Love-fest over county budget?
Because of the fireworks surrounding last year’s budget, I decided to sit through the county’s budget workshop Wednesday night.
I felt a little like a hockey fan attending a Chill game because you can usually expect at least one good fight.
Boy, was I surprised. It was more like a love-fest. One at a time, each of the department heads explained that they had sat down with county administrator Charles Londo and worked out the differences. They were happy with the proposed budget.
Even the sheriff’s office, represented by Maj. David Thompson, was sedate and reserved in its criticism. The board members listened politely, asked a few questions, then suggested that Mr. Londo and Maj. Thompson sit down and work out the issues. None of them seemed insurmountable - although there was a serious difference of opinion over how much overtime pay is appropriate.
The closest thing to sparks came when a commissioner asked Maj. Thompson if the department was doing anything to curb abuses of sick time. But Maj. Thompson didn’t take the bate, and the session returned to polite and pleasant.
That’s a stark contrast to last year, when Mr. Londo and some board members engaged in heated exchanges with the sheriff, eventually leading to several new candidates for the county board running on what some called, “the sheriff’s ticket.”
Actually, I wasn’t really hoping for a fight. I’m glad they’re handling their differences more amicably this year. But it wasn’t as entertaining as I expected.