Editorial: A needed review of city spending

City Councilman Kurt Neeper has raised a controversial but important question: Should Lima continue funding its Department of Community Development?

There's certainly the potential for political games in such a question. The Department of Community Development serves a number of important functions, but it's also done more than enough to irritate residents over the years. Neeper hasn't been shy about disagreeing with the administration, and there's been a push from some councilors to shake up Mayor David Berger's appointees. So the chance for political fights is high when it comes to suggesting the elimination of a department.

Nonetheless, in reviewing the city's budget, it's always worth examining any particular department. So Neeper was right two weeks ago to suggest the potential for axing Community Development. Asking that the administration conduct that review suggests Neeper is interested in the answers, not the politics of killing a department. That's good. We encourage the administration to treat such a review seriously.

Berger obviously believes Community Development still serves a purpose. Otherwise, we assume he'd already have chopped it. Still, the administration ought to look seriously at whether its core functions could be done elsewhere. If so, at what costs or with what savings?

Which is to say that Lima City Council Finance Committee Chairman Tom Tebben was right to caution against moving too quickly. The Department of Community Development has been operating with a greatly reduced staff over the years. The department only requires $232,000 from the city's $26.5 million general fund budget, getting the overwhelming majority of its funds from block grants. The administration, and later City Council members, must consider whether saving that $232,000 would cost the city millions in grants each year.

Lima charges its Community Development Department with a number of functions: property maintenance and inspection, housing, neighborhood support, economic development and managing Community Development Block Grant money and other grants. The city had a staff of 19 people doing that work in 1997, and today it's down to six.

It's worth determining if the department can still do an effective job with the resources the city is able to give it. If not, is it worth allocating $232,000 elsewhere? Or would the possible loss of grant money eliminate any overall savings?

Those are questions the administration should address in its review.

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