Gilbert Sun News - June 2015; Opinion by Times Media Group

County budget decision a difﬁcult one

BY DENNY BARNEY

You might have heard the Board of Supervisors recently passed a $2.2 billion budget for the new fiscal year. It was a unanimous vote. But it was not easy. As an administrative arm of the state, the county implements state laws and provides mandated services. As such, much of the county’s fortune is tied directly to the state’s. And Arizona’s budget was in a crisis earlier this year. Facing a $1 billion budget deficit, Gov. Ducey and state legislators fashioned a budget that required many groups, including the county, to share in the pain. In fact, the lawmakers approved a state budget that shifted some $32.2 million in state costs to Maricopa County alone. Coupled with year-over-year stateimposed transfers and cost shifts totaling over $269 million since 2008, this is a difficult challenge. And it’s getting harder. When you factor in rising criminal justice costs, increasing caseloads and public demands, then mix in sluggish revenue growth in both sales and property taxes, our county administrators and elected officials are being asked to perform minor miracles.

You may have read about child dependency cases arising from parental abuse and neglect. In fact, Maricopa County Superior Court is facing dependency caseloads almost three times what they were in 2007. Additionally, Superior Court has an increasing percentage of active cases pending trial and a lower percentage of completed trials. Capital trials as well are on a steady incline. And when the courts are backed up, defendants spend more time in jail—at $85.49 a day. It would be cheaper to put them up in a hotel. Another growing cost: Health service for the inmates, specifically, pharmaceutical costs.

proven costly. The Melendres judgment alone will cost an estimated $23.8 million in the 2016 budget on top of $28 million already spent. And the Durango Jail is in such disrepair, we must replace it. We have no other option.

And yet, we approved a $2.2 billion total budget, barely $12.4 million over last year’s. Only seven county departments saw increases over last year, and all the significant increases were public safety related—adult probation, juvenile probation, sheriff’s office, county attorney and superior court. In contrast, 40 department budgets remained ﬂat or reduced their overall spending. We also made technology investments, which will ultimately save on personnel costs and increase efficiency.

Ten departments submitted zero-based budgets this year, an initiative I started last year as chairman, following the good results ZBB had produced in Gilbert. This is fiscally prudent and allows us to keep a pulse on incremental increases in spending.

It is said that a budget, any budget, public or private, is the ultimate policy tool. The county budget, like your family budget, reﬂects priorities. At Maricopa County, our priorities are clear: Public safety joined with fiscal prudence driven by mandates. Also key is bringing business principles to government, improving efficiency and reducing regulation where

possible, while increasing customer service.

I don’t expect future budget years to get easier. However, I do feel confident that as a county we are making many of the tough decisions today that will prove wise in the future.

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DENNY BARNEY.

Submitted photo

Denny Barney is Maricopa County supervisor for district one.

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If all of the people running away from their home countries stayed home and fought for their own liberty, there would be fewer deaths at sea and at border crossings. Wake up, you world. Fight for your own country. Stop running away looking for freebies in other countries.

You’re buying all these fresh vegetables and good stuff to eat to keep you healthy. When you bring it home do you rinse it off good in a little vinegar water? Make sure it’s clean—no germs or pesticides.

What’s wrong with America today? The crummy railroad tracks and the people out of work. It’s simply because of greed—the greedy stockholders, the greedy board of directors. They all must want more money and to pay out less salaries to fewer people. That’s what’s wrong with America today. Voters better change it fast, or we’ll all be looking for a job in China or somewhere else. Think about it. It’s greed alone that’s causing America to depreciate in value.

Although he may not be aware of it, when Gov. Ducey vetoed Senate Bill 1200 he enabled the Arizona Historical Society to continue defying Arizona law. When the AHS was given control of the state mineral museum to

prepare for the centennial celebration, Arizona Revised Statutes Title 41.827 established a clear responsibility to continue operating the mineral museum and education programs in a portion of the building. The subsequent failure of their centennial project did not relieve them of the responsibility to continue operating the mineral museum. However, in knowing defiance of the statute, they locked the doors in April 2011 as students were still arriving for school field trips. Then, even though they were funded to operate the museum every year since, they emptied the building, scattering its contents across the state. In an attempt to correct the situation, the Legislature passed SB 1200 (mineral museum restoration) with a nearly unanimous vote. All mineral museum assets would have been transferred to the Arizona Geological Survey, a state agency willing and able to restore and operate the minerals museum. Unfortunately, the governor’s veto enables the AHS to continue its unethical and illegal pursuits. Their lobbyists are promoting conversion of the building into a reception and event center for politicians and lobbyists. The AHS, a state agency, is actually supporting the interests of lobbyists over the interests of children.—Dick Zimmerman, Tempe

Question: Which has killed more people? The measles or measles vaccines. If you answered “Vac-

cines” you’re right. If you doubt this, check the CDC statistics online.

Believe it or not, someone from my City Council returned my call regarding complaints about one corporation colluding with another to grab more customer income from a typically ignorant general public by selling them additional insurance or extended services, when neither are necessary. American con artists are a growing industry on their own—far beyond the usual Wall Street rip off. Do not get out-of-state insurance for anything you’re doing in Arizona today.

The Boy Scouts have banned water guns and water balloons because they are not kind. This is just a continuation of the sissifying of American boys. Meanwhile, the Islamics are teaching their youth to hate and to murder. Wake up America.

When are these ego maniacs in Washington going to get over themselves and the past and start dealing with the future? You poor dummies. You’re living in the past and

it won’t make you any more infamous than you are.

During the commencement address at the Coast Guard Academy, President Obama told the graduates that climate change is a serious threat to global security. This man is living on another planet. ISIS is in nine countries. They’re taking over more and more countries. They are here in the United States. Obama puts all of us in danger. He needs to be taken out of office.

The jury made a bad mistake in death for the boy Boston marathon killer. Now he’ll become a martyr.

The Baltimore riots caused millions in damage and put small business owners out of business. When are we going to find out how many of these violent lawbreakers who caused all this damage? How many are going to be arrested and charged? Waiting.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch went to Baltimore to visit the family of Freddie Gray. Will she now go to New York City to grieve with the family of the white, 25-year-old police officer who was shot and killed?

Again, an activist judge has granted rights to illegals. Why should dreamers get in-state tuition when children of American citizens from other states have to pay out-of-state tuition? When will this insanity stop?

It’s happened again. Two Mississippi police officers have been murdered by black thugs. Where’s the march led by Al Sharpton? Where’s the investigation from the Justice Department by Loretta Lynch? Only when a black is murdered is there outrage. What is going on in this country?

President Obama sent three representatives from the White House for Freddie Gray’s funeral. Freddie Gray was a criminal. Did Obama send any representatives for American hero Chris Kyle or to Margaret Thatcher’s

funeral? No, only if you’re a black criminal will Obama send representatives. I resent my taxpayer money going to honor criminals.

It’s happening again. The thugs in Baltimore are rioting, attacking police and looting businesses. What else can you expect when the black mayor states they are giving space to those who wish to destroy? Policemen just stood by not stopping the looters. She denies saying it, but you cannot deny what is on video.

How can you tell when Hillary Clinton is lying? Her lips are moving.

Americans are going crazy. So Bruce Jenner went public with a private problem. So what? The newshounds all go crazy. Which ones are the nutty ones? I have sympathy for one and disgust for the other and it wasn’t Bruce Jenner. We don’t need to know these kinds of things. It’s none of our business. Newshounds are eating it up like it’s free food.

Where is the National Guard if the thugs are taking over certain cities? Are you going to let these stupid people burn and wreck the entire community or is the National Guard going to take control?

There is no justice because of press collaboration with Democrats similar to the political situations in most banana republics. Objective “journalists” should be placed on

the endangered species list. I read staff reporters’ articles in the Wall Street Journal regularly and toady journalism applies to the majority of them.

The liberal left keeps bashing the Koch brothers for supporting the conservative candidates. George Soros has been supporting liberal leftwing candidates for years. What is the difference?

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