Cutting Back on Judges to Save Money

Written by Roberta Biros

Sometimes it is necessary to learn lessons and take hints from our neighbors. This story is an example of that.

I was watching the news this morning out of Youngstown. There was an interesting report that the Youngstown City Council is drafting a resolution to drop one Municipal Judge in the area. State Representative Bob Hagan (D-60) supports the idea and plans on introducing a bill this month to eliminate Youngstown’s third judge position. According to Rep. Hagan, “there is no longer justification for three judges on the Youngstown Municipal Court Bench”.

A quick look at the numbers shows that the three judges in Youngstown share a much lower workload than other judges in the area. According to the Supreme Court of Ohio, the 2007 Annual Report of Municipal Courts shows the following:

Youngstown City Council, Youngstown Mayor (Jay Williams), and State Rep. Bob Hagan are all in agreement on the issue. Who disagrees? The judges, of course.

Judge Beth Kobly thinks that the issue is completely political and that there is no justification for a cut back. She believes that the move is due to a lawsuit that was recently filed that is attempting to force the City to build a new municipal court facility. She states,

“It’s not just coincidence. It’s not just coincidence at all. Had we not pushed for adequate safe facilities, we would not be having this discussion about eliminating a judgeship.”

In response, Mayor Jay Williams said “It would be ridiculous to say that this is retaliation. We’ve been talking about making City government more efficient and more effective for a number of years.”

State Rep. Bob Hagan agrees with the Mayor. Rep. Hagan explains that the taxpayers are looking for relief. “they want to see that we as legislators and public officials recognize that they are straining under the burden of all these taxes”.

Whatever the motivation, I like the idea. Government officials usually prefer to just raise taxes, but when they do try to cut costs they usually do so at the bottom level somewhere. It is refreshing to see someone considering making some cuts at the top for a change.

It reminds me of a scenario that I experienced years ago. I worked for a law firm that employed 10 attorneys and roughly 50 support employees. When times got tough they decided to cut costs by cutting payroll. They initially cut 30% (and later 50%) of the SUPPORT staff, and NEVER cut any of the attorneys payroll. They quickly went from being one of the largest and most productive law offices in the area . . . to barely being a “blip” on the map in their area of legal expertise. It was a poor business decision, and they paid the ultimate price for it.

Our government officials need to consider tough cuts during these tough times. That INCLUDES the judicial system . . . that seem to think that they are “above the law” and “above the petty discussion of fiscal responsibility”.

Perhaps Mercer County needs to take a closer look at the judicial structure in our county. County Commissioners are looking for ways to cut cost in the courthouse (sort of), and the judiciary should not be left out of the conversation when we are discussing “tightening our belts”. It is time that everyone that receives a government pay check should prove their worthiness and value.

As always, just my opinion.
~Roberta Biros, Mercer County Conservatives

Tax Increases are the ONLY Way to Balance the County Budget?: Not a Very Sunny Outlook

Written by Roberta Biros

Everyone is in a budget crisis nowadays. Our Nation’s lawmakers are trying to figure out how to pay for everything we want at the Federal Level. Pennsylvania State lawmakers are battling over how the State’s finances should be handled. Counties are obviously going to feel economic woes too. Last week I published an article titled “Pennsylvania Budget Cuts Trickle Down to Counties”. I explained that if State lawmakers hold firm to balancing the State’s books, the Counties may suffer in the end. In preparation for tough times, it is my opinion that our County leaders should start planning in advance. I suggested voluntary pay cuts for elected officials as a crucial first step [read the full story HERE].

A few days later, I published another article titled “State Budget 101: Cut Costs or Increase Taxes”. In it I explained that Democratic leaders in the State House of Representatives hinted at the fact that they may need to increase state income tax in order to make up the budget shortfall. Rather than signing on to spending cuts (as proposed by the State Senate), House Democrats might be considering just raising taxes instead.

Late last week, Mercer County Commissioners showed their hand regarding their plans for balancing the Counties expenses too, and they seem to be following in the footsteps of House Democrats. In an article published in the Sharon Herald [READ HERE], plans from County Commissioners (Beader, Ammann, and Lechner) were laid out regarding the County’s finances. If anticipated funds are not received from the state (referred to as “pass-through money”), the County will fall short of their financial responsibilities. The Herald stated:

“The main problem with passing a budget that cuts pass-through money, said Commissioner Brian Beader, is the county’s only way of making that cash up is to raise property taxes”.

Hmmm. Perhaps the Commissioners need to simply read the TITLE of my article “State Budget 101: Cut Costs or Increase Taxes” to get at least ONE other way to balance a budget. Doesn’t anyone consider cutting costs FIRST? Instead, political leaders like to threaten tax increases as an ONLY solution. I would like to see County leaders demonstrate a little more effort before pushing the “raising taxes panic button”. The concept of raising taxes shouldn’t be discussed until all other options have been addressed. It shows a lack of originality, and it illustrates that our County Commissioners aren’t willing to look for solutions that are “outside of the box”.

For additional details regarding the problems with the Mercer County budget, see the article titled “Unfunded Mandates Hit Counties in the Pocket”.

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