Privatization is a useful way to improve the quality of services, boost efficiency and provide competition. Because of the power of public-sector unions and the nature of taxpayer-funded bureaucracies, local governments have few incentives to cut costs and innovate. Too often, these agencies seem to operate more for the benefit of government workers rather than the citizenry.

Contracting out services can break the logjam.

“It is not a government’s obligation to provide services, but to see that they are provided,” said the late New York Gov. Mario Cuomo. That’s the best way of thinking about the matter. However, privatization can create more problems than it solves when the “service” involves collecting fines. Privatizing law-enforcement functions provides an irresistible incentive to become overly aggressive.

Unfortunately, some cities — in the midst of current budget crises — have hired or are thinking about hiring a private firm to step up parking enforcement.

Stanton and Orange recently approved contracts with the firm SP Plus Corp., while Fullerton contracted with the company in 2019, per a recent report in the VoiceofOC.

City officials have been clear that their goal is to increase revenues from parking-ticket collections.

“The revenue generation that we’ve seen across the board for all these different cities have exceeded the expectations of our client,” an official with SP Plus said at a Stanton City Council meeting, per the news story. Orange Mayor Dan Slater boasted the expected extra revenue was “icing on the cake.”

Cities might have good reason to step up parking enforcement, but the goal should be to improve the situation on the street — not pad budgets. (Studies have shown that, for instance, similar privatized red-light cameras have become more of a money grab than safety tool.)

The article noted street-sweeping ticket dollars nearly quadrupled in Fullerton.

Residents in some crowded neighborhoods complain they are constantly getting ticketed. If OC cities are concerned about budget shortfalls, they should privatize general services to improve how their cities operate to benefit their residents — not use privatization as a way to milk them as cash cows.