Editor’s note: Lance Friday is running for Midland County Commissioner, Precinct 4, one of five representatives who sit on the Commissioners Court, the county’s governing body, which approves the county budget, sets tax rates, and represents their precinct on local policy matters. Friday faces two challengers, Dianne Anderson and Don Woodward.

Candidate interviews are published in the order they are conducted. We conduct candidate interviews using a standard set of questions, with follow-up questions adapted to each candidate’s responses. Voters must register by Monday, Feb. 2. Early voting begins Tuesday, Feb. 17. Primary Election Day is Tuesday, March 3.

As Midland County continues to grow, Lance Friday said his focus, if elected, would be on handling the county’s spending decisions, including how commissioners plan across multiple years and how spending decisions affect future budgets.

“You learn how to manage your budget, your forecast, your vacations, your income tax, all of those things,” Friday said of his upbringing, from beginning with nothing to working his way up to where he is today. “Which is what the county commissioners do for the county.”

Budgeting with the next year in mind

Friday argued that commissioners should plan ahead by tracking revenue, looking at future costs, and avoiding spending that hasn’t been planned for.

“If you don’t know the numbers, you’ll drown yourself in business,” Friday said. “And the general public needs to know the numbers. They need to know what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, how we’re doing it.”

He said recent growth has increased county revenue but does not eliminate the need for spending discipline. He said commissioners are elected to make difficult financial decisions on behalf of voters and are accountable to voters if those decisions go wrong.

“It’s how did we get to the point to where we need to spend this money, and how long have we been thinking about it and talking about it, and did we plan for it?” Friday said. “And you have to plan today for tomorrow and not plan for today, today.”

Collaboration  across commissioners and entities

Friday said large expenditures should be supported by all commissioners and planned through the normal budget process rather than driven by individual agendas.

“I want to see, really, a focus on bringing collaboration back to the commissioner’s court today,” Friday said. “I think there is a tug of war going on in the commissioner’s court, and there’s been a tug of war in the past.”

He said disagreements are inevitable, but argued the court should focus on decisions that help the whole county.

“That is what the commissioners are obligated to do on the taxpayer’s behalf,” Friday said, “is put their personal agendas down and their temper tantrums down and work together for the betterment of Midland County and the taxpayers.”

Greenwood water and the limits of county responsibility

Friday said the Greenwood water issues stem from decades of unplanned growth in an unincorporated area and cannot be solved quickly or cheaply. Residents currently rely on private providers and wells, or on a Midland County Utility District (MCUD) bond, to finance infrastructure.

“I think the only option, the only viable option is MCUD,” Friday said given the scale of required infrastructure and county investments tied to the jail and nearby school.

He said any solution would require voter approval of a bond and long-term investment, and that the county’s role should focus on supporting the process while making sure residents understand the cost and what the county can and cannot do.

“Any solution for that water problem out there is going to be expensive,” Friday said, “and the county is not going to be on the hook for it if I can help it.”

Taxes, sales tax, and revenue reality

When asked about the hypothetical possibility of the county attempting to increase the sales tax again after a failed 2021 countywide vote, Friday said he views the sales tax as a tool the county could use in the future, but not one that needs to be used today. He said continued growth in Midland County is expanding the tax base and increasing revenue, giving the county room to meet current needs without raising taxes.

“Sales tax is a consumer tax. It’s a more equal taxation plan,” Friday said. “Do we need to exercise that tool today? I don’t think so.”

He said developers largely pay for development itself, while the county’s primary long-term costs come from infrastructure and public safety. Friday pointed to those expenses as expected and affordable if the county continues to plan conservatively, maintain reserves, and avoid unnecessary spending as revenue grows.

Law enforcement spending and measurement

When asked what level of public safety justifies what level of cost, Friday focused on how public safety spending should be evaluated and what indicators officials should use to judge whether current funding levels are working.

Friday said county law enforcement faces costs that differ from city policing, particularly because the county operates the jail and covers a much larger geographic area. He described jail operations, equipment, technology, and safety gear as costs that have to be paid and updated every year

“You have to invest in [equipment], or you’re not going to be able to keep the public safe when there’s a crisis, or there’s an incident or a catastrophe,” Friday said.

He said the sheriff’s office is responsible for enforcing the law across the entire county, despite staffing vacancies that remain difficult to fill.

“I do think that the sheriff is doing a really good job of making sure that he can retain the employees that he needs to keep this community safe,” Friday said.

Preparation, accountability, and customer service

Friday said his professional background shapes how he approaches budgeting and accountability.

“We’re really good at what we do as far as doing our work and paying our bills and following up with good customer service, which requires a tremendous amount of communication and a tremendous amount of after-hours work,” Friday said.

He said his business management experience has shaped how he thinks about how taxpayer money is handled.

“I have been on my own, working for myself, paying my own bills, managing my budget, forecasting what our tax liabilities are, setting those monies aside, being fiscally responsible with what I have eked out and made as a living,” Friday said.