Not only will members of the Ocean Pines Association have their first opportunity to learn about the new budget at next Wednesday’s board of directors session, they have been encouraged to attend and find out more about it.

The budget process doesn’t get any more open than that, and kudos go to board President Doug Parks for making that clear.

As he, the other board members and the administration apparently know, the best way to eliminate the possibility of misunderstandings and disagreements within the membership — and to prevent the turmoil experienced in previous years — is to have open communications between the public and the governing authority.

The no-secrets-here approach, and addressing possible critics at the outset of the process, is an excellent means to ensure an operation that continues to run smoothly.

If there’s one thing that upsets the efficient management of things it’s what people want to believe, or think they know, rather than actual knowledge.

Naturally, the budget proposal will have aspects with which some members disagree. In that instance, it will be up to the board and the administration to explain and defend their positions as satisfactorily as possible.

It isn’t as if the board is inviting people just to say they did, or to nod approvingly as presentations are made. The directors are saying, in essence, if you want to know why we propose to do this, and hope to accomplish that with your money, now is the time to ask for and receive some answers.

Members who fail to take advantage of this opportunity will have only themselves to blame if, down the road, they find themselves griping about an expenditure or project of which they were unaware.

Other opportunities to learn more about the budget will arise in the next few weeks, but there’s no point in waiting, when the invitation has already been issued.