With the impending snowstorm, it will be interesting to see if Grace Episcopal Alexandria goes over budget for snow removal.
In the past, one of the ways the church vestry adopted a “balanced budget” was by incorporating unrealistic budget assumptions. That included funding for snow removal that was predicated on little to no snow.
The result was predictable. Every few years, we’d get clobbered with snow, resulting in the church starting the fiscal year with an overage in this budget category. That of course places strains on the rest of the budget, most notably facilities and other related expenses.
This situation also illustrates the unwillingness of the church to look budget realities in the eye. “Let’s cross our fingers and hope for the best,” is never a recipe for success.
Let’s hope that the church has fully funded this line item.
And in the meantime, let’s not forget: This is a church that draws $3,000 from savings to throw farewell parties for Chris Byrnes.
We’ll see.