If You’re Interested — By Tommy Purser

Just below this column you’ll find a copy of the expenditures for the Jeff Davis County Board of Commissioners’ FY 2027 budget that was approved earlier this summer — if you’re interested.
On Page 6 you will find the FY 2027 budget approved earlier this month by the school board. — if you’re interested.
A reader called me last week and asked why the county and Board of Education budgets had not been printed in this newspaper. I didn’t have a quick answer. In fact I didn’t even have a good answer. I just hadn’t printed the budgets in the newspaper, nor had the county commission or board of education saw fit to send the budgets to me for publication.
But here’s the thing — you’ll be hard pressed to convince me that anyone is truly interested in those budgets.
Here are a few reasons why I am unconvinced:
Earlier this summer the county commission ran advertisements in this newspaper inviting people to a series of public hearings scheduled to allow the public to offer input on their proposed budget.
No one attended those public hearings.
Earlier this summer the board of education ran advertisements in this newspaper inviting people to a series of public hearings scheduled to allow the public to offer input on their proposed budget.
No one attended those public hearings.
Earlier this summer the Hazlehurst City Council ran advertisements in this newspaper inviting people to a series of public hearings scheduled to allow the public to offer input on their proposed budget.
No one attended those public hearings.
In 2025, the county commission, the board of education and the city council ran advertisements in thise newspaper inviting … well, you know.
I suspect by now that, if you’ve bothered to read this far, you know that no one attended those meetings in 2025 as well.
Ditto 2024.
Ditto 2023.
In fact, in the more than 50 years I’ve been covering local government in Jeff Davis County, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I recall anyone showing up to show an interest in the budgeting process our elected officials go through each year.
Years ago, I used to cover such public hearings so I could report on what the public had to say to their elected officials to help them do the job they were elected to do.
But there was seldom anyone to show up.
For years, I urged people to get involved in their governments. To get informed. To learn. To offer input. After years of frustration, I gave up. In fact, I quit going to those public hearings. I quit going because I became convinced that no one was really interested.
And I remain convinced today.