Inter-fund transfers hurt county, taxpayers

On Aug. 30, the Daily Bee reported that I am challenging the county’s right to use inter-fund transfers to pay for the courthouse remodel. Several bloggers oppose my challenge and, one in particular, captured the essence of their concerns as follows: “It seems to me that a system that allows surplus funds to go untouched, while important operations are starved for cash, is a problem. If the transfers were illegal, they shouldn’t be, unless the funds are earmarked for specific use.”

That’s the same logic Congress uses when it raids the Social Security trust fund. The fact is, the funds, which the county proposes to “transfer,” have been “earmarked for a specific use.” Each year, the county goes through a public budgeting process, under the County Budget Law, and allots money to the various funds, based on specific needs.

Inter-fund transfers, after the final budget is adopted, undermine the budgeting process and violate the law. They also made it possible for the commissioners to avoid an election and get us in over our heads on the courthouse remodel project.

Another blogger wanted to know what’s in it for me? I have the same stake in this as every other taxpayer in the county. If the county only budgets what it needs, and applies available surpluses to the following year’s budget, as the law requires, there will be no funds to transfer and our taxes will be lower.

LOU GOODNESS

Sagle