The Cumberland County Board of Supervisors’ decision to ultimately pass the fiscal year 2019 budget last Tuesday brought a lot of questions, some relief and some concerns, both from members of the public and members of the board itself.

The first question is, what are the items under consideration that could potentially bring the county $600,000? Notifying the public of these items show a level of transparency on the part of the county, but the nature of these items, and what benefit the items could have to the county as a whole, remain to be seen.

Board members also questioned the impact of these items, with District Four Supervisor David Meinhard expressing disapproval of the board’s decision to pass the budget with a $500,000 shortfall, and potentially depending on the $600,000 to compensate for that shortfall. It isn’t a guarantee, but the odds seem more optimistic, District One Supervisor William “Bill” Osl said, who noted that the projects, if approved, could potentially provide long-term budgetary relief for the county.

We understand the county deals with a lot of moving parts, particularly mandates from the state and federal government that can affect the budget. However, members of the public have a right to be concerned about how their future could be affected, both by the shortfall and by the items under consideration.

We at The Herald ask the county to continue to keep the concerns of the citizens in mind when considering these options, and to continue to educate the public once more information can be released about these items.

EMILY HOLLINGSWORTH is a staff reporter for The Farmville Herald and Farmville Newsmedia LLC. Her email address is Emily.Hollingsworth@ FarmvilleHerald.com.