Lane County's challenge.Byline: The Register-Guard `What we got here is a failure to com- com- or col- or con- pref. Together; with; joint; jointly: commensalism. municate." Actor Strother Martin spoke those words in the movie "Cool Hand Luke Luke early Christian; the “beloved physician.” [N.T.: Luke] See : Evangelism ." In doing so, he also gave an apt description of Lane County's relationship with a citizen group that the board of commissioners last year asked to study the county's chronic fiscal problems. The task force recommended that Lane County: 1) "Live within its means" by evaluating spending, setting priorities and making cuts. 2) "Dialogue with other agencies to discover ways to consolidate services." 3) "Establish a public process," including a task force to study revenue options. 4) "Postpone post·pone tr.v. post·poned, post·pon·ing, post·pones 1. To delay until a future time; put off. See Synonyms at defer1. 2. To place after in importance; subordinate. consideration of new taxes" until after Congress decides whether to renew a program that provides the county with $40 million a year in federal funding. That's pretty much it. No bombs, exploding rockets or even sparklers. For the most part, they were common-sense common-sense adjective sensible, sound, practical, reasonable, realistic, shrewd, down-to-earth, matter-of-fact, sane, astute, judicious, level-headed, hard-headed << OPPOSITE foolish suggestions - what you'd you'd 1. Contraction of you had. 2. Contraction of you would. you'd you had or you would you'd have ~would expect from a group of professionals from the private and public sectors. Now comes the curious part. Commissioners say they took the task force's advice seriously and made changes wherever possible. But the group's members, with the exception of vice chairman David Piercy, insist the county has ignored their recommendations. As evidence, they cite the county's recent development of a new tax proposal for public safety services. For the most part, the county has the upper hand in this dispute. Anyone who has attended annual county budget planning sessions can attest To solemnly declare verbally or in writing that a particular document or testimony about an event is a true and accurate representation of the facts; to bear witness to. To formally certify by a signature that the signer has been present at the execution of a particular writing so as to the depth of cuts - and scrutiny - that programs receive, as well as the hard reality that most county programs are state mandated and cannot be eviscerated or eliminated. The county has worked to consolidate services with other agencies, although some economies, such as pooling health care, have proven too complex or expensive. The county established a public process on new revenues, appointing a task force that included elected officials from all of the county's cities and providing opportunities for public comment. As for waiting until a glacial gla·cial adj. 1. a. Of, relating to, or derived from a glacier. b. Suggesting the extreme slowness of a glacier: Work proceeded at a glacial pace. 2. a. Congress resolves the issue of federal timber payments to rural counties, commissioners have determined that the county's public safety needs are so dire that further delay is irresponsible ir·re·spon·si·ble adj. 1. Marked by a lack of responsibility: irresponsible accusations. 2. Lacking a sense of responsibility; unreliable or untrustworthy. 3. . But the lingering lin·ger v. lin·gered, lin·ger·ing, lin·gers v.intr. 1. To be slow in leaving, especially out of reluctance; tarry. See Synonyms at stay1. 2. dispute with the citizens group reveals the huge challenge that commissioners will face in convincing voters next spring to approve higher taxes to improve public safety. If commissioners have difficulty communicating clearly with members of their own task force on complex issues involving county government and budgeting, they will have an even harder time asking average county voters to approve new taxes for public safety. What we have here is a failure to communicate - a failure that the county must remedy or face failure at the polls. |
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