Blaine County Budget: What is essential?

For three weeks the Blaine County Commissioners have been asking county departments “What is essential?” Declining non-tax revenues, sources of funding over which the county has no control, resulted in a $1.4 million shortfall that made putting together the 2016-2017 county budget a challenge for the commissioners and county departments.

After budget meetings with every county department and providing an opportunity for citizens to view and comment on the proposed budget, the commissioners officially approved the final budget on Wednesday of this week (September 7). The total county budget for...