Hamilton County for the first time is turning to the web to get more public input on its priorities for the 2010 county budget, which is facing a $20 million shortfall.
Hamilton County residents can fill out the Hamilton County budget survey until June 28, when it closes to the public.
Those who fill out the survey and choose to leave contact information will be included in random drawings to use the county suite at Great American Ballpark and Paul Brown Stadium.
The county will use the survey to guide them in identifying the public’s spending priorities, and the results will be posted online in July.
“County Administration wants to hear from the public which services it most values. Just like so many county households, the county government is having to do a lot of budget cutting to get through this economic downturn, and that means reducing or eliminating some services that citizens count on. We want to hear from citizens so that we can make recommendations to the County Commission that reflect public priorities,” said John P. Bruggen, Hamilton County Office of Budget and Strategic Initiatives.
The survey asks about different county services and whether funding for each of them should be increased, decreased, eliminated etc. Among the questions it asks are if you'd support a sales tax to specifically support public safety, a cigarette tax, or sales tax to support riverfront development.
"The survey also covers some new revenue options, as administration is somewhat concerned that existing resources (sales tax, interest, real estate-related taxes) have fallen so much that neither the public nor county officials would be willing to accept reductions of the size necessary to balance the budget. If that’s the case, then our only other option is to find a new revenue stream,” Bruggen said.
It also asks if you'd support the reform/restructuring of county government, union concession negotiations, closing government offices one extra day per week, or converting all elections to vote-by-mail.
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: John P. Bruggen, Hamilton County Office of Budget and Strategic Initiatives
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