President's Report “It’s that wonderful time of year!” And no, I do not mean Christmas. I am referring to the municipal budget process. Mayors, council members, department supervisors and finance officers are now putting their heads together, sharpening their pencils and sometimes scratching their heads to provide your residents with the services they expect. By the time you read this, many of you will have taken part in the first ever budget training workshop. This workshop was sponsored by the SDML and the SD Department of Legislative Audit. We all face the same issue: Doing more with less. Citizens of your community expect the pool to be open, the library available, emergency services having state of the art equipment. The list goes on and on. But often times we do these things with less revenue. And after the budget is approved do we stick with the budget? Do we end up supplementing the budget due to middle of the year requests or emergency purchases? Are we able to say no to untimely or unnecessary purchases? For local governments to take steps that will affect services and functionality of our communities is daunting. These decisions affect your communities for years to come. I applaud your commitment to funding projects that will benefit all citizens of your community. August 12 and 13 are the SDML Policy Committee meetings in Fort Pierre. City officials from across the state will meet to
AUGUST 2015
review and discuss proposed changes/deletions/additions to current state statute and administrative rules. I thank those of you that have been willing to be involved in this process. Your knowledge base for these committees is very important to the legislative process. Lastly, as we watch the season change from hot summer days to early fall, I find myself wondering where did summer go. The old adage that things go faster the older you get must be true. That always prompts me to try and plan ahead. It gets hard to motivate people to think of what is needed for cold weather. What is it we need to plan for the holidays? So, enjoy the dog days of summer because there is work to be done! No matter what season it is! Until next month, “To Communicate Is the Beginning of Understanding.” RHS High School 1970 Class Motto Jeanne Duchscher President
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