By KAYE SULLIVAN | Special to the Herald Times
RBC | I think most of us citizens understand the difficult budget cutting decisions facing Rio Blanco County Commissioners because we face similar struggles in our own family households. The answers are often painful, enduring, and revealing of our true character.
Many county citizens have already experienced living with less. In the past year, every essential service in Meeker has increased its costs to users: electricity, trash, sanitation, health insurance, car insurance … the list goes on. A hot summer means plenty of water use so that’s another hefty bill every month.
Then along came COVID with increased grocery costs, extra bucks for scarce supplies, more dollars to have stuff shipped along with pay cuts or job loss for many people. I feel plenty are already struggling financially and can’t afford a tax increase on top of other fiscal struggles.
So, when the county commissioners float the idea of a tax increase, I doubt most voters would approve because we don’t have any extra dimes and nickels. Thankfully, for now, this concept was voted down or at least put on hold due to various complications and lack of legal compliance.
Let me suggest that instead of more revenue, the county and all of us concentrate on living with less. Yes, we have already tightened our belts, but there are always more ways to economize. In addition to the cost cutting ideas presented in a Power Point at Monday’s contentious meeting over eliminating our dispatch/911 local service, I think we can broaden our horizons about cost cutting. Here’s a few possibilities:
• Eliminate all travel. Attend meetings and training online.
• Freeze all open positions – no hiring.
• Carefully monitor all supplies, cut back everywhere possible. Basics only. No new equipment expenditures.
• Temporarily halt all capital spending projects until time to determine if absolutely essential. I’ve seen plenty of major construction projects halted suddenly and shut down mid project. It can be done while decisions get sorted out.
• Yes, require employee contribution to health care benefits. Most corporations have instituted this practice for a long time. It also causes employees to be careful about their health care use.
• As some Colorado colleges have, decrease pay of highly paid employees by 20% so that lower paid positions can be preserved. Spread the pain and save the jobs of those who need them most.
• Donate back at least some of the commissioners well paid income plus benefits equaling around $100,000 annually as confirmed in Monday’s public meeting.
• Ask every county department to hold public meetings and write newspaper articles to explain why they are essential and their benefit to citizens. Dispatch should not be the only county service with feet held to the fire. Educate the public in thoughtful ways, not just last-minute, panicky meetings.
• Decrease county offices hours of service. Since we managed to survive during recent COVID closures by doing business online or by mail, this choice has already proven successful.
• Communicate! Communicate! Communicate! Advise the public when you hold meetings and don’t leave it to Facebook to communicate for you. Give us more information about the budget cutting process and data you already have. Include us, not exclude us, in thinking through these difficult decisions.
Now is the time to work together, be inclusive, be transparent. Troubled times can reveal our best, not our worst.
