On November 19 th the County Administration hosted a landmark Strategic Planning Workshop. The meeting brought together Commissioners, Constitutional Officers and senior staff with an agenda of forecasting the extent of next year’s budget shortfall and seeking guidance from elected officials on how to deal with the problem. The open forum also provided excellent visibility into the challenges facing the Administrator as hard financial facts and difficult choices encounter political realities.

Administration staff presented FY 2009 budget forecasts that indicate a $3 million to $19 million shortfall, depending on economic assumptions and the outcome of the January Constitutional Amendment vote that would place new limits on property taxes. These were discussed, challenged and eventually accepted by the elected officials.

Agreement on mitigation options by the politicians proved much more difficult. One Commissioner wanted to wait until after the January referendum before proceeding beyond minimal discussions. A couple of others wanted staff to compute numerous outcomes extrapolated from the forecast levels of shortfall. The Constitutional Officers and at least one Commissioner seemed in agreement with assuming the worse case and publicizing the extent of across-the-board cuts that might have to be made. Their basic objective was to make the public aware of the possible effect of a positive January vote.

Administration Staff also recommended initial studies and planning for instituting additional fees and funding based on service use rather than property value. Although only exploratory in nature, these suggestions received a very cold reception. While recognizing the need for the largest slate of mitigation options available, the overwhelming consensus of the Commissioners was that this is not a good time to be perceived as advocating efforts that bypass mandated tax reductions.

For those of us trying for years to get our County officials to recognize the future challenges being created by irresponsible spending, just observing such a meeting was a very positive experience. Well, that future is now, and with personnel costs anywhere from 85% to 94% of the County’s various operating budgets, the pain from whatever shortfalls occur will be substantial.

We commend the Administrations effort and endorse evaluating any and all available options, since good forecasting and planning now can certainly help mitigate the next years’ pain. However, while there could be short-term gains made by utilizing fee based “taxation”, the only way to effectively budget for these shortfalls is by reducing spending, especially on personnel. Anything else will, in the end, just provide another source of taxpayer furnished income that history indicates may well be unwisely spent.

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In another cost saving initiative the Administrator made a number of suggestions last week for making County Commission meetings more efficient and less costly. One of these had to do with the very liberal public comment policies that the Commission allows. This received much negative publicity and, while we recognize the reasons for these suggestions, we certainly believe in the public having their say.

We suggest that Public Comment on items not specifically on the agenda be welcomed, in its current format, at the END of Commission meetings.  This would give everyone, including working persons, a chance to address their government when they cannot find relief through normal channels, while not hindering scheduled proceedings. We believe that unlimited Public Comment has been abused and, under the current policy, no one can predict when the actual discussion of agenda items can commence. Expensive County staff are tied up until an unknown number of speakers on an infinite variety of subjects are finished. On occasion this has even allowed dissident groups to effectively limit important scheduled discussion.  In short, moving Public Comment to the END of the Board's meetings would save staff time and afford more people an opportunity to speak. Speaking on a specific agenda item should still be allowed as it is today, when the item is called.

Recently all Taxpayers were mailed a pamphlet from our Tax Collector called “2007 Tax Payment Information”. We never needed help paying our taxes before and think this was an un-necessary expenditure of tax dollars that, in an election year, borders on a political mailing.