Thomas Knox, a deputy mayor in Philadelphia, has an important job. He's responsible for reviewing all the city's boards, departments and commissions for efficiency. He has organized a group of more than 100 business executives—on loan from major businesses in the area—who will analyze the computer systems, the revenue department, telecommunications and other aspects of city government, and report back to him. He's doing all this on his salary of $1 a year. But even Knox can't get around the personnel officials. First he had to fill out a tax form so the appropriate taxes would be taken out of his biweekly check. Then he was instructed to fill out time sheets each day. Now he receives a check for 4 cents every two weeks. But he can't cash them: The checks are too small. "I've got them here in my desk drawer," says Knox. "To cash them, [the bank] said it cost something like 39 cents." When asked if that isn't the epitome of efficiency, Knox replies, "That's what I said." The deputy mayor says he's been trying to have the checks stopped. "The problem ... is in order for the computer not to put out the check for 4 cents, they'd have to reprogram it. And ... it would cost a lot more money to reprogram it than it would if they kept issuing the check. So I keep getting checks for 4 cents."

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