Citizens can help shape Sisters' future

Lisa Young is looking for a couple of people interested in shaping what Sisters will look like in years to come.

The City of Sisters finance director is recruiting city residents to fill two vacancies on the city's budget committee.

That may sound like dry, number-crunching work, but under Young's direction, the budget committee has taken on a more active role in shaping the city's destiny.

"I'm doing stuff where they're a lot more involved in the budget process," Young said. "Right now we're doing five-year forecasts, and we're already starting the city budget process."

While budget work is obviously based on the numbers, Young is making efforts to make the process more visual and more oriented toward "what is the city going to look like - more real-life things that they can see, not just the numbers portion."

This approach recognizes that allocation of funds is the true expression of planning and policy.

Young's efforts to make the city's "budget book" more accessible and comprehensible won her the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association for the 2009-10 budget- the highest award in governmental budgeting.

Young notes that citizens don't have to have a particular expertise in order to serve.

"I think a good mix is helpful," Young said. "But it's not a requirement that someone be a numbers person or a business person."

Committee members are involved year-round, not just during the city's budgeting process that starts in January. They receive regular financial reports and are invited to attend annual audit reviews.

"A lot of times you start in January and end in June and they never see you again," Young said. "That's not the goal. I want to keep them abreast.

"I'm trying to make it more interesting. I truly love people who come in with questions. I just really like questions that I might not know."

To qualify, a budget committee member must be 18 years of age, a registered voter and a resident of the City of Sisters. Members are appointed by the mayor. Young hopes to fill the vacancies at the January 28 city council meeting.

Applications are available on the city's Web site, http://www.ci.sisters.or.us. Click on the City Advisory Committees tab, then on the Budget Committee link.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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