January 8, 3013
Editorial
Three cheers for Douglas!
Editorial
Three cheers for Douglas!
There will be some who will complain that Douglas should've been studying consolidation for months. Not us. Not today.
The Consolidated Government Committee (CGC) greets the news--see the MLive article below-- that the Douglas city council has taken the first step toward studying consolidation cost-savings, with a cooperative spirit of optimism. Indeed, we would offer our expertise and that of our members and our consultants (including Plante Moran) to aid the Douglas effort. (As to sharing costs, as one Douglas council member who's openly opposed to consolidation suggested, we'll defer. We have already spent well over $100,000 on studies unreimbursed by either city.)
Also heartening is the Douglas city manager's assertion that some of the state's allocated $15 million in EVIP funding dedicated to improving local-government efficiency will be sought to cover the cost of the consolidation study. Indeed, these are precisely the same funds the CGC has repeatedly pointed to as a source to defray a large portion of the one-time consolidation startup costs that some had worried would be too large for the cities to bear.
Most of all, the CGC remains committed to a fact-based discussion of the merits of consolidation. Choosing an unbiased and competent firm to assist the city in the cost-savings study will be a critical next step. As we have seen with the harbor efforts, finding professional resources with real expertise is essential to sound analysis.
Finally, we hope that the City of Saugatuck will quickly and enthusiastically embrace the Douglas initiative. Cooperation is the first step toward... more cooperation. And we hope, an important step toward the shared vision, potential property-tax savings, and enhanced government efficiency that consolidation represents.
The Consolidated Government Committee (CGC) greets the news--see the MLive article below-- that the Douglas city council has taken the first step toward studying consolidation cost-savings, with a cooperative spirit of optimism. Indeed, we would offer our expertise and that of our members and our consultants (including Plante Moran) to aid the Douglas effort. (As to sharing costs, as one Douglas council member who's openly opposed to consolidation suggested, we'll defer. We have already spent well over $100,000 on studies unreimbursed by either city.)
Also heartening is the Douglas city manager's assertion that some of the state's allocated $15 million in EVIP funding dedicated to improving local-government efficiency will be sought to cover the cost of the consolidation study. Indeed, these are precisely the same funds the CGC has repeatedly pointed to as a source to defray a large portion of the one-time consolidation startup costs that some had worried would be too large for the cities to bear.
Most of all, the CGC remains committed to a fact-based discussion of the merits of consolidation. Choosing an unbiased and competent firm to assist the city in the cost-savings study will be a critical next step. As we have seen with the harbor efforts, finding professional resources with real expertise is essential to sound analysis.
Finally, we hope that the City of Saugatuck will quickly and enthusiastically embrace the Douglas initiative. Cooperation is the first step toward... more cooperation. And we hope, an important step toward the shared vision, potential property-tax savings, and enhanced government efficiency that consolidation represents.
