Regional Cooperation:
Is it possible? What opportunities exist?
Consider:
- 145 taxing authorities in Polk, Warren & Dallas counties
- 3 counties, 44 cities, 20 school districts, 75 small authorities
- DART, County hospitals, DMACC
- Combined budgets, approaching $4 billion
Is there a way through regional cooperation, to share resources and responsibilities in order to increase efficiencies and effectiveness in the public sector?
Town Hall Panelists:
Regional Services Management:
- DART
- Water Reclamation Authority
- Metro Waste Authority
- Polk County Emergency Management
- State Fire Marshal Bomb Squad
- City of Des Moines HAZMAT Team
- Mutual Aid Agreements
Coordinating/Communicating Groups
- Metro Advisory Council
- Metropolitan Planning Organization
- Transportation planning
Regional Organizations:
- BRAVO (Arts promotion)
- Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Polk County Library Association
Coordinating/Communicating Groups
- Watersheds
- Closest Unit Response
- (Clive & Urbandale)
- Fire Department Training Center
- (Clive, Urbandale, Windsor Hts.)
- University Avenue (Clive & WDM)
- Signals, fiber, snow removal
- Hickman Ave traffic signals
- Clive & Urbandale
Types of Coordination:
Direct: For example, two cities sharing a library building. Both benefit from lower costs vs. two separate buildings.
Indirect: For example, the downtown Des Moines dam redesign for the Water Trails project. White in Des Moines, there is indirect benefit to the suburbs through economic impact,
Challenges & Barriers:
- Less direct control by each city – managed by proxy
- Resident resistance – typically a city’s indentity and pride resides in their own police department, fire department, library, etc.