What Happened?
A number of cities recently disclosed that they were considering the merger of departments and services, continuing a trend that Gov1 has been covering on an ongoing basis. This week, we track some of the most recent developments, providing context and research along the way.
Mechanics in New York
The town of Clarkstown, New York, which is in Rockland County near Nyack, recently decided to consolidate all of its mechanics under a new department. The law ostensibly consolidates the Highway, Town, and “Mini-Trans” garages under a single Town Garage Department that reports to the town board. According to reports, nearby towns of Whitestown and Blooming Grove have similarly consolidated their mechanics. Mayor Bloomberg of New York City also recently consolidated the city’s fleet maintenance and operations, and other cities such as Rochester (MN) have considered the same.
Emergency Services in MI; Cops in LA
Two cities in Michigan have hired an outside consultant to look at merging 911 dispatch in their communities. According to reports, the contract would be $150,000 per year, and the two cities—Kalamazoo Township and the City of Portage—would each pay a percentage based on population. As Gov1 has covered, many communities have looked at merging or sharing emergency dispatch services, including cities in Maine, Ohio, California, and New Jersey, where 19 police departments may merge. Several dispatch centers in Illinois have already started consolidating, and some larger cities, such as Mountain View (CA), are looking at streamlining their own internal administrative services—such as police and fire dispatch—centralizing operations and forging cooperative departments. A decent case study on dispatch consolidation was published by Cleveland State University in 2011.
Similarly, embattled Long Beach, California—which is facing a $17 million budget shortfall—is considering consolidating departments to save money. The move, according to reports, is being considered alongside possible layoffs, functional outsourcing, and pension reform. Among the departmental proposals would be the merger of the police department’s south and west divisions.
Water and Sewer in KY
The city of Louisville, Kentucky, is considering the merger of its water and sewer departments. According to reports, an outside consultant told the city that combining the Louisville Water Company and Metropolitan Sewer District could save up to $24 million per year. Other cities, like Hagerstown (MD), Barrow County (PA), Hot Springs (SD) expect to save through recent combinations of those departments. Others, like Independence (MO) and Holyoke (MA), are still considering such a consolidation.
Golf Courses in WY
Casper City, the second-largest city in Wyoming, is considering the consolidation of its golf course operations to save money. According to reports, golf operations cost the city $250,000 per year. The city is looking a numerous options, including closing, selling, or improving the courses through additional investment. The dynamic is an interesting one, as golfers believe that local, inexpensive links are an entitlement to be enjoyed by residents. However, in the words of a consultant covered in a local paper, taxpayers see that as “supporting the rich, who play for leisure, at the cost of the city.”
City, County Government in NC
The mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, is interested in studying the consolidation of city and county governments in the region. The county, Mecklenburg, has a population of nearly 1 million, with the largest city being Charlotte. According to reports, the mayor believes that consolidation would save money by eliminating local councils and creating an “all-encompassing government.” But the mayor has been criticized for his tactics; instead of pitching the idea to county commissioners, he made a personal appeal to 25 business and community leaders, including the CEOs of Bank of America and Duke Energy. Numerous other city-county mergers have been completed or are in the works, including the merger of Macon and Bibb County in Georgia.
Gov1 will continue to track consolidation and merger trends, which can always be found in the left-hand column of our Web site. If you have insights or experiences with these matters, we urge you to contact us at any time.