Ahhh, fall. Football's fly and leaves litter our lawns. And your local elected officials buckle down with staff to work on the 2013 budget. This is where you as a citizen can have major impact on the shape of your Village or Town.
Don't like how much is spent on DPW, make that known. Do you think your Village should have a new police officer, or should start preparing now for replacing aging fire equipment? This is the time to speak your mind.
Each municipality has working sessions, either as part of a committee meeting or as a stand alone meeting. You should attend these and make your concerns and recommendation. Be sure to request a copy of a proposed budget from your local clerk so you can see how the budget is allocated.
Each municipality also holds a public hearing on the budget as per State law before the budget is adopted.
I can not stress enough just how much your local officials want and need your input. It is your Village, and you do have a say. But you have to participate in the process.
I hope to see more of you at meetings in the next couple of months!
My favorite saying is that democracy is not a spectators sport. People need to understand how their government works/what doesn't work and how you arrive at the decisions you do. I would love to see more insight from elected officials about how they arrive at the decisions they do and what influences their decisions.
Makes many wonder how the present Administration has run the Country without a budget for nearly 4 years and has not shed 1 tear in doing so. 4 more years of Obama, the Amateur?