County should be cautious in privatizing

It’s a new year with a new Sedgwick County manager and County Commission chairman. But county residents already know where county government aims to go, which is toward privatization of some functions and more emphasis on funding “core services” such as roads and public safety.

County Manager Michael Scholes gets points for clarity and openness in setting out principles that will guide his first budget process, to conclude with adoption of the 2017 budget in August.

Residents as well as county staff will benefit from the heads-up, as big changes may be coming in how the county delivers a range of health, human, community development and planning services. Privatizing Comcare, the county’s community mental health agency, remains on the table.

“We’re trying to look for options in which the private sector can participate more and provide service instead of using taxpayer money to do it,” Scholes said Tuesday.

If there are better ways to use more nonprofit organizations and private contractors to serve residents more effectively and efficiently, the county should explore them.

But Scholes, new Commission Chairman Jim Howell and the other commissioners also should proceed with the awareness that hasty dismantling of publicly run programs can lead to unrealized savings and long-term regrets. In Topeka, for one example, some lawmakers are second-guessing the privatization of foster care 20 years ago – arguing that the state could provide better service at a lower cost.

County leaders also should have learned from the 2016 budget hearings last summer that many in the community stand ready to defend the health department as a core function and the tax support for the Sedgwick County Zoo and Exploration Place as a vital investment in quality of life.

In any case, Scholes’ guiding principles seemingly underscore the warning that Howell issued last week, as the county renewed grant support for Project Access: “Anybody who is heavily dependent on government for a large portion of their revenue stream is at risk.”

This story was originally published January 14, 2016 at 6:08 PM with the headline "County should be cautious in privatizing."