Burnette’s Testimony before the County Board 1/25/07

Are these industrial engineers licensed attorneys? Are they the same people from the office of the Chief of the Bureau of Administration? Can the amendmended budget proposal that explains all of the targeted adjustments be posted on our web site? Can the transcripts of the finance committee testimony of January 25, 2007 be posted?

At the Public Hearing on January 29, 2007, Commissioner Sims and Murphy requested employees to disclose the waste and bloat in the budget for their agencies. This was in response to Comm Synder and Perica concerns of bloat and patronage. Randolph Stone and Rita Fry addressed the finance committee and filed their public statment with the Secretary of the Board instanter. Both warned the commissioners of the gross understaffing that our office experienced twenty years ago. ASA Jim Mckay asked the committe to remove the patronage and bloat from the budget before laying off any police, assistant states attorneys, assistant public defenders, clerks and bailiffs. He warned of court delays that would cost the county, and that a four day work week was unrealistic for a five day court schedule. An ASA spokeman for the National Assoc of the Black Prosecutors warned that layoffs would decrease the number of Black prosecutors since there are only 69 prosecutors out of the 900 prosecutors within CCSAO. He warned that there are innocent people in the county jail whose rights are jeopardize by an across the board 17% reduction in court room personnel. Comm. Beavers commented that he should be in the Public Defender’s Office. CCSAO brought out the relatives of slain police officers in support of prosecutors and victim assistance. This is a recap of the highligts of the finance committee meeting from 11:00 to 3:00 pm. that affected public safety. At the end of the meeting, the names of missed speakers were called to give them an opportunity to speak.
Commissioners present during my three hour stay: Gorman, Coughlin, Butler, Snyder, Beavers, Sims, Collins, Maldonado, Steele, Quigly, Perica, Silvestri. Other commissioners may have been absent because of other meetings or earlier attendence in the morning session.