Report: Closing Ohio budget would be painful

COLUMBUS (AP) — A newspaper reports state agencies’ worst-case budget scenarios see an Ohio at greater risk for disease, and with padlocked parks, fewer prisons and thousands of state employees out of work.

The Columbus Dispatch reported today that it has had a look at reports from agencies asked by Gov. Ted Strickland how they would respond if forced to make 10 percent, 20 percent or 30 percent cuts. The state is looking for ways to close a $3.2 billion budget gap.

Strickland spokeswoman Amanda Wurst notes that no decisions have been made and that the cutbacks the agencies described are hypothetical.

In one example, the Department of Agriculture said a 30 percent cut would hurt inspections, putting Ohioans in greater danger of food-borne illnesses such as salmonella.