In searching google.com for the terms "regional municipal cooperation," I am coming up with scattered projects in their early stages throughout the world. There are articles on things small areas of local governments are starting or attempting in such diverse places as Japan, the E.U., netherlands, and far more.

In order to become and remain competitive this will be an absolute necessity for small American municipalities. Their survival depends on it over the long term. There are rays of sunshine peeking through, though. I am glad to see one of them shining from my home turf.

Dan
- posted by AquarianM @ 10:55 AM

 
Monday, February 23, 2004

Task force: Start small on regional cooperation

By KELLEY BOUCHARD, Portland Press Herald Writer

Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc

For regionalism to be successful, Portland-area communities must take "baby steps" to gain the confidence and trust of the public and ensure that all participants benefit.

That's one conclusion of the Portland Task Force on Regionalism, which was formed last March to consider ways that Portland can increase efficiency and reduce costs by sharing with neighboring com- munities...(Full Story)
- posted by AquarianM @ 10:50 AM

 
Regional governmental entity cooperation Colorado style....

The purpose of the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments is to be responsive to our members' needs and interests by providing guidance and assistance in problem solving, information sharing and partnership building, advocating members' interests and needs with local, state and federal entities, and providing quality services to our membership that are relevant, effective and efficient.

What is NWCCOG?

Northwest Colorado Council of Governments (NWCCOG) is a voluntary association of county and municipal governments who individually and collectively believes that working together on a regional basis provides benefits that could not be obtained without the association.

NWCCOG was established as Colorado Planning and Management Region XII in 1972 by Executive Order of the Governor in response to the Federal Intergovernmental Cooperation Act of 1968. Regional planning was encouraged as a means to avoid overlap, duplication and competition between local planning activities.

Today, NWCCOG serves 25 member jurisdictions in a five-county region including Eagle County and the towns of Avon, Basalt, Eagle, Gypsum, Minturn, Red Cliff and Vail; Grand County and the towns of Fraser, Granby, Grand Lake, Hot Sulphur Springs, Kremmling and Winter Park; Jackson County and the Town of Walden; Pitkin County and the City of Aspen; and Summit County and the towns of Breckenridge, Dillon, Frisco, Montezuma, and Silverthorne.

There is no universal model for regional councils of governments. There are thirteen regional governmental associations within Colorado. All are different and unique because each reflects the needs and desires of its membership. NWCCOG literally becomes what its members want it to be due to the changing needs and opportunities unique to the region. The Board of Directors, made up of representatives from each member jurisdiction, directs the activities of NWCCOG. The professional staff at NWCCOG is responsible for carrying out the direction.
NWCCOG provides services to its members that are more cost effective and efficient when executed on a regional shared basis rather than being duplicated by each member jurisdiction. (More...)
- posted by AquarianM @ 10:47 AM

 
Regional Heads Discuss Economy
8/15/2003

Transportation a high priority

Concerns about economic development issues have brought together unlikely partners across the Illinois and Wisconsin state line who continue to move their own agendas forward as well as cooperating with their surrounding communities.

Beloit City Manager Larry Arft may have identified the notion best when he spoke briefly to the Regional Vision For Community Excellence Steering Committee Tuesday morning at its quarterly meeting at the Beloit Inn.

``Try to get economic development yourself, but if that's not possible, share it with others,'' he said.

The committee evolved about a year ago as part of the Rockford Area Council of 100. The 100 refers to economic development leaders in Boone, Stephenson, Ogle and Winnebago counties in Illinois and Rock County in Wisconsin.

The intent is to create a shared agenda for the economic future of the region.

On Tuesday, about 30 people from the Rock River Valley gathered to discuss the progress made toward the initiatives set for the region. At the forefront were infrastructure needs for transportation.

A huge concern is to improve safety on Illinois Route 20 and make it a federal interstate highway.

For Rock County, it also could mean diverting some of the traffic congestion from Interstate 90. That in turn could help eliminate vehicle emissions which impact air quality _ a concern for the county.

Should Rock County be named a non-attainment zone, for example, that could limit industrial and business growth because clean air standards would be placed on businesses.

So far, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has released $20 million for the four-lane project for Route 20. But in the end, the project will cost $600 million. The initial challenge is to commit Illinois Department Of Transportation and the local Congressional delegation to a transportation funding package that anticipates the ongoing construction of the project, according to information submitted to the committee.

In June, a delegation led by Rockford Area Chamber of Commerce members traveled to Washington, D.C. on behalf of the Route 20 project and gained the support of U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo representing the Rockford area. Manzullo then gained support from U.S. Rep. Bill Lipinski during testimony before the House of Representatives.

``Newly elected and appointed officials in Springfield, Madison and Washington, and a Republican majority in both the U.S. House and Senate with the speaker of the House from Illinois and U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald up for re-election, should mean more dollars for projects for the region,'' reported Chris Agnitsch, vice president of government affairs for the Rockford Area Chamber of Commerce.

But highways aren't the only transportation issues on the minds of those who represent the Rock River Valley Region.

Bob O'Brien, executive director of the Greater Rockford Airport, gave an update on the passenger service recently acquired. The airport will begin service Aug. 28 with daily, non-stop jet service (except Tuesdays) to Orlando.

O'Brien said development of the air passenger service could be a key economic engine for the five-county area in the Rock River Valley and he said all business leaders should encourage use of the service. He also emphasized the need to get the word out about the options.

``We have 74,000 seats to fill each year and $500,000 to advertise with. We'll have spent 65 percent of the budget in the first 120 days,'' O'Brien said.

The airport needs to sell tickets for 236 seats per day, presently, about 117 per day are being sold or about 50 percent, he said. Ticket sales need to reach at least 75 percent for the service to remain viable, he pointed out.

Also in the discussion phase is the possibility of adding destinations such as Detroit, Denver, Phoenix, Fort Lauderdale or San Francisco, O'Brien said.

Besides transportation matters, free trade and foreign competition also entered the discussion.

Ray Wood, a manufacturer, and member of the Council of 100, pointed out the inequities which exist in the world of free trade which affect the five-county area and beyond.

He said manufacturing employees in China, for example, are paid 40 cents per hour. He also pointed out the Chinese ``manipulate'' the currency rate at 40 percent.

``If the 40 percent advantage were gone, we could compete,'' Wood said.

``We are encouraging politicians to provide a level playing field,'' and get currency rates back under control, he said.

With 8,000 jobs lost in the last few years in the Rock River Valley Region, Wood added, ``free trade is appropriate, fair trade is absolutely essential.''

By Debra Jensen-De Hart
Business Editor, Beloit Daily News - 08/06/03 Edition
- posted by AquarianM @ 10:35 AM

 
This is another area small er towns need to look deeply into - finding local and secure sources of renewable energy. The less reliance on the outside world there is, the more stable the local economy will be. Petroleum resources will do nothing but rise in cost going forward, as will coal due to environmental hazards it involves. See the below article for some pioneering going on right here in the USA on this front.


Kucinich cheers Ore. renewable-energy plan

From Bend.com news sources
Posted: Monday, April 26, 2004 3:24 PM
Reference Code: PR-15097

April 26 - An ambitious renewable-energy plan unveiled by the state of Oregon over the weekend "has the potential to save state taxpayers billions of dollars and create an entirely new energy industry that would create jobs and fuel the state’s economy," Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich said.

Kucinich, campaigning in Oregon, said he has reviewed a draft plan released Saturday by the Oregon Office of Energy and found it “exciting, both in terms of the state’s bold commitment to clean energy technologies and in its potential to boost the economy and enhance the quality of life.”

The plan, requested by Gov. Ted Kulongoski, sets ambitious state-wide goals to achieve by 2006, including:

· 300 megawatts of wind energy — enough to power about 300,000 homes
· 50 megawatts of...(Full Story)
- posted by AquarianM @ 9:31 AM

 
NATIONAL JOBS FOR ALL COALITION 475 Riverside Dr., Ste. 601, NY, NY 100115; 212-367-4223
UNCOMMON SENSE 20 © March 1998

REVERSING THE SPREAD OF LOUSY JOBS*

by Chris Tilly, Professor of Regional Economic and Social Development, University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and member of the editorial collective, Dollars and Sense

Our economy has expanded steadily, if unevenly, since the recession of 1990-91. But how are we to evaluate such economic growth? Two important questions to ask are these:

As we track the economy from one boom to the next, does each successive boom leave us better off than the one before?

Are we better off today than our parents were at our age twenty-five or thirty years ago? For the average American, the answer to both questions is "no." How can we track the lost ground? There are many different ways, but perhaps the most informative is a look at the deteriorating quality of jobs.

Visit the NATIONAL JOBS FOR ALL COALITION to learn more.
- posted by AquarianM @ 5:04 PM

 
A canadian site that looks somewhat interesting...

Local Government Institute Contributes to Partnering Conference
- posted by AquarianM @ 5:02 PM

 
Please keep in mind that I am actively seeking persons to report on this issue as it relates to their small community and participate in this discussion and effort. If you are interested, please contact me at the e-mail link at the top of this page.

Sincerely,

Dan Stafford
- posted by AquarianM @ 4:44 PM

 
A quote from the below article that is EXACTLY the point:

"A lot of parochialism still prevails in the area. Not all neighboring city and county leaders meet regularly, and communities still raid each other to snatch businesses. Cross-state competition for industries has been keen, as governments in Wisconsin and Illinois enticed companies with grab bags full of incentives.

Such competition, said one man interviewed for this project, is a zero sum game.

``We have to get away from the idea that this city is my city. We have to spread out,'' said Elias Soria of Rockford.

The reason is obvious, said Soria, who works in the Rockford Housing Authority's family self-sufficiency program.

``The more people you have, the more power you have.'' "
- posted by AquarianM @ 11:24 PM

 
Special Report: Thinking Regional
Five counties, two states, one identity

By Chuck Sweeny
Rock River Valley Project

In ways both subtle and bold, four counties in northern Illinois and one in southern Wisconsin are banding together to prosper in the 21st century.

No, they're not seceding from Wisconsin and Illinois to form a new state. In fact, they aren't even forming anything as mundane as a regional planning council _ yet.

But increasingly, leaders and residents of Boone, Stephenson, Winnebago, Ogle counties in Illinois and Rock County in Wisconsin are realizing that they live, work and play in a region loosely known as the Rock River Valley.

To explore ways of building a better economy, organized as Rock River Valley Partners, representatives from a group of chambers of commerce, economic development and related organizations from the five counties will hold the region's first economic summit April 11 at Cliffbreakers Hotel & Conference Center in Rockford.

The Rock River Valley Economic Summit is the outcome of one of...(Full Story)
- posted by AquarianM @ 11:21 PM

 
This is the kind of thing we need to see much more of...

Economic summit scheduled Friday

What: Rock River Valley Economic Summit
When: 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday, April 11
Where: Cliffbreakers Hotel and Conference Center, 700 W. Riverside Blvd., Rockford
Cost: $25 for the morning and afternoon sessions; $35 for luncheon; $60 for both.
Details: Group sessions, roundtable discussions, presentations of projects and grograms of regional significance. Features Jack Lavin, director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and a representative from the Wisconsin Department of Commerce. Luncheon keynote speaker is Ken Hendricks, president of ABC Supply and Hendricks Development Group of Beloit.
Reservations: (815)987-8100, ext. 137

What is the Rock River Valley?
The Rock River Valley, as defined by the Rock River Valley Economic Summit, is four counties of northern Illinois _ Winnebago, Boone, Ogle and Stephenson _ and one in southern Wisconsin, Rock. It includes the cities of Janesville and Beloit in Wisconsin and Rockford, Belvidere, Freeport, Rochelle, Oregon and Byron in Illinois. The region is bound together by the Rock River and its tributaries: the Kishwaukee, the Pecatonica and the Sugar rivers.
Source: Rock River Valley Partners

(Full Story)
- posted by AquarianM @ 11:19 PM

 
Shadows Over Ghostville:

It's just a small town,
Little shops and so they say nothing much to do,
It's just home where all my childhood memories are,
Only the place where my grandparents lie at rest,
And their parents maybe,
Or uncles or cousins or well you get the picture sort of,
You know the place with all the vacant factories,
Closed or for sale signs on businesses and houses all over town,
Where cars are a little older and rustier and kept longer,
Where a lot of dreams are dying,
As another factory moves overseas,
They never see it in the big city because there's too much to see,
The inertia of a giant is a sort of security blanket,
But when you live through it in a small town,
See the ghosting of America first hand,
Know that you'll read an obituary the same day there's a "help wanted" column,
Watch people move away because they have to,
Watch schools that sit empty as rust gathers on the still swings,
Only hear the creaking of an old merry-go-round when it's windy,
Is that when you start wishing you could do something,
Or is it when you first read the sign,
"Welcome to Ghostville USA,
Population in geometric regression."

AquarianM

By: Daniel A. Stafford
(C) 04/24/2004

Author's Comments:
It's time to shed light on the shadows and do something about this issue.
http://www.whizzyrds.com/Ghostville.html
- posted by AquarianM @ 2:01 PM

 
What I am trying to do is get people from all over the region in towns of 75,000 or smaller documenting plant closings, business closings, openings, re-hirings, and efforts by communities to join together to attract / create / retain industry and jobs. Anyone wishing to participate in this effort please contact me at the e-mail link above.
- posted by AquarianM @ 12:58 PM

 
IDEA NOTE:

One of the things I think many small towns should invest in as best as they can is how to attract sustainable industry. Something unique to them and yet that will not deplete local resources if possible. Perhaps have a town official whose sole duty is to attract such to the municipality or work cooperatively with other small municipalities in the area to attract larger employers. Competition between small municipalities in a region is not necessarily a benefit when regional cooperation could more effectively boost the local economy.

I also think that each such town should annex a "green belt" surrounding the town in which agricultural plots are either able to be owned by family farmers or city / town farming operations that maintain a local food supply and stocks of unique local plant life and possibly wind and solar power generation and park space. This "green belt" should be left in the town plan as a permanent fixture, and expansion should only take place beyond it. Perhaps community garden plots could be alotted to residents of the city for food production, thereby decreasing the necessity for things like food stamp programs for the unemployed.

Vacant buildings could also be converted into free municipal housing for anyone who remains long term unemployed in return for working at maintaining buildings or gardens in the green way part time, or other necessary municipal work. This would provide a barter basis for labor for cash-strapped municipalities and housing and food for residents in the same situation. The hours of such labor should be kept to a maximum of three days a week, however, to allow room for such residents to re-train at vocational or community colleges, or look for new "paying" employment. Such a program would provide a buffer for both the small municipality and it's residents in the face of a fluctuating economy, taking advantage of the rural roots of many such communities.
- posted by AquarianM @ 12:49 AM

 
OK, logo done, I signed up for a site meter to trecord visits which I'll add soon, this little e-village is moving right along.
- posted by AquarianM @ 12:32 AM

 
I fully expect to evolve both the template, content, and number of contributors to this blog over time. The changes may be gradual and slow or not, I have no idea, but I hope this endeavor does some good.
- posted by AquarianM @ 10:45 PM

 
This idea came to me as a congealing of the way I've felt on going "back home" to Beloit, WI and seeing the closed businesses, remembering my own experiences in Beloit in the early 1980's recession, and reading about Anna Callahan's work in Danville, IL in the Chicago Tribune. I also saw first hand the results of economic devastation in Metropils, IL last week during a brief stop where there were numerous businesses vacant and buildings for sale. Another example was in the number of vacant buildings shown in the Chicago Tribune's cdoverage of the tornado damage in Utica, IL today. It all adds up to something that must be spoken about and dealt with. Hopefully, this blog will give voices from many of these communitioes a way to reach across the miles and find some sort of unity and cooperation in reversing this trend. Any city in the nation that fits the description covered in this blog and wishes to contribute and become a part of this is welcome to do so. Inclusivity is a welcome thing, and while the Midwest is "home" for me, so is Smalltown, USA the home of my heart. Wherever you are across the country, please feel welcome to contribute stories, ideas, or moral support.
- posted by AquarianM @ 10:36 PM