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MR. TRULSON : Thank you. <br /> MR. OMONAKA: Mr. Garrison. Point No. 7, that <br /> there be a balanced budget. What happens when we have a severe <br /> recession and this naturally would affect government? There <br /> is no way we can adopt a balanced budget if we get to that kind <br /> of a state financial dilemma. <br /> MR. GARRISON: This was discussed at some <br /> length as to what basically is a balanced budget. How do you <br /> really balance a budget out. Basically, you start from ground <br /> zero. A department, as we see it, should present a budget from <br /> ground zero. What his needs and/or expenditures are going to <br /> be for his department in the fiscal year that it will bepperating <br /> rather than the current situation where you have an add-on based <br /> on what you did last year. The add-on sometimes can be carried <br /> away, maybe 5%, 7% or possibly even a cut in the department of <br /> 7%, 10% or 20%, depending on what the current fiscal situation <br /> is at the county and what the administrative and what the council <br /> feel is going to be necessary to carry the county in its operating <br /> budget for the next year as well as its capital improvement <br /> budget. Therefore, if you start with a zero balanced budget and <br /> project what you are going to need for the future, you get better <br /> efficiency out of your department heads . you get better effic- <br /> iency out of the people. They feel more involved in what they <br /> are doing in balancing that budget and we don ' t create ongoing <br /> budgets that get higher and higher and higher and we have more <br /> loose flow of money that is being spent from the county coffers <br /> and from that operating budget. That would be our position as <br /> far as the balanced budget is concerned. <br /> MR. TRULSON : Mr. Garrison. Item 3, the terms <br /> of office would be four years. You don ' t contemplate staggered <br /> terms but straight four year terms? <br /> MR. GARRISON: They would be staggered by the <br /> districts that would be set up. Each man would be elected for <br /> a four year period. <br /> MR. TRULSON: Say there was an election in 1980 <br /> and then in '84. _It wouldn ' t be every two years there would <br /> be an election? <br /> MR. GARRISON : It would be every two years but <br /> one man would overlap for two years in each district. The <br /> rationale being the cost of being elected anymore around the <br /> island or even in a district is difficult. <br /> MR. TRULSON: And No. 5 , the nine districts to <br /> be apportioned following the 1980 census. By this do you <br /> suggest we wait until 1981 before we begin the nine districts? <br /> MR. GARRISON : Yes. <br /> MR. TRULSON: Last week Ms. Isbell suggested <br /> a way to do it prior to the next census taken in 1980 but by <br /> - 15 - <br />