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Commissioner Ross criticizes budget funding, accuses majority of prioritizing politics over sustainability
Summary
Commissioner Ross cast the lone no vote and criticized the FY 2024–25 budget as politically driven, arguing the millage was manipulated and that new positions were funded from contingency without a long-term financing plan for major capital projects.
Commissioner Ross delivered a lengthy on‑record objection to the proposed FY 2024–25 budget, saying he would not support the millage or the budget because he believes the majority engineered the tax outcome to avoid raising taxes on homesteaded properties while shifting new revenue to non‑homesteaded property owners.
"The commission the commission manipulated the millage rate, so homesteaded properties, which are the vast majority of which are voters, their taxes were not raised," Ross said. He also criticized funding choices, stating: "The budget adds 3 new fire and EMT personnel and 6.5 new employees without any long term plan to fund these positions ... The 3 new fire EMT personnel were not even put in the personnel part of the budget, but will be funded from the contingency fund." Ross invoked best practices from the Government Finance Officers Association, saying the operating budget should focus on long‑term solvency and that the capital improvement plan should include feasible financing for required projects.
Mayor Bee and other commissioners responded by thanking staff and praising the budget’s investments in public safety, parks and infrastructure, while the clerk recorded a 4–1 vote in favor of adoption. The transcript does not record a point‑by‑point rebuttal to Ross’s procedural accusations.
