Regionalization is logical response to change in Valley

Regionalization is logical response to change in Valley
EDITOR:
Recently, the local news has seen its share of stories about the inability of local governments and school systems to fund even the most immediate of needs. Boardman has its share with flooding and the need for a new fire station. Boardman schools are using trailers for classes and the football stadium is a disgrace. Regardless of these needs, the electorate is tapped out and can't afford to pay more taxes. With an ever-decreasing population and tax base, the chances communities will be able to pass new tax levies is questionable. The Valley has an aging population who are rapidly moving into the fixed income brackets. Delphi, Lordstown, and Forum are all taking concessions or buyouts and salary increases are rare. Few new good paying jobs are being created. The economics of the Mahoning Valley dictates a new and unique solution.
Lately, some talk of regionalization has come to the forefront. The usual naysayers who have a vested interest in keeping the bloated public payrolls as they currently exist will tell you how bad regionalization is. They'll claim that communities like Boardman will see a degradation of services. I guess the insinuation is that Boardman has the best services in the area. (Maybe they should ask the flooding victims.) The truth is regionalization is the only solution to the current problem.
Boardman voters are unlikely to pass the township levy and rightfully so. Past township "leaders" have given away the store to the police, fire and road unions. Nearly every dollar of the general fund goes to salaries and benefits. Boardman relies on death taxes, grants and other unreliable sources of income to fund everything else. They don't have the money for the badly needed main fire station replacement because of their poor stewardship of the taxpayers' dollars. Our township workers are some of the highest paid blue collar workers in the state, even surpassing teachers and other professionals in income and benefits. There is something wrong when public sector workers make more than the majority of taxpayers who foot the bill.
Don't be fooled by the smoke and mirrors of the status quo machine. They are well funded and will try to persuade you that regionalization will result in unpaved or unsalted roads, less safety forces, and an overall decrease in services or the quality of those services. The truth is there will be less management, less supervisory and less structural inefficiencies which will free up dollars for more services. Instead of having a police chief for every community, we'll have one chief over the entire region.
Regionalization is not a new concept. It has been implemented successfully all over the country. It is a concept whose time has come. The future of the Valley depends on it.
BILL JOHNSON
Boardman
Stockholders rule Aqua
EDITOR:
Aqua Ohio has already taken prime economic development opportunities and sent the proceeds to Philadelphia and stockholders. Stockholders do not invest to give communities opportunities, they invest, and rightly so, to make money.
I commend Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams and believe Aqua's Walter Pishkur is wrong when he says Youngstown's proposal to regionalize water is a desperate move to raise taxes and annex. Look to Cuyahoga County's regionalization of transportation, water and other government services. They have cleaned up the dirtiest river in the country. The Cuyahoga was on fire 30 years ago, today it hosts a billion dollar fishing industry.
Aqua took over Ohio Water, which was for our local communities, and closed their lakes to the public so they could build million dollar condos.
Mr. Pishkur is the desperate one. He needs to feed the beast of his stockholders. Hold tough, Mayor Williams. Please get the word out you don't want annexation, just cooperation for the good of the whole Valley.
RICH DeLUCA
Struthers