Numbers are Everywhere...Even Journalism

There's always been some form of currency that has made the world go 'round-gold, pesos and now, the dollar. Whether we like the idea or not, there is no way to get around the numbers game when it comes to understanding money and more specifically, budgets, says Preston Trigg. As the Director of Administration for the Hillsborough County Tax Collector County Center, Trigg's job involves more than meets the eye.

Understanding the basics of government budgets pertaining to revenue and expenses is important as journalists if you want to understand what your looking at when you look at a budget. Trigg broke it down to the penny for us:

Because government budgets in Florida are public, the access is not the issue. Because most corruption involves money, Trigg explains, the issue lies in understanding the numbers so that you may break it down for those who need to know-the public.

Trigg pointed out a few basics to scoop out of the hefty book of budgets that can lead us in the direction of clarity.

-Always look for the revenue and expenses (and sometimes the debt)
-Look for major increases in any area
-ALWAYS ask if you don't understand
-Remember the 3 types of expenses
-Personal
-Capital
-Operating

What I personally found to be interesting was understanding the concept of operating expenses. As a full-time college student also working to support myself, understanding where my money goes when I pay for utilities struck a nerve. Many people seldom think about what there utility payments are used for but knowing where your money goes as opposed to "I just have to pay the water bill" is important. These decisions have impacts on the way we live and the improvements we see in our communities.

Trigg also brought back memories of microeconomics with the mention of milage, which is a property tax based on the value of your home as set by the county tax appraiser. I'm glad he did because it unveiled an understanding of how property taxes are determined and the system used to keep a consistent flow and fairness.

Trigg was informative and excited about enlightening us to government budgets. Numbers are everywhere whether we like it or not. So, with a better understanding of budget, I'm almost ready to try my hand at Algebra...almost.