State and Federal Funding Cuts Impact County
Posted 03-18-1996
There is an understanding with our local legislators that we all serve the taxpayers and
government must cooperate at all levels to improve efficiency. However, there are many
other legislators who either don't understand or don't care about the impact on county
governments of possible funding cuts at the federal or state levels.
The notion at the federal and state levels
to "get government off of people's backs" is really a thinly veiled attempt to
pass the buck to a lower level of government to fund areas of government such as human
services. Never has a political strategy been more misleading and perhaps damaging that
this notion.
It is really an attempt by some elected
officials at the federal and state to evade their responsibilities to set meaningful
priorities and ensure that vulnerable segments of our population are served. Rather they
are saying, "we aren't funding programs and if they are to be continued let someone
else worry about it."
What they don't tell you is that county
governments have already been implementing many human service programs funded by higher
levels of government and that vulnerable constituent groups have come to look to county
governments for those services.
In Westmoreland County programs such as
Mental Health/Mental Retardation, the Children's Bureau, the Area Agency on Aging, and
Westmoreland Manor all receive the largest portion of their funding from either the
federal or state governments. If plans are continued at the federal level to "Block
Grant" money in some smaller amount or reduce Medicare reimbursements and then let
counties deal with consequences, we will be faced with the unpleasant choice between
raising revenues or reducing these critical services. The only previously mentioned
program that would not suffer would be the Area Agency on Aging because most of that
funding comes from the Pennsylvania Lottery.
Being on the job only several months, I can
already see the writing on the wall. Certain politicians in Washington and Harrisburg want
to appear fiscally conservative at any cost and don't really care about the consequences
of their action. Rather they would just pass the buck to county governments who struggle
to operate with basically one revenue source, real estate taxes.
Not only is this philosophy unfair because
county cannot afford to fund a greater burden for human services, but the idea of
"Block Granting" was a resounding example of mismanagement and inefficiency in
the 1970's. Are we doomed to repeat our mistakes over again as a nation?
I do not mean to sound discouraged about
the future of Westmoreland County government. I am just concerned. I hope to create an
attitude of efficient, cost-effective management here before the changes take place. I
hope that county government will be proactive and position ourselves as best as possible
so that we can continue to serve people and do it with great respect for the taxpayers. I
also hope and pray that the majority of legislators in Washington and Harrisburg
understand that the consequences of their actions directly impact county governments
because we are on the front line of delivering services. |
