Hoping to spark a debate about how local governments spend and raise money in Northeast Ohio, a group of community and business leaders is releasing a massive study today detailing government expenses and revenues in 16 area counties.

The Cost of Government Study for Northeast Ohio report — prompted by unrest about government spending here — offers no opinions or recommendations.

But the authors say it gives people the opportunity — for the first time locally — to make comparisons among local counties and even with the Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Raleigh/Durham, N.C., areas.

Some of the major findings include:

• In Northeast Ohio, per capita spending by government entities ranked highest in Cuyahoga County at $5,079 in 2002. The rest of the top five were: Lake County, $3,802; Summit, $3,581; Portage, $3,490; and
Medina, $3,391. Carroll was the lowest at $1,765.

• The average in Northeast Ohio was $3,750. Among the other areas, Minneapolis/St. Paul was the highest at $4,336 per capita. Dayton was the lowest at $3,349.

• As for tax revenue, the 16-county Northeast Ohio region took in $6.08 billion in 2002, compared with $3.8 billion in the 16-county Minneapolis/St. Paul area and $2.4 billion in the 16-county Raleigh/Durham area.

• Elementary and secondary education spending here totaled $6 billion, or 38 percent of all local government spending in 2002.

• Total expenses per capita rose 68 percent between 1992 and 2002. Meanwhile, the Consumer Price Index in the urban Midwest increased 29 percent over the same period.

The analysis also showed that per capita spending on services varies greatly by county. For example, Summit County residents spent $102 per person on fire protection, and Wayne County residents spent $14.

Also, Summit residents spent $1,361 per capita on elementary and secondary education, and Medina residents spent $1,763.

''Having the data available is the starting point for people to make change, if they want to do that,'' said Charles Zettek Jr., director of government management services for the Center for Governmental Research, which did the analysis. ''You can't manage what you can't measure.''

The report is based on U.S. Census data for government entities — including municipalities, schools and libraries — from 1992, 1997 and 2002, the latest year available. The full report, including databases, is at http://live.cgr.org/NEO/.

The authors admitted that the the report is flawed. Ohio doesn't track the financial information of government entities like other states.

So the study is based on reports that entities are required to deliver to the census every five years. But not all comply.

For example, 14 out of 31 municipalities in Summit County failed to file reports in 2002. Overall, nearly 200 entities in Northeast Ohio didn't file that year.

If all the local entities had reported, the spending and revenue figures would be higher, the authors said.

Still, Chris Thompson, a spokesman for the Fund for Our Economic Future, which helped pay for the analysis, said the study shows that ''we have a government designed for 200 years ago.''

The Samuel H. and Maria Miller Foundation, George Gund Foundation, Greater Cleveland Partnership, Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce and Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber also paid for the $175,000 study.

The Canton chamber plans to use the results as part of Stark County's 21st Century Government Initiative, which is examining better government collaboration.

David Kaminski, the chamber's director of business development and strategic projects, said local leaders hope the study helps the discussion about ''more creative and efficient forms of doing the public's business.''

The Fund for Our Economic Future and other groups decided to pursue the study after the recent Voices and Choices initiative showed that Northeast Ohio residents are disgruntled about government spending and are interested in more government cooperation.

The study is being released at the same time that the state is offering grants to cities and villages to pursue regional economic development initiatives. And the Northeast Ohio Mayors & City Managers Association is pursuing regional land-use planning and revenue sharing to boost the region's economy.

The Center for Governmental Research plans to update its database when the Census Bureau releases the 2007 Census of Governments early next year.