SEN. B.J. Cruz is becoming sort of a one-man efficiency analyst. At least, that’s how the Vice Speaker of the 31st Guam Legislature came across during a presentation Monday to the Rotary Club of Northern Guam.

His basic argument is that before the government of Guam fires a single employee in its effort to cut the announced $43 million from its budget, managers from the governor on down should implement improvements and reduce duplication costing GovGuam millions. By his own efficiency performance analysis, the senator is up to $34 million in savings without laying anybody off, and he’s still looking.

We select one of his ideas, an electronic payroll for the Department of Administration, as the no-brainer of the week. Right now the Department of Administration issues thousands of payroll checks every two weeks, most of which go to the Guam Department of Education, the government’s largest. In this age of computerized banking and automated electronic transfers of funds, checks are a waste of paper and manpower.

Cruz suggests that DOA seriously consider paying all GovGuam employees by utilizing direct deposits through something called an Automated Clearing House (ACH). Citing a 2010 Office of Public Accountability report, he points out that nearly 700 employees of six autonomous agencies are paid through an ACH now without any problems. Several thousand more have the option of a paper check or direct deposit, or a combination of both.

The Vice Speaker calls for a complete end to paper checks. They are time consuming and labor intensive. The employees freed up by switching totally to electronic transfer can be redirected toward collection of bad checks and late payments. Some could also be seconded to the Department of Revenue and Taxation to help with customer service, payments and collections.

Sen. Cruz has other recommendations for improving GovGuam efficiency, more than we can discuss adequately here. But his bottom line is a potential $34.4 million in savings, without putting any employee out on the street.

He’s not the only one pointing out that laying off GovGuam employees will just create more poor people in need of food stamps and other benefits of the social welfare system. Before we do that, he wants to be sure the government has explored every possible alternative option. In that argument we don’t mean to suggest he is alone. Nobody wants to put anyone out of work.

If that does become necessary, Sen. Cruz wants to be sure their government managers can look them in the eye, and honestly say: “We tried everything, and letting you go is the last resort.”