DISCUSSION: STARK COUNTY VETERANS SERFVICE COMMISSION V. STARK COUNTY COMMISSIONERS: "MEDIATION?" - THERE IS A BIGGER ISSUE?

Another case of The Repository Editorial Board missing the "elephant in the room?"

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) thinks so.

Certainly, for the short-term, there is nothing wrong with the editors' recommendation. But it will not work.

Why?

Because the commissioners do not have the money.

The real culprits in this local mess are Stark County's elected Ohio General Assembly members (Democrat and Republican).

From The Rep's editorial:

Randy K. Wilson, the lawyer representing the Veterans Service Commission, argues that commissioners are violating a state law that entitles the agency to receive the equivalent of a 0.5-mill property tax levy, an amount that could surpass $3 million.

Years and years ago, The Report remembers attending a "town hall" meeting (probably at least 20 years ago) presented by Senator Grace Drake (R-Solon). Senator Drake said she was determined to get rid of "state mandates." State mandates are those little nasties passed along by the likes of Boccieri, Hagan, Oelslager, Okey, Schuring and Slesnick which require local taxpayers to pick up the cost of Ohio prescriptions for local government.

What these legislators depend on is "fragmentation." Every local unit of government gets nailed by a state mandate here and there. But they just roll with the punch and figure out a way to come up with the money. But they never seem to zero in on how common and prolific this phenomenon is.

The Report thinks it high time to focus on the real culprits beginning with the Stark County commissioners. Stark County's commissioners need to get in the face of the state legislators and demand that theses practices stop.

For its part, over time The Report will be putting each of Stark County's Ohio General Assembly members and aspirants on record on this particular matter.

Stark County school boards, villages, cities, townships need to collect themselves and put enormous pressure on the Ohio General Assembly folks to stop the "state mandates."

If a program or policy is worth a state mandate, then Ohio must - absolutely - fund it!

Question: Has The Repository Editorial Board gotten to the real issue? Isn't this "mediation" thing a dance around "state mandates?"