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Commissioners press for openness after proposal for behind-closed-doors budget workshops
Summary
A commissioner objected to proposed closed-door pre-retreat workshops; finance staff said ideas developed there would be presented publicly during the normal budget workshop season and that department-level budget workshops remain public and scheduled in September–October.
A proposal to hold a pre-retreat budget workshop outside the public forum prompted several commissioners to press county staff for transparency and for a public list of participants.
One commissioner said he viewed county finances "through the taxpayer" lens and questioned why staff would hold a workshop "behind closed doors" when county funds are at stake. He said he learned about a separate closure of the BOCC on June 16–17 only "as I'm walking out the door" and asked whether any public services or offices would be closed on those dates.
Kathy Funk Baxter, finance director, replied that the regular budget calendar remains intact and that the county will hold public workshops in September and October when departments will present budgets. "We'll still have discussions in workshops. We actually have, for example, 1 workshop dedicated to the mental behavioral health mental health tax," she said, and added that ideas from the retreat would be presented to the full board in public workshops.
A commissioner who said he initiated the idea of holding workshops behind closed doors acknowledged the lack of clarity and apologized for the miscommunication, saying the intent was to prepare material before the public retreat. "Now that I understand after talking with Kelly what needs to happen, and the process that it needs to take place, I will be more proactive with that in the future so that there is no misunderstanding or, unclear, intentions," he said.
Commissioners asked staff to provide lists of departments and participants for the June 23 placeholder workshop and for the June 16–17 dates. The clerk of the board or county staff confirmed the June 23 afternoon placeholder is in the Government Meeting Room and intended for department heads and elected officials; attendance is voluntary.
Ending: Commissioners agreed the budget-preparation work should be transparent, requested participant lists for the scheduled workshops, and directed staff to ensure public notification and to present any retreat outcomes in public workshops.
