MOHAVE COUNTY – Member Buster Johnson’s suggested conversion to a two-year budget cycle was voted down 3-2 at Tuesday’s Mohave County Board of Supervisors meeting. Johnson and Supervisor Ron Gould offered minority support for a plan Johnson believes will save time and money.
Johnson said some of the time-consuming budget building blocks can be assembled every other year, while still allowing departments to make any necessary numerical changes annually. He said some departments have little change budget-to-budget and their staff members can be more productive and get more done in a two-year cycle while not duplicating annual activity.
“I just think it would save a lot of time and taxpayer dollars by going to a two-year budget,” Johnson said.
County Finance Director Coral Loyd and Manager Mike Hendrix said they understand Johnson’s assessment, but both expressed preference for one-year budgeting, believing that departments enjoy enhanced fiscal flexibility and precision.
“I believe it’s incredibly invaluable to do a one-year budget just for accuracy sake and just provide you with the best recommendations we can every year,” Hendrix told supervisors. “I believe that it’s important for me to meet every year with every department and every elected official face to face because it’s a negotiation and we take a look at every item and every new initiative.”
Hendrix noted that it’s about this time each year that the county learns about possible local budget impacts by state legislative action and that county departments are better positioned to estimate how much money they might carry over from the previous budget. He indicated that drastic deviations in those two areas would be more difficult to adjust to if committed to a two-year format.
Board Chairman Jean Bishop also said a two-year program would make it more difficult for departments to cope with significant swings in the annual economy impacting the general fund.
- Dave Hawkins
