You just voted to rob the county's saving account to balance the budget. You spend like no tomorrow. One of your members seems determined to take over the volunteer fire departments. How do you pull it all off without eventually raising taxes on the people of Union County?
Sell the Golden Egg.
Union County Commissioners voted 3-2 on Monday to move forward with placing the county's biggest asset on the auction block. Carolinas Medical Center-Union will be sold if the Commission majority of Lanny Openshaw, Tracy Kuehler, and Kim Rogers get their way. The three argue that the money could be used to pay off some of the county debt.
Make no mistake, the majority wants to sell the hospital to free up more money so they can spend more money. While paying off ones debt is always a great idea, doing so with the idea that it will allow you to acquire more debt is a disaster waiting to happen.
Given the liberal tilt of the current majority, rest assured that the county cannot afford to give them any fluff in future budgets. Commissioner Rogers clearly has no restraint in spending for schools and Commissioner Kuehler clearly has her eyes on making the great volunteer fire departments a new county department.
It may be time to call on the Union County delegation to the General Assembly to move forward with emergency legislation preventing a county from selling a major asset without voter approval. We cannot afford to allow this commission majority to raid the county anymore than they already have.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The Budget is Finished
Union County Commissioners voted 3-2 Monday to enact a $222.3 million county budget. The budget will not require a tax increase on citizens, however it required the county to rob over $1 million from the county savings.
In an unusal vote, Commissioners Allan Baucom and Kim Rogers were the two dissenting members. However, do not be confused as the two were not dissenting for the same reason. Conservative Baucom wanted to cut more from education which will spend over $80 million in operations while the liberal stripes of Kim Rogers continued to shine through with her fight to give the schools anything they desired.
It is dissapointing that commissioners chose to balance the budget with savings instead of making cuts in spending. This decision could pass the buck to next years budget which will not be voted on until AFTER the primary election in May. However, I suspect that Commissioner Chairman Openshaw and his two cohorts, Tracy Kuehler and Kim Rogers, have a plan to keep the budget balanced until Rogers and Kuehler can seek re-election. That plan....see the next post.
In an unusal vote, Commissioners Allan Baucom and Kim Rogers were the two dissenting members. However, do not be confused as the two were not dissenting for the same reason. Conservative Baucom wanted to cut more from education which will spend over $80 million in operations while the liberal stripes of Kim Rogers continued to shine through with her fight to give the schools anything they desired.
It is dissapointing that commissioners chose to balance the budget with savings instead of making cuts in spending. This decision could pass the buck to next years budget which will not be voted on until AFTER the primary election in May. However, I suspect that Commissioner Chairman Openshaw and his two cohorts, Tracy Kuehler and Kim Rogers, have a plan to keep the budget balanced until Rogers and Kuehler can seek re-election. That plan....see the next post.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
John Locke or John Not
It is interesting that when the John Locke Foundation issues a major study showing that growth pays for itself some find it necessary to trash the organization as partisan and unrealistic.
However, when the same John Locke Foundation does a major study on education spending that shows Union County is below the state average on administrative costs and teacher-student ratio, these same people find it compelling to lift John Locke up as a reason to save education funding.
We have an old saying....you are either with me or against me. Unfortunately, some in our county leadership find it convenient to be with the John Locke when it is politically expedient and against them when it is not.
Hopefully County Commissioner Tracy Kuehler will come to a point where she can accept all of the findings of the John Locke Foundation and like-minded conservative organizations. It would be refreshing to see her embrace conservatism across the board.
However, when the same John Locke Foundation does a major study on education spending that shows Union County is below the state average on administrative costs and teacher-student ratio, these same people find it compelling to lift John Locke up as a reason to save education funding.
We have an old saying....you are either with me or against me. Unfortunately, some in our county leadership find it convenient to be with the John Locke when it is politically expedient and against them when it is not.
Hopefully County Commissioner Tracy Kuehler will come to a point where she can accept all of the findings of the John Locke Foundation and like-minded conservative organizations. It would be refreshing to see her embrace conservatism across the board.
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