Letter: Fitzpatrick wants contingent county budget

Freeholder candidate wants contingent budget

Regarding the April 26 commentary by Michael Diamond, “Who raised taxes instead of cutting the budget as revenue fell?”:

Diamond described the annual increases in the Atlantic County budget. When can we expect to see a finalized 2017 county budget?

It is now the middle of the second quarter of 2017 and the Freeholder Board is allocating funds based on the 2016 budget. Recently, $20 million was allocated for road improvements. The county should have had a Plan B (just like all middle-class families do who are trying to make ends meet), a contingent budget that anticipated reduced revenues and budgeted more conservatively for 2017.

For decades, I’ve helped businesses and nonprofits manage their finances and prepare for whatever the future holds. It’s time that much-needed thinking was brought to Atlantic County government for a change.

Caren Fitzpatrick

Linwood

Candidate for Atlantic County Freeholder at Large