OSCPA Forum highlights state budget solutions

The Ohio Society of CPAs brought its Budget Advisory Task Force report to life this week – hosting a Forum featuring leading authorities from Washington, Florida and Indiana who detailed their successful state and local budget reforms for Ohio legislators, policymakers and media.

OSCPA’s Forum for a Strong Ohio, held at the Ohio Statehouse, drew 75 legislative leaders who commended OSCPA for having the vision and initiative to develop the report and continue to drive the discussion on key recommendations made in the report.

“I’m delighted with OSCPA’s step today to seed the ideas contained in the report,” Rep. Ron Amstutz, R-Wooster, said. “The budget challenges we face in Ohio cry out for leadership from the private sector and The Ohio Society is perfectly positioned to take the lead.”

“The Forum was the logical next step in OSCPA’s planned push for sweeping overhauls to Ohio’s budgeting process and government inefficiencies,” said OSCPA Chair of the Board and Task Force Chair Matt Yuskewich, CPA.

The goal of the Task Force report and related activities is to jump start legislative action addressing the state’s looming multi-billion dollar budget deficit.

Forum speakers addressed various reforms undertaken in Ohio and other states that have achieved the desired results, including:

• Long range financial and strategic planning
  Amy Baker, coordinator, Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research
  
  
• Performance audits
  Harriet Richardson, CPA, CIA, CGAP, deputy director of performance audits, Washington State Auditor’s Office
  
  
• Government streamlining
  James Ritchie, superintendent, Orrville City Schools and Rittman Exempted Village Schools and Pat Early, CPA, CFP, vice president, Capital Improvement Board of Marion County, Indiana

“As we think about the future of Ohio, our objective again is to simply start the conversation with you,” OSCPA President and CEO Clarke Price told the attentive and highly engaged audience. Yuskewich stressed the bipartisan nature of the report. “What we are most interested in is restoring Ohio’s economy to health and making this state a great place to live and do business,”he said.

Sen. Keith Faber, R-Celina, sees OSCPA’s task force report as an excellent starting point. “The report provides helpful insight for reform needed in Ohio,” Faber said. “Government resources are not utilized as well as private sector resources.”

Members of OSCPA’s Budget Advisory Task Force presented the recommendations to Gov. Strickland in November. Key recommendations that would help the state achieve operational economies include:

• Implementing performance audits of government entities
• Suspending non-essential controlling board spending
• Requiring zero-based budgeting
• Sunsetting of all state agencies on a 10-year cycle

OSCPA members are encouraged to read the full report.

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