Eau Claire County Board rejects amendment to budget ordinance, adopts original ordinance

At its meeting, the Eau Claire County Board of Supervisors debated and voted on an amendment to a budget ordinance that would have restored language allowing the finance committee to submit “amendments to the administrator’s budget” in two places of the code. The board rejected the amendment and then approved the original ordinance as presented.

Supervisor Schmoyer moved to amend Resolution 47 in two places — in section 2.04.485 (lines around 22) and in section 4.02.0.04 (lines 17–18) — to restore the prior wording so the committee’s submission would read as recommendations for “amendments to the administrator’s budget.” Supervisor Dunning seconded the motion to consider the amendment. Schmoyer told the board he wanted to “leave it as worded. Provide its recommendations to the county board,” restoring the earlier phrasing.

Opponents said the amendment would undercut the ordinance’s goal of giving the finance and budget committee a stronger, collaborative role in presenting a consolidated recommended column alongside the administrator’s recommended budget. Supervisor Pagonis argued that “the proposed amendment defeats the purpose of our revisions here,” saying the revisions were intended “for improved collaboration between the county administrator and the committee on finance and budget” and that reverting the language would return the process to piecemeal amendments. Director Szymanski explained the procedural difference between starting with the administrator’s recommended budget and starting with the committee’s recommended column, noting that if the board begins with the administrator’s budget, supervisors would need to propose amendments to move to the committee’s version.

After debate, the board recorded the amendment vote as 5 yes, 22 no, 2 absent; the chair announced, “the amendment does fail.” The board then proceeded to a vote on the original ordinance (File 22-25-26/047 as shown on the agenda). The board approved the original ordinance by a vote of 27 yes, 2 absent.

The ordinance vote resolves how the county’s budget documents will display the administrator’s recommended budget alongside the finance committee’s recommended changes. Supporters said the adopted format improves transparency by laying the numbers side by side so supervisors can see both the administrator’s figures and the committee’s recommended column; opponents of the amendment said restoring the older phrasing would reinstate a fragmented amendment process.

The board moved on after adopting the ordinance; no additional amendments to this item were adopted at the meeting.