It won’t be long before local municipal and county governments begin cobbling budgets for the 2013-2014 fiscal year, which begins July 1.
County managers, city managers, county commissioners and council members will be receiving plenty of input from department heads, special-interest groups and nonprofit groups regarding those budgets. They need to hear from the public — Joe Taxpayer — when it comes to spending taxpayers’ money.
The trouble is most Joe Taxpayers don’t familiarize themselves with proposed budgets or show up at public hearings to offer advice on how taxpayers’ money should be spent. Don’t like the how the county has been spending money on economic development in recent years? Express your concerns at a public hearing on the upcoming budget.
Get involved in the budget process. Yes, it likely will mean sacrificing some time to get involved, but if one is concerned about how taxpayers’ money should be spent, then one should speak up and have a say in that process.
Make sure the governing bodies know how you want your tax dollars spent. They will know if you participate in the budget process.