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Council co‑leader Tab urges transparency, tighter fiscal controls and new parks to keep families
Summary
Tab, part of the county council leadership, outlined a two‑month agenda to regain public trust through transparency, tighter procurement and budget oversight, a focus on parks and recreation capital projects, and expanded public comment and municipal collaboration.
Tab, a co‑leader of the county council, told attendees the council’s top priorities are restoring public trust and increasing transparency in county business. “We have to restore the trust from our community,” Tab said, and pledged to limit executive sessions to legal matters, personnel and land acquisition and to hold more business in public, including show‑of‑hands votes so constituents can see how representatives vote.
Tab said the council will expand outreach through workshops and rotating meeting locations, increase public comment from 15 to 30 minutes and publish a development dashboard and spending portal so residents can track department expenditures. Tab announced an open workshop for March 18 that will invite municipalities to discuss a possible referendum and broader strategic priorities.
On fiscal matters, Tab described tightened procurement rules and more frequent review of budget transfers, and said the council is examining compensation structure and considering a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment. Tab gave a high‑level budget snapshot, saying current millage is 59.5 mills and the operating budget is about $161 million, with a mill equating to roughly $2.7 million on the last reassessment.
Tab emphasized capital and facilities work: the county has 131 occupied buildings (about 900,000 square feet) and faces major maintenance costs for elevators, boat ramps and the detention center. He argued parks and recreation investments are key to retaining young families, pointing to recent ribbon‑cuttings and the need for a Burton Wells master plan and new playgrounds and splash pads.
Tab also raised the issue of enterprise funds (airport, solid waste, stormwater), said some enterprise costs may be shifted into operating funds, and noted the council will inventory more than 120 county‑owned parcels to decide which sites should be retained for public use and which should be declared surplus.
Tab closed by urging council members to stay engaged through biweekly updates and repeated site visits, and by restating that the council’s immediate task is to rebuild trust through openness and municipal collaboration. The meeting moved to questions from board members and the public; no formal county vote occurred at this session.
