Issue 2 — the ballot referendum that would approve or repeal the controversial SB 5 legislation that reforms collective bargaining for public employees in Ohio — is one of the most polarizing measures to be put in front of voters in decades.

It is also one of the most important.

Supporters on both sides have ramped up the rhetoric and half truths in recent weeks, somewhat obscuring the fact this legislation, while far from perfect, contains common sense reforms that seek to halt the unsustainable expense growth that plagues Ohio’s state and local governments.

This measure isn’t about partisanship. It is about fiscal responsibility. Similar drives are being led by Democrat officials in other states.

A “yes” vote doesn’t mean we do not appreciate the public employees impacted by this, primarily police, fire, municipal workers and teachers. These men and women are the backbone of our state and have understandably already made sacrifices. But these are changes that have to be made for the fiscal stability of the state and to prevent increased burdens on taxpayers.

Clearly, Gov. John Kasich and the Republican legislature absolutely botched this from the start by shoving it through with little or no discussion or debate. This refusal to compromise would be inexcusable if not for the fact that the issue now gets to be decided upon by those most impacted — taxpayers.

Issue 2 enacts logical changes that bring Ohio’s public sector employees much closer in line with their private sector counterparts.

It would return the emphasis to merit-based pay increases and tie continued employment to job performance. Neither of these are new concepts for those working in the private sector.

It would eliminate tenure and seniority-based layoffs for teachers, ensuring that administrators have the ability to keep the best teachers instead of the ones who have been there the longest.

It would require public employees to contribute at least 15 percent toward health insurance premiums and 10 percent toward retirement. Although some unions already do this, many do not. Even this modest contribution is far better than the private sector where the average employee contribution for health care is more than 30 percent and employers often contribute just a few percent toward retirement. Visit www.buckeyeinstitute.org for comprehensive data on who pays what across the state.

It eliminates binding arbitration where huge financial decisions are made by outside parties who have no accountability to the taxpayer and pay little consideration to the ramifications of the decisions they make.

Although it will lay the foundation for the future, the changes won’t impact the state budget that is already in place. That plan was balanced through cuts to local government. The collective bargaining changes give local government leaders and administrators the flexibility they need to make the tough decisions and keep government living within its means.

Ultimately, these reforms return control to the elected officials who are tasked with managing our government-funded public institutions. That is as it should be because that keeps taxpayers in the decision-making process because they can vote for the individuals who they feel best represent their views.

Despite the claims by opponents of this reform, the law will not cut jobs, slash wages or create safety concerns. In fact, it could prevent those negative impacts by giving managers the flexibility to make needed changes and halt the unsustainable growth of public pensions and benefit plans.

Issue 2 and Senate Bill 5 have been called an attack on Ohio’s middle class.

That isn’t true.

In fact, these common-sense changes will protect all Ohioans, not just special-interest groups and a small group of citizens.

We support our public workers. These are our friends and neighbors. But major changes are no longer an option if Ohio is going to return to its status as an economic leader.

Although it wasn’t unanimous, The Tribune editorial board hopes Ohio voters see through the rhetoric to vote “yes” on Issue 2.