County Watch
by G. L. Penney A

Anyone attending a public meeting of the county legislature will see that the meeting is merely a ceremony to fulfill the legal requirement that regular public meetings be held. The real business of the county is conducted at the second of two so-called workshops or at one or more of the many committee meetings.

 At the finance committee meeting on March 9, Ron McEwen, the county budget officer, characterized the county's financial position as being in a state of crisis. He asked the legislature to begin considering next year's budget now. He reminded them that the hard decisions to be made were their responsibility and not his. Walt Johnson, a legislator for District 4, had already expressed a desire to examine the budget line by line. The others seemed less committed.

 In talking to Mr. McEwen the next day, I realized that the situation was even more grim than I had thought. He pointed out to me that the amounts listed with the budget as capital reserve funds were also included in the category called surplus. Thus the amount of cash on hand is $17,140,000 less than I had thought to be. 

 While there is still enough cash on hand to build the proposed addition to the social services building, there is not enough to also build the proposed court annex and continue the present level of county provided services. The county legislature cannot continue to spend at the present level without raising county taxes so much as to bankrupt many of its citizens.