Recent reports on lavish compensation packages for local and state government workers prove the long-running public-sector gravy train still barrels out of control at Ohio taxpayers’ expense.

Consider the findings Vindicator Staff Writer Ed Runyan recently reported from the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office.

At the top of the list of the highest paid workers there in 2022 is Capt. Stephen McGeary’s who raked in $215,759. That gross income was boosted by $106,046 in a one-time severance payment resulting from him retiring from the sheriff’s office in January 2022 and collecting a bushel and a peck full of unused sick time and vacation time accumulated over many years. The veteran employee also earned $85,252 in regular wages, $13,000 in overtime, $1,000 for a standard clothing allowance and $10,152 in a category called “cashout” largely for overtime compensation.

Soon after that lucrative retirement, he was rehired onto the sheriff’s force, collecting a regular salary, in addition to pension benefits.

Such double dipping does a double whammy on taxpayers’ pocketbooks.

His case is not isolated in the Valley and throughout Ohio, and he should not be blamed for merely taking advantage of this state’s overly lenient laws governing public workers’ compensation. About 12,000 retirees in government service in the state have returned to their old or similar positions while enriching themselves with what’s often a princely pension as well.

All of this is a far cry from most private employers where pensions often are paltry — if they exist at all — and whose “use or lose” policies governing vacation and sick-day payments expire if not used within a calendar year or other specified time frame.

In addition, continuation of such loosey-goosey policies may spell disaster for the state’s major public pension programs — Public Employees Retirement System, Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund, State Teachers Retirement System and the School Employees Retirement System.

What’s more, permitting public workers to double dip puts additional strain on the retirement programs themselves, some of which stand on not-so-solid ground as it is.

Another clear drawback of the program is that it weakens the ability of public agencies to hire young blood. As more of Ohio’s 400,000 public employees opt for retire-rehire, more and more young and well-trained individuals will be blocked from promotions and even from the entrance door to gainful and meaningful employment.

Clearly it’s long past time for state leaders to drain Ohio of double dipping and of other extravagant compensation policies.

John Becker, a former state representative from Clermont, tried just that a few years back. His bill dubbed “The Double Dippers Inappropriately Privileged ” act would have provided that an individual retiring with one of the state’s public retirement systems who is re-employed as a public employee would not receive the pension portion of the retirement allowance for the period of new employment.

As one might expect from legislators who stand to profit from maintaining the extravagant status quo, his bill died a slow death after languishing in committee for months.

We would certainly applaud any state rep or senator who would have the intestinal fortitude to reintroduce such a plan. We also would cheer those in local government who would align public worker compensation more closely to that of the private sector by tightening sick-leave policies, reducing extended vacation benefits, discouraging retire-rehire and lessening additional frivolous perks.

In the name of fairness to state taxpayers and stability for state pension systems, it’s long past time to slam the brakes on the double-dip gravy train and level the playing field once and for all between our state’s public and private workforces.