Survival Regionalism
Posted byChris Thompson - 03.25.2011
Ohio Gov. John Kasich's new state budget dramatically reduces state aid to local governments and in response local governments are pursuing collaboration and efficiency initiatives more than ever. Plain Dealer columnist Phillip Morris dubs this response "survival regionalism."
Greater government collaboration is a priority of Advance Northeast Ohio, the region's economic competitiveness agenda. One of the ironies that partners of the agenda have been pointing out is that state law discourages collaboration. As Morris' column highlights, local governments are often prohibited from performing services for other governments. House Speaker William Bactchelder recently told a Civic Commons forum that he will be working to change that. Check out a brief video from that forum here.
Government collaboration isn't easy, nor does it happen fast. This editorial from the Canton Repository laments the slow pace of efforts to create a more efficient building inspection in Stark County. And this editorial from the Lorain Morning Journal laments the lack of collaboration in Lorain County.
But every week there signs of progress, such as when five Cuyahoga County communities entered an agreement to share safety personnel and resources and when two Summit County communities announced they were exploring how to share fire services. Partners in Advance Northeast Ohio will continue to push for more collaboration among our local governments. It is necessary if our region is to be competitive and, yes, for our region's survival.
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