“The power under the constitution will always be in the people. It is entrusted for certain defined purposes, and for a certain limited period, to representatives of their own choosing; and whenever it is executed contrary to their interest, or not agreeable to their wishes, their servants can and undoubtedly will, be recalled.”

~ George Washington (1787)

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Budget not done, but levies passed

From the Walla Walla Union Bulletin*:
Walla Walla County commissioners approved property tax levies Monday, but took no action on the 2013 budget.

Commissioners Greg Tompkins, Perry Dozier and Jim Johnson voted unanimously to have no increases in property tax levies for the county’s current expense, road and Mill Creek Flood Control District funds. They approved a 1 percent increase in the Emergency Medical Services levy.
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According to county Auditor Karen Martin, despite the latest revisions the current expense budget, which pays for much of the county’s day-to-day operations, remains about $1.1 million out of balance.
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“We are mandated to provide services and we’re mandated to balance the budget,” Tompkins said. In that situation, non-mandated services will be cut first and the major question becomes “what is county government really responsible for?”