After hundreds of layoffs and years of budget tightening, Charlotte County government understands the old adage of “doing more with less.” But officials are beginning to acknowledge that, in some cases, less isn’t always better.

In the years since the county began a concerted effort to slash spending, the county has reduced its workforce by a little less than a third, according to Charlotte County Budget Director Gordon Burger. In 2008, when the county started laying off workers, there were about 1,400 employees, Burger said. Today, there are roughly 1,000. And that’s because, after doing a needs assessment, officials came to the conclusion that there are certain positions that the county just can’t afford to do without.