Williamson County's top commissioner says they're moving in the right direction, and he's proud of what's been accomplished over the past several years.
At the annual "State of the County" address, Commission Chairman Ron Ellis pointed to upgrades to facilities, reductions in costs, and a balanced budget as some of the biggest highlights of the past year.
But what makes Ellis especially proud is the creation, over the past several years, of a reserve fund for the county. He says in 2009, the state slowed payments for salaries and programs to a trickle, leaving the county with just $29,000 in the bank – and nearly unable to make payroll: "That's how tight we were, and that happened. The Board at that time, we seriously sat down and we made a decision that we were going to try to put the measures in place to make sure that something like that didn't happen again. And thank God, we have."
Ellis credits a reserve in the Highway Department as saving a catastrophe that year, and says the $1.3 million currently in the reserve is a good start toward a goal of six months of obligations in the bank in case of emergency.
Ellis credits his fellow commissioners, Jim Marlo and Brent Gentry, for working together for a balanced budget. All three say even though they don't always agree, they work together and find compromise to make the best possible decision.