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Akron
Beacon Journal...
Political test
Sunday, Apr 10, 2011
Local governments must move from turf protection to consolidation
The central point in testimony delivered last week by local officials
appearing in Columbus for House budget hearings was made by Larry Long,
executive director of the County Commissioners Association.
He pointed to the size of the budget hole in the next two years, the $8
billion translating roughly into a 17 percent cutback. Yet local
governments face a deeper hit, the tax-sharing fund on which they rely
slated for a 33 percent reduction.
‘’We’re at the end of the food chain,’’ Long lamented, noting the
tendency for problems to be passed down the line, from the federal
level to the states, then to local governments. Cuts to the Local
Government Fund mean counties, cities, villages and townships must
absorb a ‘’disproportionate share of the budget balancing burden,’’
Long said.
No doubt painful decisions are coming as local officials consider
cutbacks or tax hikes, neither a popular alternative.
Worth more emphasis than it was given is a third way, a push for
greater cooperation among units of local government, even consolidation
of services and full mergers. Yet resistance remains high, as shown
recently in Springfield Township’s objections to merging its fire
department with Lakemore’s, even though a combined police department is
functioning smoothly and saving money.
Language in the budget bill authorizes county commissioners to
centralize services among officeholders; a bill pending in the Senate
would authorize political subdivisions to enter into agreements to
perform services for one another. The reality is, the existing barriers
are more political than anything else.
Studies by the Greater Ohio Policy Center and other research
organizations have made clear the high cost of Ohio’s many overlapping
units of government, local taxpayers shouldering a higher burden
compared to other states. That means a ‘’disproportionate share’’ of
revenue goes to administrative overhead. Pare it back, and costs go
down as service levels rise.
Read it at the Akron Beacon Journal
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