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For many Kanawha Valley cities and towns, times are tough.
Charleston city officials say they are facing a $1 milliondeficit this year and a $4.5 million deficit next year. Other townsin the area also report hard financial times. As the financialproblems mount, the call for area officials to save money andoperate more efficiently is growing stronger. And Charleston MayorJay Goldman's 'metro government,' and Kanawha County CommissionerDave Hardy's 'intergovernmental cooperation work group' are reachingmany open ears.
The terms are fuzzy, but the idea behind them is clear:Cooperation among local governments could save taxpayers money.Kanawha Valley governments are considering at least three differentroutes toward greater cooperation, but the Grand Rapids, Mich., areahas already chosen.
The Grand Valley Metro Council is a governmental corporation thatbrings 32 local governments together in an attempt to improve thequality of life for area residents and save taxpayers money.
The metro council was formed when the failure of two cities tocooperate cost taxpayers millions of dollars. But it took a lot morethan a good reason to get the metro council up and running.
'Some of us were just tired of the absurdity of so many littlelocal governments,' said Nyal Deems, one of the founders of themetro council.
Since it was formed in 1990, the council has encouragedefficiency in local government through cooperation. Two Grand Rapids-area municipalities found they could offer fire protection tocitizens by consolidating their fire departments.
Grand Rapids has a population of 180,000, and some of the smallermembers of the metro council have only a few thousand residents.
The metro council speaks for 650,000 people.
With that many people behind it, the council was able tonegotiate a joint purchasing agreement that saves local governmentsmore than 60 percent on some items.
As an organization with 650,000 constituents, the council alsocarries more weight in the state Legislature than any of theindividual cities, towns, townships or counties alone would. Thatadded clout is a big selling point for the council, some of thesmaller members say.
The council also works on regional land-use planning. Metrocouncil planners believe their work will make the Grand Rapids areamore livable in the future.
But they are also taking a role in harnessing sprawl right now.In one case, planners brought three towns together to design a land-use plan in an attempt to keep development under control on a semi-rural highway.
Grand Rapids-area officials also say the metro council, bypromoting cooperation and making the area look bigger, helps witheconomic development and bringing big events to the area.
The Grand Rapids area is doing better economically than theKanawha Valley.
Some mayors in that area believe the metro council is a goodthing and that cooperation is important for the Grand Rapids area.
'I want to see Grand Rapids prosper because if they don't, thatwould hurt Kentwood,' said Bill Hardman, mayor of suburban Kentwood.
'To me, we are interconnected, so I want to see the health of thewhole area.'
But not everyone likes the metro council. Membership isvoluntary, but members must pay dues. Some towns have decided not tojoin, some for financial reasons and others because they want toprotect their identities.
'Local control is a priority around here and most communitiesaround here - that is important to us,' said George Haga, supervisorof Ada Township, which dropped out of the metro council.
Some Kanawha Valley cities also are fiercely independent. Butright now, there are three proposals on the table for increasedcooperation among Kanawha Valley cities and towns.
Mayor Goldman is pushing what he calls 'metro government,' theconsolidation of towns like Charleston, St. Albans, SouthCharleston, Dunbar and Nitro and the annexation of unincorporatedareas like Cross Lanes. He argues that the move would streamlinegovernment and attract business development to the Valley.
Kanawha County Commissioners Dave Hardy and Kent Carper areworking to set up a group they say will save Kanawha County townsmoney through joint purchasing. They have not said they advocateconsolidations.
Advantage Valley, a group of business, political and educationalleaders, is suggesting a regional approach to economic developmentalong the Interstate 64 corridor from Charleston to Ashland, Ky.
Even those who have not been on the forefront of these threeefforts say these tough financial times are ripe for metrocooperation.
'It's not just Charleston but some of these other communitiesthat are going to feel the pinch. I think it's an opportune time tolook into metro government,' said Charlie Loeb, Charleston CityCouncil's majority leader.
To contact staff writer Sam Tranum, use e-mail or call 348-4872.
