‘Strength of the state on local level’ (May 26)
By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune
Frank Bigelow, who is county supervisor for District 1 (all of the area south of Avenue 12, as well as large stretches east of Road 28 1/2), and who is a rancher, businessman, transportation expert and grassroots political phil-osopher, said something at the May 12 supervisors meeting that has stuck with me:
“We need to be the strength of the state on the local level.”
He is right. As the state sinks into red ink, and threatens to pull local governments down with it by borrowing money due local jurisdictions, it seems to be up to counties and cities to dig in and keep the state together. The situation is a bit like a profligate father hitting up its frugal children to get him out of trouble.
The state collects practically all taxes, then returns them to the counties and cities according to predetermined formulas. It had made a habit in the past of grabbing this pass-along money for itself when it needed it.
Not happy with this arrangement, the voters a few years ago passed a law which prohibited the state from grabbing money due the cities and counties.
Like most such propositions, though, there was a loophole, which allows the state to borrow according to a formula in an emergency.
Well, guess what. We’re probably going to be told this is an emergency. Madera County and the cities of Madera and Chowchilla have budgeted carefully. The state, however, has not budget carefully. That is the emergency.
So, local services may have to pay the price — to be the strength of the state, as Bigelow said, on the local level — by cutting services. Local schools also may have to pay the price, as if they haven’t already been hit enough. It doesn’t seem right.
Let’s hope the Legislature can find both short-term and long-term answers.
