Official word came down from Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman this week that the City budget is millions in the red and that cuts were going to be forthcoming. One of first suggestions to reduce spending was a proposal to ask the police and firefighter’s unions to forego any raises in the coming year within their contract negotiations. This was met with staunch resistance from the police union and a similar response is expected from the firefighters as well. If the raises are not withdrawn, the City has stated it will have to lay off some of these essential services employees.
Every time a government agency has an income issue, it threatens to take something away from the taxpayers they serve without making inside cuts first. School districts have commonly used this ploy that utilizes cuts in bus transportation, scheduling and other services that affect parents the most so they feel forced to vote in support of the next levy or bond increase.
What the current Columbus City administration might consider is trying a private sector strategy. Though a freeze in wage raises is plausible in a recessionary period, job cuts are seldom the best place to begin. In the case of Columbus’ essential services like police, fire and infrastructure divisions such as refuse collection all have partial to fully funded benefits programs so why not make these more like corporate plans that are more self-funded. For instance, a plan that asked City workers to pay part of or more toward their health care plan like the majority of non-government workers would not require layoffs and would save exponentially more money in the long run.
Why is government compelled to provide these superior benefits when its private sector counterparts consistently attract top talent with lesser packages and less job security? With the current economic woes that face many State and local agencies, it’s about time that they consider adapting to a more efficient business model than the bloated one they have embraced for so many decades.
