Deep hole
Gov. Ed Rendell gave his successor a lump of coal for Christmas.
The coal – of the governmental, not bituminous or anthracite type that is mined in Pennsylvania – came in the form of transition reports the Rendell administration prepared for Gov.-elect Tom Corbett.
Many problems Corbett faces, especially the $4 billion-or-so hole in next year’s budget, have been well publicized. But often-overlooked matters that The Associated Press dug out from the transition reports show how daunting Corbett’s task will be.
n The Pennsylvania State Police have expressed concern that the growing number of vacant trooper positions may jeopardize public safety.
n The PSP report also discusses a looming increase in workload for the Megan’s Law website, which provides information on convicted sex offenders, and describes how overtime is creating massive pension obligations.
n The motor carrier safety assistance program, which seeks to reduce the number and severity of accidents and hazardous-material incidents involving commercial motor vehicles, “has been hampered with a host of issues that necessitate long-term corrective action.”
n Child advocates are concerned that too many calls to the state’s child abuse hotline “are categorized as missed.”
n The state’s drinking water and sewer infrastructure needs amount to about $37 billion over the coming two decades, with the Department of Environmental Protection reporting that “the backlog of projects remains substantial.”
n State parks and state forests currently have a $106 million annual need for infrastructure improvements, according to Conservation and Natural Resources
All this is just the tip of the iceberg. The transition reports, which the news service acquired under the state’s Right-to-Know Law, were redacted, with crucial financial information blacked out in several cases.
This mess was not caused by gross mismanagement. It’s the result of the state scrimping on spending in critical areas, even before the Great Recession slammed state budgets across the country. (State police, water and sewer needs, and parks were shortchanged under pre-recession budgets.)
Corbett is going to need an incredible amount of luck to keep the lump of coal he’s been handed from turning to ashes.
Beaver County Times