A Few Comments on the Budget Process

Following the recent passage of our county’s budget for Fiscal Year 2015-16, I was contacted by a constituent who was unhappy about an item that was not funded in the budget.

As I stated during the meeting at which the budget was adopted, there is a reason we have a board of commissioners.  No one commissioner drives our budget process.

An individual commissioner has no power; a majority of the board, acting in a meeting, has the power to set the budget and make other decisions.  I believe there are things in the budget that each commissioner would have taken out if it were only up to them, and I believe things were left out of the budget that each commissioner would have added if it were only up to them.

In the case of the issue the constituent referenced, I am not in disagreement with them.  However, I also respect the board process, as it is designed to ensure that no one commissioner has too much power.