In their first few months in office, the current Warren County Board of Supervisors has faced their challenges.

Just as they were getting their footings, days after being sworn in, they were faced with addressing road issues brought about by historic rainfall.

The damage, totaling more than $10 million, has been near the forefront of every discussion since then and will continue to be so as supervisors and other county leaders try to expedite the work to not only make needed repairs but to get as much state and federal reimbursements for the repairs as possible.

The impact on the county’s budget is significant.

Already budgeted to the last penny, supervisors will soon be faced with how to manage cash flow to make the repairs, as well as potential adjustments to the budget moving forward.

And, as supervisors were getting off their knees from being dealt a blow by the weather and road damage, they then faced what we all have when it comes to the COVID-19 virus.

In taking steps they believed were for the safety and security of not just the public, but county employees, supervisors worked with other elected officials to scale back public access to county buildings, imposed restrictions to hopefully curtail the spread of the virus and manage a county workforce to where some could do their crucial public businesses from home.

It has been anything but easy for these supervisors, regardless if they are in their first term or have years of experience under their belt.

But in each case, with each disaster, and in just about every other decision, this board has been transparent and tedious. They have admitted when they did not know the answer and took an impressive academic, data-driven approach to each decision.

And, for a group made up of four first-time supervisors, the one answer they have refused to accept in any decision or vote is “that is the way we have always done it.” Giving that reason to any question has not been acceptable from day one.

As the supervisors and other elected officials work to expand access to the public and to reopen facilities, there is an expectation now that the decision will be made only after thorough consideration, thought and discussion. And, when it comes to not only county finances and the expenditure of tax-payer dollars, but to the public safety, that is what we as voters and residents of Warren County should want and expect.