No pain, no gain

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you spend more money than you take in, it's going to eventually catch up with you and cause problems.

Such is the case with Carroll County's finances. Over the past several years, spending has outpaced revenues.

The county now finds itself needing to trim $2 million from its 2008 budget.

For the past several months a subcommittee of the County Council has been examining the county's finances. The subcommittee has found that overspending has been the norm in Carroll County for several years. The nice reserve that Carroll County once had is gone.

But before the county's 2008 budget is adopted next Thursday (Sept. 27), expect casualties. Unless a service is essential to county government, it will be on the chopping block. (Isn't that what a person does when they need to trim their personal budget - get rid of the non-essentials?)

PhyllisMoore, county museum curator, said that her department is expecting to loose all of its funding.

Sheriff Tony Burns may have no funds for replacement vehicles.

Animal Control is expected to loose funding.

It could be that EMS would loose one ambulance and use another one as a chase vehicle.

Before it's all said and done, every department will undoubtedly feel the squeeze.All of us Carroll County residents will be affected in one way or another by these cuts.

The Council's diligence in getting to the bottom of this serious financial crisis is that which will save this county in the long run. It's just going to be painful along the way.