Since I took office in January we have been able to accomplish great strides in the mending of the county budget and turning around the haphazard spending practices that were common in days past. In just 8 short months we have gone from operating in the red to the very real prospects of a 3 million dollar carry over for 2008. All we have to do now is make sure we don't slide back into old habits of spending funds we do not have. The good news is, as of the last full Quorum Court meeting on August 28th I was elected budget chairman for the 2008 budget cycle. This is not only an honor but it will also give me, along with the other Quorum Court members, the ability to continue the positive trend of conservative spending and to find areas of the county budget that can be improved upon.

Below is a link to a memo that was sent to all elected officials of the county government that outlines specific areas of the budget we will focus on, as well as a template of how the budget process will be conducted this year. In years past it was a very tediously drawn out process that did not really focus on the big picture of what the budget should look like.

Doing the same things the way they have always been done year-in and year-out only gets you the same results as the previous year...EVERY YEAR. And over time, even a negative result. That is why this year; we will take a deeper look.

Allen Kerr

2008 Budget Committee Letter