Bob's Update - November 26, 2007
As we run headlong into
year’s end – our Thanksgiving break already behind us, the employee holiday
party coming up a week from this
Thursday – I just wanted to make sure that we made appropriate note
of two important milestones that occurred recently.
Approximately one hour into the November 14th meeting of the Board of Commissioners, Washtenaw County’s 2008–2009 Budget passed unanimously. If you get a minute, please see my remarks by clicking on the “Report from the Administrator” in the archived webcast of that meeting. It was my opportunity to personally thank the Board and our staff - and talk about you.
There’s no denying the tough economic times around us, with every part of our community feeling constrained. This budget process, with three new board members and some very strong feelings surrounding the changes to the method for assessing fees for police services, needed to be exceptional. With the sometimes competing attention to inclusiveness and to fiscal limits, our people achieved an extraordinary document – in a very transparent way. (See the budget planning process web site)
We do need to realize that any budget is based on assumptions which offer a number of variables – like the ongoing labor negotiations with our unions, and the present property tax estimates that won’t really be known until April of next year. What is most heartening about the “what ifs” that may come is what I see as the relationship between staff and all of the members of our Board. Creating a fair and relevant budget is never easy, but it is absolutely impossible without the level of trust I’ve witnessed on all sides of this process.
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Bob's Update" is a weekly message to Washtenaw County employees from County Administrator Bob Guenzel. eWashtenaw publishes these columns when they are deemed timely and useful to the wider community. Please contact Administrator Guenzel with your comments. |
The other piece of news, the other milestone in the past couple of weeks, doesn’t fall far from the essential ingredient of trust in public service and good government. Judge Joseph Costello ruled that the County would not need to cover the costs of attorney fees for the three Townships in their suit over the new police services methodology. The costs concerned the Judge’s October 4th ruling that we had violated the Open Meetings Act. The sum could have been as much as $240,000, and the taxpayers were spared that much on this costly litigation.
All twelve of the Townships’ thirteen claims have been dismissed – the thirteenth was the technical violation of the Open Meetings Act. The townships have chosen to appeal all of the Judge’s rulings, and we will know more about that later next year. But right now, with this latest finding, I’d like to focus on what’s been happening outside of the courtroom.
The other contracting local units of government, the Sheriff and his staff and, perhaps most importantly, the Police Services Committee have continued to talk and come together on this new police services methodology that will be fully operational in a couple of months. We’re moving ahead, together.
When it feels like options are dwindling – or that they’re bad options – it just seems to me that we will make no headway at all without coming together. That’s what makes this news – a unanimous passage of the budget, and the last finding for the County in its litigation with the three townships – so positive as we look forward to 2008.
Thanks for your interest, and for your good work serving the public.
Have a great week,
