By Tony Lang
Cincinnati Enquirer

Try to follow the bouncing ball of public investment. Wednesday, Cincinnati council voted 5-4 to borrow money to spend an extra $6.5 million this year on fixing up city recreation centers.

As recently as December, council balanced the city budget to avoid a projected shortfall of $27 million. Then recreation director James Garges orchestrated a lobbying blitz for more recreation capital funds. The budget deal started unraveling.

Councilman David Crowley tried to dip into a $54 million neighborhood development fund - a one-time windfall given the city when health care insurer Anthem converted to a for-profit company. Council had agreed in December to put Anthem money off-limits for anything other than long-term investment in neighborhood projects that generate jobs and city tax revenues. Council members John Cranley, Pat DeWine, David Pepper and Alicia Reece managed to stop Scheme A, but Crowley rolled out Scheme B.

The city will "borrow" $6.5 million from the neighborhood development fund to rehab playgrounds and rec centers, then next year the city will sell bonds, borrowing more money. Paul Booth, Minette Cooper, Chris Monzel and James Tarbell joined Crowley in voting for it.

Who ever thought when elected officials talk about running government like a business, they meant: Borrow money to operate? Silly me. I thought it meant asking questions like "What's the return on investment?"

Maintenance of rec centers and playgrounds is an ongoing need. The money should come out of general revenue, not out of a once-in-a-lifetime development fund or from borrowing. Rec centers generate some public jobs but no private jobs. Know any playgrounds that contribute to the city's shrinking tax base? What are we investing in?

It's not just City Hall. Ohio last year spent $215 million in loans and grants to expand businesses and develop new technologies. But it took 473 employees in the state economic development department to do it. Why 473, when Gov. Bob Taft says he's cut costs to the bone? What's the yearly return on that investment? And please don't tell us it's recreational.