Simply put, a city’s budget shows what a community’s priorities really are. For example, does Starkville value good roads and infrastructure? Just look in the budget and you will find out for sure.
Similarly, the budget shows how carefully the city is managed. Is there waste? Is technology being used to reduce costs and creatively do more with less money?
It seems an inevitable law of government that budgets will grow. Some growth obviously is needed to keep up with increasing populations and inflation. Other growth, however, just creeps into the system. This type of unmanaged budgetary growth should be restrained since it wastes taxpayer money and is not good for our city.
At a minimum, I believe Starkville’s budget should be carefully analyzed before it is brought up for approval. This extra step provides necessary time to root out waste and inefficiencies. Likewise, city employees and department heads should be encouraged to find ways to lower costs through the use of technology and improved methods of getting the job done.
At a foundational level, it is not the city’s money that is being spent. It is the people’s money — money that was taken from them through taxation! Elected officials are entrusted with the challenging task of spending those funds wisely on behalf of the people who elected them. If chosen by the people to serve as alderman, I will remember whose money is being spent and will seek to maximize their “bang for the buck.”
