Thursday, March 22, 2007
Of the 21 agencies that appealed their funding, 12 had their appeals granted.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- The squeaky wheel generally got the grease when it came to state agencies appealing budget cuts to Gov. Ted Strickland as he prepared his first spending plan, records show.
More than half the agencies that asked Strickland's budget office to reconsider had their appeals granted, according to Office of Budget and Management documents obtained by The Associated Press through a records request.
Among the winners in the appeals process: the Public Defender Commission, which warned that cuts could lead to court challenges of Ohio's system for defending poor criminals, and the Ohio Veterans Home, which houses more than 800 veterans in two locations.
Among the losers in the appeals process: the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, the Liquor Control Commission and the agency overseeing the maintenance of the Statehouse.
Of the 21 agencies that appealed their funding, 12 had their appeals granted in full, and one, the Department of Natural Resources, had part of its appeal accepted.
Some agencies had funding restored, and others got permission to move money from one pot to another to meet a top priority.
The appeals are a normal part of the budget process. Gov. Bob Taft's Cabinet directors often made similar appeals.
Lowest growth in 42 years
Although a majority of appeals were granted, Strickland's two-year, 53 billion budget overall is the lowest-growth spending plan in 42 years, Strickland spokesman Keith Daily said.
"Certainly every agency was taken into consideration," Dailey said Wednesday. "But the lens of living within our means and focusing our investments on those priorities that will move the state forward was applied in all cases."
Trying to toe the line of Strickland's Turnaround Ohio plan, some agencies warned their part in the plan could be jeopardized without more money.
"The budget recommendations will directly impede the Turnaround Ohio Plan," Carolyn Givens, acting director of the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, said in a March 1 memo.
Givens said her agency needed at least 1 million more to stave off a loss of federal funding; Strickland's office agreed and granted the request.
Other agencies had less luck with the Turnaround Ohio pitch.
The Department of Commerce asked for an extra 2.6 million over two years to comply with a new law requiring background checks on mortgage broker applicants.
Denials
"The Department feels strongly that this is part of the Turnaround Ohio plan that deals with revitalizing our cities and towns," Commerce Director Kimberly Zurz wrote in a March 7 letter. "Many of our cities and towns have been ripped apart by the scourge of predatory lenders."
The budget office didn't feel that strongly, and the request was denied.
Appealing a proposed 5 percent cut, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission said layoffs were inevitable.
"While the Ohio Civil Rights Commission is one tough, innovative agency, there are simply no more efficiencies to be found, no more processes to be re-engineered, and, simply put, no more rabbits to be pulled out of the hat," Michael Payton, the commission's executive director, said in a March 1 letter.
The agency's request was denied.
A Feb. 23 appeals letter from one agency, the Ohioana Library Association, had at least one thing going for it. The first name on the list of trustees was Strickland's wife, Frances. It's traditional for the governor's spouse to be a nonvoting member of the association, which promotes and preserves Ohio's literary and artistic achievements.
The agency pushed for the restoration of 50,000 over two years. Its request was granted.
Frances Strickland's membership had no bearing on the decision, Dailey said.
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