Balancing the Budget

This past month, we recently completed our week-long budget hearings for 2022, a milestone in our budget process. The most important responsibility we have as elected officials is to manage the peoples’ money properly. Most employees who work at Weber County positively contribute to the budget process. While this week-long exercise is intense, we want Weber County citizens to know we are working on the budget all year and looking at it every day to make sure dollars are spent appropriately.

In August and September, each department compiles its budget for the following year. They account for every dollar they’ve spent or would like to request for approval. At the end of September, the departments will present their budget needs to the Weber County Commission at our week-long hearings.

Sean Wilkinson, Weber County Community Development Director, has a master’s degree in public administration. “We take the budget and taxpayer funds seriously. We don’t just spend that money if there is not a need. We understand the need to balance an excellent level of customer service with what we can responsibly fund and budget. Our thorough processes facilitate determining if funding a specific project is critical and in the county’s best interest.

In November, we analyze all the data presented to us to determine the most fiscally responsible options. Following multiple public hearings, we finalize the budget in December.

Scott Parke, Weber County Comptroller, stated, “Once the budget is finalized and the new year starts, we immediately begin monitoring budget spending to make sure we are staying within our allocations. This process, while intense, keeps the County fiscally healthy and gives us flexibility to face whatever challenges present themselves, be it a pandemic, an economic downturn, or both.”

Through years of proactive planning and hard work from many people, we are financially remarkably healthy right now as we currently rank in the top 3% of all counties in the United States.