Budget delay seen as political

Fresno Co. won't release documents by election.

Published online on Monday, May. 12, 2008

Did Fresno County supervisors delay budget hearings to help one of their own win re-election?

Law enforcement officials and some business leaders question a decision last month by the Board of Supervisors to delay those hearings by five days, saying it protects Supervisor Susan Anderson by shielding key budget documents from the public until after the June 3 election.

"I believe the budget hearings were pushed back because of political reasons," Sheriff Margaret Mims said. "This is a tough budget year, and they are underplaying it."

Ray Dunn, chairman of the Greater Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce, agreed.

"Isn't that convenient that it isn't going to be released until then," Dunn said. "Last year, they were so open and so transparent starting in March, and this year, nothing is available until June 6."

County supervisors contend there was no political motivation behind the unanimous vote, which pushed the release of budget documents to June 6. They say it was done because the county administrator wanted more time to draft the documents.

But County Administrative Officer Bart Bohn said that's not true. The recommendation came from a budget committee that is preparing the 2008-09 budget, he said. Anderson is on that committee.

"I'm a strong advocate that we do [budget hearings] as early as possible," Bohn said. "But that's not my call."

Adding to the concern is uncertainty about the county's fiscal prospects.

Just last month, officials estimated the budget shortfall at $10 million. But on Thursday, they said it was closer to $15 million. Bohn said Thursday that it is probably more than $30 million.

By law, the county must release budget documents to the public 10 days before hearings begin. The original schedule called for budget hearings to begin June 11, which meant the documents had to be public May 31 -- three days before the election.

But the board decided to push the hearings back to June 16.

"It's only because the CAO's office is saying they can't get [the budget] done," said Anderson, who is seeking her third term on the board. "We are being as upfront as we can. We are not hiding anything."

Board Chairman Henry Perea, who is up for re-election but has no challenger, also said Bohn's office requested the delay.

"That was more mechanics from Bart Bohn's office more than anything else," Perea said.

Perea also sits on the executive budget committee with Anderson and several county department heads. In prior years, Bohn's office was responsible for preparing the budget. This year, that task rests with the committee.

By delaying budget hearings, county supervisors could create the perception that there is more going on behind the scenes than just needing additional time to prepare the budget, said Tom Holyoke, an assistant professor of political science at California State University, Fresno.

"Regardless of what the truth is, the perception is probably going to be that this is political shenanigans," he said. "Fiscal responsibility is a big issue in the election."

Already, the timing of the county's budget hearings is becoming an issue in the campaign. One of Anderson's challengers, Fresno City Council Member Brian Calhoun, said he believes the board is purposely keeping the budget under wraps. Calhoun is challenging the county to release its budget documents by the time the city does, scheduled for May 20.

"I don't care what their excuses are," he said. "That whole budget should be out there in front of the public."

Anderson's other challenger, certified public accountant Paul Dictos, said this is just more "political maneuvering" to cover up a large budget shortfall.

Chamber representatives say it's clear that the county isn't being as open with the budget process as they have been in the past. Last year, the chamber had several meetings with Bohn about the 2007-08 budget and were privy to some of the key numbers as early as March.

This year they made a similar request to meet with Bohn. But he responded that nothing would be available until June 6.

Al Smith, the chamber's president and chief executive, said he's not sure why, but added politics is "a possibility."

He also said that "politics has to be set aside" when making budget decisions.

Supervisor Bob Waterston -- who is not seeking re-election -- said there is no political maneuvering taking place when it comes to releasing the budget. He said the county has a transparent budget process and has been upfront with the public that the county is not going to fare well next year.

"No one is hiding anything," he said. "The economy is what it is."