Local Government Money Grab Is Your Safety at Risk?

State, County and City governments threatening to cut public safety if the Feds don’t provide money.

Tampa Bay, Fl 

Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author:  In Search of Robin, So You Want to Blog.     

You are starting to hear the whining from state and local governments about the impact of COVID-19 on revenues.

County Administrators, City Managers, Mayors are starting to ramp up their arguments, and they ALWAYS begin in the same place, “We will have to cut public safety and first responders.”

I don’t think there is anything local government leaders do that infuriates me more than this approach.

This is an effort to bring pressure on the Federal Government, scare the hell out of the general public, and in fact, it is basically a marketing lie!

Everyone of these governments is stocked full of non-essential employees whose jobs do not directly affect the health and safety of the general public. If you must reduce staff wouldn’t you think that would be the place they would look to make staff reductions?

An across the board 20% reduction in non-essential staffing cut at most counties, and local governments would hardly be noticed by the public. Does that mean some people are going to lose their jobs? YES, and that is the way it should be.

I spent almost 25 years in local government, and I have seen this ploy used over and over to raise property taxes, force funding changes and fund pet projects.

If your Mayor, City Manager, County Administrator, Council or Commission members are making these kinds of noises, it’s time for YOU to get involved and let them know they need to get the house in order and all public safety is off the table for funding cuts.

In many of these jurisdictions, there is an election coming up and the public needs to make it crystal clear that any politician proposing public-safety  budget cuts or supporting an administration that does is going to be in big trouble at the poles.

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