Matt Coker: County department heads faced reality, not a victory lap

To The Daily Sun,

The Belknap County Delegation’s new budget is already showing its true colors of being nothing more than a stunt. During the commissioner's meeting last Thursday the commissioners have already decided that they must head back to the Executive Committee for approximately $18,000. The full delegation was told during the budget deliberation process that the auditing and employee health insurance costs were known, set, and 100% necessary. In the case of the audits, failure to comply would result in the federal government withholding funds to our already gutted and unrealistic budget. As some members of the delegation did a victory lap about how much they saved the taxpayers, the county’s department heads had to face reality. The county nursing home administrator is having to decide which bills she can pay and which ones she can’t. The superintendent of the jail is already saying at current inmate population levels he won’t make the year without additional funds. (Population is expected to increase over the year as COVID restrictions decrease) This is all pretty concerning, one week after the budget passed, there is already a need to dip into roughly 10% of the contingency fund to pay for previously known expenses. 

Matt Coker

Meredith