Time to move beyond budget cut
Published 10:23 am Thursday, March 24, 2016
The ongoing drama at the Lincoln County Board of Supervisors has made for good reading, but it’s time to move on.
At this week’s meeting, Rev. Jerry Wilson again argued with the board over the decision to re-distribute road and bridge funds based on the number of miles in each district. Wilson’s budget was cut significantly, and he laid off four employees after the cut took effect.
While we may have disagreed with the way the budget cut was handled, the new funding method appropriates road and bridge funds in the most fair way possible. Waiting until the next budget year to initiate the change would have likely made more sense, but the decision has been made. Wilson had a legitimate complaint, and he’s aired that complaint repeatedly.
But it’s time for Wilson to recognize that the board voted on the matter and it’s a done deal. He should turn his attention to serving his district and making the most of the budget situation. As it turns out, Wilson’s district has the second highest cash balance at $665,450, so it’s not as if District 1 is hurting financially.
Suing to change the way the funding is allocated, as has been threatened, is a waste of time.
District 5 Supervisor Doug Falvey threw unnecessary fuel on the issue when he suggested that the board needed to review budgets from previous years to see how much funding District 1 received compared to other districts. He suggested that other board members may request a refund from Wilson.
The board voted on those previous years’ budgets and allocated money to District 1 using the same formula that determined their share. Threatening to go back and look at those budgets to see if a refund is necessary is ridiculous and only serves to keep the pot stirred.
The public deserves better than the board’s recent behavior, and we hope it will soon put this issue to rest.