Additional meetings may be necessary prior to approval of the upcoming budget, especially considering a nearly $200,000 expense for new courthouse windows was not included in the 2024 Capital Improvements budget – a move made by Western Commissioner Gary Wilhite, who was not present at the recent meeting. Ray County Treasurer Melissa Holloway indicated she would provide an updated version of the current budget for the commissioners to review. Eastern Commissioner-Elect Max Hockemeier proposed advocating for monthly review of the budgets from each office. Holloway affirmed her ability to generate comprehensive and detailed itemized reports for the purpose and further recommended convening monthly meetings for all elected officials to collectively assess and discuss these financial reports. Ray County Presiding Commissioner Sheila Tracy voiced her concerns, expressing skepticism about the necessity of increasing the number of meeting days, fearing it might lead to an overload of…