Latest / Palafox Media Network / Meet the Candidate: Glenn Refers to County Budget Challenges
Transcript
- Glenn Dorsey: So I told you, you know, just in the last four years, thirty-two point six percent increase in the county's budget. I didn't generate thirty-two point six percent more income in my business. I it's unlikely that any of the wage earners generated thirty-two point six percent additional revenue in their take home check. Our county has exceeded the means by the by the individual residents within the community. So I I do think that, you know, when The economy goes down and, you know, sales tax revenue goes down, people need to start tightening their belts. When the economy is doing well, then we can all afford to have to pay that extra half cent. Greg Fink: Right. Yeah, because I guess the ⁓ big issue here is that since the sales tax is a reflection of the power of spending on a local level or any type of level really, if the budget for the county has increased by thirty two percent in just in the last four years, that means their expenses have increased probably by poor choices on their part have increased as well by thirty two percent. So if the increases still occur and sales tax revenue does not keep up with that increase, then yeah, how does that, you know work. And so I mean the th that's the biggest question is that, you know, do we have anybody up there, and I'm assuming not, that is looking at how they're spending and how they can curtail what they're spending and make sure they make smarter budgetary choices. Glenn Dorsey: You know, Greg, that might have been another strong point why I decided to run. I probably should have never gone to any of the county commissioner meetings and then I could have lived a nice happy life at that point there. But I I watched these folks give very little time to consider major decisions of the county. And they essentially I watched them kind of look over and it's like, Are you going to vote yes? Are you going to vote yes? All right, we'll make it unanimous, five to zero. And I think it's important to one, listen to the public and two, ask questions openly and honestly ⁓ before we get into the decision making process. We've got a county administrator and somebody that handles our agenda. They put it on there, but if you do not feel informed enough, I I don't see any harm in just waiting for another meeting or calling for another meeting in order to make the decision there. But We have to start giving the due attention needed to these major decisions and topics ⁓ that are being dealt with by by this leadership. Greg Fink: Right. I mean I know that in the past they've always said that they do all the the grinding and the ⁓ committee meetings. Glenn Dorsey: Committee of the whole meetings. ⁓ I've been to plenty of those. Greg Fink: But but the the point is that the public's not there and and it doesn't really matter in my opinion, since these are public servants, these are not private servants, ⁓ or servants at all actually. They are public servants and the fact that they're making all these decisions I know it's in the sunshine, I know they're doing it in daylight, but hardly anybody even knows what the heck is going on. The fact that they don't, I mean and they're not transparent in an active way, they're transparent passively. And so ⁓ y how how do they go you know, how do they justify and go into the next step of spending whenever the people have no idea what they're really spending it on? Glenn Dorsey: Yeah, in and in each of those meetings there, ⁓ the public meetings here, they'll give the public either two or three minutes, depending on how many have signed up, in order to speak so the commissioners can hear the public sentiment. It's depends on what the event is. I mean, I've been in there with there's probably probably sixty folks that were in there. I mean, we spent well over two hours of of public discussion. But you know, this was a decision that probably should have had Greg Fink: Let me show up. Glenn Dorsey: Two or three meetings of two hours worth the public discussion in order to consider the validity of all the points that were being made. There is very little time spent on the dais where the commissioners are actually talking about not only the needs within their specific district, but what are the long term goals for our county as a collective? So while we might be five individual districts, we're still just one county. We're one big home. And it is important that we understand the the global need, the regional need, the y need depending on how you want to look at it. I mean, I you know I'm a small town guy here, so you know, I consider Pensacola the globe as a part of that process, but we have to spend much more time getting to the the crux of the matter there and in really listening to the public all too often. Greg Fink: Right. Glenn Dorsey: I see these commissioners in their phone working on their laptop and I don't just think it it's very respectful to disregard the public inputs that should be it. There's a lot to be learned by the folks that are just commoners like I am. Greg Fink: We had a we saw a meeting a few years ago, probably almost a decade ago, where they were talking about taking away their cellphones during the meetings. I guess it never really stuck. I Glenn Dorsey: I don't think so. And they'll get up and excuse themselves during the the public input section and I don't know. I to me it just doesn't seem like we're giving the the public the due respect that they deserve.