Making a Tough Decision On Our Safety Plan

As you have most likely read, Todd Portune and I decided this week to move forward with our Comprehensive Safety Plan.  I have shared with you the details of the plan in prior newsletters, and those details are attached to the right.  Given the attention and passion on this issue, I wanted to explain the reasoning behind this week's decision.

The Crisis We Face

First, there truly is an immediate crisis that we need to address.  Crime is too high, and 70% of people put in jail re-offend.  Our old jail buildings are falling apart, and are already overcrowded.  And we are literally spending millions of dollars (that are almost depleted) to send prisoners to other counties.  It's a house of cards, and time and money have essentially run out.

The crisis is a result of the fact that, for years, those in charge have not made the decisions to solve this problem.  They have avoided the tough decisions, and only created temporary, expensive, and politically easy band-aid solutions--solutions that did not work, failed to address the underlying causes of crime, and cost more money in the end.  These decisions have piled up to leave us in the predicament we face today. 

The Comprehensive Plan

Rather than doing nothing or proposing more band-aids, since I arrived at the County January 1, we have put together a very different approach. Our Comprehensive Safety Plan provides money to construct and operate the new jail (the biggest cost of any new facility, but one that last year's plan neglected to pay for), and at the same time reforms the system, addressing many of the underlying causes of criminal behavior, so we're not just warehousing people over and over again--wasting their lives, and all of our money.  And these reforms will mean that, in the future, we won't have to keep building jail after jail.

Importantly, it is a completely different approach to the "jail building-only" plan that was cobbled together and defeated last November because it a) actually solves the jail problem (both capital and operating expenses), and b) addresses the underlying causes of crime, and repeat offenses.  Our plan will not only save the County millions of dollars in the future, but also make our community a safer place.  Unlike last year's jail-only plan, our comprehensive approach has bipartisan support, and the strong support of law enforcement leaders, social service organizations, and treatment and mental health experts.

The Decision

As for our decision to directly approve the tax, the truth is, there were no trouble-free options.  The state law under which we are proposing to pay for this plan is very clear--in circumstances such as this, when new corrections investments are needed, a county commission has every right to raise the tax directly, subject to referendum.  A vote of the people is also an option.

My first preference was to have a vote--particularly because the prior Commission held the unsuccessful vote last November, we were placed in the doubly difficult position of appearing to "ignore" the voters  (but remember, our plan is fundamentally different from the one rejected last year, and we took into account public input as to why that plan was rejected). Because of the time crunch involved, a May election would have been best, and a special election in August would have been ok, but not ideal.  Neither option turned out to be possible. 

On the other hand, we concluded that waiting until November literally wastes millions of dollars (from $8 million to $12 million) because for every month delay, we waste about $2 million dollars.  Even a successful election in November would not lead to any new dollars until July 1, 2008.   And our contract with Butler County (300 prisoners) expires this October--we can not responsibly extend that without a new revenue source that we know is solid.  (Until now, that contract has been paid for through the County's reserve fund, which is already precariously low and will soon run out).

Facing all these facts, we reached the clear conclusion that moving forward immediately was in the best interest of the County and its citizens.  

The decision to do so saves us millions of dollars, and it averts the no-win choice between letting hundreds of prisoners out or bankrupting the County's reserve fund.  But more important than dollars and cents--it's a decision that impacts real lives.  Our proposal is about making our neighborhoods and communities safe again.  It is about reforming the justice system, and providing substance abuse and mental illness rehabilitation, so that we don't simply pay, over and over again, to house people (and all the costs associated with their "stay") who can become productive members of society if we do our job.  It's about new accountability in the services we provide.  And it will save money by making the system more efficient and effective (in fifteen years, we'll have the same tax rate we have now, but a much better system).

Given all that is at stake, the responsibility I took on to solve this priority issue for our community when I took my oath of office, the promises I clearly made last year that I would solve this problem quickly, the fact that moving forward immediately saves us millions of dollars, and the fact that the law gives us the clear authority to take this step in crisis situations just like this, I truly believe this decision is in the best interest of the County and its residents.

If there is a personal political cost to this decision, that is a risk I am willing to assume.  I ran for office to solve the biggest problems we face, and, in good faith, that is what I am trying to do. And it's worth the personal political risk if the community is safer, and on better footing in the short- and long-term, because of our plan's immediate implementation. 

I hope this helps explain our position to move forward.  If you have any question or comment, I look forward to addressing them.

Sincerely,

David Pepper

PS.   We have been happy to receive many positive responses to our decision to "just do it."  From the Enquirer, to the Post, to the Business Courier, to a wonderful cartoon by Jim Borgman, to very supportive e-mails, we are pleased that so many have recognized the critical need to take on this issue right away despite the political risks of doing so.   Thanks for the support.