Wake County Commissioners Retreat Report

Story by Guest Columnist | February 1, 2010 | Tags: budget, commissioners retreat, county government, libraries, wake county

by Ed Clayton

Cary, N.C. – On Friday, January 29, I attended the Wake County Commissioners retreat, both to learn more about our County Government and to have an opportunity to observe our elected officials in an informal setting. Although the retreat was open to all, by my count I was one of two citizens present. Also present were the Commissioners and County staff.

The Retreat

The Wake County Commissioners spent the day Friday at the Walnut Creek Wetlands Center,  an educational facility located on 59 acres of undeveloped flood plain near downtown Raleigh. What had been planned as a day and a half retreat was compressed into one day as a result of the impending snow storm.

The Commissioners – Chair Tony Gurley, Joe Brian, Harold Webb, Betty Ward, Paul Coble, Lindy Brown, and Cary resident Stan Norwalk – spent most of the day digesting and discussing revenue and expense projections interjected with a presentation by David King of Triangle Transit. The retreat was a low key affair.

The day kicked off with the mandatory update on growth, demographics, and a dose of statistical information. A review of the Commissioner’s goals for 2009 set the stage for a later discussion of goals for 2010.

Budget

Commissioners face a significant challenge later this year when they adopt a budget for FY 2011. The present FY 2010 budget totals $965.2 million and included belt-tightening steps to balance expense and revenue. Staff’s preliminary pass at the FY 2011 budget shows an $8 million gap between expense and revenue, but looming outside this gap is another $9.77 million in needed expenses making the true gap more like $17.8 million. This rough cut at the numbers makes some assumptions regarding a schools budget that likely will not stick and thus the prospect of an even larger gap.

An Example, Libraries

One expense trimming possibility that has already made the news is the staff suggestion that the Garner branch library be closed. Commissioners are apparently already receiving emails from upset patrons of that branch. County staff shared extensive data regarding each branch library in order to make this suggestion, including: circulation, branch operating cost, patron usage (real time data on the number of people walking in the door), computer usage, number of library card holders living within a 10 minute drive of the library, and number of people living within a 10 minute drive of the library. Guess which branch library comes out on top of the evaluation? The downtown Cary branch!

A Transit Tax Vote in Our Future

A presentation by David King of Triangle Transit brought a focus on transit and the Commissioners role in the process of advancing transit in the region. House Bill 148, passed in the 2009 session of the General Assembly, provided enabling legislation that empowers the County Commissioners of Wake, Durham, and Orange counties to conduct a referendum on the enactment of a ½ cent incremental sales tax that will benefit transit. Triangle Transit and the Wake Commissioners are understandably reluctant to schedule a referendum before the economy turns up. King and the County Manager suggested that the Commissioners consider scheduling the referendum for Fall 2011.

The Commissioners will increasingly be on the “hot seat” as they move toward the creation of a budget for 2011 and face some difficult program cuts in order to balance the budget.