Published: June 17, 2009 04:08 pm      

Without debate — 06/18/09

Court’s quick action on budget carries negative possibilities

The Boyd County Fiscal Court has just done the impossible: It has unanimously approved a $22.2 million county budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 without a word of public discussion.

That tells us that one or two things had to occur:

--Commissioners Marvin “Coach” Meredith, David Salisbury and Carl Tolliver and Judge-Executive William “Bud” Stevens approved the budget without ever discussing what the priorities of the county should be and without ever questioning whether a single line item in the document was too much, too little or just about right. Shoot, for all we know, they never even read the budget prepared by Treasurer Billie Zellers and simply rubber-stamped her work. If so, they are guilty of voting in ignorance and neglecting their responsibility as caretakers of the county’s spending, their primary job.

--The three commissioners and judge-executive discussed the budget at length in closed-door sessions. That’s tantamount to playing the game in secret and coming out to announce the final score. It’s also a clear and blatant violation of the Kentucky Open Meetings Law and a disservice to the people they represent who deserve a voice in the spending decisions of their elected officials.

Sadly, secrecy is a disturbing pattern with this fiscal court. After all, earlier this month the court rejected a tax proposed by the Boyd County Soil Conservation District without ever discussing the request or taking a public vote on it. Too often this court seems to think what they do is none of the people’s business.

Contrast the way the fiscal court approved its budget to the way the Ashland Board of City Commissioners is arriving at its budget. As they do every year, city commissioners are meeting in a series of budget meetings where they go over the spending proposals line by line. Such meetings often are so long and tedious that it can be a struggle to stay awake during them. But they are also necessary, and a clear sign that mayor and four Ashland city commissioners take seriously their responsibilities as watchdogs over the public coffers.

Did the four people who make up the legislative body of Boyd County ever discuss the budget before approving it. If not, then they are foolishly irresponsibIe. If they did, they did it in secret. Either way is wrong.