Girard, Liberty recognize that things must change

In the aftermath of the sweeping defeat of local tax issues in the March primary, two Trumbull County communities are demonstrating that they've heard the message from the voters. Other area governments and school systems ignore the message at their peril.
What the residents of Mahoning and Trumbull counties were saying when they rejected a majority of the issues can be summed up thus: We want the public sector to follow the private sector's lead and rein in spending.
A first step toward achieving this necessary goal is for officeholders from various communities to sit down (after they've parked their egos at the door) and openly discuss the challenges they face as residents continue to say no to tax levies, even renewals.
That's what took place Monday when officials of the city of Girard and Liberty Township got together. The meeting was called by Trustee W. Gary Litch, who has been around government long enough to recognize that the winds of change are sweeping the Mahoning Valley. But Litch also knows that change won't come easily and that a small step may be all that's possible for the moment.
Look at what occurred Monday. The officials, including Girard Mayor James J. Melfi, and Liberty trustees Jodi Stoyak and Jack Simon, explored the idea of merging police and fire services, including dispatching. From a purely statistical standpoint, having one safety force for both communities makes sense. The combined population of Girard and Liberty is 24,000.
Dispatch centers
However, at the end of the meeting, a four-person committee was formed to study the possibility of combining the emergency dispatch centers only. A far cry from the creation of one safety force, but still an important development.
Why? Because if the consolidation is successful and residents find that they are not being deprived of timely, efficient service, they would be more inclined to objectively look at other areas where changes could occur.
Simon is of the opinion that the discussion should not just center on police and fire services and suggested that the two communities join forces in negotiating lower electric and cable television rates.
Such initiatives are important because they demonstrate that to advance the cause of cost-effective government, elected officials are willing to cross political boundaries that for so long have impeded the region's development.
The committee that will explore the possibility of merging the Girard and Liberty emergency dispatch centers will consist of a police and fire representative from each community. The outcome of its deliberations will set the stage for future talks on a variety of issues that need to be addressed.
With Girard in state-imposed fiscal emergency, city government has no alternative but to change the way it operates. Liberty's financial picture is not as bleak, but trustees must know that the bottom could fall out in the blink of an eye. That's because the national, state and regional economies are far from robust.
We would urge all communities in the Mahoning Valley to follow the lead of Girard and Liberty and begin discussions on how to operate within the financial strictures being imposed by the voters.