Supervisors May Hire Goal-Setting Adviser

Should Ventura County spend $3,000 to hire a consultant to assist the Board of Supervisors in drafting a mission statement and setting its budget priorities? Or should the board seek a volunteer to perform the task at no cost?

Or should the board do the work itself?

Supervisors will decide the answer at their meeting Tuesday.

Supervisor Frank Schillo has initially proposed spending $10,000 to hire a consultant to assist the board in developing a vision for the future and helping to set priorities for programs and services, particularly during the upcoming budget process.

But a majority of board members balked at the idea of spending that much money and asked Ron Komers, the county’s personnel director, to bring back a list of alternatives.

In his report to the board, Komers recommends that it spend $3,000 to hire a consultant to lead goal-setting discussions among board members and county department heads.

Supervisor Maggie Kildee, who chairs the board, said she has not decided which recommendation to support but believes that the board needs assistance.

“We’re five supervisors, and we each have our own egos and agendas, and so it may be hard to come up with a single set of goals,” she said. “So I would be in favor of some help. But whether we ought to pay for it, I don’t know.”