Apparently, its not just me. This year appears to be worse than ever. Trying to follow it, even when talking to various county board supervisors is confusing at best, and they themselves seem confused. At the moment, sounds like even tho there are meetings tonight and tomorrow night, they won’t be making decisions until they find out more information, I think. Maybe.
Last Thursday I wanted to get a list of the amendments that were passed at the Health and Human Needs Committee on Tuesday so I could figure out how much money was still needed to restore all of Human Services to the current funding (no increases again, for about the 10th year in a row). As you can see, even once I got the information, I couldn’t figure out the answer. I’m not even sure I understood everything I posted.
At the time, the amendments were not available on the internet. The people/mere citizens who I knew who were actually at the meetings didn’t have copies and a rather sad/maddening set of responses appeared from county staff and supervisors ensued. Check it out. (Names have been removed to protect the innocent!)
I sent out this email on the 27th (Thursday):
As a member of the public, your budget process is near impossible to follow your county board budget process, even when you are in the room since there are often not copies for the public. How do I get copies of the amendments passed by HHN the last two meetings? And how do I get copies of amendments that will be considered at Personnel and Finance?
Thanks!
Brenda
(Yikes, that wasn’t worded well! I was at work and distracted, but I needed to know for work!)
One very nice person called me and offered to drop off their paperwork from Health and Human Needs (HHN) and let me copy it. That was the easiest way they knew of for me to get the information. And I think I got it the quickest this way, but really supervisors shouldn’t have to do this! But thanks! At least I got to see what was passed. When I attempted to ask questions about how the process worked from here, the person was left to just say “I don’t know – there must be conversations going on but I’m not privy to them”. I appreciated their candor.
Staff sent me this:
Brenda,
There will be a packet of amendments that are going to P&F next week, (have gone through EANR and HHN) posted on the Department of Administration website by tomorrow. You can also read the minutes of the committee meetings.
http://www.countyofdane.com/budget/
Meanwhile, here’s what the rest of the supervisors had to say:
Good questions, Brenda. And I agree that our budget process is near impossible to follow, at least in the beginning as the standing committees take up budget amendments under their purview. As it relates to the HHN amendments that were adopted, I don’t even have copies and probably won’t until the chair of the standing committee presents before Personnel & Finance. Let me try to find the revised Finance Schedule elsewhere and forward that to you.
Basically, HHN amendments should be found with their minutes. Anyone can add anything to Pers. and Finance at any time. I doubt we’ll be voting on anything until Nov. 9th and 10th.
Talk to the HHN Committee Chair Sheila Stubbs. She has the authority
I followed up with this one and asked:
the schedule says the personnel and finance amendments are due friday at 3:30
The answer I got:
Yes, but people will keep briging them. We actually won’t be voting until Nov. 9th and 10th. We should have all amendments by Nov. 8th.
More responses:
Did anyone reply yet? The Controller’s Office website (http://www.countyofdane.com/budget/default.aspx) has those amendments that have been passed by committee and have been or will be considered by Personnel & Finance. Unfortunately, this site has no record of amendments introduced in committee that either haven’t been acted on yet or failed. Individual supervisors can bring those amendments directly to P & F if they want.
Hopefully, Dianne and Shelia have responded but if not I would start with the County Board Office and ask them how you can get copies of what is going before P&F. Lynn Green (242-6469) should have copies of everthing that came before HHN. Dawn did have extra copies of the budget amendments but I guess people need to ask for them.
From the people/department who staff the committee. Karin Petersen in the CB office for P&F, or Controller Chuck Hicklin. I don’t know how staffs HHN Committee now, but if you call Lynn Green’s office they will tell you.
Chuck,
Could you add both Brenda Konkel and I to your email distribution list of amendments that will go before P&F and those that have passed or have been denied.
The response we got yesterday was this:
http://www.countyofdane.com/budget/
But it only includes amendments passed, not those that failed, I think.
Many thanks to those who tried to help. Especially that last one, because it came from a conservative many would consider my mortal enemy. I did hear from Dianne Hesselbein (chair of Personnel and Finance) and she was super helpful. Never heard from Sheila Stubbs, but she probably thought staff responded. I actually was impressed I got as many responses as I did, since when an email goes to everyone on a body, people assume others responded.
I didn’t really get the answer I wanted from the information tho and I think I”m as confused as ever. If you go to the website, the amendments for tonight are up there, at least from EANR (Environment and Natural Resources) and HHN. However, according to the schedule I think there might be more amendments (ZLR). My understanding is that these amenmdnets will just be presented, but not voted on as they wait for more information – I think. This was the schedule as I understood it and was sent to me by one of the people above. I searched all over and couldn’t find any better information. At the moment, I don’t know when HHN amendments will be voted on. Which of course is extremely frustrating because I don’t know when people should show up to advocate even tho a lot of people are asking me . . . so that means tonight and every night until they vote, I guess. How many people do you know that can afford to do that? Seems designed to limit public input, I’m not sure that is true knowing many of the folks improved, but any alternative explanation seems even worse. I sure hope they seriously fix this for next year.
Oh, wait, at least one person was told by a county board supervisor that they didn’t think that public input would be accepted tonight. I’m having a hard time believing that is true. I forgot to ask, but will find out.
