MiddletownJournal.com

We are encouraged by signs that some officials and agencies in Butler County have begun working toward a more regional approach of doing business.

We believe that regionalism is an evolutionary inevitability, one that began decades ago with the advent of the interstate highways. It's time we do more to take control of that evolution for the benefit of all in the region.

The good news is, some of our local leaders understand that regional administration and control of common projects and programs are more efficient, productive and cost-effective than a bureaucratic hierarchy of county, township and city control, with all the inherent issues of turf and power struggles.

We applaud our state and local leaders — in both the private and public sectors — who are working hard to figure out ways to make regionalization a reality.

For example:

• Butler County commissioners have proposed buying Hamilton's and Middletown's water systems. The idea, said Commissioner Don Dixon, is "to control our own water system for economic development reasons." Such a move also would help keep the cost of water down for county residents and employers, according to Middletown Mayor David Schiavone. We urge Middletown and Hamilton officials to give the county a fair hearing on the matter.

• Leaders of four area United Way agencies have begun discussing the benefits of merging into one regional organization which would have combined annual fundraising campaigns of more than $75 million. Although discussions are still in the early stages, we're glad to see these leaders talking about what's best for the overall region.

• Butler County and municipal law enforcement officials have been working out the details of a countywide emergency radio system to improve response time and eliminate the need for multiple radio channels during a crisis. However, we are disappointed that the county isn't trying to more efficiently consolidate dispatching into one center, or at most, a few centers, rather than continuing with the existing highly localized system.

• Hamilton and Warren counties need more jail space, while Butler County has jail space to spare. How much sense does it make for all of these political subdivisions to fight the same battles, spend money on building, staffing, maintaining and administering individual jails? Creation of a regional facility might save a substantial amount of tax money, but each county continues to go its own way.

Across the nation, residents are crying out for tax relief. Here and elsewhere, many face foreclosure on their homes or bankruptcy, many of them are elderly and living on fixed incomes. Millions are without health insurance. And nearly all of them are fed up with local governments and school districts reaching ever deeper into their wallets, particularly when the money seems to be used, not for progress, but to maintain an often inefficient status quo.

In many instances, the status quo — established during post-World War II economic prosperity and American dominance on the world stage — can no longer be sustained.

Regionalization is not only the right thing to do, it's the politically astute thing to do. And, in fact, some regional mergers already have taken place; for example, our Red Cross chapters and our local YMCAs now operate under regional umbrellas.

All of these projects are part of the evolution of regionalism, a process driven in part by the continuing exodus of residents from Dayton and Cincinnati into the suburban and rural regions between those cities — a growth which requires more and more taxation to pay for needed services such as drinking water, utilities, sewage and garbage disposal, road construction and repair, etc., not to mention the salaries and benefits of those who administer and provide those services. Urban sprawl in southwest Ohio has left its older cities struggling to maintain infrastructures and institutions while our newer communities are building houses, schools and other structures at a staggering pace. Residents often find themselves financially supporting both, through taxes on sales, property and income.

Collaboration, cooperation and consolidation of resources and services are the unavoidable wave of the future. It's inevitable, given a simple fact of economic life: People can pay only so much in taxes before they rebel. The fact is, according to the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, Ohioans had the third highest state and local tax burden in the nation in 2006.

Change will require leaders who can think beyond the status quo and beyond their own parochial interests.

In the area of government (county, city and schools), some boundaries must fall and some presumptions must change. For instance, Butler County has about a dozen municipal managers and nine superintendents to administer their respective jurisdictions. Can some consolidation provide some efficiencies for taxpayers? Retaining local identity and control are desirable, if you can afford it. Some of our jurisdictions no longer can. Another question to ponder: Is our county government model — a set of independent offices presided over by elected politicians and their appointed staffs — the most efficient and accountable way to provide services to the taxpayers who are footing the bill?

We don't have all the answers, but we do know that regionalization is a necessary goal. Reaching that goal will require cooperation and selflessness among all of our municipalities and jurisdictions as well as our public and private agencies.

And it will require the comments, criticisms and strong support of the residents of our region.

Concern over turf issues and special interest agendas must give way to concern for the welfare of the region. It will not be easy and it will not occur overnight.

We urge our readers to join us in supporting every reasonable effort to merge our resources and create a viable, progressive and productive regional community. After all, you're paying the bill.