White County Commissioners said the public’s involvement with the budget process served as a great learning experience for everyone.
Budget Committee Chair Kyle Goff said seeing the Courthouse filled with community members and county employees helped shape the process.
“One thing I love about having [the public] here is that you learn where the communication gaps are,” Goff said. “The things that they bring to us that they don’t understand. And it’s like, we’ve never considered talking about that or being transparent about it. It’s just the way we use the language.”
Goff said he understands the public’s difficulty in translating meeting language, as he too had to learn it on the fly when he joined the Commission halfway into a term. Goff said that having the public present not only helps close the language gap, but better prepares the Commissioners for conversations with their constituents.
Goff said an educated public makes the Commissioners’ jobs easier. He said as people gained understanding about the budget beyond the tax rate, there was a shift in viewpoint.
“Their opinion, especially on the county employee pay shifted after they sat through some meetings and saw that we’re a little bit behind in the market where we are in our employee pay,” Goff said. “I do think there was some tide turns. Some of the public that was coming in opposition of us, you know, ended up becoming very, very sympathetic of what we’re going through.”
Early in the budget process, several community members voiced displeasure with the property tax rate and the amount of raises the employees were set to receive. As the weeks passed, attendees shifted the direction of their comments toward more support for employees.
Heavy public support for employee raises continued during Monday’s public hearing on the $1.41 property tax rate, which was held since the rate is above the state certified rate.
Commission Chair Derrick Hutchings said throughout the budget process, people have become more educated about the way local governments are funded. Hutchings said the county’s use of a live video stream during meetings has helped the public be more informed.
“I think this year, that was one of the big ticket things we were trying to get done when several of us run,” Hutchings said. “We wanted people to be more educated on what we’re doing. The more informed they are, the better they’re going to understand what we’re trying to accomplish and what we try to do.”
Hutchings said he hopes this newfound understanding will help make it easier to move forward with different initiatives. He said that people’s grasp on the budget and property tax rate might re-open the possibility for a sales tax increase in the future, which could warrant a property tax rate drop.
Goff agreed that the live stream was a big factor in helping the public become more educated. In addition, Goff said the public being informed is beneficial in the event they want to run for office.
“You never know which members in the audience are going to end up seeking office, and they might end up in our chairs one day,” Goff said. “I think that’s where several of us on the commission now started, by sitting in on the meetings, looking confused, and not knowing which way to go. But the fool is the precursor to the savior, so I think it’s key to have them here and educated so they can be more involved.”
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Public Involvement Big Win In White County Budget Process
White County Commissioners said the public’s involvement with the budget process served as a great learning experience for everyone.
Budget Committee Chair Kyle Goff said seeing the Courthouse filled with community members and county employees helped shape the process.
“One thing I love about having [the public] here is that you learn where the communication gaps are,” Goff said. “The things that they bring to us that they don’t understand. And it’s like, we’ve never considered talking about that or being transparent about it. It’s just the way we use the language.”
Goff said he understands the public’s difficulty in translating meeting language, as he too had to learn it on the fly when he joined the Commission halfway into a term. Goff said that having the public present not only helps close the language gap, but better prepares the Commissioners for conversations with their constituents.
Goff said an educated public makes the Commissioners’ jobs easier. He said as people gained understanding about the budget beyond the tax rate, there was a shift in viewpoint.
“Their opinion, especially on the county employee pay shifted after they sat through some meetings and saw that we’re a little bit behind in the market where we are in our employee pay,” Goff said. “I do think there was some tide turns. Some of the public that was coming in opposition of us, you know, ended up becoming very, very sympathetic of what we’re going through.”
Early in the budget process, several community members voiced displeasure with the property tax rate and the amount of raises the employees were set to receive. As the weeks passed, attendees shifted the direction of their comments toward more support for employees.
Heavy public support for employee raises continued during Monday’s public hearing on the $1.41 property tax rate, which was held since the rate is above the state certified rate.
Commission Chair Derrick Hutchings said throughout the budget process, people have become more educated about the way local governments are funded. Hutchings said the county’s use of a live video stream during meetings has helped the public be more informed.
“I think this year, that was one of the big ticket things we were trying to get done when several of us run,” Hutchings said. “We wanted people to be more educated on what we’re doing. The more informed they are, the better they’re going to understand what we’re trying to accomplish and what we try to do.”
Hutchings said he hopes this newfound understanding will help make it easier to move forward with different initiatives. He said that people’s grasp on the budget and property tax rate might re-open the possibility for a sales tax increase in the future, which could warrant a property tax rate drop.
Goff agreed that the live stream was a big factor in helping the public become more educated. In addition, Goff said the public being informed is beneficial in the event they want to run for office.
“You never know which members in the audience are going to end up seeking office, and they might end up in our chairs one day,” Goff said. “I think that’s where several of us on the commission now started, by sitting in on the meetings, looking confused, and not knowing which way to go. But the fool is the precursor to the savior, so I think it’s key to have them here and educated so they can be more involved.”