MONTGOMERY, Ala. — There are only a few things that move slower than molasses, but government agencies are certainly one of them. Knowing this, Secretary of State John Merrill (R-Ala.) sought to increase his office’s speed of processing business filings through the application of business-world tactics. The numbers clearly show success, as the office is current on business filings for the fifty-second week in a row.

Historically, the Secretary of State’s Business Services Division has processed its paperwork days, weeks, and even months behind receipt of those documents and checks for payment. But Merrill has managed to reverse that trend with a level of efficiency previously unknown in the state.

“When I was campaigning for the Office of Secretary of State, it was brought to my attention that the processing period for the paperwork and payments required for submission to form a new business or entity in the state was seven to nine months behind,” Merrill said. “In many instances, this paperwork and the accompanying filing fees submitted by these business owners were being held for that seven to nine-month period.”

To fix the problem, Merrill restructured management and implemented employee accountability measures to speed up the processing pace. One such policy is that work not completed by the end of business on Friday must be finished on Saturday morning of that week. Needless to say, this has only needed to happen once this year.

Merrill has managed to boost efficiency while also reducing the number of taxpayer-supported government workers. Since Merrill took office two years ago, the Secretary of State Department now employs 23 percent fewer people.

“It’s morning in Alabama and the Secretary of State’s Office no longer moves at the speed of government; we are moving at the speed of business!” Merrill said.