Public Input Means Prince William Budget Process Will Never Be the Same

OPINION 

The Prince William County budget process has changed quite a bit during the past couple of years. It has transitioned from an obscure game of insider baseball to a relatively transparent discussion of how the county spends our money.  

It wasn’t that long ago that most people simply didn’t care about the budget process.   Our lack of oversight lead to incrementally bolder but perfectly legal uses of our money on things that clearly had nothing to do with the business of governance.

Hubris probably best describes the budget process in of the past.  Public interest in Discretionary Funds changed the process in 2012.  Public discussion is probably at an all time high in 2013.  Things will never be the same.

Like most people, I don’t mind paying taxes.  I just don’t want to pay “too much” taxes.  What constitutes “too much” is a constant discussion between people of good will with different views regarding just exactly constitutes those things government should do.

Like most people, I do not like seeing my tax dollars spent on things that clearly have nothing to do with the business of government.  While this is a gray area, its sorta like pornography.  We know it when we see it.

What used to be the simple approval of the budget created by the County Executive (for the record, its her responsibility to create the Prince William County budget) or the School System Superintendent  accompanied by a bit of theater to give the public the warm fuzzy feeling that those we elect to be the stewards of our money actually know what’s “in there” is history.

Our elected officials are now engaged, asking detailed questions, drilling down.  Some of this is, of course, the theater of politics and for our benefit.  I do believe that most of those behind the Dias have realized that keeping that seat with a view of “the rest of us” won’t be as easy as it used to be.

All things operate in cycles.  The Prince William County budget process has swung from relative obscurity to an object of intense public scrutiny.  In my opinion, this occurred because we simply lost faith in the process.  We realized that those in charge perhaps noticed that nobody was watching, and incrementally, quite legally, continued to expand the bounds of just what they might consider spending our tax dollars on.

It will take a while to restore our faith.   

As the FY2014 budget unfolds, and we see “whats in there”, we will see who “gets it”.  

I am particularly interested in the School System’s budget.  It has a history of being even more obscure than the county government’s budget.

Now, not so much.

We now have budget committees across the county going through every line of the Prince William County Budget.  The School Board is now on the public’s radar, and decisions that would have gone unnoticed until perhaps the construction equipment showed up are now the grist of local blogs, the press, and citizens’ time.

I suspect that the 2015 elections will be the first time that decisions made regarding the School System’s budget will perhaps generate unusual interest in the election of our representatives on the School Board.

We get the government we deserve.  While we elect people to make decisions for us, we have an obligation to give these elected officials our input regarding just what kind of a County or School System we would like to see.  If enough of us object to the decisions our elected officials make, we have the opportunity to replace them in 2015.  If we don’t like the budget proposed by the County Executive or School System Superintendent propose, we have the opportunity to elect folks who will replace either or both.

Government is like gambling:  You can’t win if you don’t play.  If you have absolutely no objection to where the money you work for goes, do nothing.  Others will decide how to spend it.  If you really don’t care what our County looks like, do nothing.  There are a few folks willing to make that decision for you.

On the other hand, if you do care about these things, you might want to take a look at the Prince William County FY2014 Budget and the the FY 2013-14 PWCS School Budget.  

Most of the Supervisors have budget committees.  You might want to chat with your Supervisor to see if they are still meeting, do a Freedom of Information Request  (if necessary) to take a look at their findings and conclusions, and make your preferences known.

I am a cynic when it come to government at all levels.  Government unchecked starts to think of taxes and fees as “their money”.  It’s “our money”.

It is important that we pay attention so they take only enough of “our money” to pay for the County we want, and to spend it on those things about which we care the most.  Your chance to weigh in occurs at a public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, April 9 at 7:30 p.m. during a regularly scheduled Board of County Supervisor’s meeting.

Why is the budget particularly important this time?  With sequestration looming, predictions of the loss of around 200,000 jobs and the possible collapse of our housing market, small businesses who supply, feed, and do the dry cleaning for the companies and people impacted we want to create the smallest burden possible on our community for the coming years.

We want to rig for possible tough times.

I certainly hope we don’t see those tough times, but the price of guessing wrong is just too high.