By Joyce Kryszak
Buffalo, NY – Skyrocketing Medicaid costs are putting a strain on many states. But one county in Western New York is buckling under the the multi-million dollar burden of mandated costs and resulting high taxes. From member station WBFO in Buffalo, Joyce Kryszak has more on the "tax payer revolt" that is shutting down everything from snow plowing to parks.
Peaceful Ellicott Creek meanders silently for miles along the edge of this pristine park in Erie County. Quaint bungalows and cape cod homes line the road on the other side of the creek. Barbara Pompeo grew up in one of them. And she loved bringing her own two little girls here to explore among the oak trees and stone pavilions.
"We always have a Fathers' Day picnic at Ellicott Creek Park, and looks like this year we won't be having it," said Pompeo. "We don't have a gym in our backyard because there are so many parks in the area, and we can't even use the biggest park. They loved going up there, now you can't even go up there sledding."
Signs recently posted at the entrance say, "due to the county budget crisis, the parks are now closed." Hours have been cut back at the zoo, the libraries, the art gallery and others. Budget cuts have claimed police and parole officers, health and social workers. Nearly two thousand county employees were let go this week.
It all came down to a penny. That's how much lawmakers wanted to add to the eight and a quarter cent sales tax to close a $108 million budget gap. But lawmakers voted it down. Civic leader Kevin Gaughan says they gave into residents' demands and instead ordered an "extreme make-over" of local government.
"The tipping point was the combination of just crushing state and federal mandated costs, combined with citizen awareness and anger over the realization that there was just too much government," said Gaughan.
Taxes here are 42 percent above the national average. And the county workforce is double that of many similarly sized counties. But some say that saving a penny on every dollar spent carries a heavy price. Nancy Rodriguez is keeping her seven-year-old son home from school. There no longer are any nurses in Buffalo schools to administer the life saving medicine the hemophiliac needs.
"If the county won't protect my son, I will -- at any cost. This is life or death," said Rodriguez. "We are talking about innocent kids who are put in harm's way because of this budget."
District Attorney Frank Clark is also enraged. He had his small staff cut to the bone. Clark says he'll have to prioritize crimes -- and that will mean more plea deals. Clark shot back angrily when reporters asked him about the wisdom of that plan.
"I mean, what do you think would happen if the Buffalo Bills lost fifteen percent of their starting team and had play with nine players, instead of eleven players? How many games do you think they'd win? None," said Clark.
Clark says it will be awhile before anyone knows the full impact on public safety. But, along with the parks, many other County services have already shutdown. Among them, the firefighter training center, health clinics, and auto bureaus.
At the only remaining suburban auto bureau, people waited for nearly an hour in lines that wove all the way to the door. The mood here was resigned. Dave Miller says it's worth the inconvenience.
"I just think government is too big and you've got to start somewhere," said Miller. "And, you know, people will adapt."
Some are calling this reaction a sign of true tax payer revolt. Others say it's a renewed push for downsizing and consolidation. But with county workers standing on unemployment lines, and many services shutdown, the transition may not be pretty. For NPR News, I'm Joyce Kryszak in Buffalo.