The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel editorial: Budget whining adds insult to injury
In the past week we’ve seen elected officials at the state and local level lamenting budget maneuvers while rejecting proposals to mitigate the effects of deteriorating revenues.
In the case of Mesa County Commissioners, they’ve repeatedly stressed that they’ve squeezed blood from turnips and collected all the low-hanging fruit possible on the way to commanding 5 percent reductions across all departments to eliminate a $2.7 million deficit.
That didn’t sit well with Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Sheila Reiner who had already voluntarily cut her department’s spending by 8 percent to help accommodate budget increases for public safety. But when Reiner proposed a $5 in-person renewal fee Monday as an incentive to encourage people to renew their plates online, commissioners said no.

