By Stan Welch
An array of public officials, elected and otherwise, gathered at the Anderson Civic Center last Thursday to gain a better understanding of the budget process followed by the General Assembly, as well as to offer input about their various budget needs.
Rep. Mike Gambrell, chairman of the county’s legislative delegation,made the distinction clear. “We don’t want to hear about your wants. We just want to hear about your needs. We will be doing all we can to help you with the needs.” Brian White, chairman of the House Ways and Means committee, a crucial player in the budget process, began the presentation.
“Most county and municipal officials don’t really understand how the state comes up with its budget. That has become clear to those of us in the delegation as we move around our respective districts meeting with various officials and bodies. The way the state does it is completely different than those other political entities,” said White.
He went on to explain that there are one hundred eighty separate agencies funded and overseen by the state, totaling approximately sixty thousand employees. In addition, there is the public school system which serves approximately seven hundred fifty thousand students.
He also reminded the audience, which included educators, members of county council, the Sheriff, various county department heads, and representatives from various municipalities, that approximately one million people, or a fourth of the state’s population, are on Medicaid, which also administered through the state.
He described the various stages in the process, which begins with revenue collections. An estimate is then prepared of the amount of those revenues that will be needed. Once the budget is passed, which can require a good bit of back and forth between the Senate and the House, which produces the preliminary budget or consideration, then the Governor can veto various aspects of the document, requiring additional negotiation.
Sadly, it was at approximately that point that the announcement of Senator Billy O’Dell’s untimely death was made, and the meeting immediately broke up. (For more on the career and life of Senator O’Dell, see the story elsewhere in this issue.)
