Understanding Government Gives Us Hope to Improve Government

by Brian L. Baker

Newspaper columnist Lisa Pampuch once said, “Open government is key to holding our elected officials accountable and responsible. Involved citizens must demand open government by voting, by attending meetings, by staying abreast of current events, and by communicating with their representatives.”

As I move into a new role of service, I want to continue to share what is taking place in your government. Most importantly, I hope to provide educational information into how our county works and how our local county government is set up.

The County Commission is set-up to oversee the basic services of the county and manage the county budget. The Commission oversees the county roads department, health department, 9-1-1 services, county ordinances, codes, planning & zoning, works with other elected county officials and address many other areas of service.

The county budget is uniquely different from the state budget. State officials are constantly looking for ways to meet needs by moving dollars from one budget item to another. For example, a legislator might propose to move money from the agriculture budget to the transportation budget. When looking at state needs, this might be appropriate. In some cases it can be deceptive as well. For example, state leaders can move

The county, in many ways, is much more transparent. Most of the budget items in the county budget are mandated or ruled by state statutes. For example, the assessor’s budget, while approved by the county, is controlled by state statute. We cannot take from his budget and give to another department. The collector also has a separate fund and budget that the county commission approves, but they cannot transfer those funds to other budget items.

In January the Cass County Commission will approve the FY 2009 budget. When our work is completed we will provide citizens with a detailed layout of where your tax-dollars are going and how that budget functions.

While I served in the Missouri Legislature, I made it my goal to inform citizens and provide an open door to our government. I will continue that tradition and provide citizens with information regarding our local county government.

NOTE: Contact information for North Commissioner Brian Baker is brianb@casscounty.com or brianbaker@brianbaker123.com or 816-380-8155. Brian Baker will take the oath of office for North Commissioner on Monday, January 5th. However, citizens may begin contacting him with concerns.