BUDGET: County gets it right

The most important vote for any elected local official is the budget. Any service industry such as municipal government necessitates possibly 75% of the budget addressing personnel needs. Salaries are always a major concern to remain competitive with other jurisdictions. Not only salaries but there is retirement, health insurance, training, uniforms, equipment and the various supplies. As the population grows or the demographics change, you must ask how does that effect your budget and the services you provide? What technological changes can effect your daily operations in both the number and type of employees required.

Assessing the yearlong budget needs becomes a critical decision. When a budget is approved, that’s the total money a county government has. Line items in a budget can be transferred if needs or conditions change. Generally, money cannot be added to the approved budget. In effect, what you have is all you get.

A problem can arise in a jurisdiction structured such Kootenai County when transferring money to adjust to changing needs. When various departments have elected directors, the role of our elected county commissioners is limited to approving the budget. An elected department head controls his or her own budget after approval by the elected commissioners. The problem is, if a transfer is needed, the elected director has to agree or can say no. Our elected commissioners are stymied at that point.

Under these limitations, I want to thank Commissioners Filios and Brooks for recognizing the needs and acting decisively on the budget.

PHIL WARD

Coeur d’Alene