Letters: Legislature cheating local government

A cartoon on my desk shows a door-to-door salesman holding out the book Double Your IQ or No Money Back as an unsophisticated customer says, “Well, yes, I guess so.”

The cartoon is a sad reminder of the way the Legislature has treated local governments through the Local Government Fund.

The General Assembly established the fund in 1991 to simplify the distribution formula of tax dollars collected by the state on behalf of local governments. The new formula guaranteed the local governments would share with the state any growth in tax revenues. When the economy shrank, local governments would share in the burden of reduced revenues.

The recession of 2008 saw the revenue shrink and Local Government Fund decreased. However, the Legislature also made additional cuts to the fund, violating what many see as an agreement with local governments. The Legislature continues to dishonor its agreement with local governments. This year’s state budget provides only 74 percent of the funding state law requires.

I once had a government staff attorney tell me that as citizens, our rights are never so much in jeopardy as when the General Assembly is in session. Add to that our pocketbooks, and if you don’t believe me, I’ve got a book to sell you.