Efficient City and County Government

On the evening of September 24, 2008, George W. Bush stated the United States economy is in “a serious financial crisis.” To this he added “America could slip into a financial panic . . . More banks could fail, including some in your community. The stock market could drop even more . . . . And if you own a business or a farm, you would find it harder and more expensive to get credit. More businesses would close their doors, and millions of American could lose their jobs.” [President’s Address to Nation, 9:01 PM EST September 24, 2008].

On September 25, 2008, Washington Mutual (WaMu), the nation’s largest savings and loan was seized by federal regulators and brokered in an emergency sale to JPMorgan Chase. This is the biggest bank failure in the history of the world and a big wrench into the gears of free market economic theory.

So – on September 25, 2008, our visionary Commissioners found an infamous date to impose two “emergency” sales taxes on the citizens of Hancock County. County politicos cannot wait for new offices. And it must be stressed that a token part of the sales tax increase may go to flood mitigation. In what some may described as a “smart move” is revealed a – government first – mentality that places buildings before people. Those who question Commissioner vision are challenged to obtain and review audits. The pretense of an audit begs the question of actual leadership.

Perhaps it is time of for our county and city leaders to consider consolidating overlapping city and county departments to provide more cost effective and efficient services to the citizens of Findlay and Hancock County. It may be suggested that for far too long Ohio citizens have paid a tax premium to maintain an antiquated and redundant system of townships, villages, municipal corporations and county governments. It is possible to preserve the identity of political subdivisions without duplicating cost inefficiencies entailed in the preservation of overlapping departments and service providers.

The good people of our townships, villages, cities and county deserve an efficient delivery of services to preserve their roads, infrastructure and human service needs. It is possible to consolidate and save tax dollars while making consolidated departments more linear in service to citizens. The point is not that government should be run like a business. The point is that the way government is run is the business of people not the preservation of inefficient divisions that redundantly hinder the delivery of services to people.