County commission’s tough decisions now paying off

Drafting a budget that makes economic sense during a time of economic downturn presents a formidable challenge for any governing body, unless you rule from Washington, D.C., and don’t mind running up the nation’s debt. Among those facing that obstacle months ago was the Marion County Commission. Based on where the county now stands financially, the commission did a good job.
When it came time to draw up a budget, rather than project a 3 percent increase in revenue growth the commission scaled their expectations back to 1 percent. To this point that estimation has proven to be pretty much on track if not a bit conservative.
The commissioners also agreed to tighten the county’s financial belt in regard to new purchases. Possibly the toughest decision was to not give county employees a pay raise this year. As it turns out, such a boost in pay would likely mean the difference between having a budget that’s bathed in black or red ink at this point.
We certainly understand that no boost in pay can present household budgetary challenges, especially when it seems that everything else is going up in price. But receiving no pay raise is certainly preferable to layoffs which is likely happening in counties elsewhere in the state where sales tax revenue has fallen off the table.
What does the future hold financially for Marion County in the months ahead? It’s hard to forecast. What we do know is that without the foresight of the commissioners, our county’s current fiscal outlook would not be as solid as it is currently. We commend those men for being good stewards of taxpayers’ funds.