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- M M <br />out; and, if it is not, the Administrator is answerable to the <br />Board. He felt that having the Budget Director report directly <br />to the Board violates the classic chain of command in any organi- <br />zational chart. <br />Commissioner Bowman stated she would agree with him on the <br />chain of command if this were a private corporation, but we are a <br />government and we are beholden to the taxpayers. <br />Chairman Scurlock wanted very much to try this concept of <br />having the OMB Director under the Board, and pointed out that at <br />present, Director Baird is not only functioning as our budget <br />officer, but is also handling such matters as insurance, animal <br />control, welfare, and a variety of other functions that he really <br />should not be involved with because of the magnitude of the one <br />task of administering the budget that is passed in a public <br />process. He pointed out that an auditor is really after the <br />fact, and when we go through the budget process, we do it <br />differently than other counties because we sit here for 2-3 weeks <br />and go line item by line item. We actually get into the <br />specifics of whether a desk or a car is needed this year or could <br />wait until the next fiscal year. Once we go through the public <br />hearing process, the budget is the taxpayers' budget and not the <br />Commissioners' budget nor the Administrator's budget. That <br />budget should be administered exactly as it passed, and any major <br />deviation from it should come through the Board in the public <br />process. He felt that for a variety of reasons back under <br />former administrators we had some significant problems with some <br />capital projects where the costs were under estimated. <br />Commissioner Bird agreed with the public process for any <br />changes to the budget, but asked why that could not be <br />accomplished under the present system by a strong directive to <br />our County Administrator of how we want things done and that <br />Director Baird understands that is how we want things done. <br />Chairman Scurlock did not feel it could be accomplished that <br />way, because what happens in the day to day activity is that <br />V I 7'1.98 41 goo 70 <br />