February 2007

Municipal matchmaking not for the faint of heart

Twenty-four hours.

That’s the time frame that someone well-versed in local government politics predicted that I would have, should I openly advocate for consolidation between the City of Altoona and Logan Township, before I would be attached to a large rock in the bottom of Lake Altoona.

And he wasn’t kidding.

Such outdoor recreation aside, it’s getting very close to a time when Blair County will no longer be afforded the luxury of doing simply what it wants to do. Like most of Western Pennsylvania, our county is facing the prospect of higher taxes, diminished state and federal funding and little population growth to offset them. Just ask our county commissioners, who pieced together a budget for 2007 on slightly more than a wing-and-a-prayer.

There are daunting challenges ahead and the business community will feel the crunch from every direction. That was the main impetus for The Chamber’s Legislative Action Committee to top its annual list of priorities with one that encourages greater dialogue between municipalities. The committee speaks of “collaboration” and “cooperation” without throwing-around the other “c-word” and perhaps that’s the most logical way to start. Consolidation is, to most municipal governments, the last bastion of hope and control. At that point, things generally get ugly. It’s good to avoid ugly if you can.

Whether it’s practical to think that talking will make a difference in knocking-down some of the borders leading to greater efficiencies among municipalities is mostly conjecture to those of us charged with exploring solutions. So a few weeks ago, The Chamber invited John Mizerak from the Governor’s Center for Local Government Services and Alex Graziani, one of the Commonwealth’s top planners, to set the record straight. The two, along with Steve McKnight from ABCD Corporation, gave a presentation to our Legislative Action Committee that caused varying degrees of optimism and despair.

What we learned was that many municipalities throughout Pennsylvania are already conducting meaningful discussions to search for ways in which spending can be curbed, simply by eliminating duplication of services. In Cameron County, for instance, seven municipalities are close to culminating an agreement that would eliminate the municipal governments and replace them with a Home Rule charter. That’s noteworthy, according to Graziani, because the process toward consolidation is fraught with peril.

“It mostly comes down to two major factors,” he pointed out. “The first involves the influence of the elected officials within the municipalities. In most cases they’ll do everything possible to retain their members. The second factor involves inequity. Why would anyone be willing to go to the altar with someone who brings nothing to the marriage?

“If you can get by those two things, you’re well on your way. Truth be told, few are able to accomplish that.”

The fly-in-the-ointment for municipalities who maintain an unwillingness to even discuss collaboration is that Governor Rendell seems determined to push the concept forward. It will start with funding that is being made available to counties willing to pursue setting-up bodies such as Councils of Government. It will also spur the legislature, long considered an impediment to bringing municipal government into a reasonable framework, to take a harder look at the realities of allowing the Commonwealth to experience further decay.

“We’re preparing proposals of legislation that will be put before the legislature that will encourage more discussion on finding ways to do the best thing for our communities,” Mizerak acknowledged.

If Rendell is looking to establish a legacy as governor, unraveling a system of government that currently has the second highest number of municipalities and school districts in the entire country might be appealing. How that all plays out will be interesting to watch.

In Blair County, The Chamber will likely take a deliberate approach to bring municipal officials to the table to explore what economies of scale already exist and to find common ground on even more. A strategic planning session, facilitated by Legislative Action Committee member Rob Jones, set the stage for what happens next.

It won’t be easy.

Things this important never are.

Past Chamber Notes

Dec 04 | Jan 05 | Feb 05| Mar 05 | Apr 05| May 05| June 05 | July 05 | Aug 05 |Sep 05 |Oct 05 |Nov 05 |Dec 05 | Jan 06 |Feb 06| Mar 06 | Apr 06 | May 06 | June 06 | July 06 | Aug 06 |
Sept 06| Oct 06 | Nov 06 | Dec 06 | Jan 07