We have recently received a copy of the LNC Budget for 2026, as passed by the Libertarian National Committee on December 7, 2025. One would ordinarily have expected this budget to have become available quite some time ago, for example, by the start of 2026, so that the staff would have known how much money it was authorized to spend. However, thanks to a change in the LNC Policy Manual, there was no obligation on the part of the Secretary to have the minutes available until the next regular LNC meeting approached, this being the regular meeting just before the next National convention.
The financial projections are, let us say, optimistic. Stronger words could be used. There are already significant deviations between LNC income to date and annualized anticipated income, not in the favorable direction.
We will have a more detailed analysis at a later date. We have already shared this data with former members of the LNC, who have proposed that the budget only makes sense as part of a project to dismantle the Libertarian Party.
“a project to dismantle the Libertarian Party” is all I’ve seen since the arrival of the Trumpista Trojan Hearse.
Here’s a followup to my 3/24 comment regarding the $24,000 budgeted for payroll processing. I talked to the controller of a small company of which I am a shareholder. She told me it costs them only $900 per month to process payroll (everything – reports, direct deposits, tax returns, etc.) for their 23 employees in several states. They use a company called Paylocity (paylocity.com) out of Schaumburg, IL. Not a small operation- Paylocity has 6,700 employees and 41,650 clients!
Please, someone with the Exec. Director’s and/or Treasurer Redpath’s e-mail, please send this on to them to see just how much the LNC can save by changing payroll processors.
This budget would make Charles Ponzi proud!
Interesting that they seemed to heed some of Todd Hagopian’s suggestions that were published here:
https://thirdpartywatch.com/2025/12/01/2026-budget-disaster-action-needed/
… but not his overriding objection that planning for a budget deficit is a terrible idea (and I would add a ludicrously anti-libertarian one). They reduced the size of the proposed deficit but still plan to eat into reserves obtained by selling their headquarters. I don’t have the old draft budget on hand to say how they reduced the budget gap.
Over the month of February, National Party membership was almost unchanged. It fell from 8,989 to 8,972.
The budget has now been posted by Bill Redpath.
ATBAFT: That is a useful insight. That payroll expense needs to be lowered.
$2K per month to handle payroll for, what, six or seven employees?
Someone ought to look into this fee. Internet search would indicate that “soup to nuts” payroll services should be no more than $500 month for a business this small. I ran this by a former employer who spends $3 million in payroll over four states for 28 employees: they say their payroll service is around $15K per year which includes bi-weekly payroll reports, all payroll tax reports for state and federal authorities, W-2s, etc.
Wasn’t Steven Nekhaila promising to save the party with Project Parity and Perry Willis?
He’s been chair since January 2025. By the time that national convention comes around it’ll be 17 months under him. Has anything been accomplished under his leadership?
I think the question you mean to ask Dr. Phillies is:
Was Steven Nekhaila installed to finish off the national Libertarian Party instead of saving it?