Former Ecclesiastic Leader Elected to Budget Advisory Committee

Mark Paynter, a long-time resident of Brooklyn Park and a former stake president of the Anoka, Minnesota Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was recently elected to the Brooklyn Park Budget Advisory Committee.

Mark retired from his accountant profession in July of this year. He felt the desire to become involved with city government and contribute to the community, and he saw a posting in the City Pages about vacancies on the Budget Advisory Committee. He felt that his professional background made the position a good fit for him, so he began the application process. As part of the application, he made a five-minute presentation to the Brooklyn Park City Council. Approximately fifteen people applied for the committee, and three were selected to serve a three-year term. Mark was one of them.

The Budget Advisory Committee meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month between August and May. The position requires about an additional four to six hours of preparation time a month, when the city’s financial advisor sends out information to the committee members to review. The committee reviews the budgets for the various city departments and listens to proposals for various proposed expenditures, such as capital improvements and maintenance for city parks and roads, equipment and vehicles for police and fire departments or computers for city employees. The Budget Advisory Committee’s job is to represent the citizens of Brooklyn Park by reviewing the proposed expenses and making recommendations to the City Council based on the budget.

Mark gave an example of a typical situation that might come before the Committee. Someone had proposed that the city build an artificial soccer field for use by the city’s recreational soccer leagues. The Committee would debate the merits of that proposal and decide whether the expense was justified or if the need could be better solved in another way (by letting city leagues use the artificial turf fields that already exist at the high school, for example). After discussing the pros and cons of the proposal and reviewing the budget for the city departments involved, the Budget Advisory Committee will make a recommendation to the City Council whether they support the idea or not.

Mark is enjoying his experience serving on the Budget Advisory Committee. He says, “The whole process of government decision-making is fascinating to me.” Giving back to the community is something that is important to Mark, and he is happy that his retirement has allowed him the time to volunteer and contribute in a meaningful way.

By Natalie Goodson