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Editorial: Government buck-passing is no relief to taxpayers
Gov. Chris Gregoire’s traveling austerity show comes to town on Thursday.
The series of public forums, where the state’s fiscal woes are to be laid out and the public’s input solicited, reportedly have been so well attended in other cities that the location has been shifted from the City Council chambers to Spokane Falls Community College.
In the meantime, Spokane Mayor Mary Verner is planning her own budgetary outreach campaign, hoping to enlist constituents in the battle against a relentless recession.
Both the city and the state, having already imposed substantial reductions, are expecting even harsher cuts ahead as revenues fall short – by millions for the city, billions for the state – of what it takes to maintain previous levels of public service.
County government is not exempt. Even before the recession struck, a state study a few years ago concluded that counties statewide suffer from a structurally inadequate tax base, given the programs expected of them.
The fiscal demons are not likely to be conquered, however, without serious rethinking by all levels of government about just what it is that government really needs to do. Because until the overall load is eased, the problems are apt to be redistributed rather than resolved.
Last week, for example, the Spokane City Council heard about the need to pick up funding for a roadside cleanup program that used to be provided by the state until it was eliminated in a cost-cutting step. At the same meeting, the City Council opted to retain responsibility for elevator inspections, at which it is seriously behind schedule, rather than turn that duty over to the state – which is equally tardy in those cities where it performs the task.
It’s what economists call a zero-sum game – a savings here means an increase over there. Wherever the costs appear, taxpayers cover them.
So, when advocates of privatizing liquor sales say it would save the state money, Verner contends it would also take away the city’s share of liquor profits and taxes. And when Verner speaks of accelerating annexation of the West Plains to boost city tax revenues, that would come at a cost to the county.
Any strategy that sloughs off costs by turning responsibilities over to another government entity provides no relief to the taxpayers.
Reducing the size and scope of government is essential if true economies are to be realized. That doesn’t have to mean eliminating nonessential programs, but it may mean turning them over to private enterprise or nonprofit organizations.
However it’s done, the budget difficulties that now transcend state and local jurisdictions require a fundamental reduction in the scope of business, not just until the current crisis passes but indefinitely.