Wausau City Hall. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – If I don’t understand something, I can’t support it.
The close corollary of that is, if I have to vote on something I don’t understand, I’m voting ‘no’.
That’s the best advice I could give to the Wausau City Council. Many members have said over the years the budget package that’s presented to them each fall is difficult to understand. They’re not clear on the consequences of adding funding here or cutting funding there.
Furthermore, some council members say they feel as if city staff – many of whom have been at city hall longer and have more budget knowledge than they do – prefer the budget to be a mystery. “We know what we’re doing… you just vote on it.” That’s wrong. The right approach is, “explain it to me in a way that I understand. Until then, I’m voting ‘no.’”
That’s why an audit is important. An audit can suggest ways to make the city’s budget more transparent. That’s good not only for the council members who have to vote on it, but it’s good for the general public. You and I have no chance of understanding the budget if council members can’t make heads or tails of it.
And now comes another concern: the idea of an audit has been discussed for a month or so. It still hasn’t been approved. Time is of the essence. The calendar has turned to September, the month where putting together next year’s budget begins.
This has to happen, in the name of fiscal responsibility and good governance. Pass the audit now. Make this year’s Wausau city budget a document that everyone can understand.
Chris Conley
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