Austerity.
That is a word most often used recently in describing European nations, particularly Greece, that drastically are curtailing services to avert bankruptcy.
Tiffin residents are about to get a taste of it after rejecting a quarter-percent income tax increase Tuesday. The revenue sought with the tax hike would not have paid for anything extra; the amount would not have offset the money lost due to cuts in state funding.
Funding for school crossing guards is to dry up Dec. 31; students likely will return to school in 2013 without their protection. This winter, city snow plows might be idle during evenings and weekends, and only main thoroughfares might be cleared when plows do operate.
A proposed city budget for next year calls for cutting $263,396 from the police department, $303,003 from the fire department, $104,944 from the street department, $111,454 from the parks department and $77,350 from sewer maintenance.
City safety forces already are shorthanded. Don't expect budget cuts to improve service.
The tax increase would have cost the average household about $7.60 per month. The issue could be placed on a future ballot. By that time, voters should be able to tell whether restoration of services to current levels would be worth the $1.75 a week the increase would cost the average household.
