BOCC May Update: It's Budget Season!
The Board of County Commissioners held virtual business meetings on April 6 and 20, virtual work sessions on April 13 and 22, a joint session with the school board on April 27 and a legislative breakfast with Senator Foushee and Reps. Insko and Meyer on April 19. The agendas covered 669 pages in total. The magnitude of these agendas makes it clear just how involved the BOCC gets in our private lives.
The April 6 Business Meeting reviewed the county manager’s capital plan, a mobile home housing program, revaluation results and numerous boilerplate activities. The April 20 meeting was a public hearing on the planned $680,000 of HUD spending on the Home Investment Partnership, a review of the Buckhorn Area Plan Study and various housekeeping items including the revaluation results.
The April 13 Work Session got into the details of the capital plan proposal. The April 22 meeting mostly covered advisory board appointments.
On April 19, the board met with state legislators to discuss their “progressive” wish list for state government actions. These items were mentioned in last month’s report.
The April 27 joint meeting with the school board was the usual discussion of the county portion of funding for the school systems. Naturally, the schools want more money as always. I recommend you read the OCGOP Education Action Team’s letter about the horrific waste on “equity” personnel for the school system.
May starts on Saturday and the county government is charging ahead with budget planning with expected final approval in June. The overall tone is more spending, borrowing, and taxing. After the budget process, you can expect them to turn to more assaults on the First and Second Amendments as well as (particularly with the Biden administration) more support for the massive foreign criminal enterprise of illegal immigration. It is absolutely great the OCGOP has established Advocacy Teams to TAKE ACTION on issues of critical importance to our United States citizens. I urge you to support and participate in any way you can to restore our Republic at the local as well as higher levels of government.
On a personal note, this is my final report on BOCC activities. Nancy and I are selling our home and moving out of Orange County. As retirees, we look at the growing cost of Orange County government and recognize that it will be detrimental to our financial future. Coupled with the increasing socialist/communist culture promoted by local government, the infringement on fundamental rights and the growing rebellion against our Constitution and Sovereignty, we no longer are comfortable here. We will miss our friends and acquaintances and wish you all the best and success in getting local government back to serving the citizens of our county.
I do hope someone will take up the task of monitoring BOCC activities and file a monthly report for the bulletin.
- Riley J. Ruske
Orange County Citizen
Editor's Note: The next Business Meetings of the BOCC are scheduled for May 4 (agenda) and May 18 at 7 PM. Work Sessions are scheduled for May 13, 20 and 27. The agendas may be found here on the Friday prior to the meeting date, or you may go here to stream the video of the meeting live from home.
The County Manager's recommended budget will be presented at the May 4 meeting; a public hearing on the financing of various capital plan projects will also occur that night. If you are concerned about fiscal issues in the county, please plan to participate!
In addition, a Public Hearing on the FY 2021-22 Annual Operating Budget is scheduled for May 11 at 7 PM (no agenda posted as yet).