Missing the Forest for the Trees

The MJS and Milwaukee County Supervisors are in a tizzy about this county deficit. 

Sheepish Milwaukee County officials on Monday disclosed a $2.5 million deficit in housing programs but were at loss to explain how it happened.

The end-of-2006 shortfall in housing programs for the poor set off a torrent of criticism from county supervisors aimed at County Executive Scott Walker’s administration. It also prompted new reviews by the county and the local office of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, which funnels housing aid through the county.

But you have to read all the way down to the 14th paragraph to find this:

A separate report shows the county ended 2006 with $4.5 million surplus from other areas of the budget, for a net surplus last year of $2 million when the shortfall in the housing programs is subtracted.

So one department ran a deficit, which makes the headline, but overall Walker managed to squeeze a surplus out of the budget!  And all of this while drawing a hard line on tax increases. 

Sounds like darn good fiscal management by an elected official to me.