Library books, and other waste

Well, there’s just no easy way to do this.

I watched the County Commission’s budget hearing Wednesday online from the World Headquarters. That can only mean one thing:

Budget highlights! Look…that’s why you pay me the big bucks. Let’s get to it:

---

— First, the news. Commissioners kept the tax rate the same, which is not the same as no tax increase. If the taxable value of your property goes up, so will your county taxes by the same percentage. (Here's the projected budget. And here's the budget presentation, which is filled with all sorts of data goodies.)

Now, you can bet your bottom dime that the county will try to reduce that millage by the final public hearing in September. Commissioners told the department directors to trim their budget requests. Instead of hiring two additional workers, hire one. That kind of thing.

— Commissioner Diana Finegan came most prepared. She led the discussion through the day, prodding her colleagues to dig a little themselves.

At one point, she said: “I’m asking thought-provoking questions.” 

Some of it — detailed stuff about payroll processes, and security for information services — went into the weeds, but she took the initiative.

Diana questions budget details the way her predecessor, Ron Kitchen Jr., did. She asked each department director to explain, at the lectern, requests for new positions. Some commissioners complain all the time about lack of detail. This commissioner did something about it.

— Don’t let me forget about the library.

— During his first budget session with commissioners, Sheriff Dave Vincent very patiently walked them through the numbers. No one left with bad feelings or misunderstanding.

I know we see it in a lot of places, from community gatherings to body-worn cameras, but the differences between Vincent and his predecessor are shocking. Stunning, really. And then watching him Wednesday bringing commissioners into the fold is yet another reminder of how voters absolutely got that one right.

Weird, though, no snide remarks. I texted a friend who was also watching the meeting online:

“Dave Vincent is a nice guy. I miss the MP staredown…”

— Commissioners continue to make residential road resurfacing a top priority. That’s what most of that budget maneuvering was about. The board is committed to spending upward of $20 million next year on a program that is (A) popular with citizens, and (B) lethal politically to any commissioner who wants it watered down. Commissioners know a winner when they see it.

— Unrelated to this budget, but mentioned during the meeting: The local option sales tax, if approved by voters, would not raise enough money to handle the backlog of road resurfacing needs in the county. That sorta contradicts what was said during the sales tax presentations, which pegged “backlogged road maintenance” at $300 million as a potential option for the tax revenue.

The estimated annual revenue on the penny sales tax is $25 million, a number that goes up every year (the 2023 estimate was $15 million). If the sales tax is for 10 years and it’s bonded, well, that’s close to the $300 million for the backlog that we start filling right quick.

Chair Rebecca Bays, however, took the conversation on a different tack. Bays believes the MSBU route is the best way to go. Individual neighborhoods, or streets, would be charged special fees to have their roads resurfaced.

While that sure makes sense from an economic standpoint, I’m not sure citizens will feel the same way. When something is covered by taxes today and not covered by taxes tomorrow, folks tend to take notice.

— Regarding Commissioner Finegan. It’s my observation that her stock is on the rise. She definitely displayed board leadership in her detailed questions of the budget.

But that stock takes a tumble every time she parrots Library Guy. As she did Wednesday, with her suggestion that commissioners cut $300,000 from the library budget. This is the line item that buys books. Books. For the library. In the library budget. Someone call DOGE!

Right on cue, Library Guy thought that was a great move.

“There’s only a limited amount of shelf space,” he said (as if he would know).

First off, what the heck with the libraries? Are we still stuck on this idiocy? 

Second, commissioners, we have grown-up issues to tackle. Let’s please stay out of the sandbox.

And that’s a wrap. Have a great Thursday, friends.

Join the discussion on our Facebook page.

Support the blog by subscribing to JWC Inner Circle for 99 cents/month.

Individual donations are appreciated through Venmo, PayPal, or Patreon.