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| Strong support for Law Enforcement and a desire to be fiscally conservative are not mutually exclusive ideals... |
The budget process this year for the BCC has produced a lot of tension, gnashing of teeth, and ill-will---all directed at the BCC and individual board members.
Over the last few weeks and last weekend in particular, I have studied copious amounts of information in order to proceed rationally during the budget meetings. I'm working toward a compromise position with respect to the Sheriff's office budget that will hopefully result in an increase to his proposed allocation above the currently proposed 1.57% increase. As I stated on the radio and on the dais, I believe the figure that we arrive at will be higher, perhaps totaling a 3-4% increase over last-year's level. I have also stated that I don't think we will get to the 8% year over year increase the sheriff has requested.
Beyond the work of tweaking the budget, making cuts, and attending endless meetings, the venom directed at us personally is a disappointment.
In fact--the most disappointing aspect in the process thus far has been the personalization of the process.
The issues are being conflated. The talking points are being put out that "Unless the board funds the ECSO budget to 100% of what has been requested--the BCC does not value law enforcement." This
