EVERY TIME a new government takes power, a staff shake-up is possible. The new boss has new ideas on organization and personnel.

The problem in Carroll County, as ever, is that the three-headed Board of Commissioners is split over how to bring about change. That does not bode well for the next four years, contrasting with the pledges of unity when the three officials took over in December.

Julia Walsh Gouge, often the odd-woman-out when she served on the board from 1990 to 1994, is in the minority on the reorganization issue. Ms. Gouge opposed asking all appointed staff for their resignations, and she objects to planning department changes.

Commissioners Donald I. Dell and Robin Bartlett Frazier insist that the resignations, layoffs and cutbacks in environmental services, water resources, transportation and planning will streamline government and improve efficiency of the county bureaucracy.

But Mr. Dell got to the main point when he explained: "Environmentalists get emotional and that leads to overkill in the regulation department." The apparent remedy? Get rid of the planning chief and deputy, ax the environmental bureau, and make every planner a jack of all trades.

These changes raise questions about the board's commitment to the proposed countywide land-use Master Plan and the Concurrency Management law that strictly limits residential growth to adequate public facilities. Another public concern was the commissioners' closed-door decision to require appointed staff to resign, despite their earlier assurances of open government. It leaked out, damaging employee morale and recalling the secret dealings that stained the previous board.

Ms. Gouge voices hope that the commissioners will "put things right" if the changes don't work. So do citizens who want a better Carroll County. After recent events, they have cause for concern.