Where are the public payrolls?

With Mahoning County and Beaver Township as the only local governments in the Mahoning Valley to have posted their payrolls online, the November general election will test the credibility of many public officials.

And the test will center on this question: Where are your payrolls? Implicit in the query is the presumption that secrecy still trumps transparency when it comes to the expenditure of public dollars.

That presumption could spell disaster for many communities that are seeking tax increases or renewals in the general election. A total of 66 tax issues will appear on the ballots in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties, including 24 that involve new dollars.

So, here’s some unsolicited advice for officeholders and others who hope to persuade voters that they’ve been good stewards of the public purses: Get in touch with Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel as soon as possible and seek his help in posting the payrolls online. The election is just 85 days away.

Mandel, who has earned national recognition and accolades for his OhioCheckbook.com website, is ready, willing and able to help local governments and school districts partner with the Treasurer’s Office in giving taxpayers easy access to employee wages and benefits and other details of revenues and expenditures.

Of particular interest are the contracts entered into by local governments with vendors.

In other words, Mandel has created an Internet link that is built on a foundation of total transparency.

STARK REALITY

When the state treasurer came to Youngstown recently to announce that Mahoning County government’s payroll can now be accessed through OhioCheckbook.com, his presence also served to remind Valley residents of this stark reality: Although 47 Mahoning Valley local governments and school districts have committed to partnering with the state Treasurer’s Office, only two, Mahoning County and Beaver Township, have posted their salary information online.

That is troubling on so many levels. Why the hesitation? It certainly can’t be because local public entities lack the ability to make the connection. As Mandel has said on numerous occasions, members of his staff stand ready to help local communities and agencies put their checkbooks online.

Indeed, the following comment from the Republican state treasurer serves to remind all public officials why openness is next to godliness when it comes to conducting the people’s business:

“Shining sunlight on spending and empowering taxpayers to hold politicians accountable has nothing to do with partisan politics. It’s all about power to the people.”

There have been more than 578,000 searches on the state website since December 2015, but only a comparatively small number of public entities have their ledgers posted.

There are a total of 3,962 entities, but just 761 have signed on.

Mahoning County is in an exclusive club when it comes to posting its payroll information online. The other counties are Clermont, Cuyahoga and Lorain.

As has been noted in this space on several occasions, the list of the 47 Mahoning Valley governments and school districts that have committed to partnering with OhioCheckbook.com is noteworthy because of what it does not include: The two largest communities in the Valley.

Neither Youngstown nor Warren is featured, which are glaring omissions. Both cities are experiencing population losses, shrinking tax bases and an increase in the percentage of residents who are on fixed incomes.

Youngstown has an income tax rate of 2.75 percent, one of the highest in the state, but budgetary shortfalls have become a regular occurrence. Taxpayers have a right to know how the money is being spent, especially since most of the General Fund revenue is absorbed by wages and benefits.

In Warren, the situation is just as dire, with government facing a $1.7 million budget shortfall in 2017. Up to 20 police officers and firefighters could be laid off if additional revenue isn’t found.

City voters are being asked to approve a half-percent income-tax increase that will be on the Nov. 8 ballot. If approved, Warren’s tax rate would go from 2 percent to 2.5 percent, and the increase would generate $3.5 million to $4 million a year.

Warren Councilman Eddie Colbert, D-at large, chairman of the finance committee, described the current situation as a “financial tragedy.”

And Councilwoman Helen Rucker, D-at large, said government has five years to “prove ourselves” to the voters.

Mayor Doug Franklin said the five-year term for the tax increase provides a level of accountability for the city.

Well, if city government wants to be accountable to the taxpayers, what better way than to post its ledger on OhioCheckbook.com, and to become the first city in the Valley to make its payroll accessible with the click of a mouse?

Given the statewide and national publicity state Treasurer Mandel’s transparency campaign has received, Warren officials should expect residents to ask why the city hasn’t joined up.

A phone call from Mayor Franklin to Treasurer Mandel will get the ball rolling. And, hopefully, shame Youngstown Mayor John A. McNally into following suit.