The cost of government is ever expanding

When settlement began to increase in the 19th century, Sullivan County was subdivided from Ulster County. In the following years the county’s 15 towns took shape with additional subdivisions. Most of the subdividing was done to keep people in touch with their local governments since travel was difficult and time consuming and no communication existed except by surface mail.

New York State became a strong “home rule state” and broad powers and responsibilities were given to local governments.

In those days land was cheap and money was sparse. Most elected positions were honorary or volunteered. Property owners often worked off their taxes by working on the town’s roads. The only people who saw a lawyer were the wealthy and the imprisoned.

The 19th century is long gone and so are the days of cheap land, poor communication and simple government. Today’s local government is awash in state and federal regulations, mandates and everyday litigation.

Barter no longer enters the economic picture. The growth of the union movement created wider prosperity, and Madison Avenue marketing has pushed us to pursue an ever-increasing standard of living.

Along with growth in our personal goals has come ever increasing expectations for our local governments. But some things have not changed. The small local governments we created 150 years ago still remain, but today they are increasingly expensive to operate. Governments that balked at the idea of ever creating a spending budget of $1 million only 15 years ago, today are nearing or over $2 million, and there is no sign of any slowing in costs. Government work takes longer, so people deserve to be paid.

But money, as it was 150 years ago, is still sparse for many taxpayers in Sullivan County. Almost 14 percent of us live at or below the federal poverty line.

A new study from the Center for an Urban Future and the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy finds that more than a quarter of all working families in New York State are low income. The study finds that more than 550,000 families in the Empire State, with one member who works, do not earn enough to meet basic needs such as mortgage payments, childcare and transportation.

The numbers beg the question of cost savings and consolidation of services is a place to start. It’s not that we haven’t considered this before.

Two weeks ago our readers read a story about a study by the Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy entitled “Back From Progress: a Comprehensive Agenda for Renewing Pennsylvania” which called for the consolidation of some Pennsylvania’s 2,566 municipalities.

Recently, Sullivan County’s Commissioner of Planning and Community Development Dr. William Pammer talked about the consolidation of fire, police and emergency medical services under a county umbrella.

Former County Manager Jonathan Drapkin called for tax savings in consolidation of local courts and tax collection services.

But to date very little has been done to move this initiative ahead. This past week saw a round of double-digit tax increases in the approval of town and township budgets in Highland, Lumberland and Shohola. This may be coincidence, a fluke; but the underlying causes of these cost increases are not going away soon. If we’re not aiming to turn the Upper Delaware into an enclave for the wealthy, some changes need to be made.

Dr. Punnybone

I Cantaloupe