County Officials Nationwide Cite Weak Economy as Biggest Concern
Like most Americans, county government officials rank the weak economy as the biggest problem facing the country. Almost half of those surveyed for the 2010 National Survey of County Elected Officials responded that the economy, recession, or jobs were the issues they considered most worrisome.
“It’s Still the Economy: County Officials’ Views on the Economy in 2010” reports the results from a nationwide survey conducted in April and May by the Vinson Institute in cooperation with the National Association of Counties. The Institute has conducted the survey annually for six years, posing questions to officials around the country about their views on the economy, politics, the fiscal health of their counties, and other timely issues. The survey also develops a demographic profile of county elected officials nationwide.
Although officials see the troubled economy as the national’s biggest problem, they are much more likely than last year to say that economic conditions are improving—up to 42 percent in 2010 from 29 percent in 2009.
The survey captured information about how counties have responded to the economic downturn. Many counties have sought to achieve greater efficiency in service delivery. Twenty-six percent of respondents said their counties had consolidated services. Fifty percent of counties have cooperated regionally to reduce costs, and another 22 percent were engaged in discussion about service consolidation.
County employees have also shouldered some of the burdens of budget cuts. One quarter of respondents indicated that their county reduced its share of employee health benefits; 24 percent of counties laid off employees; and 20 percent instituted furloughs.
The 2010 survey also posed questions about the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, recently passed healthcare legislation, and party affiliation.
