From the County Retreat
June 16th, 2008 by Steven GardnerShould revenues and expenditures mirror trends from years past, the county will end up spending $2 million more than it takes in by the end of the year, the county’s budget chief said Monday.
Ben Holland, who had hoped to retire as director of administrative services by the end of May, told county commissioners sales tax revenues and other money related to real estate are all down.
The county commissioners met at Island Lake County Park today to talk long-term goals. That conversation was preceded by budget talk.
Later in the day the commissioners discussed whether it was worth it to continue surveying county residents on how the county’s doing.
Commissioner Jan Angel, who’s less than seven months from leaving the commission, questioned whether it’s worth the expense.
Steve Bauer, another commissioner, recommended looking at a variety of survey formats, from community meetings to telephone surveys, instead of just doing the phone calls. He characterized the effort in corporate terms, saying the county is like a corporation and that it needs to get in touch with its shareholders.
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June 17th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Not so odd that Commissioner Jan Angel would question asking the public how the county is doing “..whether it’s worth the expense…”
I have to ask her if taking Howe Farm prime cropland to make into a off lead dog park is worth the expense to the taxpayer? Is the $328,000 dog fence really worthwhile to the taxpayer?
That said… Commissioner Steve Bauer has a great idea to get public input —using telephone surveys. And/or…sending out periodic post cards mentioning future county projects and asking for comments …yes or no…why or why not.
I don’t know who the county may have been calling…it sure hasn’t been me or anyone I know.
How do they decide who to call?
What do they ask?
Do they ask specific questions?
How do they identify themselves (county) to the taxpayer?
Bauer’s comment “…county is like a corporation and that it needs to get in touch with its shareholders….” is right on.
I apologize to the people bored with my frequent mention of the Howe farm travesty. I mention it whenever something in the article or comment to the article reminds me of that gross misuse of public funds.
Sharon O’Hara
June 17th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
“…county is like a corporation and that it needs to get in touch with its shareholders….”
Can I sell my stock?
And Sharon, I am one of those getting “bored” with the Howe farm tirade. But it’s your prerogative and I appreciate your awareness. To be honest, I don’t know anything about the Howe Farm deal that has got you so upset. But I do know that any deal probably took a vote of the full Board of Commissioners. For it to have passed, two commissioners – at least – voted for it. You only mention Jan Angel. In the interest of fairness, you should also mention the other commissioner(s) that were party to the action.
Otherwise, I respect and, like I said, appreciate the attention you pay to our community matters.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
I’d be curious as to the response rate on the surveys. It’s certainly a good idea to check with residents about how the county is doing. However, if yield doesn’t justify expense they should at least review the methods.
Personally, I wouldn’t take a phone call as I’m too busy and don’t want to sit through questions where someone is writing down answers. I might complete a mailed survey if it isn’t too long. I am more likely to click an online link and participate than the other two options.