What does Sanford think about the 2026 ballot questions?
The March 2026 Primary will include three non-binding ballot questions about revenue, spending, and the County’s “structural deficit.” Put simply, the structural deficit is the growing gap between what the County budgets for spending and revenue.
I oppose these ballot questions because they’re not meaningful. They’re not binding and by themselves they don’t serve the goal of educating the public. If the board wants to engage the public in a discussion, they should go to the public and talk - not just place three questions on the ballot and think the public is going to research information on its own.
I do like the fact that one of the questions was turned into a more simple “A or B” choice between cutting services and raising taxes. (Thank you Board Member Farney for that improvement!) The video below was recorded before this question was changed.
Here is my input about whether we have a financial problem or not:
It is a fact that the County budgets after 2022 planned for more spending than revenue. Most recently, the 2026 budget has a shortfall of close to $2 Million - with the extra money being pulled from the Public Safety Sales Tax fund.
It is also a fact that by the end of each year (going back for many years), the County spent less than expected - usually due to staff vacancies, but also by delaying planned purchases.
This is why the County often wound up with a healthier fund balance at the end of the year than was forecast at the start. (Think of “fund balance” as a savings account… the County is required to keep minimum reserves of money for emergency spending.)
The combination of bleak budgets but then lower-than-expected spending is why you hear different County Officials disagreeing about whether there’s a problem or not.
They’re both right - they’re just looking at different information.
If you look at the budget, things look bad.
If you look at the fund balance, it’s not so bad.
I land in the middle.
The fund balance is OK, but not wonderful - and we should always be saving more for Replacements and Repairs. (The County has historically under-spent on maintenance and improvements.) Equipment, software, and building repairs will continue to cost more in the future.
The County does need to be realistic about its budgeting and more restrained in its spending. The surge of money from the Federal Government after COVID is almost fully spent. Now that the extra money for recovery is gone, the Board will need to go back to budgeting and spending with restraint.