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Free up the money, earn the public’s trust |
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Opinion February 7, 2003 THERE’S MUCH the Legislature should get done this year to improve government and the quality of life in Alabama, and giving local governments the option of home rule would be a great place to start. That's one of two reforms Gov. Bob Riley urges legislators to take up first when they go into session next month. The other issue is removing most "earmarking," which creates a rigid budgetary process that renders the state unable to shift funds to meet needs. Gov. Riley is right about earmarking, which hobbles state government, forcing legislators to spend money on some programs that should be cut back, and discouraging them from spending additional funds on programs that need more money. Most states earmark about 24 percent of their revenues; Alabama earmarks 87 percent. Consequently, the Legislature has limited power to allocate state resources where they can be best used. The spending of state tax dollars is set up that way because the public doesn't trust the Legislature to properly allocate available funds. Indeed, legislators have rarely inspired constituents' trust by their handling of state dollars. |
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There are also powerful special interests that want earmarking to remain. Take the Alabama Education Association. Paul Hubbert, AEA's executive secretary -- quite happy that the state guarantees most of the revenues from income taxes and state sales taxes to education -- brushed off Gov. Riley's call to end earmarking by quipping, "He needs to rethink that." In the face of such powerful opposition, it may be that Alabama lawmakers aren't ready to give up the practice this year. If that's the case, reformers can focus their efforts on getting local governments more power -- an idea whose time has come. City and county governments are hamstrung by Alabama's constitution, which concentrates power in the Legislature. As a consequence, local governments have to seek constitutional amendments to fix even simple problems, like pest control. That causes two problems: It makes local government inefficient and sometimes nonresponsive; and it forces legislators to spend too much of their time dealing with local issues, when their attention should be focused on statewide problems. Central among such statewide problems is the $500 million or so shortfall in revenues predicted for the next two years. Unless revenues are redirected which is unlikely, given the state's tight budget — or new revenues are created, emergency problems like prison overcrowding, a shortage of state troopers, a beleaguered Medicaid program and a funding crisis in education will only get worse. Alabama legislators shouldn't be shy about asking taxpayers to pay more, though, as long as they are willing to commit themselves to responsible budgeting. They can start by putting into place a plan to "un-earmark" much of the state's revenue. Then they can take steps to free the hands of local governments. If they prove themselves trustworthy on these two important issues, voters may look favorably on giving them more revenue in the future to spend on essential services. |
Gov. Bob Riley put a citizens commission to
work Friday on limited constitutional reform and said changing the state's
governmental guidelines could become a continuing process. Gov. Bob
Riley's appointees to the Alabama Citizens' Commission on Constitutional
Reform: |
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