An Editorial....County Consolidation
Oklahoma has 77 counties ranging from peanut size to Osage County with its 2200 square miles.
In the early days, people had to use horse and buggy to get to the county seat to do their business, mostly filing papers in person. They paid their taxes, got their permits, license plates, etc.
Now it is 2005 and we have email, fax, the Internet (thanks to Al Gore), and the county seat is less than an hour's drive in any direction. In fact, few people actually need to go to the courthouse these days, except those in handcuffs.
It is time for the legislature to come up with a County Consolidation Plan and consolidate four counties into ONE. The mind boggles at the savings that would occur. Utilities, building expense, employee salaries, election costs, and one courthouse operation per four counties. The lone exception would probably be law enforcement, which would need branch offices to reduce response time.
Of course the hue and cry from the government employees will be louder than a jet plane, as many will lose their jobs. But the process could be phased in over a period of years by county area so as to cause as little commotion as possible.
It may take 10 or 15 years to get it done, but it is time to start.
In the early days, people had to use horse and buggy to get to the county seat to do their business, mostly filing papers in person. They paid their taxes, got their permits, license plates, etc.
Now it is 2005 and we have email, fax, the Internet (thanks to Al Gore), and the county seat is less than an hour's drive in any direction. In fact, few people actually need to go to the courthouse these days, except those in handcuffs.
It is time for the legislature to come up with a County Consolidation Plan and consolidate four counties into ONE. The mind boggles at the savings that would occur. Utilities, building expense, employee salaries, election costs, and one courthouse operation per four counties. The lone exception would probably be law enforcement, which would need branch offices to reduce response time.
Of course the hue and cry from the government employees will be louder than a jet plane, as many will lose their jobs. But the process could be phased in over a period of years by county area so as to cause as little commotion as possible.
It may take 10 or 15 years to get it done, but it is time to start.
posted by Editor | 11:41 AM
2 Comments:
Jim-I want to congratulate you on this effort. Unfortunately our area needs a source for news about what is happening in the local area, we certainly aren't getting much from the local so-called press! Something needs to be done about our local newspaper situation, someones got to act, it's on a downhill slide in high gear! Were it not for the "Waterbug" and now you, folks wouldn't know much at all about what really goes on in Grove, except what someone at the local sheet thinks we peons of the area need to know! And what is sure to please his buddies!
Jim--
This is all great info. Keep up the good work. How can we help you get this to print?
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