Beaufort County residents have a chance to voice their thoughts on the proposed county budget for fiscal year 2011-2012 at a public hearing Monday night.

Waiting to hear those thoughts is the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners, who will vote on the budget. But it’s county residents who should have a voice, if not the final say, in the budget process.

Each spring, a fair number of people usually attend the required public hearing on the proposed budget, but many of them represent groups seeking money from the county. Others want substantial cuts made to the budget, or at least to specific areas in the budget. The number of “average” county residents who attend those hearings is not that large.

Isn’t that a shame? County taxpayers deserve a say in how the county spends the taxes they pay. Taxpayers should make their wants and desires known.

Taxpayers who want the county to spend more money on public schools should let their wish be known. Taxpayers who want the county to save money by reducing or eliminating funding for outside agencies and nonprofits should make their case in public.

The commissioners want public input. Ask them.

Better yet, tell them Monday night. The hearing begins at 8 p.m. in the auditorium of Building 8 on the Beaufort County Community College campus.