Giving Local Governments the Shift

A story in Sunday’s LVRJ about incoming Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and his expected efforts to shift some government services from the state level down to the county level included this sentence: “If state government shrinks, local government would grow…”

Not necessarily. If the state shifts services from the state to the local level, then the local governments will have to do the same thing as the state: set spending priorities and eliminate services and programs that aren’t essential.

A shifting of responsibilities down to a level closer to the people where they belong will also force the locals to maybe look more seriously at consolidation and privatization. Oh, and those gold-plated public employee salaries and benefits. Shift, baby, shift!