Committee flags process errors after lease payment moved into Regional Office of Education budget

A mid‑meeting dispute on July 23 centered on a budget line-item reallocation that moved a building lease into the Regional Office of Education's budget without a clear board resolution authorizing the change. Board member Leslie Lewis raised concerns that staff or a working group altered the ROE budget without following the board’s adoption process. “You do not have the authority to override an elected official,” Lewis said, urging respect for the resolution-based arrangement. Members recalled a prior resolution (read in the meeting as resolution 20-111) that had assigned the lease payment responsibility. County staff and the working group said the change had been discussed in committee and intended to place the lease in the ROE’s budget for comparative purposes; Finance Director Kathleen Hopkinson said the 2024 actuals presented to the committee already included the ROE lease in the ROE totals to make 2024-to-2026 comparisons consistent. County Attorney counsel advised that if the lease payment was created or assigned by board resolution, any substantive change to who pays the lease would require board action (resolution amendment) and recommended taking the question to a standing committee or the full board for public discussion. Committee members agreed to review the original resolution and, if necessary, bring any change back to the full board to preserve due process. Ending: Committee asked staff to locate the resolution language and return with a recommendation; until the board votes, the obligation and the budget presentation should be handled consistent with the existing resolution.