Budget tensions carry over Monday night as the White County Commission failed to form a new budget committee and Commissioner Becky Golden said she quit the board.
Commissioner Derrick Hutchings voiced concerns about Golden being on the budget committee after she previously stated in a public meeting she did not understand numbers. Commissioner TK Austin echoed similar concerns Golden and motioned to replace Golden with Commissioner Lanny Selby.
“You know it would be a violation of our duty to let somebody that has publicly said that numbers weren’t their thing to be on the budget committee,” Austin said. “That’s one of the most important committees that we have.”
With several commissioners absent and several being split on the decision, the vote to form a new budget committee failed. Golden walked out mid-discussion and did not return.
“I’m done,” Golden said. “I’m done. You will have my resignation tomorrow. You won. You got what you wanted.”
The Budget Committee will re-evaluate the new committee at the next committee meeting. The full commission will attempt to vote on Budget committee members at next month’s meeting.
Brewington said if anyone should be voted off the budget committee, it should be him. Brewington had a message for the other commissioners.
“What it seems like to me is now right there is your stacking the budget committee,” Brewington said. “That’s the good ole boy system right there is. You boys can sit here and look and laugh all you want to right there and say no right there is, but every one of them except me is a yes-sir man. I’m the only one on that budget that is a no-sir man. Now you can call it like it is Derrick, or whatever right there, and the rest of you can right there is, but I think that is a bunch of baloney.”
County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson said he originally thought that the county required the chairman to be on the budget committee, but stated that is not the case and that the committee only requires four commissioners.
In other business, the board failed to form an Audit Committee. The committee automatically failed to form due to the budget committee failing to form.