With one month as Cayuga County manager under his belt, Wayne Allen has written himself a lengthy to-do list.

Allen, who began work Oct. 30, has already cemented a clearly written travel and leave notification policy for county employees.

On Tuesday night, Allen told members of the Government Operations Committee that he will continuously make approval requests to county officials from his “wish list,” in an effort to strengthen operating procedures.

“There's a lot of work to be done. I need to prioritize what needs to be done first and what will be most beneficial to the county and employees,” Allen said.

Government Operations chairman Paul Dudley said that Allen's experiences are providing the Legislature with a wealth of information.

“I'm pleased with his goals. He listens to and learns from employees,” Dudley said. “Employee personnel issues we've been a little deficient on in the past and he's addressing that concern.”

Allen is creating a document for non-bargaining employees that outlines what they're expected to do and what they're entitled to receive from the county.

“This will not be a contract,” Allen said. “It's a written policy so they understand exactly what they are entitled to.”

County Clerk Sue Dwyer, who supported this idea, said when county employees have questions about their job she refers to

contracts. But non-bargaining employees don't have contracts.

“There's nowhere for me to go to help non-bargaining employees,” Dwyer said. “We don't have an employee handbook, which is an important resource.”

Allen has also formed a committee that will meet Dec. 20 to discuss software upgrade options for the treasurer's office. County officials have been struggling to create the 2007 county budget because the current software is outdated.

“We want to get something more accountable and user-friendly,” Allen said.

The county manager will soon release performance indicators to each county department which will assist in his performance evaluation of each department. Allen explained that the indicators will help him identify the strengths and weaknesses of each department.

“I have an ambitious agenda. But I have told department heads that I'm here to help them,” Allen said.

Committee members supported a resolution Tuesday night authorizing the county manager to sign budget transfers within departments rather than the Legislature chairman. Because Allen acts as the budget officer, he wants to be able to sign off on future budget transfers. But Allen created the resolution limiting his authorization power to only transfers under $1,000. All other transfers must be approved by the Legislature.

“I figure departments must budget properly and efficiently,” Allen said.

Currently, money taken from the contingency fund needs two-thirds Legislature approval.

“Maybe this will give us a better handle on transfers from the contingency,” Ann Petrus, R-Brutus said.

Staff writer Kristina Martino can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kristina.martino@lee.net