It could be worse…maybe it is?
Last year, state leaders used to compare Oklahoma’s budget problems to other states and say things like, “It could be worse,” or “We’re fairing better than a lot of other states.”
But it seems that bubble may have burst. An analysis by the National Conference of State Legislatures, Oklahoma and Arizona have the nation’s largest gaps this fiscal year.
Check out the report: http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=443036
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Comments
You make some good points. I think those are all things that lawmakers are going to have to look at in the upcoming legislative session. They say they will fund the “core functions” of government as best they can. Defining core functions is probably up for debate. The Oklahoma Public Employees Association is asking common education and higher education to look at consolidation. As state employees are taking furloughs, OPEA says there could be room for increased cost cutting measures in common ed, including the dreaded consolidation of public schools. Stay tuned.
Our state and nation are facing budget shortfalls that have not been seen since the Great Depression. Oklahoma’s state government officials are now dealing with the tough decisions that small businesses have already tackled; how to make the budget cuts that will keep them from going “out of business”. Despite having more than a year to prepare for this day, Oklahoma’s officials still seem to be unclear as to where, and how deep to make the needed cuts.
According to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, the largest employer in the state, is the state. With almost 80,000 employees, Oklahoma’s budget cuts cannot exclude this obvious expense. However as we cut employees, what happens to the work they used to do? Will we find that some of the work was not all that important? Will other state employees pick up the slack and become more efficient? The answer to both these questions is yes, which in the long run will benefit Oklahoma’s taxpayers and the economy.
In the private sector, small businesses make the first cuts to programs and people that are least necessary and productive. They combine departments, cut workweek hours, reduce energy use, travel expenses, and solve problems by thinking out of the box. Decisions are made based on business, not politics or special interests. Oklahoma’s state leaders need to follow the lead set by these small businesses and act decisively and immediately.
Overlap and inefficiency is easy to identify in Oklahoma’s state government. As an example, there are over 500 school districts in Oklahoma with some having fewer than 100 students. Each district requires similar administration which can be consolidated and made more efficient if the school districts were consolidated. Our state’s court system is chocked with trials and hearings for petty crimes like traffic violations, misdemeanor alcohol and drug related crimes, most of which can be processed much more effectively. We spend time and money prosecuting illegal aliens and have hundreds of them serving time in our state and county jails at a cost of millions of dollars each year.
There is inefficiency in state government, few people; even state employees would deny it. In fact, a study made public by Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs showed that 88% of Oklahomans believe that state government wastes at least 10% of its tax revenue. One-third of the respondents said that the feel the state government wastes at least half of its budget.
2010 will be a year of forced change for our state and local governments, a year where budgets will be cut to the bone causing us to reevaluate government’s true duty and purpose. Many citizens will be looking forward to a leaner, meaner Oklahoma.