News-Record.com

With newsprint being what it costs these days, we can't cram all of what the county commissioners had to say on the new leadership and the 2009-10 budget into one story.

While Chairman Skip Alston and Vice Chairman Steve Arnold want to look at the budget with big-time scrutiny, another commissioner says that it's not the board's place to look over department budgets (Paul Gibson) and another says that it will be the same ol', same ol' (Billy Yow). But others (Commissioners Kay Cashion, Carolyn Coleman, Bruce Davis and Linda Shaw) want to get involved with the committees that will look at separate parts of the budget.

So here's a little more on what they said. We didn't hear from John Parks (missed connection), and Kirk Perkins and Mike Winstead didn't return messages.

Alston:

"Our challenge for the staff will be to do more with less and (for commissioners) to meet with the department heads and the budget directors and the managers and make sure they are online and geared up for this challenge."

He said he believes that he has six votes on the 11-member board to do the work.

"It’s not going to be my job or Steve’s job to run the county on a day-to-day basis, but we will be holding them more accountable," he said, adding that "no department is going to go untouched."

The committees will consist of three to five members that could include commissioners and a mix of staff.

This pairing is unique in that Alston, a Democrat, is one of the most outspoken members on the board and not afraid to wrangle with anyone, while Republican Arnold considers himself as "the most conservative" member.

"I’ve been at one end of the totem pole and he’s been a the other," Alston said, "And now I have agreed to see that we can come to some meeting of the minds."

Arnold:

Steve Arnold has always wanted to get into the nitty-gritty with the budget, but just didn't have the audience among the rest of the commissioners. And he pointed to the 2008-09 budget as an example.

"We didn’t have all the various departments come before the board," he said. "Those that did were the larger ones and they were in for what, 30 minutes?"

Well, not exactly everyone maxed out at 30 minutes, but there were a few departments that didn't speak at length during the budget hearings. Arnold is all for the committee process, and starting the budget hearings sooner. And he thinks that the foul economic winds might help the harmony between parties that seems to exist now.

"These particular times that we’re living in right now demand full and responsible accounting from elected officials," he said.

And one long-standing policy that he's been after - spreading tax incentives to all businesses - may gain momentum among the board.

"In effect we would be giving that tax abatement to new or added value for 2-3 years, to all property that would be identified as commercial."

Cashion:

Kay Cashion was considered a frontrunner for the chairmanship, but didn't carry enough votes to win. She's on board for the committees, from the sound of things, though, and knockin a few heads together to shake out ideas.

"We need to try to figure out how we're going to try to handle the needs of the community and still be as conservative as we can, with the obligations that we have."

Coleman:

Carolyn Coleman worked with Arnold when she was the chairman the last time, and so knows a few things about the nuances there.

Shoot, they whole board knows each-other pretty well. They have been together for four years already. After this next four years of the same commissioners, they could qualify as united under a civil union (not really, but it's funny to think about).

"With Steve (Arnold), he’s always concerned with the budget," she said. "And with Republicans, they want no tax increase, so that’s one of the things I know that he wants. And all of us want to bring some efficiencies."

Davis:

"I supported it 100 percent," he said of the decision in the board's leadership. "It’s probably the type leadership that we could use right now. That is a diverse group, bringing the Republicans and Democrats to the table. At least we’ll get everyone’s ideas."

He said that discussions are ongoing among the board members as those committees get put together ...

Gibson:

... unless you're Paul Gibson, who said he hasn't heard from anyone beyond the day the new chairman and vice chairman were selected.

As one of those dissenting votes, he wasn't too keen on Alston taking over the board.

"Mussolini had the trains running on time," he said. "I think everybody on our board wants to have a budget process that’s open and transparent, and we started the process a few years ago with the strategic planning process and budgeting for outcomes."

The strategic planning process was intended to bridge department together for greater efficiency, and budgeting for outcomes quantifies the results of spending process in government. Gibson is more likely to let the county departments run with the staff hired to lead them, and offer suggestions to run instead of intense scrutiny. He believes that Alston and Arnold are about to micromanage the county government and it's roughly 2,500 employees.

"I think we’re getting ready to go into a horrible, horrible situation," Gibson said.

Shaw:

Linda Shaw was in the conversation to be the vice chairman, but stepped aside.

"But the timing wasn’t good for me," she said, though she is on board to pow-wow with the new leadership on the budget, sitting down with department heads, and scrutinizing the budget by line-item.

"I think it will be a stronger record," Shaw said, "and I hope we will all start working together and do what’s best."

Yow:

There's another guy who thinks it won't work - Billy Yow.

"That’s all great in concept, but will it come to reality? That’s yet to be seen," Yow said.

He said that it only takes 6 votes to make a decision, and Democrats hold a majority on the board, with 7 members. He also said that he's heard the call for bipartisanship before.

"I’ve heard bipartisanship and nonpartisanship every time," he said, "and they do it until somebody wants something, and you’ll see it time and time again. It’s who’s got the votes?"

He's not all doom and gloom in Yow's view.

"And I hope that we can all get along and be in a more productive line," he said, with a caveat. "You’re not going to see six people with the conservative views of myself and Steve Arnold."

"The icing ain't on the cake as smooth as you would like it," he said, with a challenge to the goals Arnold and Alston said. “Show me.”