Commentary

A recent editorial attacked the county budget process, stating that discussions are held outside of the public view and void of citizen input. It ended by asserting, “This is not how county government should work.”
My response? I completely agree.
The county budget is a 300-plus page document. It is not written in plain language. It is presented to the public only a week before deliberations, and there is no formal outreach to the public to set priorities.
We can do better.
As a first year Supervisor, I was openly critical of how quickly we ran through the most important deliberation of us as Supervisors – how we prioritize your tax dollars.
To bring this “room for improvement” to reality, I’ve spent the past eight months leading a charge to make the county budget process more transparent and citizen driven – for our district and the county at large.
Here’s how we get to the ‘how.’
Short term
Education and preparation – During April and May, I will hold community engagement forums in Cloverdale, Geyserville, Healdsburg, Windsor, Larkfield/Wikiup and Santa Rosa. We will identify community priorities that I will fight for in this budget season and future ones. I pledge to take these priority lists and make them public on our website, so that you all can see what I’m championing in your community and hold me accountable for making progress.  
For example, Cloverdale may want me to fight for funding to construct a pedestrian walkway on the 1st Street Bridge, paving River Road and McCray roads, and designing a plan to make the Asti Summer Bridge a permanent structure. Geyserville – the beautification of the corner lot in town. Healdsburg – a solution to the traffic mess at the Dry Creek/Highway 101 interchange or invest in a new design and plan for Memorial Beach. Windsor – open space protections on the urban boundaries through easement purchases. Mark West – a town center/park that brings community together, and creation of a Citizens Advisory Council. Fulton – lights and sewer. Santa Rosa – Improved access to county health programs through our community clinics.
These are the types of projects you may want in our community, and I want to make sure we clearly identify our priorities and start making progress on them.
Mid term
Next, I have worked with my colleagues to open up the formal budget hearings we hold at the county. One option is to have presentations from each of our departments on a public agenda during the first week, so that we can have a “State of the Departments” session each day. Those who care about roads, bridges and broadband could come to the session on Transportation and Public Works. Those focused on senior issues or child welfare could come to Human Services. Those who care about land use planning and permitting could come to PRMD, and so forth.
This would help me encourage all of us as Fourth District residents to come together and advocate for our priorities. Remember, I am one of five votes, and I operate under the Brown Act, which means if I want to talk with more than one of my colleagues on any particular issue, I must do so in a formal, public, agendized meeting. I need you to come to those meetings to tell my colleagues to help me prioritize the Fourth District. In essence, I need you to help me help you.
Long term
Governance Review – During our recent board retreat, to set this year’s priorities, I advocated strongly for the creation of a Governance “Ad Hoc” committee, and I appreciate that my colleagues supported the endeavor. Board Chairman Carrillo and I will serve as co-leads on this committee, and we will build a process to engage with the public and our key stakeholders to bring back a comprehensive list of recommendations to our full board later this year. This could include anything from meeting management, budget design, to creating/disbanding commissions and so forth.  Yolo County had a similar effort last year that has been heralded by their board and residents. This may not seem like the sexiest thing to work on; however, I firmly believe that you can’t build success unless you have a firm foundation.
A year into my term, I can honestly say that I am impressed with the people I work with at the county. They work hard and they care about public service.
But we all need to realize that the status quo is not enough. We can all do better, and I’m committed to delivering for all of us in North County and the community at large.
Let me know your thoughts.
James Gore is the County Supervisor for Northern Sonoma County’s Fourth District, which includes Cloverdale, Geyserville, Healdsburg, Larkfield/Wikiup, Fulton, and Northwest Santa Rosa, as well as the premium wine grape growing regions of Alexander Valley, Knights Valley and Dry Creek Valley. The Geysers, Lake Sonoma, and much of the Russian River also reside in the Fourth district.