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County administrator urges shift from bottom-line budgeting to stronger line‑item policies and periodic zero‑based reviews
Summary
County Administrator Danzel told commissioners the county's bottom-line budgeting practice obscures spending, hinders reserve-building and leads to late-year transfers; he recommended policy changes and periodic zero-based reviews to improve fiscal transparency and reserves.
Franklin County's administrator told commissioners on June 4 that the county's current bottom-line budgeting practice makes it difficult for elected officials to track line-item spending and contributes to reliance on late-year budget transfers and a lack of reserves.
County Administrator Mister Danzel described meetings with Auditor Beaton and Treasurer Kelzer to review recurring and nonrecurring expenses and inconsistent line items. "Because we are currently a bottom line budget, there's no true way for you to know exactly where the funds are being spent as commissioners," Danzel said, arguing that periodic line‑by‑line (zero‑based) reviews — at least every three years, he suggested — would give commissioners a more accurate starting point and reduce end-of-year "spend it or lose it" behavior.
Danzel told the board that the county's current practice allows funds to be shuffled between line items so long as the bottom line is not exceeded, which can mask misallocated or mingled expenditures and makes it harder to plan for reserve-building or changes to compensation and benefits. He said auditors and treasurer staff will assist with policy reviews and that tightening policies "will be the answer to some of the problems" when departments request cost-of-living adjustments or benefit changes.
Danzel also provided operational context: the county recently hired an office assistant (Genesis Herrera) and he cited Information Services metrics (1,216 work orders opened year-to-date, 1,174 closed) to show increased workload. He urged the board to pursue clear budget policies to build contingencies and a reserve fund, and to consider 0-based line-item reviews periodically to prevent recurring late transfers.
Discussion versus decision: the administrator presented policy recommendations and background; commissioners expressed support and asked staff to continue work on policy revisions. No formal resolution or budget rule changes were adopted at this meeting.
