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'They have to own this,' Wyatt says of county board

County Manager Steve Wyatt makes a point to Chairman Tommy Thompson during a budget retreat on Jan. 21..

By Bill Moss, Published: February 1, 2015

Patrice Roseler, the deputy director of the N.C. Association of County Commissioners, drove from Raleigh to watch the Henderson County Board of Commissioners wrestle with numbers in its all-day budget workshop.

She said the county's approcah is renowned for its transparency and thoroughness. Because the spending is fleshed out in great detail, Henderson County doesn't reroof a gym, add a social worker or buy a sheriff's cruiser without county commission discussion and buy-in.
"Some of my colleagues don't like that we do this," County Manager Steve Wyatt said. "One of them called me up and said, 'Well I don't want the board to know these things.'" Wyatt said he told his colleague: "Nobody elected you. They got elected. They have to own this."