During government budget talks, basic services are always on the chopping block, and nobody can seem to remember where the strange spending is, because it was given strange titles on agendas, and budget books only list expenditures under broad categories. Audits only praise the governments for following rules for processing paper. Real transparency; listing every check online, exists only in the minds of troublemakers.
Fortunately, Bill O’Connor, vice chair of the Henderson County Board of Commissioners broke the pattern Tuesday. He blasted his peers, and if you don’t mind, I’ll lift some partisan rhetoric quoted in the Hendersonville Times-News:
“I just have to say that it’s no wonder that this county doesn’t elect [political party name deleted so as not to raise eyebrows about the JLF’s nonprofit status] to the county commission, with the kind of [different political party name deleted so as not to raise eyebrows about the JLF’s nonprofit status] that we get on here that are willing to vote for millions of dollars — which is what you’re talking about — of overspending, of spending beyond our means this year.”
Some issues O’Connor had with the budget were six-digit expenditures on P&R niceties that could definitely wait until the economy gets a little better, sloppy business practices in the schools, and raises for the county commissioners.
