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Ohio’s Local Government Fund just took a major drop – the first year of the state’s biennial budget saw a 25% cut and July 1 brings a new fiscal year and an increase to a 50% cut. While the “lower taxes, smaller government” mantra has been pushed for decades, too many people have forgotten exactly what local government means: firemen, police officers, public swimming pools, parks, potholes being filled, and much more.
So, local government elected officials and common sense folks everywhere – who have seen cut after cut to services in their communities – must have been happy to hear Ohio House Speaker Bill Batchelder say that there would be no further cuts to the Local Government Fund.
That would at least stop the current bleeding, but now it’s time to restore the massive cuts to K-12 education, local governments, higher ed instruction, and more that took place as a result of the last/current state budget. One way to make things right: Ohio’s wealthiest individuals and most profitable big corporations could pay their fair share. Right now the rich are getting richer and the public services that make our communities stronger are taking the hit.
