Welcome to The Portage County Ohio TEA Party

 Four Cuyahoga County villages, Moreland Hills, Orange, Pepper Pike and Woodmere, are going to study a merger.    The Cuyahoga County government form was changed to a “charter” form of government effective January 2011 by a vote of the Cuyahoga County people in November 2010.   Summit County is the only other Ohio county that has a charter form of government.    

 

At the end of 2010, a charter form of county government is what Commissioners Keiper and Smeiles proposed be investigated for Portage County.  This resolution was rescinded the first week of January 2011, and commissioner Smeiles said he was “not finished with charter form of government, up to putting it on a ballot initiative”.    

What is of interest to every person in the 16 county region that is being considered the ‘Northeast Ohio Region’ is the study that was funded by The Fund For Our Economic Future and released in June 2008.   Part of Advance Northeast Ohio.  There are 868 government entities in these 16 counties that spend more than $20 billion annually to run themselves.     The study could not determine an actual cost of local government, but did recommend merger, collaboration and sharing resources.   KSU’s government policy department has been handling the government collaboration portion of the 16 county area for Advance Northeast Ohio and The Fund for Our Economic Future.

 

Three years later, most of us have started hearing ‘collaboration’, ‘shared services’ and now, the cost of local governments – counties, cities, villages and townships – is the topic of conversation.    Last night at the Portage County TEA party meeting, Tom said a survey letter was sent to more than 300 elected Portage County officials.    More than 300 people make decisions and spend money in the 18 townships, 6 villages, 4 cities and 11 school districts located in Portage County.    One county – Portage -- 39 government entities – more than 300 elected people, and we haven’t even started talking about appointed or hired government people, or legislatively created government entities like Port Authorities, Airport Board, Libraries, etc.    

 

Following the money requires knowing where to look to see who is spending it.     If a study of a merger were announced in your township/village/city tomorrow, would you know where to obtain the information and what to look at to determine if merging entities would be fiscally sound and responsible for current and future taxpayers?    Do you know the fiscal condition of your neighboring townships/villages/cities?  

 

We the People need to watch our local governments and be prepared to participate in the debates, studies or attempts to change government forms as well as day to day operations.