Ohio Government Spends $823 per Second

By David Hansen, posted July 13, 2006

For Immediate Release --- July 13, 2006

Contact: Michael Hamilton  (614) 224-4422 or (937) 219-5366 cell

Ohio Government Spends $823 per Second 

COLUMBUS --- How much money did you spend last week? Ohio government spent more than $499 million, or $79.1 million per day.

The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions now clocks how quickly state government spends taxpayer money on its Ohio Spend-O-Meter found at www.buckeyeinstitute.org.

The state will spend out of its general revenue fund nearly $25.9 billion in fiscal year 2007, which began July 1.  When the new budget kicked in at midnight July 1, the state started spending $822.97 per second, up from last year’s $802 per second spending rate. The general fund alone grew 2.6% over the 2006 budget. To put that increase in perspective, consider that Ohio’s population grew by just 0.1% last year.

“In the 90 seconds it takes on average for LeBron James to score a point in the NBA, the State of Ohio spends $74,067, enough to hire Mr. James’ court expertise for almost two days,” said David Hansen, president of the Buckeye Institute.

Hansen continued, "Our spending meter actually tells time while counting dollars. Right now it says it's time for Ohio to get control of its spending."

One way to regain control of state spending is for legislators to adhere to the recently passed law limiting state spending.  If the spending limit principles enacted in SB 321 had been followed over the past 10 years, an Ohio family of four would have saved $6,363 in state taxes.

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David Hansen is the President of the Buckeye Institute, a nonpartisan policy research organization based in Columbus, Ohio.