Council agrees public budget hearings need streamlining

Sparta - The council this week completed budget hearings that for the first time allowed public involvement in the preliminary process. However, council members agreed, the new process of holding initial budget talks before the public has some kinks that need to be worked out. “We put more time into this than before,” said Sparta Councilman Scott Seelagy. “But part of it was to present to the public what department heads are asking for.” In previous years, the council had typically discussed early budgetary matters among themselves and with the township manager. “It’s more information for the public,” said Seelagy. “The process can always be refined.” This year, department heads made their annual requests public before both the council and Sparta Township Manager Henry Underhill, who will now review the costs associated with specific services, make recommendations, and amend various line items before members vote on the proposed budget. Township officials said there was so much detailed information that only a limited amount could be left for the public by way of copies and handouts before the meetings. Oftentimes, the few residents who would participate in the hearings found it difficult to discern which budget items the council and township manager were debating. The same was true for council members, many of whom found themselves skimming through endless pages of line-item proposals in a spiral binder. “It’s been very difficult to follow and find out what people are talking about,” said Seelagy. Even veterans of the process found some of it difficult to follow. “I’ve gone through these five times and haven’t found what you’re talking about,” said Sparta Mayor Alish Hambel, who was having trouble pinpointing a documented consulting fee paid to improve the performance assessment of the municipal government. Henry Underhill, the township manager, said Sparta took part in the study to develop quantifiable measures to compare the township to similar municipalities. “To have a consultant see if a department head knows what he’s doing sounds redundant,” said Seelagy.