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No Free Lunch: The Whys Behind the Increased Costs of Government
Posted 5-15-2003
People often wonder why the
cost of government has gone up over the years. The increase has come about
not only because of the inflationary effects of wages, benefits, and
materials, but also because the scope of responsibility has increased
significantly.
An example of the expanded
scope is the criminal justice system. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled
in the 1990s that the operation of the criminal justice system was the
responsibility of the Commonwealth, but it has never assumed that
responsibility. As a result, an increasing burden has fallen on county
governments, including ours.
Until the 1960s, the county
jail was located in downtown Greensburg and had a capacity of less than 100
inmates. In the mid-1960s, the county built a new jail that is now State
Correctional Institution-Greensburg. Not long after building that facility,
the Commissioners realized its capacity far exceeded the needs of the county
and sold the jail to the Commonwealth. The county rehabilitated an old
laundromat that served as the prison until our present facility was built in
1992.
The county's population in
the 1960s was about the same as it is now, about 370,000. Back then, we had
a much younger population, and, demographically, one that would be expected
to commit more crimes. Yet a county jail then, with a capacity of less than
100, met the county's needs. Today, the inmate population exceeds 500.
There are many factors that
have caused this phenomenon, including the public's demand for tougher laws
and enforcement. But the consequence that is too often ignored is the
associated cost of more and stricter laws. It takes more prosecutors, public
defenders, probation officers, corrections officers, deputy sheriffs, and
others. The overwhelming financial responsibility for all the employees of
the criminal justice system falls on county government.
I am not singling out the
criminal justice system. I use it only as an example of the growth of
responsibility thrust upon county government. We are serving essentially the
same size population, yet dealing with thousands of more cases that create
the need for increased expenditures of public dollars. We have implemented
alternative programs for offenders, but the sheer volume of activity has
driven up costs dramatically.
Another area of county
government that did not even exist a generation ago is public safety. Before
countywide emergency service dispatching, it was up to local municipalities
to handle that responsibility. When counties were handed the duty, the only
funding help we received was from the 911 surcharge. In 1992, the charge on
telephone lines for our county was fixed at $1.25 per line, per month.
Eleven years later, the surcharge is the same, but the costs have gone up.
The surcharge that was intended to offset the operational costs of running a
countywide 911 system does not even come close. It now takes more than $2
million of local tax dollars to make up the difference.
Prior to 1970, county
government was also not the local sponsor for a community college because
there was no community college. I think we all agree that Westmoreland
County Community College is a great asset, but the cost from the county
general fund is more than $5 million per year -- the equivalent of 1.5
mills.
We also help fund a plethora
of other outside agencies that are all valuable and important, including the
Transit Authority, the Airport Authority, the Industrial Development
Corporation (our economic development arm), public libraries, the
Conservation District, and Farmland Preservation. Each entity serves a
valuable function in making our county a great place to live, but there is
an associated cost that was not there years ago.
I am not advocating turning
back the clock. I only want to better explain the broad range of
responsibilities of county government. It is not only newer duties, but also
responsibilities that the county has had for years, like the criminal
justice system, that have grown dramatically. We work feverishly to find
additional money to support the many functions of county government, and we
only generate about $60 million of a $290 million budget through property
taxes. But, there is no free lunch. If we want these many valuable services
and opportunities, we must in the most fiscally responsible manner possible,
pay for them. |
