Feature

Closing remarks on the Meck budget, an interview w/ Commissioner Jennifer Roberts

Posted on 30 Jun 2010 by Justin Ruckman

watch this video in HD on YouTube

We’re wrapping up our series on the Mecklenburg County budget with County Commissioner Jennifer Roberts. Questions indexed below for easy reference.

• Just last week, you and the Board of Commissioners approved the final Mecklenburg County budget for the 2011 fiscal year. How do you feel now? (0:19)
• How do you deal with the pressure? (0:57)
• These are important decisions, but a lot of people aren’t engaged. That is, unless they’re part of an organization receiving big cuts. What’s wrong with the process? Why aren’t more people involved in the public debate? (3:26)
• You just got back from Boston on this year’s Inner City Visit. How was that? (6:07)
• Boston Mayor Tom Menino made a point to offer his assistance in bringing the 2012 Democratic National Convention to Charlotte. Are you involved in this process? What are city and county doing to bring this to Charlotte (9:56)
• The Board of County Commissioners managed to to lessen the blow of cuts by almost $11.5 million $14 million compared to the recommendations given by County Manager Harry Jones. How is this possible? Where does this money come from? (10:55)
• The libraries alone received $3.5 million less in cuts than recommended. But even that still leaves a $10 million dollar cut. A lot of people are asking how the county can justify taking so much money away from libraries, but I want to play dumb for a second: why are libraries important? (14:48)
• Some people might be surprised to find that it’s not all cuts across the board. Why are any programs at all seeing increases in funding from last year? (16:52)
• Let’s talk about city and county consolidation. I know this is a topic you and Mayor Foxx are particularly interested in. What are your feelings about this idea? (21:38)
• How does the board get along? Can politics get in the way of effective decision making? How do you manage this? (28:19)
• What role has media coverage of the budget played in your decision making? Do you feel coverage has been fair or too sensational? (32:08)
• Who can people talk to with questions about county operations? (34:50)
• What are we looking at next year? Do we have more cuts in store? (36:47)