Amid the current recession and decreasing revenues, Douglas County leaders are anticipating difficult budget sessions for the next two years.

This week, administrative and department leaders will meet with all county employees to fill them in on the bleak outlook for 2010 and 2011.

“We’ve been through tough budgets before, but this one is really unprecedented,” County Administrator Craig Weinaug said.

Besides delivering the bleak outlook, county leaders will ask employees to put their heads together to help cut costs.

“We need your ideas on improving efficiencies to met the upcoming challenges,” Weinaug wrote in a memo sent to the more than 400 employees.

The meetings are scheduled to be Tuesday through Friday with different departments, and the strategy to seek ideas about efficiency emerged after a recent meeting with several county department heads.

All county departments have been forced to look at efficiencies and savings.

During the past year, the sheriff’s department has adjusted its training schedule for Douglas County Jail employees. Instead of paying overtime, shifts have been adjusted to allow training on regular work days.

“That’s a significant savings,” said Sgt. Steve Lewis, a sheriff’s spokesman.

Weinaug said the Douglas County Treasurer’s office also has devised a plan to train more employees locally to reduce travel expenses.

The county already has frozen merit raises for the year, and Weinaug said it’s unlikely he will recommend that commissioners reinstate them this year. Commissioners have mentioned giving employees a one-time bonus possibly later in the year.

Due to decreasing property values and a loss of state funds, Weinaug estimated in February that the county could end up with about $4 million less in revenue as commissioners prepare in July to craft the 2010 budget.

But, he said, department leaders and administrators already have taken steps to absorb most of the loss, including 16 employees last year accepting an incentive for early retirement.

County leaders are hoping the sessions with employees this week can produce more creative ideas about efficiency.

“If we get good ideas and follow through with them, when we get done with the recession, we’re better off, not worse,” Weinaug said.