How Many Commissioners Does a County Need?
For months, the citizens of Ravalli County have been debating whether or not to scale back the number of county commissioners from five to three. Many argue that reducing the number of commissioners would lead to half-a-million dollars (0r more) in savings for Ravalli county.
On the other side of the coin, County Commissioner Suzy Foss makes a strong argument that reducing the number of commissioners could lead not only to less work being done at the county level, but also to less democratic control of local government. Foss points out that with less elected commissioners to perform the functions of government, more unelected employees will have to be hired to fill the gaps.
Suzy Foss on reducing the number of commissioners in Ravalli County: