Deja vu All Over Again

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In what is becoming an entirely too common theme of government, Rockland County may make drastic and draconian cuts to County agencies to reduce a major budget deficit. On the radio today, they also mentioned a downgrade in the county's bond rating because of that deficit.

NEW CITY — Rockland County government leaders have been meeting to discuss massive changes to the adopted 2012 county budget before unveiling a plan that is likely to include program eliminations and layoffs.

The changes are coming following a failed effort to get state permission to raise the county sales tax by 0.375 percentage points to fund operations this year and to repay a deficit-reduction loan starting in 2013.

An estimated 72 percent of the county’s $714 million budget pays for just a handful of state and federally mandated programs, including Medicaid, County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef said.

That leaves just 28 percent of the budget open to cuts, and the word from those involved in discussions is that deep wounds are about to be inflicted on some of the most valued, but non-mandated, programs run by the county.

Among the potential targets:

• Virtually every program with the exception of the county jail that is run by the Sheriff’s Office, including the Patrol, Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Bomb Unit and Narcotics Task Force.

• The county Veterans Service Agency, which works with all veterans and is in the process of assisting returning Iraq and Afghanistan war vets.

• The county’s popular park system, which offers dog runs, playgrounds and passive hiking areas.

• The E-911 system and the Office of Fire and Emergency Services.

• The Office for the Aging and the Youth Bureau.

• Funding for dozens of health and human services organizations that provide services on behalf of the county.

http://www.lohud.com/article/20120510/NEWS03/305100077/Rockland-leaders-may-carve-sheriff-parks-veterans-agency-massive-budget-cuts?odyssey=obinsite

I'd like to know what the state is doing to reduce these "mandates" that account for 2/3-3/4 of every county's budget.

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What is the State (the politicians) going to do to reduce these mandates? They're not going to do anything, they never do! But why should they? They keep getting re-elected over and over and over again regardless of their lack of accomplishments or their complicity in overt or alleged criminal self serving activities.

We've talked a lot on these forums about the effect of public employee pensions on the system, but that's just a piece of the entire framework of the public budgetary system that needs to be addressed to fit into the new economic reality.

How can any municipality function and provide service when 75% of their budget is out of bounds and subject to continued change for which they have no input?

I don't have any answers, I just don't think you can find enough intelligent, selfless politicians on the local, regional or national level to initiate the reforms and changes necessary to bring about the stability that is needed. There is too much devisivness and animosity amongst our 'leaders'.

The one thing you could say about Ronald Reagan, whether you agreed with him or not politically, was that he cared more about the country than he cared about himself. Who can you say that about today? Very few and not enough to make a difference.

You know, sometimes you can't stop the train wreck. You just have to watch it and then help out as best you can when it's over. That's my analogy for our budget woes, they're a train wreck, and we'll just have to deal with the aftermath, as ugly as it will be.

It's harder for the people on this forum to deal with these problems. We can't say "sorry your house burned down, but there's only so much we can do since the budget cuts, too bad" The people here take what they do much more to heart than most people take their jobs.

On a not totally unrelated issue talked about on these forums with regard to municipal budgets, down here the Palm Beach County Sheriffs office will be making a pitch next week to take over (absorb) the 160 officer Boynton Beach Police. Some council members are in favor, some not, but it's a growing trend down here and the County has absorbed many municipal fire and police departments in the last several years as a way to save their budget dollars.