Action Items for Open, Accountable and Representative Government

 

Open Government
  1. Expand public access online to public documents, meeting calendars and agendas, commissioner voting records and other pertinent information. As your commissioner, I will immediately make these documents available to constituents online through my own commissioner website. This will be an interim step until the county transitions to a more flexible website support architecture.
  2. Establish commissioner website for District #2. As soon as I know about a measure being considered, you will know about it in order to form an opinion and provide your input.
Accountable Government
  1. Establish ethics rules for county officials. Rules will be designed to prevent conflicts of interest that are currently routinely practiced by some county officials.
  2. Increase the level of detail of accounting and reporting of expenditure of public funds, particularly SPLOST funds.
Representative Government
  1. Adopt rules that will establish a reasonable minimum number of days from when Commissioners first officially discuss or consider a measure before the Board of Commissioners can vote on the measure. The purpose is to allow reasonable opportunity for citizens to also consider the measure and contact their respective representative to provide input.
  2. Adopt rules that will establish the opportunity for public comment on certain issues before the issue may be brought to a vote by the commissioners. This requirement should include any spending measure that commits public funds to any purpose outside of expenditures specifically planned for within the current-year budget.
  3. Limit to two the number of public offices or appointed board or commission positions that any one person can hold. The purpose is to enhance genuine representation of the people.

 

Action Items for Fiscal Leadership

 

Apply the Three-Point Test

For any expenditure of public funds or resources I will ask these three questions:

  • Is it a proper role of government within the stated limited requirements of county government?
  • Is it demonstrated to be an effective and efficient use of resources?
  • Have proper and ethical decision and review processes been used during analysis?

If any of the answers to these questions is not “yes,” then the vote for the expenditure should be a “no.”

Look for Innovations Instead of Federal and State Handouts
  1. Downsize the appetite for “free” grant money to solve local issues. Focus instead on local solutions to local problems.
  2. Recognize that every penny of federal and state grant money is first taken from taxpayers and redistributed through costly government structures.

 

Action Items for Effective and Efficient Government Services

 

Focus Efforts on Basic Government Functions
  1. Protection of life, property and liberty.
  2. Administration of criminal and civil law.
  3. Prudent management of necessary public monopolies.
Divest of Private Enterprise Functions
  1. If it is something that for-profit private enterprise can do, then let private enterprise do it with private investment instead of public money.
  2. Stop taxpayer funding and subsidizing of charity enterprises. Encourage citizens to step up to the Christian ethic of individual private giving and serving. The most efficient and genuine form of helping is people helping people lead by private institutions.