Douglas County Commissioners Approve Budget Despite Public Input Concerns

Key Details of the Approved Douglas County Budget

Douglas County Commissioners recently approved a significant budget in a 5 to 1 vote, but the decision has sparked some concerns among county leaders. The newly approved budget allocates funds for infrastructure, public safety, health centers, and various other essential services. Despite its comprehensive scope, not all commissioners are fully on board with the approval.

Commissioner Jim Cavanaugh, who voted against the budget, expressed his concerns about the lack of public input during the decision-making process. He emphasized that there were no public hearings where department heads and elected officials could present their cases for funding. “The finance committee, which put this forward, had no finance committee hearings open to the public that we could go and listen to,” he explained.

Cavanaugh also pointed out that the timeline for reviewing the budget was extremely tight. “The documents on this $636 million plus budget came to us in the last 24 hours, and we are allowed 12 minutes to question anyone that we want, our finance director particularly, and that is just not enough,” he said. This lack of time made it difficult for commissioners to thoroughly review the details before voting.

Another issue raised by Cavanaugh is the lack of communication with the public. He noted that there was no media advisory through TV, radio, or print to inform residents about Tuesday’s meeting. “The public is not in on this; I think there were less than a half dozen public individuals who came and spoke,” he said. Cavanaugh believes that public hearings should be held for every department and elected official before approving such a large sum of public money.

Commissioner Chris Rodgers acknowledged that public attendance at meetings has been an ongoing challenge. “If the public screamed for a big budget meeting like the city, we would do one,” he said. “And we did one, and 10 people came. There were more people here than at that meeting.” While meeting times and agendas are publicly available on the Douglas County website, Rodgers admits that getting more people involved remains a challenge.

Despite these concerns, several residents, including Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson, attended the meeting in person or via Zoom to voice their opinions. The approved budget includes $75 million for county roads, $48 million for the Douglas County Health Center, and $22 million for the Community Health Center, among other allocations.

This year, the county had some extra money due to a surplus from the corrections department, which completed the fiscal year nearly $14,000 under budget. That surplus will be placed into a reserve for future distribution.

Rodgers highlighted his concern about general assistance, which is mandated by law. “My greatest concern is general assistance; it is mandated. There is a statute that says for general assistance that we are the payer of last resort,” he explained. He also mentioned the potential impact of changes coming from the federal government regarding Medicaid, which could affect how the county manages its funds.

Despite these concerns, Rodgers remains confident that the approved numbers are final. “My 20 years here, we have approved the budget in this period, knowing there will be some tweaks and we have managed for that adjustment,” he said. He also praised the accuracy of the assessors’ office in determining property assessments.

Cavanaugh also expressed concerns about the budget’s transparency. “We provide health services to hundreds of Douglas County residents, and we receive a significant portion of federal money to do that,” he said. “When we are talking about department expenditures, it’s important to know how much comes out of the Douglas County taxpayers’ pocket and how much of it comes from someplace else. We did not get into that at all.”

The next step in the budget process involves finalizing the numbers and making minor adjustments. The full budget document is available for further review.