What Is Middletown Going To Do?

Today's Journal...

Local governments prepare to cut services

For local government officials the new state budget brings the latest round of incoming budgetary missiles and they’re not sure just how much “smaller government” their citizens are willing to take after several years of budget cuts leave some jurisdictions with few easy options left.

Voters are not likely to approve tax increases, so local officials say they’re going to cut services to balance budgets in the wake of state budget cuts, declines in local tax receipts and several years of poor investment performance related to the bad economy.

They say they gave local governments tools to cut costs: including changes in contracting and prevailing wage rules, making it easier for schools and governments to pool services, and encouraging cuts in employee costs using Senate Bill 5, which is now on hold pending a likely referendum in the November election.

At a news conference on Friday, Kasich said the budget is all about creating jobs and local officials need to “step up and be a good leader locally” or they won’t get the jobs that will allow their communities to grow.
“And they’ve got to stop whining and start doing. Is that clear enough?” Kasich said.

"THE BUDGET IS ALL ABOUT CREATING JOBS AND LOCAL OFFICIALS NEED TO STEP UP AND BE A GOOD LEADERS LOCALLY OR THEY WON'T GET THE JOBS THAT WILL ALLOW THEIR COMMUNITIES TO GROW"......WHAT ABOUT IT COUNCIL, GILLELAND AND THE REST OF THE CITY LEADERS? WILL YOU CHANGE YOUR WAYS AND GET SOME DECENT JOBS IN HERE? WILL YOU DROP YOUR INCESSENT, RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF SECTION 8 GOVERNMENT HANDOUT MONEY FOR YOUR SOURCE OF REVENUE? WILL YOU START ACTING LIKE YOU HAVE A COMPETENT GAMEPLAN FOR THIS CITY? THE GOVERNOR SAYS STOP WHINING AND START DOING. I WOULD IMAGINE MOST OF YOUR CITIZENS WOULD AGREE WITH THAT. WHEN IS THAT CHANGE IN DIRECTION GOING TO HAPPEN? WHEN WILL YOU DEMONSTRATE SOME LOGIC IN RUNNING THIS TOWN?

Kasich also said egos and reluctance to embrace change get in the way of sharing services.

HAS MIDDLETOWN DISCUSSED SHARING SERVICES WITH SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES? DIDN'T MIDDLETOWN PARTICIPATE IN A DISCUSSION WITH HAMILTON, FAIRFIELD AND OTHER COMMUNITIES ABOUT SHARING SERVICES? WHAT HAPPENED SINCE THAT DISCUSSION? WHY IS IT NOT DOABLE?

“Let’s give you an example. We absolutely believe in health care pooling. Local governments are reluctant on health care pooling,” Kasich said. “You know why? They don’t want to make the insurance industry unhappy

WE HAVE TALKED ON THIS FORUM ABOUT MIDDLETOWN TURNING OVER THE HEALTH CARE TO BUTLER COUNTY, HAVEN'T WE? WHY NOT ELIMINATE PHILLIPS AND HER PEOPLE, REDUCE COSTS AND TURN IT OVER TO THE COUNTY? WHY IS THIS PROTECTED HERE IN THIS CITY? GET RID OF EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN IF IT HELPS REDUCE THE BUDGET AND YOU RUN IN THE BLACK. I'M STILL NOT CONVINCED YOU HAVE CUT ALL THE UPPER LEVEL POSITIONS THAT YOU CAN CUT. I THINK YOU ARE PROTECTING CERTAIN JOBS BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE OCCUPYING THOSE JOBS. THERE HAS BEEN NO INFORMATION GIVEN THAT YOU HAVE TRIED TO CONSOLIDATE JOB DUTIES EITHER WITH SOME OF YOUR HIGH LEVEL POSITIONS. LET SOME OF THE REMAINING DIRECTORS SHARE SOME ADDITIONAL DUTIES AS YOU UNLOAD SOME DIRECTOR POSITIONS. STILL HAVE ASSISTANT DIRECTORS, ASSIST. SUPERVISORS, ASSIST. MANAGERS, GROUP LEADERS? WHY?

Susan Cave, executive director of the Ohio Municipal League, said local governments have for years been pooling services, particularly in public safety and building inspections, forming joint health districts and buying through consortiums to save money.

Locally, some Montgomery County jurisdictions are part of a regional emergency dispatch center

CENTRALIZED DISPATCH CENTER WITH MIDDLETOWN AS PART OF IT?

Few of the local leaders interviewed believe asking voters for more local taxes is a viable option.

APPLIES HERE ALSO CITY LEADERS (ON YOUR SAFETY LEVY) AND SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS (ON YOUR 2012 LEVY)