Alternatives: sharing services

If a complete merger isn't feasible or desired, there are other ways to maintain services for less taxpayer cost.

In California, San Benito County and the City of Hollister are taking steps to merge fire protection, sheriff/ police, and fleet maintenance services. “Both agencies are trying to minimize general fund expenditures as much as possible,” explains Steve Wittry, the county's public works administrator.

Fleet services came into consideration because county seat Hollister and San Benito County both have similar fleet maintenance facilities. But while the county's is set up primarily to service large trucks and equipment, the city's is set up for passenger vehicles. The consolidation will keep both facilities open by allowing each to specialize. With the county taking in large equipment and city employees working on passenger cars and emergency vehicles, vehicles can be serviced and placed back on the street more quickly.

Wittry also doesn't anticipate any reduction in staff.

But first thing's first. To consolidate services, Wittry says identifying and evaluating costs is key. “We need to analyze the age of the respective fleets, annual maintenance requirements, expected service turn-around, cost comparison to private firms, and then package the information for elected officials.” The evaluation will be completed in time for the county's fiscal year budget process to begin in June.

Another way to share services is through intergovernmental agreements (IGAs). In Oregon, the state DOT, Jackson County, and a handful of cities have been working together both informally and under IGA contracts for at least a decade.

“Different jurisdictions have different specialties. By combining our efforts, we've made all of our organizations more efficient,” says Tad Blanton, field operations supervisor with the City of Medford Public Works Department.

For example, Medford has its own paving crew with a full-size highway paver, the county doesn't but can provide chip-sealing, and the DOT performs deicing and has its own chemical storage facility. By working together, one entity can access all three services — and trained personnel — without having to hire a contractor or buy additional equipment.

“We don't have to invest in equipment we don't use all the time, and neither do they,” says Blanton.

Another benefit of IGAs is that, by providing regional services, Medford's Equipment Maintenance Division brings in revenue to help offset costs. And when paying for services from governmental agencies that aren't profit-oriented, the fee isn't as high as a contractor's.

Blanton adds that because there aren't a lot of contractors who do specialized municipal work in the area (i.e., preventive pavement maintenance), partnering with other agencies is beneficial for his city. “In our case, isolation breeds jurisdictional interdependence because we just don't have a lot of options,” he says.