One on One with Musselshell County Commissioner Nicole Borner

Good Budgeting is not a secret. It is based off of prior year’s actuals and anticipated revenue. The accounting functions of Government budgets was the tough part of bringing the county into compliance. We had to learn all that because we no longer had a financial officer. Now that we are in compliance and have all the audits and reports in, we were able to set a much more accurate budget that fit the county’s ability to pay a fair wage and provide services. I’m proud of the work we’ve put in for the last year. We are already working on the 2019-2020 audits.

Question: Do you know if any of the past commissioners were accountants?

No, I don’t. But I was surprised to hear it was said by one that audits don’t matter. Of course audits matter and they are required by law. Audits don’t look for or report fraud. Audits help add to the transparency and accountability of the county. They let us know if there are areas where we can improve efficiency and they give recommendations for us to implement best government accounting practices.

One of my goals right now is to fill the position of Chief Financial Officer with someone, or a firm, who knows best practices in government accounting, Montana reporting requirements, and grant oversight. We need that position filled with a professional so that no matter who is in election positions, there is a consistency to the county finances and that power struggles are removed from the equation.

Question: Is that one of the things that gave the impetus to run for county commissioner?

I ran for commissioner the first time because I was concerned about the direction our community was going. We weren’t looking to the future and we were deteriorating rather than growing. As a citizen and volunteer, it was a struggle to get the Commission Board to recognize the economic value of the Fairgrounds and the Heritage Riverwalk trails and the need to market Musselshell County. I knew about economic development and I knew we needed a plan and a vision in Musselshell County if we were to survive the challenges rural communities face. An important part of commissioners jobs is to recognize the importance of economic development, leveraging tax dollars with grants and working on partnerships to bring about community livability so that people move here, buy a home, start a business, raise their children and expand our tax base.

Final Part Next Week!