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"Online Commentary: Small Town Government, Big City Services"
"By Matthew Hisrich The Buckeye InstituteCOLUMBUS, Ohio -- Suburban governments surrounding Cleveland are holding discussions regarding the possibility of combining basic services such as fire protection. The reason? Not only might it allow these communities as a group to provide expensive equipment that would be too costly to afford on their own, they will likely end up saving money in the process. Judging by the possibilities for regional cooperation in the Cleveland area, it may well be worth exploring in others around Ohio. Maintaining quality city services is a challenge for any community, and is becoming increasingly difficult as services such as fire protection become even more capital intensive. What community, for instance, doesn't want to provide their firefighters with innovative helmets that allow them to see through smoke in a burning building? With a price tag of $50,000 a helmet, though, these can be cost prohibitive to say the least. In Middleburg Heights, it is the desire to have a working aerial fire truck with an 85 foot reach that may prove to be a bank breaker. "If we can't regionalize an aerial tower truck -- a highly, specialized piece of equipment -- then we can't regionalize anything," Middleburg Heights Mayor Gary Starr recently said. "All it takes is leadership." Some may certainly argue that such tools are more accurately viewed as amenities than necessities for small communities. Indeed, the aerial tower truck Mayor Starr wants fixed was only used six times last year. While this argument is not without merit, though, it need not necessarily preclude those that wish to provide higher levels of service from obtaining such specialized equipment through regional agreements. The advantages of consolidation, however, are likely somewhat limited in scope. Regional governance, for instance, distances residents from those that they have appointed to govern them. Rather than improving quality and accountability, such arrangements often end up increasing inefficiencies and raising costs for taxpayers as the negative aspects of bureaucracy are expanded. Service consolidation, on the other hand, may avoid the worst of these problems. The advantage here is that local control is retained while at the same time pooled resources allow for higher levels of quality at a reduced cost. Another benefit worth consideration is the improved likelihood of privatization. Whereas it may not be feasible for a private contractor to provide service to small towns, such agreements may become possible once the service area is broadened to include several neighboring communities. Officials faced with both demanding residents and tight budgets may find that this is the best solution to resolve such conflicts. As Parma Heights Mayor Martin Zanotti recognizes, "Cities are going to have to do more with less."Ultimately, success through regional agreements will likely be dependent on the specifics of place, time and circumstance. The potential benefits of cooperation across political boundaries, though, more than justifies further exploration of the concept. Local officials interested in saving taxpayer dollars and improving available services should not hesitate looking into the benefits cooperating with their neighbors may bring. EDITOR's NOTE: The author, Matt Hisrich, is a policy analyst with The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, an independent, nonprofit education and research organization based in Columbus, Ohio."