CBSTFPP

I had applied to be on the Citizen Budget
Review Committe now the Citizen Budget
Study Task Force Pilot Program, Neely
Chronicle publisher Richard Moore had hit the
nail on the head in his first article regarding the
CBRC. Here are reports from the
Neely Chronicle, the Reidsville Review and the
Greensboro News and Record.

From the Neely Chronicle this is a partial report on the Citizen Budget
Review Committee.

Thanks to a tip from Eric Smith, we learned
County Commissioners David Isley and Bert Jones were holding a
secret meeting of 20 citizens who applied to serve on a
Commissioners Citizen Budget Review Committee (CBRC).
Smith, a former candidate for Neely County Commissioner, is one the 20 citizen
applicants.

Although our Publisher Richard Moore applied to serve on the CBRC, he did not receive any notice of a meeting of applicants, nor did the Chronicle receive the legally required notice of the CBRC
meeting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Citizens Budget Review Committee, with assistance from Commissioners Bert Jones, David Isley and newly designated Assistant County Manager Mike Apple, struggled for nearly two hours to figure out what the CBRC will do. By the end of the meeting, there was still no clear picture of the committee's mission, or who among the 20 applicants will ultimately be selected to serve.

It was decided by the Commissioners that no one who has an "agenda" will be allowed on the Committee. As best we could determine, a applicant has an "agenda" if he is an advocate for a particular county department or program or if he believes a particular department or program is a waste and should be completely shut down. If the Commissioners screening procees is successful only citizens with a plain vanilla, gray suit sort of atttitude toward county government will be selected to serve on the Committee. We now know there was a pre-screening on at least one applicant.

Commissioner Jones emphasized any notion of that some departments or programs are not "necessary" is not acceptable thinking for a Committee members.   Commissioner Jones said because everybody is not going to agree Department X should be eliminated then the Committee will only consider how to improve the "efficiency" of Department X. Jones added the Committee will not be a forum for a "gripe sessions" or a venue for a member to complain that he "hates county government and lazy county government employees."

Commissioner Jerry Owens also wants Committee members who agree to educate other citizens about county programs that are mandated, but not funded by state and federal governments.

At least two prospective committee members indicated they believe Neely County government employees are the finest in the state. Two others saluted the Neely County Commissioners for having the courage to consider forming a Citizens Budget Review Committee. They did not indicate why forming the Committee took such an extraordinary act of bravery. We can only assume there may be some county employees (the finest in the state) who will not be happy about what the committee digs up.

Applicant Phil Sharpe said he worked for years as an auditor in the federal government and he never met a government employee who believed it was a good idea to cut his budget to save the taxpayers money. Sharpe labeled his former career as"working in the belly of the beast"

Former County Commissioner candidate Eric Smith said, "Whenever you look at government, the only question you need to ask is 'Is it government's responsibility?' " It's probably safe to assume applicant Smith will not make it through the screening process for the committee.

Feb. 11, 2005

The CBRC was renamed to the Citizen Budget Study Task Force Pilot Program (CBSTFPP). The Pilot Program part indicates the Commissioners are still very much afraid the committee will turn into some sort of Frankenstein monster that will subvert the county government and the authority of the Commissioners.

Bert Jones announced 11 citizens have been appointed to fill 13 seats on the CBSTFPP.   The remaining two appointments are being kept secret until the Commissioners have talked to two minority individuals. Of the 21 applicants, none were minorities.   The Commissioners hope to persuade two unidentified minorities to join the CBSTFPP.   It is not known how the 10 applicants who were not appointed will take the news that two persons who did not even apply have been chosen.

Retired Burlington Industries employee Tom Schoolfield was appointed by the Commissioners to serve as Chairman of the CBSTFPP. Republican Schoolfield actively campaigned to elect Commissioners David Isley (R), Harold Bass (D) , and Bert Jones (R).   Schoolfield is also a supporter of Democrat Jerry Owens. Schoolfield is founding member of the Neely County Citizens for a Sound Economy (www.cse.org). CSE is a national organization that gives lip service to conservative fiscal policies. CSE also acts as a mouthpiece for the national Republican Party.

Other appointees included Skeeter Coates, John Evans, Don Matthieu, Garland McCollum, Ed Robbins, Phil Sharpe, Floyd Wulfeck, Harry Mullis, Richard Moore (surprise!), and Alice McBride. Upon learning of his appointment, Neely Chronicle Publisher Richard Moore remarked, "Does this mean Tom Robinson will notify me when the committee meets?"

From the News and Record.

Panel of 11 will study budget cuts for county

2-12-05

By Carla Bagley Staff Writer
News & Record

WENTWORTH -- The Rockingham County Board of Commissioners named 11 people to a citizens budget study task force Friday, hoping the panel will help figure out ways to trim the county's upcoming budget.

The committee will be led by Tom Schoolfield, a retired Burlington Industries manager. It will exist until the 2005-06 budget is adopted July 1.

Twenty-one people, none minorities, volunteered to serve on the committee. Eleven were chosen, and the commissioners plan to recruit two minorities to serve. The residents will not be paid.

"We wanted a manageable-sized committee," said Commissioner Bert Jones, who proposed the committee as part of his election platform.

Because it is made up of volunteers, the group is not understood to be representative of the county as a whole.

The residents were chosen because of their experience and ability to commit time to the task, Jones said.

The commissioners selected Schoolfield as chairman because "we know his experience. All the board members know Tom and respect him,'' Jones said.

Commissioners hope the committee, working in groups of two or three, will offer objective data about ways county departments can cut spending.

"It is not an issues forum,'' Jones said.

Rockingham County's $88 million budget has increased 50 percent since 1996, Jones has said. The county has a tax rate of 63.5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

The county needs to replace its nearly 100-year-old courthouse and replace its jail annex to relieve overcrowding. The project is expected to cost about $18 million and may necessitate a tax increase. Part of the mission of the committee is to educate residents and make them aware of the county's needs and how the budgeting process works.

Commissioner Keith Duncan said he expects the budget to be out of balance by as much as $2 million. He has suggested, for instance, that the commissioners adopt a funding formula for the county school system, which has asked for a $2.3 million increase in operating expenses. "Come June 25 and we are out of balance by $2 million, you need to know where you can go (for cuts) and where you can't go,'' he said.

From the Reidsville Review

Citizen group to review budget

Brook R. Corwin
Staff Writer
Sunday, February 13, 2005

When the county's top officials evaluate matters regarding tax increases and government spending, a group of local citizens will have their voices thrown into the mix.
After several redrafts and reinterpretations of its mission, the county's Board of Commissioners created and appointed Friday an unpaid citizen commission to assist in the budget process.

The 13-member group evolved from new Commissioner Bert Jones' campaign promise to create a Citizen's Budget Advisory Committee that would independently evaluate the state of the county's finances and identify ways to cut back on expenses. As commissioners debated the purpose, logistics and limitations of the committee during the past month, it was renamed Citizen's Budget Study Committee before settling on Citizen Budget Study Task Force Pilot Program.

The changes in title reflect a more reduced scope of charges given to the task force. Commissioners had expressed concern that a committee too large or with too much influence could tie up county staff and possibly inject personal bias into the budgetary process.

The agreed upon charge for the task force won't give it any direct influence to craft or alter the county budget, only to study the existing budget and report back its objective findings. Each member's term will expire when the 2005-2006 county budget is adopted.

"It's not an issues forum," Jones said after the meeting. "We're not looking for subjective advice."

Jones said the committee could make an impact in helping educate and inform citizens on the county's budgetary procedure. While the group is not considered a representative body of the county, Jones said the 11 members appointed Friday were whittled down from 21 applicants based in part on ensuring some geographic and occupational diversity. Because no minorities applied for the committee, two seats will remain vacant while commissioners contact potential minority candidates.

"We feel it's important to have minority representation on this board." Jones said.

Commissioners selected Reidsville resident Tom Schoolfield, a retired manager at Burlington Industries, to chair the committee. Schoolfield said he's eager to hear from other members on how to best proceed with studying the budget and is excited about the task force's potential as a whole.

"I'm glad they're opening this up to the citizens," he said. "I really salute the county commissioners for having the courage to attempt this."

The committee's formation comes during what is shaping up to be a tremendously tight fiscal year. County revenues have yet to pick up like officials had hoped, and numerous new expenses, including the construction of an $18 million new courthouse and jail facility, have emerged as area needs. In addition to the citizen's task force, commissioners also have appointed consultant Steve Allen to conduct an $18,000 efficiency study as part of efforts to identify every potential area of savings.

With such fund shortages affecting all county taxpayers, Schoolfield said the citizens committee offers the chance for the public to play a more active role in ensuring that county government is as efficient as possible.

"I see this as a beginning for what I hope will be a long-term approach of having citizen review and input that has been missing in our past county government," he said. "This will enable individuals who are interested to educate themselves and make a difference."

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Citizen Budget Study Task Force Pilot Program

This program turned out to be the biggest joke that Rockingham County has ever seen. The County Commissioners disregarded everything this committe did.