Charlie Super's Message to Woodstock Voters
Managing your tax dollars: Clarity, accountability, and planning
As Election Day nears, Woodstock citizens are naturally concerned about how their hard-earned tax dollars are going to be managed. I decided to run for the Board of Finance this year because I thought this would be a good way for me to use my skills and background for the good of the community. Since I am a political newcomer in Woodstock (although I’ve lived here with my family since 1998), I offer the following commentary so that Woodstock voters can make an informed choice about what I would bring to the Board of Finance.
Many aspects of the BOF’s performance in the past have been excellent, and continuity is important. There are three areas, however, where I believe I can contribute to improving the way your money is managed: Clarity, accountability, and planning.
Clarity is an essential tool in judging budgets. A budget proposal can be “accurate” in the sense that the numbers add up correctly, but can still be quite confusing. A common tool in making budgets understandable and manageable is to use “cost centers” (functional units or types of expenses that can be identified for a particular purpose). “Permanent office staff” and “temporary teaching staff” would be examples, as well as “computer equipment,” “expendable office supplies,” and “outside legal counsel.” The General Government budget does this effectively. Although the Board of Finance does not have line-item authority for the Education budget, it does have the responsibility to understand any budget it approves, and this is particularly important since Education is about three times the size of the General Government budget. The BOF needs to have clearly organized, readily understandable budget presentations in all areas. If elected, I will work for clarity.
Accountability for how one has actually spent existing funds is an important part of justifying future requests. Good administration usually includes making thoughtful decisions as the fiscal year progresses about shifting excess funds from one cost center to another that has unanticipated expenses. At the end of the year, the final tallies need to be explained in relation to the original request. The new budget request needs to reflect lessons from the year just ending; that is, the new budget should build on the adjusted budget, not just repeat the older request. This has not been done as a routine matter in all our budgets. If I am elected to the BOF, I will work for accountability.
Planning over the long range – one or two decades – involves anticipating changes in both income and expense categories. This includes not only adjustments for inflation or anticipation of specific capital projects, but also understanding how our town is changing and what we are most concerned about preserving. Responsible management of the town’s finances requires significant attention to this kind of planning, in collaboration with other elected and volunteer groups. If I am elected to the BOF, I will work for more systematic long-term planning.
I have spent thirteen years of my academic career in administrative leadership positions – Department Head at the Pennsylvania State University; Dean of the School of Family Studies, and Director of the Division of Health and Human Development at the University of Connecticut. During that time, managing multi-million dollar budgets, I have learned that it is not possible to put available funds toward essential priorities without clarity, accountability, and planning in the budget process. These three features produce efficiency and effectiveness, and they convince stakeholders that the process is worthy of their trust and participation.
Clarity, accountability, and planning do not necessarily lead to either more spending, or to less spending. They do lead to wiser and more efficient spending. If elected, I will do my best to manage your tax dollars in a way that you can understand and rely on.
Charles M. Super
As Election Day nears, Woodstock citizens are naturally concerned about how their hard-earned tax dollars are going to be managed. I decided to run for the Board of Finance this year because I thought this would be a good way for me to use my skills and background for the good of the community. Since I am a political newcomer in Woodstock (although I’ve lived here with my family since 1998), I offer the following commentary so that Woodstock voters can make an informed choice about what I would bring to the Board of Finance.
Many aspects of the BOF’s performance in the past have been excellent, and continuity is important. There are three areas, however, where I believe I can contribute to improving the way your money is managed: Clarity, accountability, and planning.
Clarity is an essential tool in judging budgets. A budget proposal can be “accurate” in the sense that the numbers add up correctly, but can still be quite confusing. A common tool in making budgets understandable and manageable is to use “cost centers” (functional units or types of expenses that can be identified for a particular purpose). “Permanent office staff” and “temporary teaching staff” would be examples, as well as “computer equipment,” “expendable office supplies,” and “outside legal counsel.” The General Government budget does this effectively. Although the Board of Finance does not have line-item authority for the Education budget, it does have the responsibility to understand any budget it approves, and this is particularly important since Education is about three times the size of the General Government budget. The BOF needs to have clearly organized, readily understandable budget presentations in all areas. If elected, I will work for clarity.
Accountability for how one has actually spent existing funds is an important part of justifying future requests. Good administration usually includes making thoughtful decisions as the fiscal year progresses about shifting excess funds from one cost center to another that has unanticipated expenses. At the end of the year, the final tallies need to be explained in relation to the original request. The new budget request needs to reflect lessons from the year just ending; that is, the new budget should build on the adjusted budget, not just repeat the older request. This has not been done as a routine matter in all our budgets. If I am elected to the BOF, I will work for accountability.
Planning over the long range – one or two decades – involves anticipating changes in both income and expense categories. This includes not only adjustments for inflation or anticipation of specific capital projects, but also understanding how our town is changing and what we are most concerned about preserving. Responsible management of the town’s finances requires significant attention to this kind of planning, in collaboration with other elected and volunteer groups. If I am elected to the BOF, I will work for more systematic long-term planning.
I have spent thirteen years of my academic career in administrative leadership positions – Department Head at the Pennsylvania State University; Dean of the School of Family Studies, and Director of the Division of Health and Human Development at the University of Connecticut. During that time, managing multi-million dollar budgets, I have learned that it is not possible to put available funds toward essential priorities without clarity, accountability, and planning in the budget process. These three features produce efficiency and effectiveness, and they convince stakeholders that the process is worthy of their trust and participation.
Clarity, accountability, and planning do not necessarily lead to either more spending, or to less spending. They do lead to wiser and more efficient spending. If elected, I will do my best to manage your tax dollars in a way that you can understand and rely on.
Charles M. Super
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