Jane Parker on the County Programs Budget

Jane Parker is a leader who brings a proactive focus to planning and a collaborative, pragmatic approach to problem solving. Her service on county-wide boards and as a senior executive at nonprofit organizations gives her the expertise and perspective we need to make smart budget decisions and make Monterey County strong today, tomorrow, and well into the future.

The people of Monterey County are at risk of being hurt once again by a budget crisis. In addition, the County needs to plan effectively to reduce the impact of the cyclical budget woes in Sacramento.

The Challenges: In light of looming budget cuts and the loss of services and jobs in our county, we must be very strategic in order to maximize cost savings, increase revenue opportunities and improve effectiveness. Some practical steps might include:

• Looking at trimming from management levels before putting the squeeze on line staff,
• Preserving and growing revenue-producing programs,
• Protecting services that leverage revenue,
• Carefully assessing the cost-benefit ratio of prevention initiatives (in law enforcement and public health, for example),
• Eliminating costly consulting contracts of peripheral importance, and
• Re-examining long-time assumptions about such issues as vehicle replacement or the efficiency of General Services.

There are tough decisions to be made. We are going to have to find ways to do much more with much less.

My Approach: I recommend that the County adopt a two-year budget cycle that will require planning ahead, rather than waiting until a crisis arises before beginning to look at options. The budget should include milestones and reality checks throughout the year. I further recommend that the legislative committee establish a subcommittee to track and report on budget issues on a regular basis. And, in difficult times such as these, the Board of Supervisors must lead by example by making cuts to its own budget before asking other departments to make severe cuts.

I have owned my own business, worked with large, complex budgets and have spent over ten years in nonprofit organizations which are known for providing services AND stretching a dollar! When I am elected, the Board of Supervisors and the people of Monterey County will benefit from my pragmatic, entrepreneurial perspective to help the County think ahead, seize opportunities and run efficiently with a focus on customer service. I will be honored to bring my experience and energy to act on those principles.