Fiscal pickles and free passes

As the city of Hillsboro "looks at all options" to offset a projected loss of $126,000 in revenue, council and the administration may appreciate one small reminder – or two.

If not, I'm guessing city taxpayers will appreciate a word or two to the wise.

As we reported this week, once the Paint Township trustees opted in favor of the Paint Creek Joint EMS and Fire District, instead of contracting with Hillsboro Fire and Rescue, the city administration found itself with a sizable budget hole.

Granted, as Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Richard Giroux pointed out, the city also will have some immediate reductions in expenses. The question is: Will it have a $126,000-reduction?

The simple answer to the rhetorical question is "no." The loss of revenue from Paint Township will not be automatically offset through expense reductions.

And, unless the city budgets with past history in mind, the administration may find itself in a bit of a fiscal pickle. (Can you say "fiscal pickle" three times, fast?)

Mr. Giroux said if the city were to reduce staff at Hillsboro Fire and Rescue, they would most likely cut part-time and volunteer positions.

"Common sense would dictate we'd have to take a look at (reducing) the part-time and volunteers, which are on a supplemental basis," Mr. Giroux said.

Of course, there's common sense and then there's reality.

The reality is that, yes, the city can find more than $126,000 in its annual budget for part-time and paid "volunteer" firefighters. Last year, the numbers were probably more than $200,000 (I have the exact totals in my desk).

However, what the city administration needs to remember is this: Those part-time firefighters are compensated at a lower rate than their tenured union brethren.

In other words, the administration might want to familiarize itself with the existing contract for full-time firefighters – and past practices for station coverage call-ins. (For the record, city taxpayers probably should request copies of the contract for a better understanding of how their tax dollars are spent.)

The bottom line is this: The city had been fortunate for many years to contract a portion of its labor expenses to the well-populated area of Paint Township. Those revenues are gone, and simply cutting part-time firefighters might not offset the budget deficit.

Moreover, should the trustees and residents of Hamer, Jackson, Liberty, New Market or Washington townships follow in the direction of Paint Township, the city may have additional fiscal pickles.

Time will tell.

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If local voters and taxpayers didn't already have enough to worry about, Gannett Washington Bureau writer Deirdre Shesgreen (by the way, I have a sister named Deirdre) reported recently that Second Congressional District Rep. Jean Schmidt "could shrug off a 2011 House Ethics Committee decision ordering her to repay more than $400,000 in legal bills."

According to Deirdre Shesgreen's report, "Ethics experts said Schmidt is free to ignore the ethics committee ruling once she is out of office in early January. 'When someone graduates from high school, they're no longer subject to detention,'" Jan Baran, a Washington attorney who specializes in ethics and campaign finance issues, told her.

Schmidt's spokesperson, Barrett Brunsman, was quoted as saying that his boss has a legal expense fund to pay off her improper contribution of close to a half-million dollars from the Turkish Coalition of America.

The story by Shesgreen continues, (Schmidt's) "last report, filed Jan. 31, showed that Schmidt had not raised any money for her legal expense trust except $10 that she contributed herself."

Surely, that was a typo. It had to be. No Republican could be that cheap? Could she? Ten lousy dollars on a half-a-million bar tab? (Legal bar).

Deirdre, are you kidding?

The report adds, "When she (Schmidt) filed that January report, Brunsman said her next report, due in April, would show at least one contribution, for $5,000, or about 1 percent of what she owes."

While no laws were broken by Schmidt, the spirit of good judgment and ethical standards was clearly stretched to the limit.

Southern Ohio voters may or may not be pleased with either the Republican, Dr. Brad Wenstrup, or the Democrat, William Smith, in the November general election. But it was painfully obvious to anyone who's been watching that it was time for Schmidt to leave the United States House of Representatives.

In true political fashion, she leaves the office a little (actually, a lot) wealthier than she arrived.

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Is it looking more and more likely than U.S. Senator Rob Portman will be Mitt Romney's running mate?

Judging by recent news releases from the senator, it's almost apparent that something may be in the works.

In an April 3rd news release, Sen. Portman said: "It's disappointing to see President Obama launching an all-out political attack on one of the only budget plans out there that begins to get our debt and deficit under control. Unfortunately, as demonstrated by the vote of 414 to 0 in the House, the president has not offered a serious plan of his own, and Democrats in Congress have failed to produce a budget for more than three years. Clearly, the president is playing politics instead of demonstrating the leadership our country needs to get the economy moving again.

"House Republicans should be commended for putting forth solutions that begin to address Washington's staggering $15 trillion-debt and also encourage jobs and growth. Now, more than ever, our country needs a path forward to avoid a financial and economic crisis. That means enacting spending restraints and growing the economy by stopping job-killing regulation, reforming the tax code to make America more competitive, expanding domestic production of energy, reducing the cost of health care and improving worker training."

As all political observers know, GOP presidential hopefuls need the Buckeye State. Without Ohio, Romney is deader than a Massachusetts goose on Nov. 6.

Senator Portman could deliver the crucial electoral votes from his native Ohio.

On a personal note, if Rob Portman did, in fact, join the ticket, I would have a reason to vote in the next presidential election.

As things now stand, I don't.

Rory Ryan is looking forward to buying his 2012 fishing license.