Pubdate: Sun, 09 Jan 2005
Source: Lancaster Eagle-Gazette (OH)
Copyright: 2004 Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
Contact:  http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3143
Author: Rachel Adams
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

OFFICIALS: STAKES ARE HIGH IF LEVY FAILS

FAIRFIELD COUNTY -- The DARE program eliminated.

Twenty percent budget cuts.

One-hundred-thirty jobs lost.

The Major Crimes Unit crippled.

Deputies delayed because of lack of staffing.

No assistance in a natural emergency.

That's the picture painted by county officials as they face the Feb. 8
special election. At stake is a safety services tax levy that will raise
$6.8 million annually by boosting the county sales tax from 6.75 percent to
7.25 percent. It's money that will swallow the county's $4 million deficit
and allow for a new jail and 911 call center to be built.

Juvenile and Probate Court Judge Steven O. Williams doesn't like to think
about what will happen if the levy doesn't pass.

"Certainly it's going to affect every facet of county government," he said.
"The plain and simple fact is, they've got a general fund deficit and we
have been cutting back and holding back on all kinds of things for a couple
of years at least, and now we've made cuts, kept ourselves from replacing
people that have quit and gone on, and holding off for the county to get
better financially.

"You can do that for just so long," he continued. "(We) can't do it any
longer."

Williams and the other county judges are lucky, in a way, he said: They,
along with the Board of Elections and Veterans Services, can mandate
budgets. That means they are entitled to a certain amount of money by state
law.

If the levy doesn't pass, "All the courts are going to mandate their
budgets," Williams said, but it's going to be "a restrained budget."

He added, "There's no money for pay raises. We've cut every line item that
there is except ones that are impossible to cut."

If the courts, or any other entity with mandating rights, decide to mandate
their budgets, that will negatively affect the rest of the county, said
County Commissioner Judy Shupe.

"If departments mandate, that changes the (budget's) bottom line," she said.

Most county departments have turned in budgets that reflect a 20 percent
reduction, Shupe said.

The lion's share of the general fund is taken up by the $6 million budget of
the sheriff's department, Fairfield County Sheriff Dave Phalen said. Even
that number reflects cuts. In 2003, his budget was $8 million.

Part of the reason for that budget is the fact that the sheriff's office is
now housed in three separate buildings: a jail and an administrative
building on North High Street and a minimum-security prison on West Wheeling
Street.

If the tax levy fails, 30 employees will be cut from the payroll at the
sheriff's office, Phalen said. That means fewer deputies on the streets, an
inability to perform vacation watches while homeowners are away, and less
help when an emergency arises.

"I think the public could see delays in the answering of the calls," Phalen
said. "They'll also see delays in deputies arriving at crime scenes and car
accidents."

911 callers will be affected as well, he said. Right now, three dispatchers
answer the phones. One of them will be laid off if the levy fails.

The 911 dispatching problem concerns Phalen, but he also worries about the
risk of children becoming exposed to illegal drugs. Part of Phalen's budget
cut for 2005 includes the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program. In
addition to that program ending, the Major Crimes Unit, which orchestrates
drug busts around the county, will take a big hit because of the lack of
deputies.

"It's a bad situation, it really is," Phalen said. "The jail is just a part
of it -- the big concern is the loss of people out there in the
neighborhoods."

Even if the levy does pass, relief won't be immediate, Shupe said. The money
raised, which won't be collected until September, goes to replace
expenditures that are now being taken from the general fund.

It will offer respite from budget troubles in 2006, Shupe said, provided
county officials are careful to have 'carryover' money at the end of 2005 to
last through the first few months of 2006.

At least one county office faces complete elimination if the levy doesn't
pass. The Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security is funded
through federal grants, said Director Tom Moe, but those are beginning to
dry up in the post-9/11 economy. If the levy passes, a line item will be
created for Moe's office, allowing them to build a new facility to replace
the rickety building they now occupy on East Main Street.

"Our current situation is so miserable that the state of Ohio has labeled
our facility as unsatisfactory," Moe said. "We are operating so far beyond
our means we have no flexibility whatsoever."

Although his department often functions unnoticed, Moe and Deputy Director
Matt Keefe have attracted some attention with the recent ice storm and
flooding.

Moe and Keefe are responsible for coordinating help efforts in an emergency
and collecting funds from federal entities to reimburse those whose homes
have been damaged or destroyed. Moe hosts training sessions, gives lectures
and distributes flyers to educate county residents on emergency
preparedness.

Passing the tax issue will "allow us to tell our citizens, 'We will be here
tomorrow,' " Moe said. "It's important for people to really believe there's
something in it for every citizen and every citizen's family. We as citizens
need to ask ourselves, 'Is a half a penny on the dollar worth spending so we
can continue to have our services?' "
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MAP posted-by: Josh