There has been some conversation lately regarding county commissioners attending state and national meetings and concerns about the cost associated. I have some thoughts…but first, full disclosure…
I was a county commissioner in Bladen County for 8 years (1974-1982), nearly 5 years as chairman….and 25 years as an employee of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners…That does not make me smarter, just explains my biases.
With that as my launching pad…a few thoughts….
I want the people who represent me and manage a $45 million budget (approx. $875,000 weekly) to do all in their power to learn as much as possible about county government…It is as complex as any business I know….
I will attempt to explain one program at the time.
Unlike a municipal government, where the city manager appoints the fire chief, the police chief and other department heads…Counties are subdivisions of the state. Municipalities are very important cogs in our system. I do not downplay their importance, just attempt to point out some differences.
In county government, just about every agency has some responsibilities to the state, feds and local government…and their funding is provided from various sources…One other explanation, it is not as simple as I will make it sound…
Schools…Jointly funded by local, state and some federal funding. The Board of Education attempts to comply with state and federal laws, hire staff, build buildings, purchase buses and much more. They have no taxing power. If the state or federal government cuts funding for a program and does not eliminate the law, the service must continue, the Board of Education and School Superintendent have only one other source….the county. Example of a couple of problems they are dealing with right now….Teacher Assistants and Drivers Ed funding, supposed to come from the state…and the debate continues, but at least one house has said they will not fund either…School begins next week…County says they cannot continue to pick up the funding…As of now at least one remains a state mandate… (Drivers Ed).
Sheriff’s department… Unlike municipal government, the Sheriff is an elected official…Is in charge of 100 or more personnel (?), who provide service 24-7, 365 day a year. He is also responsible for the operation of the jail that has state laws that he must abide by and is funded almost exclusively by the county…personnel, vehicles, offices and a jail. It is not that simple…trust me.
Register of Deeds…A county office that follows the law dictated by the state, but employees, office space and salary is paid by county. The Register of Deeds is an elected official who hires her own staff…
Clerk of Court…A state office with an elected leader, is responsible to the state and court system and all salaries are paid by the state, but the county is required to provide office space and courtrooms for the state. She hires her own staff.
DSS…An agency that carries out programs funded, for the most part by the state and federal government, some local funding. The county provides office space and pays a portion of the salaries….
Health Department…Much like DSS, with some variations….do state mandated jobs like sanitation inspections and numerous other programs related to health issues…County pays a large portion of salaries and hires the agency director.
Extension…Salary expenses are shared by various levels of government. Federal agencies share the facility and some agencies pay a portion of related expenses in one form or another.
Tax Office…County hires an Administrator and the staff, pays the salaries and provides office space. Revaluation is a state mandated effort that must be administered no less than every 8 years.
EMS…Operated by the county. Staff, office and vehicles are paid for by the county with an occasional grant from an agency of the state or federal government. For years, EMS was able to pay its way, however, the Legislature has eliminated or at least cut back on reimbursement for users eligible for the service…so the county is now having to subsidize the department.
Board of Elections…Office space and staff are paid for by the county. Many of their rules and regulations are dictated by the state board of elections.
Those are just a few of the agencies…Google Bladen County and scroll through the agencies….some you may know about, others you may not and the funding for their existence varies from agency to agency, but most are required by the state or federal government.
There are some wholly operated by the county, example, the water department. The agency is self-supporting using revenues generated by the sale of county water.
A commissioner just elected has no experience in the vast majority of services they must administer and fund…
They probably promised to cut welfare, create more jobs and cut taxes. That is the normal promise…I know, I used that a couple of times myself.
I admire those that go to meetings to learn more, to learn how to do more for less…Sometimes the best lessons learned are by talking with County Commissioners from across the state and nation.
Now, let me hasten to add, if they are not attempting to obtain helpful knowledge, if they are not going to the meetings, if it is just a time away from home to see a new world, I will be upset that my tax money is being spent that way…But I can tell you that the vast majority are visiting with other commissioners, attending classes and doing what they can to learn more about the job they have been elected to do…to spend that $45 million budget wisely.
When I consider the percentage of the total budget spent attempting to gain some education related to county government, it appears to be a good investment…We shall see…
And as I have stated before, for those who can do it better, filing time for commissioners begins in less than 6 months…Time to make plans…
Not attempting to act like a know it all…I am not and do not, but if you have the answers and do not offer yourself, you may be shortchanging us all…
And no one assisted me on these Thoughts…So, with a failing memory, this article and a diet coke is worth about 75 cents, mostly to cover the cost of the coke.
He who doesn’t hope to win has already lost. (Simon Bolivar)
Talent is useless without training. (Mark Twain)
Don’t ask God to guide your footsteps if you’re not willing to move your feet.
robert g hester
rgh4612@gmail.com
910-876-2322
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