertise to Frederick County. Officials even came to Sandy Springs for an up close look at city operations, the Gazette story said.

Frederick County may decide to go with some type of partial outsourcing, however, Porter told The Baltimore Sun that a full-on commitment to privatization is the most efficient way to go. He said his plan could save $109 million in the Frederick County budget, over five years. There has been a backlash from longtime employees who learned that the report included more than 500 layoffs.

Sandy Springs is three weeks into the changeover to new contractors from CH2M Hill. There was no backlash from employees but many were concerned about losing their jobs. Most stayed on with the new companies.