(Editorial - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

Lawmakers who were sent by voters to Columbus to cut wasteful spending and unnecessary layers of government have an interesting idea in front of them in state House Bill 520. The measure, now sitting in the House Local Government Committee would “establish and convene a Blue Ribbon Committee in each county to review and assess each taxing unit within the county and each county program or department to identify duplication of services and generally to streamline and improve county efficiency and effectiveness.”

One could point out the irony of attacking inefficient, multi-layered government by creating another committee, but old habits do die hard.

Lead sponsors on the bill are Reps. Ty Mathews, R-Findlay, and David Thomas, R-Jefferson.

During a working group meeting on HB 520, Lake County Auditor Chris Galloway said, “Ohio has too many layers of government and too many taxing authorities. We’re drowning in duplication and taxation because of our concept of being a slave to local control. We do not need 610 school districts in the state of Ohio, we need 94,” according to a report by the Journal-News in Hamilton.

State officials have displayed little appetite for consolidating school districts, but they have begun to take a look at whether duplication of services could be eliminated. Perhaps two school districts would not consolidate, but they could share a treasurer, for example.

And, Mathews has said he understands this effort should not be just about slicing and dicing local governments, but addressing state meddling as well. He said the committee would examine “what things are we doing at the state level that are maybe creating these inefficiencies that we can correct on our side,” the Journal-News reported.

Should HB 520 make it past committee and perhaps all the way to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk, lawmakers must be determined to make it a real effort to eliminate red tape, help taxpayers keep more of their own money and change traditional thinking about maintaining bureaucracy for bureaucracy’s sake — at all levels.