More city commission 7/27

Greetings everyone.
Hopefully people will see this while we make the transition to the new blog place. This one will be easier once people get used to it.

The city commission is going over its budget, and over it and over it and over it.
This commission has more business people on it, so maybe that is why they are going over every expense with great detail.

You could say they are micro-managing the budget, but on the other hand, you want a commission that is engaged with the process. We "hired" them to be good stewards of our tax dollars and the city's business, so we shouldn't complain too much when they examine it very carefully.

There is a balance there. Previous commissions were accused of just going along with whatever the city manager wanted. This one is now being accused of being on the other extreme. Over time they will probably settle into a better balance.

Current City Manager Doug Russell is new to the city and has impressed people with his ability and management skills. His philosophy is that he is here to do the will of the commission, which is what our form of government calls for.

However, the commission does need to let him do his job.

That "conflict" can best be seen in the budgetary process. It isn't really a conflict in the most literal sense of the word. It is more of an adjustment by both Russell and the commission.

I don't think either group is right or wrong. They are not even "groups" or "sides" really. It's more just that some want to go over every item and others want to focus on the big picture and let the city manager - and other professionals - do their jobs. They are just still trying to find where the balance is that makes both "sides" most comfortable.

A great example is the police department. At the last meeting, several items were questioned, down to a $3,000 camera. (That's not all that high for a camera if you're including lenses and such.) Yea, $3,000 is a lot of money to me too, but when you're talking about a $16 million budget, it changes the perspective.

The underlying question was whether the commission should tell the cops whether they should get the camera or not. Should the commission tell the police how much money they get and let the police decide how to use it, or tell the police how to spend each dollar?

It is an interesting debate. As I said, I don't think either side is right or wrong. There is a balance and it takes time to figure out where that balance is.

I do want to commend the commission for one thing. They have held their discussions out in the open. As far as I can tell, they are not hiding much of anything. Some things are legitimately kept out of public view.

Ill admit that in the fifth hour of their meeting last Monday, I wasn't so sure I liked all the openness. :)

They have another meeting Monday, no doubt to go over budget matters again.

It will be real. It will be interesting. But will it be real interesting?

Selah

James