Show A Poor Time for Considering Budgets TWO TWO S o days before Christmas the public hearing on the city budget was held The thought struck us that it is about the poorest time of the year to hold such a hearing Christmas isn't a time when people go around pinching pennies pennies pen pen- nies lies and concentrating on economy economy no no matter how much they may regret their free spending when the bills come in in January Christmas furthermore Is b a time of good will and good fellowship It isn't easy when you are full of the Christmas I spirit to crack down even on a politician for wasting public funds Christmas after all aU is the time when we revere Santa Glaus Claus and and its it's a little contradictory to revere Santa Claus and then criticise politicians ns for playing Santa Claus with public money Lastly most people are pretty busy right before Christ Christ- mas inas Its It's hard for them to concentrate on mundane affairs such as keeping an eye on local governmental expenditures and they may lay find it difficult n n the midst of the Christmas rush even evento evento evento to take the time to attend a public hearing on next years year's budget All this is not said simply limply in facetious vein There is something something something some some- thing to it No worse time except possibly the middle of summer summer sum- sum mer could be found for arousing public interest in governmental budget matters It would be far better if the budget could be drawn up and considered In May lay pr or June In order to do that of course the fiscal year of city and county governments would have to be changed from the present calendar year to conform tp to the present state and federal fiscal year which ends on June 30 We see no reason why it should not be so changed That July 1 to June 30 fiscal year seems to work very well in national and state governments and there is n no no reason we can see why it would not work equally well with local governments That way all of our governmental units would be working on the same schedule which would no doubt have its advantages in various Interrelated expenditures of these governments governments and and it would certainly be simpler for taxpayers to have the whole governmental governmental governmental govern govern- mental budget and spending system on the same time basis And it certainly would help let joy be unconfined for taxpayers and politicians over the Christmas holidays |