The often-repeated mantra that government would be much more effective if it was run like a business is true in many respects. The inefficiencies and downright backward policies of government job hiring and firing are a huge contributor to growing tax bills.

Case in point: The Auburn Civil Service Commission's refusal to allow lateral transfers for the city's fire and police departments.

City leaders have twice asked for permission to use lateral transfers - candidates who are fully trained and working in departments in other communities. Twice, the commission has said no, citing the preference that these hires come from a list of local people who would need months of training before they could start on the job.

Until such recruits could start, the overtime costs from covering the vacant positions escalate.

City officials claim they could be saving tens of thousands of dollars if lateral transfers were allowed. The commission doesn't care, and even pointed out that city leaders could save themselves a lot of trouble if they would simply stop asking and get on with the red-tape-laden process the commissioners prefer.

A key point lost on this commission is that many other municipalities do allow these lateral transfers, and Auburn has lost its share of employees as a result. In other words, Auburn taxpayers are subsidizing the training and related overtime costs for other fire and police departments under the system this commission prefers.

The commission also makes the argument that lateral transfers threaten the ability of city residents to get these jobs. But fire and police departments should not be viewed as job-creation tools. Their mission is to protect the public at a reasonable cost. Logic dictates that hiring experienced professionals from time to time would be an effective way to execute that mission.