Public must keep watchful eye over enriched county officials

Mahoning County leaders can take some solace in knowing that a majority of 66,000 voters in Tuesday’s general election saw fit to approve the 0.75-percent sales tax for public safety, thereby averting a potential crisis in government operations.

Those same leaders, however, cannot interpret their razor-thin victory as a good housekeeping seal of approval on the quality of government services or of the financial management prowess of government leaders.

Given its 50.9 percent to 49.1 percent margin of passage, the victory hardly signals a ringing endorsement of status-quo county government practices. Nearly one-half of voters registered their displeasure or distrust in those governing with “no” votes. We also suspect many of those supporting the initiative did so with healthy doses of skepticism and with the understanding they could vote to repeal it five years from now.

Thus, in the aftermath of the approval of this safety net for Mahoning County’s public safety system, the onus now falls upon leaders of the tax’s primary beneficiaries — the county courts, sheriff’s office, prosecutor’s office, coroner’s office and 911 emergency network — to prove through their actions that supporters made the right decision at the ballot box.

They can best do so by ensuring maximum transparency and accountability to the public. As we’ve stated many times over the years, that means that public agencies must look to the private sector for models of efficiency, sacrifice and fiscal responsibility. Specifically, that means the era of double-digit pay increases and lavish health-care plans for county managers and functionaries must end in order to better mirror the harsh realities that the majority of private-sector workers have endured in recent years and, in many cases, continue to endure.

In addition, as we suggested in our editorial endorsement of the sales tax last month, part of the onus in ensuring responsible government stewardship also falls upon the shoulders of the public. As a leading watchdog over Mahoning Valley government, The Vindicator will continue to do its part to monitor spending and hiring practices. Public-spirited county residents should fortify that effort by attending meetings of the county commissioners who control the general fund, asking to review the public records on spending, and finding out who’s on the public payroll and how they got their jobs.

NEED TO COOPERATE

County leaders have a strong motivation to cooperate fully. If evidence mounts over the next five years of unreasonable government largesse, voters will then have a powerful weapon at their disposal, namely repeal of the tax.

For their part, county leaders appear to be off to a promising start. Audrey Tillis, county budget director, cautioned county leaders Thursday to propose only necessary items and avoid lavish suggestions in their budget proposals.

If county justice leaders are looking for role models from other public entities, they would do well to look at the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County. That agency’s five-year tax levy won by a healthy 13,000-vote margin Tuesday. It featured an actual reduction in millage and in $1.3 million less in tax revenue. Library leaders have proved their accountability to the public with their open books, lean and mean operations and transparency in its spending practices and policies.

Similarly, the Mahoning County Children Services Board managed to reduce its overall spending by more than $2 million over the past three years while still maintaining quality services for county youth. Not surprisingly that agency’s levy for additional revenue handily passed by a robust 16,000-vote margin.

Those two agencies have proven that vital services can be maintained while still keeping a firm grip on conservative budgeting and fiscal responsibility. The county’s justice system, enriched with additional millions of dollars for at least the next five years, should follow suit.